I Tatti Kitchen

I Tatti chefs tour

It’s about this time of year when Villa I Tatti opens up their kitchen to the professors and their wives/husbands/partners (covering all bases) and lets them come into the bowels of the building to see what the chefs get up to every day. I of course put my name down for such a tour and yesterday was my turn to take a look into the I Tatti underworld (a.k.a main kitchen). We were a group of four and managed to get right to the crux of lunch time, snack time and afternoon teatime preparations.

The lovely Anna met us at the heavily secured biblioteca and escorted us through to the main kitchen where our chefs were waiting. Like all chefs I have known they were busy getting on with the daily prep. However, you couldn’t help notice the calm of the kitchen and the relaxed nature of the chefs, especially considering they had about 70 people to feed in a few hours time.

Making semi dried tomato bread rolls

All the bread is made on the premises and we came in just as Chef was stuffing some semi dried tomatoes into dough and cutting them into rolls. I was feeling very much at home with a feverish urge to push in and have a go myself, alas, I restrained myself and stuck to taking photos. The schiacciata is always wonderful to see drizzled in olive oil and salt, because you know how good it will taste when it comes out of the oven!

Proving for the oven

I know, from long experience, that people who aren’t chefs love to get a peek into professional kitchens and to learn a few tricks of the trade, so here are a few things that I picked up. The more I read, ask questions and watch Italian chefs in action the biggest difference I can see between my cooking and Italian cooks is the amount of time they take to cook and develop flavours. I have been taking more time and keeping the burners lower than I normally would to reproduce the deliciously rich flavours I am eating here, and I am loving the difference in flavour.  I noticed the guys cooking a simple porcini and prosciutto cotto pasta sauce, backing up my ‘slow it right down’ theory and seeing it in practice. We were also told a way to increase the flavour of the sauce with your pasta: just before the past is almost ready (cooked in salted water, of course), strain the pasta and finish cooking it in your sauce. That way the pasta has time to absorb the beautiful flavours you have created.

A very simple step but one I am sure many of us miss because we are so used to doing everything quickly. You never stop learning in the kitchen, I think this is one of my favourite aspects about being a chef, cooking doesn’t get boring, you just have to keep learning.

The ‘bible’

I did manage to sneak a peek at the kitchens ‘bible’, it is a book stacked with recipes they have been using for the past 12 years, the tried and true ones. So, I thought I would take my time and translate this recipe and give it a go! I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Once the bread was made and the pasta sauce was simmering away it was time to whip up a batch of cookies for afternoon tea- the fellows are so spoilt! Chef made the cookie mix in a matter of seconds (I’m thinking he could do it with his eyes closed!) and then we got a lesson on piping the dough around the edges of the baking paper first so it holds down the paper while you pipe the remaining and the paper doesn’t ride up- nice!

Cookie time

I didn’t catch all that was spoken but it didn’t seem to matter, I was still learning and enjoying myself as were the other guests, and while chef was popping on the red cherries you know I was gunning to do that job too. I can’t tell you how hard it is to stand in a professional kitchen and not do anything!!

Thankfully the cookies didn’t take very long to bake, and so I joined in and ate as many as I dare…come on, fresh out of the oven how do you resist that?

They were like eating clouds

After eating a few too many pieces of schiacciata and cookies we then went around to the stores to see the workings of the kitchen and I was surprised to see such a small storeroom for their dry goods, along with the fridge space. We were told that the fruit and vegetables get delivered daily, as does the fresh meat. On average they feed about 70 people a day and serve two to three different menus. The I Tatti fellows get morning tea and schiacciata, a two-course lunch and then afternoon tea in the drawing room, so all in all that is a lot of food to be prepared, not to mention feeding the staff of I Tatti, including gardeners, librarians, office workers, farmers and a few others who I have forgotten.

The dry stores and fridges, they were spotless!

I really enjoyed the guided tour and seeing how the kitchen operates but if I ever get the chance to go back again I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold back on doing some cooking! It makes me want to cook for large groups again. So Sydneysiders, Melbournians and Launcestonians, after July pop on over to camillabaker.com and book a class or dinner with friends and I will come to your place and cook up your very own Tuscan fare.

I Tatti Fettunta

There is nothing more pleasing on a brisk winters morning than a good frost. It is bitterly cold first thing, however, you will always know the day will be fantastic! Blue sky, sun shining and a dry cold instead of the wet, misty fog we have have the past few days.

Last Thursday was a classic winters morning with a grass snapping frost which meant it was going to be a perfect day for I Tatti’s olive oil harvest celebration- Fettunta (which is a colloquial Tuscan word for bruschetta). The farmers have finally picked all the olive trees (and there are a lot of them), pressed the oil and we were all invited up to the farm house to taste the new olive oil and enjoy the view.

The kitchen staff had made beans, chickpeas, pappa pomodoro and ribollita for the festivities and we all gathered round the tables and helped ourselves to the delights, melding the flavours with the new oil.

I almost got a great shot and then this pink head came out of know where! The line behind me wasn’t as fascinated with all the photography so I didn’t push my luck.

Once we had our plates full of food it was then time to pop on over to the bread toasting section, grab a piece of sliced bread and toast in over the open coals- perfect for a cold day!

The trick was now rubbing your toast with raw garlic, adding a sprinkle of salt and drizzling over more olive oil all while holding your plate of beans and chickpeas. Never fear I wasn’t going to let a little thing like this break me, I just decided I’d sip the farms vino rosso after I ate. Worked like a charm!

The food and olive oil were deliciously morish with a lovely after flavour of pepper from the oil, a perfect combination for a day at the farm. It is always lovely to catch up with everyone in the great outdoors and enjoy this beautiful view because I had a terrible realisation the other day….we are almost half way through our year…….I can’t even think about that just yet!

 

Winter is coming……

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving I Tatti style

The 28th of November was a glorious sunny day here in Florence and what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving?

Why are we celebrating Thanksgiving I hear you ask? Well this is a valid question. You see Villa I Tatti is part of Harvard University and they celebrate the appropriate holidays of both America and Italy. I have always said ‘when in Rome…..’ It is not too far of a stretch to celebrate an American holiday, after all  we enjoyed 7 years of Thanksgivings while living in the States and we also have our token American/Australian citizen, Alex, so really we are just opening a few more doors to the boys’ international lifestyle (a lifestyle they are going to have to fund themselves after this trip I fear!). 

So without further a due, I have put together a few photos of the day to show you the wonderful community we are involved in here and also to see how well Nic and the other fellows are treated while having their year at I Tatti. I will note this is my first time in the belly of the villa and I have to say I like the style, what do you think? Keeping in mind these professors get lunch served in pretty much the same way 5 days a week!

The proceeding start with a leisurely stroll through the gardens to the main villa,

And when you reach the top one must stop to admire the fabulous view

After feeling a little underdressed for such a spectacular view and surrounds we head off with the kids in tow (that’s right, we pulled them out of school for the day as we thought……why not!) we adjourned to the dining hall situated in the heart of the villa. I will have to mention that the art collections hanging on the walls are extremely impressive and old so we were asked not to photograph the pieces so I started my photo journal with the festive squash arrangement as I was walking into the drawing room to start the celebrations with a martini bianco!

At this point we did the quick ‘kids behave, don’t touch anything, say anything inappropriate to any adult you speak to and for the love of god eat with your mouth closed’ lecture, by which gives you somewhat comfort that they will go off and represent the family well…..

Anna our gracious host organised the kids down the end of one table while the adults looked on nervously as she then proceeded to sit at the head of their table and mingle with them. Alex was sitting right next to her so she was in for an ear bashing that was a guarantee! As you walk into the dining room, the wonderful staff at I Tatti greet you warmly and take extremely good care of your eating/drinking needs…(I’m seriously surprised we even see Nic home for dinner!)

Lunch started with a delicious pumpkin soup

I thought this would of been a touch down moment for the boys because it is their favourite soup, however, I would like to add that it was stated ‘It wasn’t as good as yours mum’…..moving right along with big cheesy grin!

After the soup there were quite a few speeches from Lino the Director of I Tatti, enlightening us on the traditions of Thanksgiving in both English and Italian.

Once he was finished there was a flash of white, a few gasps and two servers came into the dining room with the biggest turkeys I have ever seen! They were so fast I stumbled with the camera and only managed one photo….

I was sitting close to the door so I snuck out with another lady and had a peek inside the kitchen to see the hard work being done. I was most impressed with the chefs’ carving skills and I have to tell you that turkey was as moist and juicy as they come.

Once the meat was carved, the plates were over filled with turkey, stuffing, brussel sprouts, potatoes, pumpkin mash and last but not least cranberry sauce (don’t ask how!).

The lunch was fantastic, relaxed and you couldn’t help but be very, very thankful for being in a room with such lovely people from all ends of the earth.

The lunch was finished with apple crumble and biscotti, however, I scoffed the apple crumble before taking a photo (what was I thinking!!?) however, dipping the biscotti in Vin Santo is a little slower so I managed to remember in time.

Thank you Villa I Tatti for a wonderful day of thanks, food, friendship and a very memorable day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Tatti harvest

I have been waiting for the last two months to get the go ahead from Nic that Villa I Tatti needs volunteers to help pick the grape vines before the rains come. Last Thursday was the day. I had been feeling a bit blah lately and missing adult company so this was just the ticket for me to get out and do some physical exercise while chatting (in English, yes!). I totally forgot to bring my camera and was very excited when I saw Kate (another fellow of I Tatti) with hers snapping away. Kate was happy to shoot me over some pictures from our morning of grape picking and so I thought I’d do a little photo diary as the grounds of I Tatti are grand and beautiful. I couldn’t believe it when I heard some people would rather lock themselves away in offices instead of getting in amongst it all, it’s a once in a life time experience picking grapes on a farm in Italy for this Australian.

The morning started at 8 am with a couple of early risers (actually Guy was jet lagged and Kate, well she just made an excellent effort!). Nic and I rolled up around 8.30am just after we dropped the kids off to school. As you can see the fields are all turned up (I am sure there is a technical term for that?) and it was a bit unsteady under foot but once you started, you got the hang of it. The four of us and the professional farmers all got to work picking, analysing (looking for rotten grapes) and eventually dumping loads of beautiful grape bunches into our designated red bins. Kate was in full steam ahead mode and managed to finish her first container before the crowds arrived.

Seeing how well she had done I thought I had better get cracking and see what I could come up with. Lucky for me the farmers tip half picked bins into other half picked bins to make full ones, otherwise I would of been competing against everyone! At first you really study the grape bunches and make sure they are 100% perfect before you place them in your red bin…….that is until you look into your red bin and see you are quite slow and have only filled a third of your bin rather than the full bin your mate further down the vine has picked!

Clearly the container was super full as I had to drag it on the ground…..well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

 

Grape picking in this fashion is quite therapeutic and satisfying. You get to hold bunches of grapes that look like they were painted rather than grown; when you taste them they are so sweet your mouth fills with the juicy rich flavour of the grape and if you happen to stand up straight to stretch out your back you can be lucky enough to see beautiful Tuscan views all around you….

and the best part about harvest time at I Tatti is the added touches they provide, for example, just when you think you might need a break or a drink of water, a tractor pulls around the vines and you’re called down for a panini and refreshments, I mean completely civilised really!

The amount of brain matter in amongst the vines on this day is quite staggering, there were not a lot of questions about Desperate Housewives amongst this group! Anyway, after our little break, it was back to the vines and Kate in full glory showing us how it’s done while another professor’s baby looks on in comfort.

It was a great morning hanging out in the fields picking grapes with a great bunch of people. I am also happy to know that now the grapes are picked (actually I think they had another 3 fields of vines to pick but you can’t ask too much of your visiting fellows…and their partners!) we will soon be enjoying the fruits of our labour in a few months time in the way of bottled wine, well I may be invited back up to the villa once or twice before we go back home if I’m good!

2013 I Tatti grape pickers

Nic’s Commute

The whole reason it is even possible for me to wake up every morning under the Tuscan sun and look out through the skylight at the busy morning birds flying over head is because I married well, lets face it.

Next month is our 13th wedding anniversary and it is the second time we will be celebrating it in Italy- in my book this is pretty awesome!

A little under thirteen years ago I fell in love with a student who was taking time out to live and work in the crazy world of hospitality. Nic was fun, loved to dance, thought I was fabulous and loved to travel…what was there not to like? Within the year we started dating, he was working full time as a bar manager/server and finishing off his Masters degree. I was studying massage part-time and working full time in a very busy restaurant. Nothing was stressful or exhausting because we were 20-somethings who were falling in love, working, having fun and hungry for more. We were engaged within 6 months, wed by 11 months and heading back overseas by about 13 months- WOW!

My student has a brilliant mind (lucky he doesn’t have control over my blog otherwise he would disagree) and with that mind he applied to one school in the USA with a Professor he truly admires. He put all his eggs in one basket and manage to get a full scholarship to study history- Italian history.

A baby was born, then bags were packed and we headed over to Chicago for the next seven years while he studied like a mad man and I began to try working out how to raise our son on a student stipend (this is a whole other story!). We met some fabulous people along the way and I even tried my hand at working in a few great kitchens. In this time we managed to find time to have another baby, pack more bags and fly to Italy for eight months. Nic lived in the archives of Florence while I met more fabulous people in Italy; cooked some delicious meals on the cheap and wondered what or where this was all going to take us?

Villa I Tatti has always been on Nic’s radar. It is a Harvard University research centre that gives fellowships to scholars of Renaissance Italy. Fifteen such people each year have the privilege of being accepted as a fellow and to come over and live in Florence and have full access to this amazing institute; Nic just happens to be one of them this year.

Am I proud? Words don’t convey how proud I am of him.

So here we are in Florence…..living the dream! I know he has to go to work each day but if you loved your work as much as he does (and all the other fellows I have met thus far do) then work is exactly where you want to be. Nic told the boys and I in the beginning that family wasn’t allow to come to the Villa unless it was a planned ‘family day’.

Mmmmm, OK.

A few weeks ago a new colleague of Nic’s came over for a glass or three of vino in the evening hours when the heat finally died down to a reasonable temperature that didn’t have you sweating every time you moved. It was then that I found out the true facts about families on I Tatti’s grounds. It is true, kids are not really welcome, however, you can go and have a quick look if the need arises.

The need arose! I am far to nosey to sit back and wait until ‘family day’ so with that bit of information tucked away the boys and I insisted on picking Nic up from work a few weeks ago. I can completely understand why kids and partners are not welcomed with open arms, the place (or you could quite easily mistake it for a palace) is devoted to serenity, calmness and tranquility- I’m actually surprised Nic does in fact come home!

He has one year to soak up this beautiful place, and put his research into material he will one day turn into a book; or perhaps write a few papers/articles for History journals. Whatever he decides to do we support him 100% and along with all our friends and family, we can’t thank him enough for an awesome holiday destination!

To bad he has to walk to work everyday, that traffic can be a bitch…..