Food at Le Tre Stelle

Food, how I love thee

A major highlight of our Italian getaway was the food.  Some of the best meals of our trip were eaten at the Tuscan farmhouse that we spent three nights at.  When I was looking at places to stay during our vacation I was hoping to take a cooking class in the Tuscany region.  Donatella, the owner of Le Tre Stelle let me prepare dinner with her and Mama each night that we were there.  It was a true Italian kitchen.  Mama in the corner shucking artichokes, daughter running the menu.

One night I was taught by Donatella how to make pasta.  She ran me through all the steps including the use of a pasta machine.  I went about my work, rolling the pasta.  Mama walks by speaking in Italian and shaking her hands.  I guess the pasta was not meeting her expectations.  I then was walked through the pasta making process (in Italian) by Mama.  She then sat next to me for the remainder of the pasta rolling to make sure I was doing it to her expectations.

 

Of course the hosts at each B&B were shocked when we declined coffee, cappuccino and alcohol

A victory in my mind was my willingness to try everything that I was served.  There were a lot of first for me.  I came home so happy that I tried new things and even happier that realizing that I liked some things that I didn't think I would enjoy.  Some firsts:

 

*Pate (didn't like)

*Fresh tomatoes (like)

*Salami (LOVE)

*Homemade pasta (Yummy)

*Stewed Rabbit (Love), of course it was stewed in wine and thankfully Rob told me what I had eaten after I licked my plate clean

*Fennel (love)

*Mussels (hate)

*Fried zucchini flower stuffed with fish (hate).  I took the first bite excited, and then quickly realized it was not stuffed with cheese

*Swordfish (like)

*Special toast (loved), a really fancy and expensive bruchetta we had in Venice.  It was so delicious!  Crunchy baguette type bread topped with roasted veggies, herbs and olive oil.

 

L to R: pot of animal parts to turn into pate :), meat sauce for the fresh noodles, bruchetta topping

 

Dining room table set for dinner, nothing fancy but it sure was fun.  Two nights we sat next to a couple from Norway.  They are both cyclists so we had a great time talking to them about all the awesome adventures they have been on throughout the world.  The last night we sat next to an American couple from California.  They were celebrating their 1 year wedding anniversary.  I suddenly felt really old when Rob and I told them we have been married 13 years and have 4 kids :) and really were not much older than they were. 

 

L to R: sauté greens, chicken of course cooked in wine, mushroom and pea gravy that was placed onto a puff pastry

 

Sous chef for the night, chopping potatoes

 

Pate and bruchetta

 

Mama and I, rolling noodles

 

Breakfast; salami, rolls filled with cream cheese, foccocia, cheese and a shortbread cookie.  What a great way to start the day :)  Mama always started it with a cup of coffee, three packets of sugar and a cup of bran cereal in the coffee