To My Cincinnati Students and Friends: Come Along to Italy and the Road Less Traveled

This post is for my CooksWares students, and friends who have heard me talk so much about my love for Italy, our adopted hometown of Spello and the Italians.  Come along next May for the trip I've been wanting to take you on for years.  We will see beautiful hill towns, experience uncrowded villages, and end the trip in Rome.  It will be a week packed with food, wine, and culture, with a bit of time for shopping and relaxing, as well.  Umbria is the road less traveled, not nearly as overrun with tourists, its pleasures are many, and you will experience them all.  So, take a look at the brochure and get your deposit in soon.  I am leading this trip for another school in October, and it sold out in a week.  Space is limited, so come along and we'll experience a culinary trip designed just for you.

 -Highlights of this Small Custom Group Tour- May 13-22, 2017

•Rome:  1 Night Hilton Airport on arrival day, Classic rooms 

•Todi:  5 Nights Hotel Bramante,  Deluxe rooms with valley view 

•Rome:  2 Nights Hotel 47,  Deluxe rooms 

•All Breakfasts    •5 Lunches   •4 Dinners (one at a Michelin-starred restaurant) 

•5 Cooking Classes     •Cheese-making demonstration     •Truffle hunt 

•Guided tour of Assisi     •4 casual Town visits     •Private Vatican Tour

                                                               
                                      

Our first full day, we will have a cooking class at the hotel with their renown chef, and lunch.  After a brief rest, we will head to Assisi, the home of St. Francis, the patron saint of Italy for a private tour, and dinner on your own.

Day two we will head to Pienza to a working farm, and watch as pecorino cheese is being made, and then enjoy lunch at the farm.  Pienza is the home of the best Pecorino in Italy.

After lunch a short trip to Montepulciano, and a walk about before returning to Todi and dinner at the Michelin starred restaurant Casa Vissani.  

Day 3 takes us to Citta' di Castello in northern Umbria for a truffle hunt, visit to the truffle museum and then a truffle lunch.  We will return to Todi, dinner will be on your own.

Day 4 we will travel to the capital of Perugia, and participate in a hands on chocolate class at Perugina, directed by their master chocolatier.

After the class we will head to Spello (my adopted hometown) and have a wine and olive oil tasting and lunch at Enoteca Properzio, one of the top 3 wine bars in Italy, owned by my family, the Angelini's. Wine and olive oils are available for shipment home.

On our return to Todi, we will stop in Deruta for a ceramics demonstration and time to shop for ceramics. Dinner on your own.

Day 5 we will check out of our hotel in Todi and head to Rome.  On our way into Rome we will stop at Eataly, a 4 story food emporium for lunch on your own (there are 18 restaurants in the store) and time to shop for goodies to take home.

We will arrive at our hotel, and in the afternoon be taken to a pizza class.  Dinner will be your very own creation.  

Day 6, after an early breakfast, we will be transferred to the Vatican for a private morning tour of the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. The rest of the day will be at your leisure to explore the eternal city.

 Day 7, Check out and transfer to the airport.

Our travel agent will be happy to arrange before and after tour extensions for you.
Since space is limited, a non-refundable deposit will be required by July 21, 2016
COST IS FOR THE LAND PORTION ONLY:  Merlene will be happy to arrange airfare.

Pricing, not including Air:  Euros 3670 - Per Person, Double Occupancy (Approximately $4168 at exchange rate on June 6, 2016)
Single Occupancy (two spots, subject to availability) - Euros 4135  (Charges to your credit card will be in U.S. dollars equal to the active Euro exchange rate on the date that your payments process.  No foreign exchange fee charges will be incurred for the conversion from Euros to U.S. dollars)   
Respond Quickly – This special tour is Limited to 20 participants! Note:  The group minimum for this experience is 16 participants.  If for some reason group numbers fall below  the minimum requirement, extra costs may apply.   
Payment Dates Deposit Deadline:   July 21, 2016 Final Payment Deadline:  January 20, 2017
*Non-refundable Deposit:   Per Person double - Euros 1650;   Single - Euros 1800 *Travel insurance is available for purchase and is strongly recommended. Should you have to cancel for a ‘covered’ reason, non-refundable trip costs may be refunded if you have purchased travel insurance.  Further details of this coverage protection are available.

            
                                       

For the full itinerary and/or to sign up for this tour, Contact- Merlene Lynch   -  
Protravel International Direct:  760-489-2230          Merlene.Lynch@Protravelinc.com       
 California Sellers of Travel CST# 2063352-40                                                                               

On the Road Again

It's that time of year again, I'm out on the road visiting independent cooking schools, teaching cooking classes, sometimes 2 a day as I cross the mid-west, and then head to the East Coast.  I'm currently in Indiana visiting my son in Bloomington, home of the IU Hoosiers.  Ryan is an IU alum, and sports writer, and if I didn't plan these trips, I probably wouldn't get to see him as often as I do.  I spent last week in West Lafayette, IN at KitchenArt and CooksWares in Cincinnati. 

I'll be heading back to West Lafayette tomorrow for 2 more classes before heading East to Carlisle, PA and The Kitchen Shoppe, ending my book tour in Chapel Hill, NC at A Southern Season.  The theme for this fall's travels is pressure cooking; my book, The Easy Pressure Cooker Cookbook is out, and the students are loving the recipes, easy of use, and the food that comes out a pressure cooker. Risotto in 7 minutes without stirring?  I think I need that!

We all remember the stories about grandma's pressure cooker that exploded, and sent split peas showering everyone within a 2 mile radius; today's new slow cookers are sleek stainless steel pots, with so many safety features it's next to impossible to have anything go wrong. 

 So as I pack up my bags, and get ready for another day, I'll share this risotto recipe that is fast and fabulous from the pressure cooker, I hope you'll go into your local independent cooking school and ask about pressure cookers, and see if this isn't a piece of equipment that you need, I know I'm sold!

White Risotto

Serves 6

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice

1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, or dry vermouth

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)

1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the oil in the pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the rice and toss to coat. Pour in the wine and broth and lock the lid in place. Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes.

Quick release the pressure and remove the lid, tilting the pot away from you to allow the steam to escape. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the cheese. Taste the rice for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Allow the rice to stand for 2 minutes and stir again. If the risotto is not quite cooked, give it another minute over medium heat. Serve in shallow bowls, and drizzle with some of the balsamic vinegar.

 Wishing you all a safe and happy Halloween from the crossroads of America.

On the road again

I'm heading East to Cincinnati this morning, to teach in Springboro, OH at CooksWares, a great retail store with a cooking school.  Independent cooking school and retail shops compete in a market with Walmart, Costco, and Bed Bath and Beyond.  What you get from an independent is personalized service, and they stand behind everything they sell---don't like that pan?  Bring it in and we'll find just what you need. Too many of these stores have folded in the past few years, with the down turn in the economy, but the places I travel to are still going strong because they still believe the customer  is always right. 
I love all my students---they love to cook and they are a lot of fun--classes are always filled with lots of laughter, and the scraping of forks on the plates!
It's 25 degrees this morning, I'm getting an early start, and I'm hoping the bright sun will warm things up.
Have a great day!