Our cooking lesson of Sicilian cuisine is a complete experience, not just simply a lesson. Guided by our very own chef, one begins by selecting the ingredients at the market and ends by sharing a full course meal with many travelers coming from all across the world with one common factor, lovers of the Sicilian cuisine. We believe that to understand the way in which Sicilians cook is important for
those who to love to travel well, eat well, and discover a culture in Italy, a country where food is always at the top of the to-do lists for travelers. Sicily has a long list of traditions and customs centered on food and a Sicilian culinary experience is a must-do for those looking to discover and experience our beautiful culture and city, Catania. Furthermore, participants of “Sicilian Cooking Class” have the advantage of cooking in a kitchen in a kitchen located directly above the historic fish market of Catania, “a Piscaria,” which is the main attraction of Catania. The cooking experience that we offer you typically lasts 4 hours, beginning at 11 AM at our language school Federico II in Piazza Duomo and directly next to the fish market. We begin with a quick briefing of our menu of the day, from which you can choose between two or three menus for your lunch, all of which are traditional Sicilian dishes. It also includes a complete list of the all the necessary ingredients to buy and step-by-step recipes for each course – the appetizer, first course, second course, and either a dessert or fruit. As an example, one of menus includes Bruschetta with tomato, garlic, basil, and cheese as an appetizer. It is followed by a first course of Pasta alla Norma, a sauce cooked from tomatoes topped with fried eggplant. Sardines marinated or formed into a small cake-sized dish is the second course. Fruit cut and presented on skewers or tiramisu, an Italian classic, is the dessert. If you are vegetarian, have allergies, or are simply trying to avoid eating certain ingredients, we ask you to specify these preferences in your reservation. Our chef/teacher speaks English, and together you will go downstairs to the historic fish market to select the ingredients to cook. In this way, you will be able to participate directly in every process, come to understand how to recognize quality ingredients, understand Catanian and Sicilian culture, and be able to find trustworthy, kind, and fun vendors that will even at times take photos with tourists. Sometimes the chef will also organize a fun game called hunt the ingredients, in which every participant is given thirty minutes to return to the language school with the ingredients from a small list, such as salted ricotta cheese, tomatoes, anchovies, or basil. When the grocery shopping is complete, we return to the kitchen of our language school Federico II to begin preparing the dishes. Under the supervision of our chef who will teach you to prepare the dishes using techniques and tricks of the real masters, the Sicilian grandmothers, which are useful for bettering the recipes with unique features not normally found in the recipes. The preparation of the dishes will take about one hour and forty minutes and is the first phase of the socializing fun. At the end of the preparation will arrive the moment most waited for, the lunch. You will then move yourselves into the dining room to taste together all the items which you bought and cooked. This is the time in which you will all truly become acquainted with one another as you relax with a nice glass of wine and all the delicacies you cooked.
