Under the Apron Strings: A Trip to Bologna
The next stop of our tour of Northern Italy was Bologna. There, we stayed at the Grand Dame of Bologna, the oldest luxury hotel in Bologna. In a city celebrated for its cuisine, we were excited to spend our time here learning about some of its traditional dishes. After our initial introduction to Bolognese cuisine, we were able to try our hand at cooking a few Bolognese specialties.
With a local chef, Cristina, as our guide, we made pasta from scratch. First up was tortelloni filled with ricotta cheese dressed with butter and sage seen below.
Next was Strichetti, commonly known in the U.S. as bowtie pasta, dressed with lemon zest and prosciutto di Parma.
Then, Tagliatelle al ragu’ - Tagliatelle dressed with typical Bolognese sauce
After we cooked our way through Bologna’s staple pasta dishes, we finished off our tour of Bolognese cuisine with dessert/dolci. Chocolate Salami and a fresh persimmon ended the meal on a delicious, and sweet, note.
After dining at some of the best restaurants in Italy, it felt wonderful to get into a kitchen and get to know the food a little better.
Next stop, Asolo and Vicenza!