Cookery Classes

Emilia is a region well-known all over the world for its culinary tradition, it is rich with flavours and typical products that are the result of a great ancient culinary tradition that has been maintained over the centuries.
With some food and wine tasting days, we invite you to discover these ancient flavours.

The courses are structured with small groups, so as to dedicate more attention to the needs of each participant. It is not necessary to be cooking experts, the only prerequisite is the willingness to learn and have some fun at the stove. For courses and cooking we use solely organic ingredients and products. The clients can lodge at the farm house.

The courses include practical lessons taught in the farm restaurant kitchen and are followed by a meal in the restaurant hall. Lessons last more or less 3 hours, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Participants will be given booklets with recipes.

Corrado, our cook, loves cooking and is happy to share her recipes and experience to prepare many different dishes. A must: fresh pasta, ravioli, tortelli, cappelletti, tagliatelle, etc. Next to the kitchen space there is an area with a wood oven for bread, focaccia and pizza.

Every season has its fruits and traditions which will be used for the menus we will prepare together. In March, for example we collect sloe berries, in April there will be a lesson on flowers, in July the vegetable garden is full of summer products and...in autumn we search for precious porcini mushrooms, as well as chestnuts and walnuts.

There are two cookery courses with the following programmes:

WEEKLY COURSE:
(5 days) You will learn how to prepare hors d'oeuvres, first courses, second courses and desserts.

Typical Programme:

    * Wednesday (only morning):
      History of ancient and modern Emilian cooking: Lesson on Hors d'oeuvres: quiches with silver beet, potatoes, and rice.
    * Thursday (morning and afternoon):
      Preparation of traditional First Courses: Fresh pasta and the various types of filled pasta (anolini, tortelli with silver beet, ravioli with vegetables and mushrooms). Then, at the table to taste the ravioli you made. In the afternoon preparation of mushroom-based dishes
    * Friday (only morning):
      Lesson on rice and typical soups. In the evening lesson on the choice of wine, with special attention to Colli di Parma wines
    * Saturday (morning and afternoon):
      Lesson on Second Courses with meat and game. And then, after lunch, we use chestnuts as the main ingredient for the next set of recipes.
    * Sunday (only morning):
      Lesson on desserts and preparation of a liqueur.

WEEK-END COURSE:
From Friday to Sunday night you will learn how to prepare a complete menu with typical Emilian dishes, starting with hors d'oeuvres and ending with desserts.

Typical Programme:

    * Saturday (morning):
      Hors d'oeuvres: quices
    * Saturday (afternoon):
      Pasta, rolling out the dough and mushroom-based sauces of the Valtaro tradition. The various types of filled pasta (anolini, tortelli with silver beet, ravioli with vegetables and mushrooms).
      In the evening lesson on the choice of wine, with special attention to Colli di Parma wines
    * Sunday Morning
      Meat: game
    * Sunday Afternoon
      Home-made tarts and preparation of a home-made liqueur.

During your free time we can organize tours to visit the surroundings:

    * Guided tour of the farm (free)
    * Visit to the cheese factory producing Parmesan cheese (free)
    * Guided tour of the Compiano castle (about € 4.00)
    * Horse-riding outing (€ 20,00) or horse-riding class in the ring