let me tell you about my provencal students

I'm back from my classes in Provence and Tuscany but not without a couple of hitches. "What? My suitcase is too heavy?" I said to the Luftansa ground staff at the Florence Airport.

Must be bottles of Renzo Marinai Chianti Classico Riserva and La Bastide of Chateau Campagne Baccus olive oil I'd wrapped in bubble wrap, a thousand layers of plastic secured with packing tape and bundled inside dirty clothes. Or could it be the dozen plus knives I'd carried from SF for my students to use. Maybe it was the handmade boots Carlo Fagiano made for me in Panzano, Tuscany? Or was it the apron given to me by Dario Cecchini, the one he tied securely around my waist one of the last nights I was there?

Oh come on! What's wrong with a suitcase weighing 39 kilo? That's only 85 pounds!

Well I made it home but my suitcase didn't. It got stuck in Frankfurt and finally, 2 1/2 days later, it arrived. You'll be happy to know that no one stole my new black boots, the olive oil hadn't leaked and the red wine hadn't broken in transit.

I know a lot of you followed my trip virtually on facebook as I ate and drank my way from Provence to Tuscany. Thanks for all of your comments!

But you really have to come on one of my trips sometime to get the full "flavor"of one of these weeks. I've been teaching in the South of France, Italy, Spain and Australia for the last 14 years and I can tell you that every single week long course I have ever taught takes on a life of it's own.

Sometimes the students meld and sometimes they form cliques. I've had weeks where one or five of the students drink too much and burn out by day three. And then there is the occasional students that develops a crush on my assistant and a few others who have had the quintessential Italian affair right under all of our noses.

Years ago, one of my students missed her 1 1/2 year old baby so much she went to the emergency room after suffering a panic attack and was on liquid valium for the rest of the week. Another student fell the night before she arrived and for the full week her leg was black and blue from toe to hip. One Tuscany trip, I had three cancer survivors. And last year, one tipsy student skinny dipped off the boat I'd hired for the day in the icy Mediterranean waters off the Cinque Terre coast.

I've had two sets of three generations of cousins. And then a couple years ago in Spain, there was the couple who thought they were going to Club Med and brought nothing but bathing suits, suntan lotion and flip flops. One group in the Piedmont drank 73 bottles of wine in the first two days of the trip. And in the Veneto, I've had the young, handsome, cocky next-wanna-be Guy Fieri. I could go on and on!

And every once in a while I get a group like I just had in Provence and it's simply magical! Let me give you a rundown of the cast of characters.

Lynn- Little did I know until the end of the week that her husband was Secretary of State. She exuded that wonderful kind of Southern charm and hospitality. Ya gotta love that accent too. I could have listened all day.

Kristen- Daughter of Lynn who kept us all entertained and laughing with her stories about her more-than-proper Southern grandmother.

Joan- Sweet, kind and a great listener. We need a Joan in every group!

Judy- Roomed with Joan. Judy takes the cake for the most ambitious cook in the group. She probably could have taught the class.

Vic- I'm not sure how old Vic is but he must be nearing 80. You'd never know it. Vic cried the last night when he gave a toast and said to his wife, "Sorry Florence, that was a great honeymoon 52 years ago but this past week in Provence has been the best trip of my life!"

Florence- Has roomed with Vic for the last 52 years. Laughed at every single one of Vic's jokes. Maybe that's the secret!

Elizabeth- She left her doctor husband and two adorable tiny daughters in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the next village over, to join us for the week. Elizabeth, her husband and daughters drove down to Provence from Germany where he is stationed. She brought every single one of my books with her to be signed and was the only one lucky enough to be able to buy as much wine as she wanted and take it back home to Germany in her car. Move over kids!

Nancy- What a fantastic week for me! Nancy is my sister and a wonderful one at that.

David- My brother-in-law helped with the dishes. I've known him since I was in high school so he's like a brother, a great brother. He never complained. I'd kill him if he did!

Peggy- Peggy deserves a punch card for all of the trips she's been on with me; Tuscany, Umbria and the Piedmont to name a few. She's going through a messy break-up and this week was very rejuvenating for her. Lots of late night heart-to-heart talks.

Rebecca- OK, she deserves a medal. This is Rebecca's second week long trip with me this year. She and her husband spent a week with me earlier this year in the wine regions of South Australia. This time she brought her aunt.

Martha- Rebecca's aunt is just 6 years older than Rebecca. Martha had a birthday during the week and her speech brought tears to everyone's eyes. She was a gift to the trip.

Deborah- She could very well be a professional shopper. She and Susan were so excited about the St Remy outdoor market that they never slept the night before.

Susan- She came with Deborah and these two could give lessons on how to shop. Susan bought so much that rumor has it she had to wear one of the Provencal quilts home on the plane.

Martie- Martie gave herself a birthday gift of a week of cooking with me in Provence. My trip was recommended to her by her nephew, Khalil, assistant food editor at Ladies' Home Journal. Thanks Khalil!

Rob- Traveled with his wife Brett and helped David with the dishes. When he walks, he runs and has the best laugh in the whole group! Hats off to Rob and David!

Brett- My friend and assistant extraordinaire in the kitchen. I've known Brett since I moved to Boston in 1976. We both studied cooking with Madeleine Kamman. When Brett went on to be chef to the President of Wellesley College, I moved to San Francisco.

Carla- My assistant on the ground in France and Italy and concierge for the students during the week. Carla and I have worked together for the last ten years very happily. We have a word that we say when the sh*&%$t hits the fan,- "Perfect!" And Carla always makes it so.

Joanne- And then there's the teacher who keeps a smile on her face even when things are crazy, chaotic, and utterly out of her control. That's when she looks to Carla and they say in unison, "Perfect!"

toast a what? tostapane...

A tostapane? What's that, you ask? Where can you buy one? What do you do with a tostapane? Bruschetta is my favorite!

If you speak any Italian at all, immediately you realize what the word tostapane means.... Toast bread. It's a pretty simple concept! This square tin perforated grate is set directly on a gas jet (yes, you'll need a gas stove). You put a piece of bread on the screen and turn the heat on high. Turn the bread occasionally with tongs and within a few minutes, you'll have a toasted piece of bread with slightly smoky flavor. Leave it to the Italians to invents such a cool little contraption.

I love my tostapane and use it all the time for bruschetta and crostini. But trying to buy one in the US is pretty much impossible. Hey, if you find a source in the US, let me know!

Planning a trip to Italy? If so, make your first stop the hardware store. You'll be able to pick up a tostapane there. When I find them in a store, I buy the entire stock. They don't cost much, probably 5 or 6 euro each, but they make great gifts for your chef friends who have everything.

BRUSCHETTA

12 slices rustic country-style bread, 1/2 to ¾-inch thick
1 clove garlic, peeled
Your BEST extra virgin olive oil
Kosher, fleur de sel or Maldon salt

Place the tostapane directly on your gas stove over high heat. Place the bread on the tostapane in a single layer and toast until golden. Using tongs, turn the bread and continue to toast on the second side until golden. Remove from the heat. Rub one side of the toasted bread with the whole clove of garlic. Using a pastry brush, brush the toast with olive oil.

To serve, place the bruschetta on a platter.

Serves 6 hungry Italians

WARM WILD MUSHROOM, ARUGULA, AND BRUSCHETTA SALAD

Here's what you do if you don't have a tostapane yet. Imagine a garlicky crostini smeared with virgin olive oil topped with arugula, warm wild mushrooms, and a few shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano. Is it a salad? Is it a crostini? Who cares! It’s yummy!

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 small shallot, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds fresh wild mushrooms, (if unavailable, use button or cultivated mushrooms) trimmed, cleaned and cut in half
6 cups arugula
1 clove garlic
6 slices coarse-textured Tuscan bread
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
6 ounce chunk Parmigiano Regginao

In a bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, shallot, salt and pepper. Reserve.

Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the wild mushrooms and cook, stirring until golden brown and softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Toast the bread on the outdoor grill, under the broiler or in a toaster. Rub the toasted bread with garlic and sprinkle with salt.

In a bowl, toss together the arugula and vinaigrette. Place one piece of bread on each plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Divide the arugula between the plates and place on the top of the bread. Top with the mushrooms. Immediately shave the Parmigiano onto the top.

Serve immediately.

Serves 6

cinque terre

I've been to the Cinque Terre twice before. I've hiked the trails from one fishing village to another, eaten pesto, fritto misto and tasted the white wine made here in Liguria. The other times I visited I remember thinking that I just didn't get what all the hype was about. It was supposed to be so romantic,- 5 fishing villages along the Mediterranean connected by a train, the Via d'Amore or ferry. But what I recall during those two visits was bumping into people on the trails, visiting tourist-ridden fishing villages, experiencing sweltering heat and suffering mediocre food. I knew there had to be more because every time someone talked about their trip to the Cinque Terre, they had a twinkle in their eye.

Why was it different for me this time? Why did the pesto taste so sweet? Why didn't I know about the Albarola, Bosco and Vermentino grapes and how good they tasted with the crispy, tender fritto misto? The hotel was far from luxurious so it couldn't be that. Was it the warmth that Felicita and Angelo Pasini, the owners of Albergo Pasquale, extended making me feel like their hotel was my home? Were the villages more quaint? Had the Cinque Terre changed or had I?

I arrived at the Albergo in the heart of Monterosso just two weeks ago, the first day of my weeklong cooking class. As soon as I walked in the door, I knew I'd made the right decision. I immediately revisited the kitchen I'd seen a year ago on a scouting trip and yes, it was well equipped and had enough space for my 12 students. I then went upstairs to my room and it was very basic at best, but when I opened the shutters, the Mediterranean Sea was right there before me.

In the first few minutes I knew that for me it was a magical place I couldn't wait to explore. And I had a whole week to do it! But would my students get it? I just had to hope. And I'd be finding out soon because I had just minutes until they'd arrive.

rome and cinqueterre

My Dad always called me his "wandering gypsy!" I'm beginning to think he was right!

I leave for Rome this morning. I'll be in Rome for the weekend with my friend, Jill. Tuesday we head to the Italian Riviera and the Cinque Terre for my weeklong cooking course with twelve students. Should be amazing this time of year. I have good walking shoes, lots of aprons and my knives.

If you want to follow me, I'll be doing lots of tweets on twitter, so check it out! My address @joanneweir1

risotto with favas, peas and asparagus

I remember the first time I ever had fava beans picked straight out of the garden. I happened to be teaching in Strada in Chianti, Tuscany at the most beautiful villa that's been in the Landi family for eight generations. A spectacular time of year, it was the end of May/early June, when fava beans were at their peak! We picked about a bushel. That was the easy part! OMG now I was faced with the task of peeling them. Picking up a handful, I showed my students how to peel them trying to make it look like a breeze. They looked at me like I was absolutely mad.

I got this brilliant idea.... I put a table outside, 4 glasses and a great bottle of icy cold crisp white Vernaccia from San Gimignano! I asked for volunteers! In a matter of minutes, those favas were shucked. Then was step number two.... Boiling them for 30 seconds. I rotated the group with 4 new volunteers and ta da.... DONE!

I got a huge bag of favas in my CSA box a week or so ago and was craving risotto. I didn't have my students at hand so I managed to rope Joe, my fiance, into the act. The cool crisp glass of Albarino did the trick!

OK now how many of you have ever cooked fava beans?

RISOTTO WITH FAVA BEANS, PEAS AND ASPARAGUS

1 ½ pounds fava beans in the pod
½ pound asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 ounces diced fresh ham
1 cup dry white wine,-- sauvignon blanc
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 ½ cups Italian arborio or vialone nano rice
1 cup shelled fresh English peas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Freshly ground black pepper

Peel the outer husk of the fava beans and discard. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the fava beans and boil 30 seconds. Drain, cool the beans and peel the outer bright green shell. Discard the shells and reserve the beans.

Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil, add the asparagus and boil until tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
Drain and place the asparagus water, vegetable or chicken stock and 2 cups water in a saucepan over low heat.

In a large deep saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and cook the onions and ham until the onions are soft, 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the rice is coated with oil and just begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is almost absorbed. Add a ladle of hot stock and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding hot stock , stirring constantly, until the rice is just tender and not chalky, l8 to 22 minutes. Add the peas and continue to add the stock for an additional 2 minutes, until the rice is creamy and just beyond the chalky stage. If you run out of shrimp broth, use hot water.

Remove the pan from the heat, add another ladleful of stock , butter, cream, asparagus, fava beans, half of the Parmigiano, salt and pepper. Stir quickly, cover and let sit covered off the heat for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, stir the risotto. Serve immediately garnished with the remaining Parmigiano.

Serves 6