As those who read my book Rosemary and Bitter Oranges will remember, I learned to cook at a very early age. Under Emilia’s tutelage, I found cooking to be a most rewarding activity, a link between me and my family, a bond with my friends. It is also a kind of performance, where the cooks are the actors and their captive audience has to be kept, well…captive!
I will conduct a series of week-long cooking classes in my Umbrian country home just outside the hill-town of Todi. While staying in my 13th century farmhouse my guests will learn different complete menus for several occasions, absorbing my beliefs in quick, easy and rewarding.
My cooking philosophy is based on bella figura the very Italian phrase that means to look good with little effort. A well designed, easy to execute menu, is a powerful tool no matter how many times it is used. In a couple of hours, for instance, one can put together an impromptu dinner, stress-free. I will demonstrate just how easy it is: simply a question of organization and experience. I will also show how nearly effortless it is to prepare a full, elegant dinner for many by leisurely spreading its preparation over a period of three days. Why get crazy doing everything at the last moment? I start planning and preparing two days before, always setting aside the day of the party to relax. A couple of hours before the guests arrive, there will probably be some last moment activity going on in the oven, heating a dish of Gnocchi di Semolino, maybe a roast, or baking a last minute cake. (Promise: it’s easy!) But if all is well organized before, it should be just a matter of assembling the ingredients and then, again, relaxing while the oven does its job.
From living and cooking in New York I know the meaning of “small space.” I also know the ingredients one finds in America and how to compensate for different taste. I have often been asked by frustrated friends who failed to replicate the flavors of the Mediterranean: “Why does the food taste differently from Italy?” During our week together I will guide my guests through the selection of the right pasta, the good zucchini, the perfect eggplant or tomato and the best garlic clove this side of the Atlantic. We will learn about olive oil and wine, make fresh pasta, pizza and risotto and prepare delicious Italian desserts.
A Week with Patrizia Chen is not just about cooking but also a real immersion in Italian culture as we visit local markets and landmarks, enjoying the best of Italian country life and each other. A presto!
