Cooking known and unknown parts of a Florentine cow

Italian cooking class. Great idea, thank you very much Julia, for signing us up. The experience did not dissappoint.

First there was the chef Robert, from Australia, speaking perfect English and Italian, taking us on a tour of the central market, where cow parts I have not seen since my childhood on the farm filled the meat cases. We don't really want to talk about all of the parts of the cow here, except to say that the video below is us buying tripe, the stomach, which the butcher kindly chopped into little pieces and we let Robert cook for us.

And once you buy the tripe and cook it, it must be tasted, no? My reaction? Why bother? Texture of bacon rind with none of the flavor. Here's the rest of our class reacting.

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The rest of the menu was fabulous. Big meatballs in a balsamic reduction with onions and tomato that simmered for about an hour, except when Robert told us to "Pump it up", aka turn up the burners. Little baby artichokes with pancetta (often referred to as Italian bacon. Unlike English and American bacon, which are taken from the sides and belly of the pig, may be smoked, and are usually cut into slices, pancetta comes only from the belly, is salt-cured but not smoked, and is generally sold rolled up into sausage shapes) and tomatoes and white wine over potato stuffed fresh pasta. Tiramisu. Lots of red wine.

After lunch like that, there was a mandatory nap. Still too full for dinner, we went instead to a yoga class that Rachel, one of the cooking school participants, told us about. Rosella taught us to open our spines in new ways. Ah, what a little piece of heaven. Then there was more wine and antipasto at a little local bar with Rachel. Not a bad day..

Here's a couple more clips of the experience.