Vegan Tuscan Cooking Class

Learn to make pappa al pomodoro, a vegan Tuscan tomato soup using stale salt-free bread and fresh or canned tomatoes with olive oil.

Learn to make pappa al pomodoro by gathering tomatoes, tuscan bread, basil leaves, tomato paste, garlic, chilli salt, and olive oil, with a pot, whisk, spoon, and knife.

Soak day-old bread in cold water for about 10 minutes until spongy, then crumble and squeeze out the water to achieve a couscous-like texture for pappa al pomodoro.

Peel ripe tomatoes by blanching, shock in cold water, then add garlic, chili, salt, tomato paste, and extra virgin olive oil to simmer for pappa al pomodoro.

learn to make pappa al pomodoro by soaking bread in tomato sauce, whisking for a creamy texture, then tasting for salt and finishing with basil and olive oil.

Explore panzanella, a Tuscan tomato and cucumber bread salad that uses soaked stale bread as a soft base, then toss with tomatoes, onions, basil, and an olive oil–vinegar dressing.

Learn to assemble panzanella by combining stale Tuscan bread with tomatoes, cucumber, basil, onion, salt, pepper, olive oil, and red wine vinegar, using bowls, a knife, and a cutting board.

Soak stale day-old bread in cold water for 10 minutes until it becomes spongy. Squeeze out the water and crumble the bread, especially the crust, to prevent a soggy panzanella.

Slice onions thin and soak in cold water to mellow pungency, with optional red wine vinegar. Chop tomatoes and cucumber for panzanella, then transfer to a bowl.

assemble cucumber and tomato panzanella by tossing bread with tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, and basil, then dress with extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, and red wine vinegar, and chill.

Make vegan pici from flour and water using a 500 g flour to 250 g water ratio, with optional rye flour, then dress with aglione or fried breadcrumbs.

Make pici dough from all-purpose and rye flour with water, salt, olive oil, and semolina or cornflour; use a wooden board, bowl, fork, knife, rolling pin, pizza cutter, and pot.

Mix water, salt, and olive oil, then combine with all-purpose and rye flour to form pici dough. Knead until smooth, then rest for at least half an hour.

Learn to rest, roll, and stretch pici dough by hand, brush with extra virgin olive oil to prevent drying, and cut into finger-thick strands; freeze or cook immediately, in batches.

Boil salted water, cook the pici in batches for 2–3 minutes until al dente, then drain and dress with your favorite sauce.

Learn to make ribollita, a vegan Tuscan winter soup built from minestra di pane with cannellini beans, cavolo nero, and stale bread, reheated leftovers forming a thick crust.

Assemble ribollita with cannellini beans, cavolo nero, savoy cabbage verza, carrots, potato, onion, tomato paste, salt, olive oil, and eight slices of Tuscan bread using a pot and basic tools.

Master the soffrito by shallow frying onion in extra virgin olive oil, then dice carrots and potatoes, prepare cavolo nero and savoy cabbage for a quick vegetable soup.

Saute onion in olive oil, then simmer carrots, potatoes, savoy cabbage, and cavolo nero with water and tomato paste; blend and reintroduce beans, simmer, season, and serve with bread.

Layer stale bread with soup, then drizzle extra virgin olive oil. The bean and bread soup, minestra di pane, becomes ribollita when leftovers are recooked the next day.

Learn to make fagiolini in umido, stewed green beans with vegetables and extra virgin olive oil, cooked 45–50 minutes for a flavorful summer side.

Learn to prepare fagiolini in umido by gathering green beans, odori (carrot, celery, onion), cherry tomatoes, basil, salt, olive oil, plus a cutting board and cast iron or heavy-bottom pot.

Rinse the green beans, trim the strings, then add thinly sliced celery, onion, and carrot, with basil and halved cherry tomatoes for flavor.

Cook the odori and chopped vegetables in extra virgin olive oil, add the beans and salt, cover with water, and simmer about 50 minutes until soft.

Make cecina, a gluten-free vegan chickpea flour cake from the Tuscan coast, known as torta di ceci in Pisa and cecina in Livorno.

Learn to whisk chickpea flour with water and salt, add extra virgin olive oil, bake in a 25 cm pan, and finish with black pepper.

Whisk chickpea flour with water to remove lumps, fold in salt and extra virgin olive oil, then rest the batter at room temperature for about an hour.

Bake the cecina at home in a hot oven, with the pan inside, oil the bottom, and bake the cecina batter 20–25 minutes until crusts form; finish with black pepper.

Learn to grill vegetables on a hot griddle without oil, then dress with olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, and vinegar for versatile appetizers, sides, or pizza toppings.

Gather fresh basil, dried oregano, garlic salt, extra virgin olive oil, and red wine vinegar to prepare grilled eggplant on the stove top, using a knife, cutting board, or mandolin.

Prepare a simple herb dressing for grilled eggplants by infusing extra virgin olive oil with basil, garlic, oregano, salt, and red wine vinegar; mix and set aside.

Slice eggplants thin and grill on a hot pan to create marks on both sides. Dress the slices with extra virgin olive oil and infuse for at least 30 minutes.

Discover how to make a vegan chestnut flour cake with chestnut flour, water, olive oil, rosemary, and optional pine nuts, celebrating autumn Tuscany flavors.

Combine chestnut flour, raisins, pine nuts, rosemary, salt, extra virgin olive oil, and water with a splash of sweet dessert wine, then bake castagnaccio in a 25–26 cm round pan.

Prepare a chestnut flour cake by gradually adding water to chestnut flour, oiling the pan, and baking with pine nuts and rosemary for a vegan Tuscan dessert.