We visited Francesca’s family villa as part of an experience called Opera in the Kitchen. And what a delight! We started the day with a freshly brewed espresso, followed by a tour of the gardens and an opportunity to pick the vegetables and aromatics that we would later use in the kitchen. Among the vegetables we picked were some exceptionally hot peppers – we both love spice, but Sam learned the hard way that some peppers are better after they are cooked! LOL – it took him about an hour to regain his sense of taste. When finished in the garden, we took our fresh produce inside to the historic kitchen to begin preparing a very special Tuscan meal. On the menu:

• Roasted Tomato and Rosemary Focaccia with Fresh Mozzarella
• Chicken Cacciatore
• Homemade Cavatelli Pasta with Fried Eggplant

Needless to say, just hearing what we were about to make made us hungry before we even got started. Hands washed and aprons donned, we started by chopping our carrots, celery, and red onion that would become the sofrito for our chicken cacciatore, as well as the aromatics. We simultaneously chopped our eggplant and ruby red cherry tomatoes, which would ultimately find their way into our sauce for the cavatelli. Francesca then directed us to the stove where Sam began frying the eggplant while I sauteed the sofrito. Meanwhile, our friends worked on dessert – a log of deliciousness made with chocolate, vanilla, and espresso epically known as a “chocolate salami,” with cookie bits replacing what would normally be the marbling in charcuterie.