Tagliatelle With Beetroot And Walnut Sauce
I arrived in Cuddington, an archetypal small english village, complete with beamed and thatched cottages, a church, dating back to the twelfth century, that hosts the village fete in summer and a welcoming carol service in winter, a tiny village green, a lovely local school, and even a village shop. To top it off it’s played host to a few episodes of Midsummer Murders. This was the venue for my Italian cooking day.
Ingredients For A vegetarian Lunch
CiCi CoCo is owned by the award winning Giuliana Cortese and run from her wonderful bright, glass backed cottage in the centre of the village. I was greeted with a cup of espresso and glorious almond ricotta cake that she’s promised to tell me the secret of making. After handing us our recipes and an assurance that we wouldn’t even notice the absence of meat (that must have been for my benefit) the preparation of our five course Italian vegetarian lunch began.
We were each given an apron chopping board and knives in two sizes. These were laid out around the central Island of the kitchen. Being a small group of just three there was plenty of room, but initially only polite chat. I tried not to be too irritating with my camera pointed at everything and every step of the recipes and soon we all relaxed and shared the tasks of making lunch. Giuliana enabled all of us to participate even though there was only one of each dish being made. We chopped beetroot, grated cheese, peeled onions, salted aubergines, rolled barlotti patties, stirred tomato sauce and bit by bit created wonderful, fragrant dishes in the oven and on the stove top.
Making Pasta with Heritage spelt mix flour
I particularly enjoyed the pasta making, there is something about Giuliana’s kind no nonsense approach that makes learning easy, a quick demo and then we all made our own dough. The kneading and resting all explained and the resultant air in the dough demonstrated. It’s great to learn from an expert how dough should feel when it’s nearly ready and when it’s done. What it looks like when it’s slightly too wet or dry. This is years of experience conveyed in a few minutes.
Making Melanzane Alla Parmigiana Di Nonna Lucia
Gradually the long rustic table began to fill with food, Crispy topped Malanzane alla parmigiana Di Nonna Lucia, the wafts of fragrant cheese really making our taste buds tingle. Polpette Di Barlotti con salsa piccante sweet with chilli and tomatoes. Then heaped in bowls in front of each of us was the beautiful bright pastel pink beetroot and walnut tagliatelle, rich with cream and earthy from the beetroot. To counter the cream a crisp fennel and pomegranate salad. Washed down with a choice of white or red Italian wines this was a truly delicious meal. Not quite over, the final course was a Biancomangiare. A milky set dessert flavoured with lemon zest, pistachios and cinnamon. delicious, creamy and light.
Fennel And Pomegranate Salad
I had a wonderful Italian filled day with CiCi CoCo and absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn some new Italian dishes. Giuliana takes beginners or more experienced cooks where you’ll learn about produce, cooking, loving the food and if you concentrate, a little Italian.
RECIPE
- 3 or 4 Beetroot
- 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 clove Garlic
- 1 Lemon
- 200 ml Single cream
- 400 g Tagliatelli
- 6 Fresh basil leaves
- 20 g Walnuts
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the cubed beetroot. Season and allow to cook with the lid on for 10 to 15 minutes, until soft.
- Add the garlic and lemon juice and cook briefly.
- Add the cream and let it warm through
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, drain and add to the sauce. Off the heat.
- Mix until all the pasta is coated. Serve with the chopped walnuts, torn basil leaves and topped with the grated parmesan.
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Gorgeous colour from fresh beets. The walnut sauce sounds amazing. I would love to try those spelt tagliatelle!
The spelt mix tagliatelle was fab. It had a lovely flavour anfd that was capped off with the sweet, earthy beets. GG
Sound like my kind of cookery class. The beetroot pasta looks like the kind of thing that would make me run to the fridge and cook now (except I don’t have any beetroot atm) plus I am desperate for that pomegranate fennel salad recipe. Lucky. lucky you.
I can imagine you there having a great time. GG
Oh, this does look so pretty GG and sounds absolutely delicious. What a fabulous cooking class – pity I don’t live closer:)
It does look pretty doesn’t it and very tasty too. GG
Once upon a time in a former life, I co-owned a cooking school… for almost ten years. Reading this post made me miss those times, GG. This is a lovely recipe and the cooking school sounds fab!
Wow! how amazing. I’ve often thought it would be fun to do. It would be hard to do it better than Giuliana does it. GG
Sounds and looks mouthwateringly delicious! Now, I wish I could taste it!
It was Asmita. I loved it. GG
G’day! What a lovely recipe and a fun experience GG!
I am now craving to try some of your dish right now@
Cheers! Joanne
It was really fun and I’d definitely do it again. GG
I did an Italian class last year and I would love to do another one and then another one. The class you did provided so much wonderful food!
It did provide loads of delicious food and so quickly made. It was fun cooking together. GG
Love those reds. And sounds like a lovely day. But once you have experienced fresh pasta its very hard to go backwards. Would have loved to have been visiting the village too.
I agree, We had fresh pasta again last night, it’s so much tastier. GG
Hi GG
Do you have the parmigiana recipe by any chance?
It looks like a lovely day out.
Dave
Hi David thanks the Parmigiana was delicious. GG
I didn’t know there was such a thing as beetroot sauce, but yes, why not I suppose! Your photos look very inviting, the colour is so lovely!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
It hadn’t really occurred to me either. I’m not usually very adventurous with beetroots although I love them. GG
lovely idea – I saw Urvashi did a Beet pasta too recently and both of you have such gorgeous pics. I have to say I don’t get my pasta machine out nearly enough but you are both tempting to do an autumnal pasta session!
I’ve fallen in love again with my pasta machine and using Heritage grains really makes a difference. GG
I must get my pasta maker out again. I’d love to do a proper course like this with someone who really knows their stuff. Everything looks gorgeous.
Me too, the number of dishes we managed to make was amazing. All really delicious and adaptable. GG
I too have a pasta maching gathering dust – must get it out again, can’t beat fresh and home made!
Making the pasta was so rewarding and truly more tasty than any bought stuff. GG
I wish I could have gone on this course with you. The food looks so lovely. I love the sound of the town; so British! I love watching Midsummer Murders because I love all the British scenery and architecture and quaint villages that still look original despite the passing of time – long may they last! xx
It is a lovely village and so very English. I love Midsummer Murders too. Much of it is filmed fairly locally and in fact with the aid of a guide book you can tour the locations and have a wonderful trip round amazing villages. GG
What an amazing workshop GG and SUCH a lovely varied menu too….I adore beetroot on baking and cooking and I am very tempted to make that pasta, it would go down a treat in Chez L & L! GREAT images as always too…..Karen
Thank you Karen. I really had my eyes opened about tasty veggie food. Something I’ve often struggled with. I loved that we had an amazing meal without any meat in it at all. GG
Love the color of the pasta dish…can’t wait to try it as it sounds great.
Thanks Karen, It was delicious and the texture from the nuts was lovely. GG
That looks like a dream come true! Everything that you named I lusted for 😀 Did she teach you how to make the ricotta cake? That is one of my favourite cakes!
No we didn’t find out how to make the riccotta cake, but Giuliana did promise me the recipe. GG
Oh, oh, oh – five course vegetarian Italian lunch sounds my idea of Heaven GG. What a glorious venue for a cookery school – although I guess there is always the danger of tripping over a dead body. I have bookmarked this beetroot and walnut sauce.
Ah yes the dead bodies. There’s always more than one on Midsummer Murders. The day was fabulous and the food amazing, well worth the tripping risk. GG
it looks like you had a lot of fun here and great food to eat. i love beetroot and so good with walnuts. oh yum i love eggplant too. lucky you..
All the dishes were amazing and I didn’t notice the lack of meat at all. Perfect. GG