Cultural activities
Other than for its art and archaeology, Italy is well known for its rich gastronomic culture.
Wine is also a distinctive feature of Italian cultural tradition.
During the course, students had an introduction to wine tasting by Silvana, an accredited sommelier.
She taught them the principles of wine tasting, based on visual analysis, olfactory analysis and taste analysis, that aim to establish the qualities and characteristics of wine.
Pasta is surely the most famous and renown food of Italian cuisine.
In the Convent students had a chance to learn and appreciate the real Italian homemade pasta. Maria and Laura taught them how to knead the dough, how to roll it out, and how to cut the pasta into strips, in the traditional way of the homemade pasta recipe.
The homemade fresh pasta prepared during the demonstration with the help of the students was then cooked as “Pasta all’Amatriciana”, a traditional recipe from the nearby Amatrice village.
Here you can find the Amatriciana recipe:
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/4 pound guanciale, in 1-inch slivers 1/4 -inch thick
• 3 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes (about a 28-ounce can)
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste
• salt
• 1/4 cup grated aged pecorino cheese, more for serving
• 1 pound pasta
1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add onion and garlic, and sauté over medium heat until transparent. Add guanciale and sauté until barely beginning to brown.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook about 15 minutes, crushing tomatoes with a spoon, until sauce has become somewhat concentrated and homogenized. Season with chili and salt and stir in 1 tablespoon cheese. Remove from heat.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add bucatini and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and transfer to skillet. Gently reheat contents of skillet, folding pasta and tomato sauce together until they are heated through and pasta is well-coated, about 5 minutes. Fold in remaining cheese. Check seasoning and serve with more cheese on the side.
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