Events

Cooking the ‘Costa Amalfitana’ with Ursula Ferrigno

Italian born and UK based chef, writer and cooking teacher Ursula Ferrigno led a day inspired by her home town Minori on the Amalfi coast, where jagged cliffs rise boldly from the shimmering azure waters and clusters of white and ochre buildings and church towers climb up to the mountains and cascade down to the sea. Lush terraces of lemon groves, olive trees flourishing high on the cliffs among cherry, fig and tomato vines.

This class was all about the joys of village secrets and the wonders of the Campania coastline.

Participants gathered around the work table at Latteria Studio to prepare:

• Laganelle con calamari e ceci – Pasta with squid and chickpeas
• Pesce Serra ai fiori di zucca – Fish wrapped in courgette blossoms
• Insalata di fagiolini Romano – Flat Romano bean salad with mint
• Pizza rustica – Savoury ricotta pie with mozzarella, ricotta and capocollo
• Torta caprese – Almond cake with fresh seasonal cherries

Like all of the classes at Latteria, this class was for a small group of 6 participants and ended with a convivial lunch enjoying what was prepared.

Sourdough Class with Jeremy Cherfas

Master baker and sourdough nut Jeremy Cherfas led an all day baking workshop.

This was first and foremost a practical, hands-on day. Participants used the time while the starter was working its magic to explore the history of wheat and bread and the details of how to care for and use a starter culture.

About the class

The first order of business was to make dough. Step by step, Jeremy guided participants through the process, along the way explaining why we do what we do.

Participants learned how a little effort transforms four simple ingredients into a living dough, while gaining new insights into breadmaking. In addition, participants made hot cross buns and discussed the ritual significance of bread in different cultures.

Participants left with their own delicious loaf of handmade bread, plus:

• a “Tuscan” sourdough starter that may or may not be more than 110 years old;
• instructions on how to feed and care for the starter and how to use it to bake more bread;
• an understanding of why Jeremy puts “Tuscan” in scare quotes;
• a few other recipes and treats.

For more details on sourdough classes, visit https://ti.to/sourdough-u/April.

Vegan Pasta and Sauces Day with Carla Tomasi

A Vegan Pasta and Sauces Day was hosted as a chance to expand knowledge on vegan options and showcase easy and yummy dishes found in Italian cuisine.

The menu for the day included Cavatelli, Malloreddus, Maccheroni al ferretto, Orecchiette, Trofie, Pici and sauces made with the best of seasonal ingredients.

Market to Table

Market to Table is a special series of appointments created by Rachel Roddy, Carla Tomasi and Alice Adams for visitors to Rome.

The idea starts at the market, mostly Testaccio, Rachel’s local, to fill bags and baskets with the best of the season. The route then leads across the river to Trastevere and up to the Latteria Studio kitchen where Carla (or Alice) awaits – with more produce from her garden in Ostia.

Market to Table scheduled dates offered seasonal specials such as Artichoke and Citrus focus sessions. There were always two of the three cooks leading the class.

Carla and Alice also offered private cooking classes at Latteria Studio.

Photographic reportage provided by Carola Ploechinger.

Persian Cooking Class with Saghar Setareh

Persian Food Blogger and Photographer Saghar Setareh hosted a Persian Cooking Class as a celebration of the festive season.

In this Christmas edition, participants worked with cinnamon, cardamom, roses, pomegranates and plenty of dried fruit, while Saghar shared stories about her trip to Iran and the ancient Festival of Yalda, a celebration of the winter solstice.

Menu

• To start: Cheese and wild herbs, the Persian way
• Main dishes: Persian pilaf with lentils and caramelized onions, served with fried eggs and dates; Jeweled rice with pistachios, almonds and orange zest, served with saffron golden chicken
• Side dish: Mint and pomegranate salad
• Dessert: Persian love cake with roses, served with cardamom tea

Dumplings Class with Vanessa Miles

Vanessa Miles, the Australian cook, photographer and teacher known as ‘the hungry chook’, held a hands-on class at Latteria Studio. In this class, participants rolled and filled pork and mushroom dumplings, learning the tricks to grilling them ‘potsticker’ style. The evening class finished with dinner around Latteria Studio’s long table, accompanied by seasonal Asian vegetable dishes and wine.

Tickets and booking details were made available here.

Photos by Vanessa Miles and Vanessa Arena.

Cooking with Carla Autumn Program

Carla Tomasi organized an Autumn program of classes concluding with a convivial lunch with wine. Topics included:

• Skills lessons: flatbreads, simple breads, cinnamon buns and maritozzi
• Winter vegetarian table
• Special Artichoke Market to Table
• Christmas baking and edible gifts

An Evening with Carla Tomasi and Vicky Bennison from Pasta Grannies

An evening was held with Vicky Bennison, the face behind the Pasta Grannies project that documents traditional pasta recipes from all over Italy. Vicky talked about her journeys across the country to record family recipes and secrets of the nonne, while Carla prepared a fresh made pasta meal, local wine and other treats for participants.

Passeggiata & Pasta

A program combining a relaxing jaunt through Testaccio with Marco Gargiulo, hitting highlights from the Pyramid to the old slaughterhouse and the local food market. After crossing the river to Trastevere, participants reached Latteria Studio where Carla Tomasi greeted them with wine and homemade focaccia, followed by a pasta lesson and a lunch of handmade pasta, garden vegetables and pudding.

More pages: pasta non pasta with Marie Sjoberg for Alice Cucina magazine