What a day!
Today we spent six hours in a cooking class: “Wanna Be Italiano! Cooking Class and Central Market Tour” we discovered through Florence Town Tours.
We started at the market where vendors explained the mysteries of high quality, authentic Tuscan ingredients. We sampled pesto, honey truffles, balsamic vinegars, orange mustard, cheeses and meat. We tasted, and we tasted. The rich flavor of fifteen year old balsamic vinegar, let  me tell you, is heavenly, well worth it’s stiff price. I can pass on the honey truffle which has a strong flavor earthy flavor, but the rest was amazing.
After three educational stops at the market we went to the cooking school around the corner and began preparing our feast. First, we whipped up the Tiramasu, because it needed two hours to set. Then we made pasta from scratch and prepared ravioli. And finally we made a Bolognese sauce to die for. All the ingredients we used were fresh and local.
Our instructors, chefs Giovanni Andrea and Giuseppe with the help of their assistant Julio took us through each step. They were clear in their instructions, fun to be around and patient. I for one felt like I was all thumbs, but it didn’t matter. It was a comfortable place to learn.
The finale was the meal: bruschetta, ravioli filled with ricotta and parmesan cheeses  brushed with sage infused butter, tagliatelle in Bolognese sauce and Tiramasu, with a glass of Chianti. Superb!
I collapsed when I got home, exhausted and thoroughly happy.
I highly recommend this class. It’s intensive and delicious. All for only 79 euro.