After talking to Alessandro of Siena Tartuffi early this morning, he canceled our truffle hunt since it was too cold and rainy. I guess we will meet Pepita and Mocha (his dogs) another time. We decided to go into Siena early since we were up anyway. After taking a few escalators, we walked through the narrow streets and approached il Campo. Il Campo is the town square and site of the Palio, the crazy horse races held twice a year between the neighborhoods of Siena. City Hall and the bell tower overlook the square.
We did manage to find Alessandro's truffle shop along the way, and we sampled a bunch of his products. Delicioso!
In the afternoon, we returned to the farmhouse in the freezing rain. Chris and I toured the vineyards with the owner, who studied organic farming for many years in college. He and his wife opened their agriturismo in 2000. Last year, they debuted a gorgeous tasting room to share their wines and homemade olive oil with the public. We enjoyed a detailed description of the winemaking process and the government regulations required for labeling and shipping.
Jackson then joined us for a cooking class. We donned white aprons and made pasta, eggplant stacks, and dessert tarts. Since the boys have become so skilled at Italian cooking now, perhaps they'll make dinner more often at home! We had a lot of family fun.
Dinner included a zillion other dishes alongside the food we had prepared, including turkey medallions in marsala sauce. I guess we have to count that as our Thanksgiving meal.
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| Eggplant stacks |
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| The agriturismo where we stayed for 3 nights |
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| Chef Jackson |
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