• Private transfer from Lamezia Terme Airport to the hotel.
• Check in at the hotel.
• Dinner at a traditional trattoria with members of the ICI equipe.

A ‘trattoria’ is a restaurant that is usually family owned and operated and, most importantly, exemplifies the character of the genuine local cuisine in any part of Italy. Here, menus are not needed as patrons are only served the best dishes the area has to offer…

• Overnight at the hotel.

Salute!

A dish is only as good as the raw ingredients that are used to construct it. This intensive introductory day gives participants a profound understanding of the most indispensable products used in regional Italian cuisine and patisserie.

Degustation and gustatory analysis are the processes by which culinarians taste and analyze each single ingredient and classifies them according to intensity and region thus enabling him or her to create dishes and recipes authentically and, if necessary, to make suitable substitutions based on a clear guideline.

The day culminates with the preparation of ‘component’ ingredients. This technique personalises the most basic raw ingredients since some countries have availability limitations of some Italian products. This allows participants to create authentic Italian cuisine anywhere in the world.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Lesson begins
• Orientation for the program’s lessons and events
• Overview of Italian Regional and Mediterranean Cuisine and Pasta: facts, myths and history
• Distinguishing quality:
  • DOP, IGT
• Analysis and tasting of the lesser known raw materials necessary to construct authentic dishes in Regional Italian and Mediterranean Cuisine.
  • Cheeses DOP
  • Olives, Sundried and Conserved Vegetables
  • Salt and spices
  • Tomatoes

This morning features tastings of the cheeses, vegetables, fruits and fish that you will use to make exquisite Italian Regional and Mediterranean pasta dishes!

• In-depth examination of Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oils including regional differentiation, gustatory perception and the proper methods which define the use of specific oils with particular cuisines as well as their positions in the menu. Tasting conducted according to guidelines established by Maestri Oleari (Italian Master Olive Oil Sommelier Association).
• Introduction to truffles & wild mushrooms
  • Truffle Fact Sheet: identifying and distinguishing
  • The truffle throughout the centuries: history and legend.
  • Where truffles come from
  • Truffle hunters
  • Preparing and preserving truffles
  • Cooking with Truffles
  • Black vs. White

• Brief history of pasta and the role of pasta in regional Italian cooking.
• Technical Overview for Flours and Grains
• Chemistry review
  • Flours & Grains: analysis of Italy’s unique flours for taste, texture, elasticity, longevity of the finished product, cost and international availability or substitutions. Includes the common types of flours used for pasta and bread making such as semola, durum wheat, corn flour and whole wheat as well as more uncommon flours such as spelt, buckwheat, truffle flour, and chestnut flour.

Making perfect pasta begins with choosing the best flour and grains..

• Overview of the materials, tools, procedures and techniques for pasta making.

• Regionalism: understanding where each pasta comes from in Italy enables culinarians to identify the appropriate sauces or condiments for that dish. It also gives a clear idea of how to pair that dish with the perfect wine and create an entire regional pasta menu.
• Making natural colors and dyes.
• Lunch
• Pasta Production Part I: hands-on preparation of a series of white, colored and multicolored egg based pasta:
  • Angel Hair
  • Farfalle
  • Farfalline
  • Farfallone
  • Fettuccine
  • Garganelle
  • Maltagliati
  • Pappardelle
  • Tagliatelle
  • Tagliolini
  • Lasagna sheets

• End of lesson
• Dinner
• Overnight at the hotel.

Hand crafting perfect pasta is only the first step of creating a delicious dish. Following a presentation of a series of pasta and sauce combinations, participants cook individually. The segment culminates with a tasting of all the dishes prepared.

The second phase of pasta production features the infinite creativity of the world of stuffed pasta. Each participant will create a personal production to be cooked and tasted during tomorrow’s individual cooking segments.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• The preparation of component recipes used in traditional Italian Regional cuisine.

Developing ‘component’ ingredients is the technique that personalizes the most basic raw ingredients and allows participants to create authentic Italian cuisine anywhere in the world.

• Infusing oils
  • Cold
  • Hot
  • Fast infusions
  • Infusing for long conservation
• Distinguishing and selecting tomatoes
  • Fresh for sautés
  • Fresh for braising
  • Fresh for roasting
  • Canned
• The preparation of traditional and innovative sauces centering on modern healthier cuisine emphasizing reduction techniques, emulsions and infusions.

• Ragù: low and slow braising:
  • Bolognese (and variants)
  • Cuttlefish ragù
• Mediterranean vegetarian
  Stocks: condensed flavor and density for sautéing:
  • • Bollito
    • Fumetto
    • Funghi, tubers, herbs and vegetables
• Experimenting with sauce uniformities for plating procedures.
• Component ingredients for ensembles:
  • Frutti di mare
  • Salsine alle erbe
  • Truffles and mushrooms
•  Lunch
  • Demo lunch as a master chef shows how to present pasta dishes with the component ingredients prepared this morning.
• Cooking Pasta Part I
  • Each participant prepares and presents pasta dishes using the previous day’s pasta production according to the techniques acquired.
  • Analysis and tasting.

• Pasta Production Part II: Stuffed Pasta
  • Hands-on preparation of a series of white, colored and multicolored stuffed pasta:
    • • Agnolotti
      • Cannelloni
      • Caramelle
      • Fornarina
      • Lasagne
      • Manicotti
      • Panzarotti
      • Ravioli
      • Sacchettini
      • Tortelle
      • Tortellini
      • Tortelloni
      • Cappelletti

• End of lesson
• Dinner
• Overnight at the hotel.

• Chemistry review
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Cooking Pasta Part II
  • Each participant prepares and presents pasta dishes according to the techniques acquired using the stuffed pastas produced the previous day.

• Pasta Production Part III
  • Hands-on preparation of a series of durum wheat pasta:
    • Casarecce
    • Orecchiette
    • Cavatelli
    • Fusilli
    • Scilatelle
    • Mparrettati
    • Strozzapreti
    • Trofie
    • Busiate

• Lunch
• Pasta Production Part III continues.
  • Hands-on preparation of alternative flour and gluten free pasta:
    • Chestnut flour
    • Chick pea flour
    • Lentil flour
    • Kamut
    • Pici
    • Pizzoccheri
• Cooking Pasta Part II
  • Hands-on cooking continues.

• Tasting and discussion of participants’ dishes.
• End of lesson
• Dinner at a pizzeria

Pizza from a wood burning oven is a delicacy enjoyed in a unique festive atmosphere, especially amongst colleagues.

• Overnight at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Cooking Pasta Part III
  • Each participant prepares and presents pasta dishes according to the techniques acquired using the durum wheat and alternative pastas produced the previous day.
• Pasta Production Part IV
  • Hands-on preparation of special formats, shapes and flavored doughs.
    • Culurgiones
    • Maccheroni alla chitarra
    • Bigoli
    • Pici
    • Sfoglie
    • Reginette
    • Taglierini
    • Tajarin
    • Malloreddus
    • Fregole

• Lunch
• Cooking Pasta Part III
  • Hands-on cooking continues.
• Pasta Production Part IV
  • Personalizing Pasta

By now, participants have the manual dexterity to create a myriad of different pasta. This combined with the technical knowledge of creating exquisite flavors enable everyone to produce the pasta of tomorrow. There are no limits of creativity that our imaginations can’t surpass..

• Storing pasta for future use
  • Choosing which storage method is applicable for the various types of pasta.
    • Drying
    • Refrigeration
    • Freezing

• End of lesson
• Dinner
• Overnight at the hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Preparation of dishes including the special formats, shapes and flavored dough pasta prepared the previous day. These ‘premium’ plates merge old world and innovation utilizing the most prestigious ingredients in Italy.
• Truffles

Emperor Nero named them Cibus Deorum (food of the gods). Ancient Greeks believed that Venus created them as an aphrodisiac. Apicius in his 1st century thesis on culinary art dedicated an entire chapter to them. Gastronomic pioneer Brillat Savarin described them as “diamonds of cuisine”. Others who have taken the time to write about them include Napoleon Bonaparte, Pope Gregory IV, Kings Louis XIV and Louis XVIII, Gioacchino Rossini, Queen Elizabeth II, President Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.

Truffles! Those who are familiar with them will fall in love with their unique aroma and exciting flavor. Those who have not yet had the pleasure of tasting truffles, only know them as the white or black tubers that can cost as much as €10,000 per kilogram.

• Cooking with Truffles
  • Ravioli al tartufo
  • Tajarin with truffles
  • Taglierini, hazelnut, pheasant and truffles

• Cooking with other sumptuous ingredients
  • Malloreddus with saffron, sausage and sheep’s cheese
  • Angel hair with sea urchin and caviar
  • Spaghettini with langoustines
• The preparation of each exquisite dish is followed by a tasting.
• Lunch
• Cooking Pasta: Part IV
• ICI Mystery Basket
  • Participants are presented with ingredients to make a delicious pasta dish. Working alongside an instructor during each step of the preparation and cooking process ensures that everyone will make a perfect plate!

• End of lesson
• Dinner
• Overnight at the hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Market Visit

Early morning visit to a traditional open air mercatino for tastings and shopping.

A typical Italian open air market offers culinarians an insight to the country’s most traditional customs and an opportunity to browse foods, cheeses, wines and cured meats that are still produced by artisans.

Mercatino..peperoncino paradiso!

Every Pasta Tells a Story
By this time in the program, everyone attending will have learned that for every pasta in Italy there is a least one story associated with it. Some are poignant, some are humorous and all of them are entertaining. Now it’s time for new traditions and stories to be born.

In this unique phase of the program, each participant is given a sum of money to buy products and make one more storytelling signature dish upon returning to the laboratory. There are no rules for this personal challenge except for one. Each dish must be perfectly delicious..

• Free time at mercatino
• Wine tasting and pairing

Whether you are new to wine and food pairing or a sommelier, this unique experience gives participants another skill to engage with and entertain clients or guests.

In Italy, dining and wines are a lifestyle not a tech-sheet. We go beyond the hype and show not just how to learn, but how to live, which is, after all, what Mediterranean cuisine and life is all about.

• Lunch
• Cooking Pasta Part V: Every Pasta Tells a Story
  • Tasting and discussion of participants’ dishes.

• End of lesson.
• Aperitivo all’Italiana in a sea-town cafe. A bottle of prosecco or cocktails accompany this Italian tradition rarely seen and experienced outside of Italy where a “drink” becomes a feast accompanied by a hot and cold buffet of regional Italian specialties and music.
• Return and overnight at the hotel.

Salute!!

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Transfer to Lamezia Terme airport
• Arrivederci!!!