The Italian Way with Vegetables: Eggplant
This is a live, interactive, hands-on cooking class held online via Zoom. See our event policies at the bottom of this webpage.
Italians love to celebrate seasonal, truly fleeting produce. They have a knack for making simple seem special, and they know how to transform a small basket of vegetables into a feast for a crowd.
In this season's edition, our eyes turn to melanzane. Eggplants figure prominently in Italian summer and fall cooking.Viola Buitoni will share a few easy dishes that are bound to become a staple in your dinner rotation. First, you'll make a lighter and faster version of the popular eggplant parmesan. This version is more herb-y and possibly better than the original, featuring fresh summer tomatoes. Next, you'll learn to quick pickle roasted eggplant, a recipe inspired by the Neapolitan classic scapece. Featuring herbs, spring onion or garlic, lemon or vinegar, it'll bring a zing to the dinner table. Lastly, you'll embrace the fleshiness of eggplant, to make a vegetarian ragu to pair with spaghetti.
MENU
Parmigiana di melanzane leggera—Light Eggplant Parmesan
Melanzane sott'aceto veloci—Quick Pickled Roasted Eggplant
Spaghetti with ragù di melanzane e pistacchio al profumo di menta—Spaghetti with Mint Scented Eggplant and Pistachio Sauce and Ricotta
Equipment and Ingredient List for this class can be found here; please review before buying a ticket.
This menu contains the following common allergens: Wheat (can use GF pasta and breadcrumbs to make the menu completely GF), Tree Nuts, Dairy. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions that concern your ability to cook along, please e-mail info@18reasons.org before purchasing a ticket.
Let’s Cook Together!
If you’re new to 18 Reasons Online, please read this guide: How to Take an Online Class at 18 Reasons. Five calendar days before class, 18 Reasons may decide to cancel this class if not enough tickets are sold. We will notify registrants by email about cancellations.
Viola Buitoni, chef instructor and food writer, was born in Rome and raised in Perugia, Italy. With stories and knowledge from six generations, her dishes cross the best of California agriculture with the finest Italian food imports. After moving to the US to attend NYU, Viola started Buitoni & Garretti, a catering kitchen and Italian fine foods shop in New York City. She later moved to San Francisco where she began lecturing and teaching Italian food tradition workshops at the SF Italian Cultural Institute and Italian Consulate. She teaches Italian cooking at 18 Reasons, The Civic Kitchen, and Milk Street year-round, and at the Puglia Culinary Center in the summer. In October of 2021, she will lead an immersive fall foraging workshop in Le Marche. She is a regular contributor to La Cucina Italiana US. She lives in the Mission District with her husband, son and tiny dog.
