The first thing that I notice is the colour of the cherry tomatoes. A bright, distinctive red that doesn’t look like anything I see in the supermarkets back home. I’ve come to Tuscany to get behind the food and wine and it’s clear that the starting point is only the freshest ingredients. I’m usually the first to back away from the stovetop in the kitchen. But the opportunity to take a Chianti cooking class and learn from those in the know was too good to pass up.
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Introducing Toscana Mia, our pick for a Chianti cooking class
Paola and Simonetta run a well-known Tuscan cooking school, Toscana Mia in the small Chianti town of Greve. They run a number of different courses. Kristen and I are booked in for a half-day session along with four sisters from Australia and a Canadian who spent some of his early life as a baker. We’ll be making a variety of meals, but I am most looking forward to making my Italian pasta-making debut. To visit Italy and partake in a cooking class without the creation of pasta would have been sacrosanct.
Paola and Simonetta are like the Italian aunts you wish you had. Funny, knowledgeable and they know their way around a kitchen. We’ll be taking this course at their home. A split level property, the bottom level is dedicated to a kitchen and large dining space. The sunlight peeks through the curtains. Outside, the Tuscan hills undulate under a blue sky with powder puff clouds. And amidst this scene from “Under the Tuscan Sun”, we’re ready to get cooking.
Let’s get Tuscan cooking
To begin, Paola talks us through the keys to Tuscan cooking. She assures it is ultimately easy, and there really are no secrets. Fresh, high quality produce, combined with time, is all you need to recreate the meals we’ll be making today.
Starting with pasta
Whilst there are seven of us sharing Paola’s downstairs kitchen, I’m on point to begin the pasta making process. I’m confronted with a mini mountain of combined plain and durum wheat flour, and Paola hands me an egg. I’m usually confident when it comes to cracking an egg. I’ve never had to do it under duress in front of my fellow chefs and need to nail a clean crack. It is the highest stress point of the day if you can call it that, and I nail a faultless egg crack. Success!
The pici pasta we are making is a predominantly flour base, so the one egg is all that is needed. Together with some salt and olive oil, I vigorously whip the mixture until a point that it’s best described as a wet sludge. And so now, we knead.
A solid 15 minutes of kneading, and the pasta starts to take an elastic consistency. My job is not yet done, but this is the point where my fellow chefs start to contribute. Splitting the dough in two, we begin to roll the dough. As a novice chef, I am amazed at just how much pasta we make from so little flour and egg.
With a flat, elasticised base in front of me, we can now begin to cut the pasta into strips. Everyone pitches in at this point to take a strip and begin rolling it from inside to out. Again, I see pasta growing in front of me. It really is like a kitchen equivalent of a Mary Poppins bag – where is all of this pasta coming from?
Imperfection is perfection in Italian cooking
North, our Canadian counterpart takes the lead on the individual rolling of our pasta. Pici is a Tuscan pasta, and Paola assures us the inconsistent sizes we’re producing is on point. Imperfection proves to be perfection. With seven chefs on point, it really was the only guarantee.
North has pasta-rolling thing down pat. It must be a hangover from his baking days. He produces pasta strips at record pace. The rest of us struggle with snapped ends and pasta sticking to our boards. A smooth, but reasonably fast action appears to be the winning technique, something that took me until my last piece to perfect. Lucky it’s not a competition.
We’re going to need something to go with the pasta
With our pasta now ready, we head to the stovetop. I’d forgotten we’d need something to add to it. This turned out to be the simplest part of the pasta making equation. Surprisingly, Paola throws in a dozen cloves of garlic intact bringing them to colour. No crushing here, and I fear we’ll need breath mints for days after this meal. Added to this is a solitary pepperoncino. An Italian hot pepper which is only partly opened. We’re informed, can be used up to 4 times whilst retaining its potency. A dash of white wine vinegar, followed by those luscious, red cherry tomatoes and we’re in business.
I’m left surprised by the simplicity of our pici pasta. Accompanied by our salsa al aglione, it’s clear the lack of complication helps deliver the best results.
We retire to Paola’s dining room upstairs, drenched in sunshine with a view over the Tuscan hillside. It really is what one would conjure up in their mind when they think of a Tuscan kitchen.
The pasta and the remainder of the dishes look superb, leaving us with one final test to pass. And sure enough, our taste buds join our eyes in this sensory experience. A hint of spice from that tiny pepper, the flavoursome tomatoes and the well-balanced pasta combine to make for a most enjoyable meal. Cooked by us.
Enjoying a meal in the Tuscan countryside is such an enjoyable experience. Having a hand in creating it makes it just that much better.
How to book with Toscana Mia
Toscana Mia are well known. You won’t find them amongst a plethora of Chianti cooking classes on regular travel experience sites however. They don’t need to – everyone that visits refers more than enough people.
You can book your experience directly via their website here.
Where to stay in Tuscany?
When we visited Toscana Mia, it was our B&B host, Guido who introduced us to Toscana Mia. We were staying in a picture perfect town called Volpaia at La Locanda Country Hotel.
It made sense for us to do our Chianti cooking class whilst in Chianti. This doesn’t mean you have to stay in Chianti however. Depending on your Tuscany itinerary, you may wish to consider a few other accommodation options. We’ve covered our 5 favourite tried and tested properties in the Tuscany region here.
How to get to Tuscany
Tuscany is located in the north of Italy. It’s an accessible region with a range of international airports located nearby.
Florence airport is likely the most logical place to fly in if you are starting your trip here.
Pisa airport is another option in the region and is well serviced by low cost carriers throughout Europe.
Alternatively, Bologna, Milan and Turin airports are also serviceable options if your visit is part of a wider Italian trip.
Whilst Florence is well serviced by a major train station that will get you to and from Rome within 2 hours, getting around Tuscany by train is not an easy way to travel.
Hiring a car
Which leads us to how to get around in Tuscany. And whilst there are a range of trains, tours and operators that will get you about, there is nothing quite like having your own car in Tuscany.
This lets you zip around the countryside and enjoy the freedom of exploration and ensures you can choose any of the places to stay in Tuscany that you wish. Not just the ones near a train or bus station. On this trip, we had a trusty little Fiat 500. We’d have the top open, navigating tight country lanes and the most gorgeous green vineyards rolling out in front of us.
We were able to take advantage of visits to little towns along the way. Vineyards and wineries that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. And in the case of this trip, would have made a visit to Toscana Mia in Chianti just a little challenging!
Driving in Italy can be a little different to home. Before you head off, check out our driving in Italy guide with our top tips for a safe and enjoyable trip.
Where to next?
Chianti and Tuscany more broadly, gives you a great launching pad into many other places in northern Italy.
We have linked up trips to Tuscany with visits to Florence, Milan, Bologna and Modena. Milan and Bologna in particular are well connected hubs that can get you you to many other wonderful Italian cities. Turin, Verona, Parma and Venice are all just a train ride from here. For easy planning, we use Omio when booking our trains in Italy.
We hope you enjoyed our overview of our Chianti cooking class with Toscana Mia. We still look back fondly on this visit. Have you completed a cooking course in Tuscany? What did you make? We’d love to hear below!
Thank you so much.Hope to see you again .Arrivederci.
Thank you both. We hope to see you again soon in the future, either online or in person again in the not too distant future 🙂