A REAL "ITALIAN HOME COOKING" SCHOOL

Laura Caponetti Brezzi's background as hotel and restaurant consultant (i.e. Villa D'Este at Cernobbio and Costa Smeralda Hotels), a degree in Italian Gastronomic History, and years of practical application, give her a unique pedigree to teach the secrets of her own cooking and of Italian "eating culture".

Each and every day she supervises all the family's and guest' meals. This means 30 years of experience: cooking, teaching and creating every day a different meal rich of culture. She also has a good knowledge of herbs, wild fruits and vegetables wich she uses to prepare mouthwatering dishes, "marmellata" and other preserves coming from the "wild" or from her own "orto" (the vegetable garden is one of the passions of her life!).

In her classes, Laura teaches the  real "quick and easy" Italian every-day cooking, but also some more demanding dishes, the special ones you cook for a real treat. The dishes, tasty but light yet subtly home-flavoured, are based on the real traditions and art of Italian cookery.

During the lessons, according to the season and to your taste, you will prepare wild figs preserves, cannelloni filled with nettles and ricotta cheese, mint smelling omelettes, hazelnuts biscuits, tagliatelle al pesto, zuppa with pecorino cheese.... or the wonderful "timballo del Gattopardo" as described in the book and seen in the movie with Alain Delon and Burt Lancaster.

It's a huge tantalising pie made with sweet pastry, filled with cooked pasta -maccheroni or penne- and every sort of delicious filling like small chicken meatballs, green peas, meat gravy, pinenuts, boiled eggs, diced ham, mushrooms, and the more, the better. 

You will learn how to tie perfectly  the rolata di tacchino, a turkey breast roll, as a real butcher can do, and how to cook a thin frittata to use to stuff the roll.

You will go to the vegetable garden to pick up zucchini blossoms to be filled with mozzarella, or the huge eggplants to turn into a savoury parmigiana. 

You will prepare delicious preserves  ,jams and marmelade to take home, wonderful souvenirs to delight your friends

You will know how to cook the real "pasta al dente" - easy, yes, but you need to know some tricks - or the best risotto in your life. And home made "agnolotti" stuffed with meat an vegetables.

And the "tiramisu" as it is made by mamma e nonna (mom and grandma), different from what you get in restaurants. 

Every day a different menu, from "antipasto" to dessert, every dinner a treat, but never too rich, always with a look at the healty way to eat that is so important in our life, and so deep-rooted in Italian cookery   

 A special "focus"on extra virgin olive oil, the pride of the farm; used for every dish that needs oil, it will become  a "must" for every meal. 

From the basic of Italian dishes to the historical recipes, step by step you will taste the flavour of culture passing through the ages with the fantastic progress which leads from Pompeian to this new century cookery.