Nonna's Traditional Italian Recipes is intended to introduce you to a collection of recipes that celebrate culinary customs passed down through countless generations. Guided by an English-speaking chef, explore an authentic collection of recipes, traditions and anecdotes that honour an ancient country's cuisine, all from the comforts of your private villa in Italy.
Your all-inclusive cooking holiday includes a series of hands-on classes, demonstrations and food and wine tastings spread out throughout the week. Food aficionados will uncover the secrets that transform fresh, local and seasonal ingredients into flavourful regional specialities, and cooking methods and techniques every great Italian nonna uses. By the end of your cooking week, you will know how to make traditional appetisers, hand-made pasta and pizza, seasonal primi ("first courses"), hearty secondi ("second courses") and local desserts including Tiramisu and Cantucci.
Whether you're planning a multi-generational get-together, travelling with a large group or with children, you will still have time to enjoy the luxuries of your villa, relax by the private swimming pool, sightsee and take in the sun, sights and sounds of Italy.
Although people have been eating pizza for centuries, it wasn't till 18th-century Naples, in honour of the visiting Queen Margherita, that pizza was approved as a genuine Italian dish. The best pizzaiolo ("pizza-maker") in Naples was summoned to create three pizzas for her majesty. He presented a flatbread inspired by the Italian flag — made with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil — which the queen adored. From that day, pizza went from a flatbread for the poor to a national dish fit even for a queen.
Originally from Genova in Liguria, this pasta's wide, flat and slender shape gave rise to its name Linguine ("little tongues"). This flattened version of spaghetti is typically served during the holidays with homemade — traditional mortar and pestle — pesto. While Linguine al Pesto Genovese is a traditional favourite, tomato and fish-based sauces are popular with this pasta variety.
Originally from Genova in Liguria, this pasta's wide, flat and slender shape gave rise to its name Linguine ("little tongues"). This flattened version of spaghetti is typically served during the holidays with homemade — traditional mortar and pestle — pesto. While Linguine al Pesto Genovese is a traditional favourite, tomato and fish-based sauces are popular with this pasta variety.
These long, flat ribbons from Emilia-Romagna, play an important role in the cuisine of Central and Northern Italy. Their particular name derives from the verb tagliare ("to cut"), since traditionally this pasta type is rolled out into thin paper sheets and hand-cut. Their rough and porous texture makes this pasta type ideal for soaking up thicker sauces, typically made with veal, beef or pork, such as ragù ("Bolognese").
Any Italian adult can look back to their childhood and recall the memory of making polpette ("meatballs") with nonna ("grandmother"). Polpette is 'the' Italian dish that conquered the homes and hearts of many. Ground meat is rolled into small balls with ingredients such as bread crumbs, onions, eggs and more. Beef, pork, poultry or sausage; fried, baked, steamed or braised in sauce, polpette vary from town to town in Italy.
While the origins of Italy's most famous dish are debatable, there is one thing we can agree on — Tiramisu is one of the best desserts (if not, 'the' best). Its name, Tiramisu ("pick me up"), refers to the two caffeinated ingredients, espresso and cocoa, present in this layered cake made with beaten egg, mascarpone and ladyfinger biscuits soaked in coffee. While many legends around the history of tiramisu exist, our favourite is that this dessert was served as an aphrodisiac to clients in the brothels of Treviso.
Your all-inclusive cooking holiday includes a series of hands-on classes, demonstrations and food and wine tastings spread out throughout the week. Food aficionados will uncover the secrets that transform fresh, local and seasonal ingredients into flavourful regional specialities, and cooking methods and techniques every great Italian nonna uses. By the end of your cooking week, you will know how to make traditional appetisers, hand-made pasta and pizza, seasonal primi ("first courses"), hearty secondi ("second courses") and local desserts including Tiramisu and Cantucci.
Whether you're planning a multi-generational get-together, travelling with a large group or with children, you will still have time to enjoy the luxuries of your villa, relax by the private swimming pool, sightsee and take in the sun, sights and sounds of Italy.