The Italian Way with Vegetables: Fall and Winter Squash

A hands-on cooking class culminating in a dinner served with wine and beer.

Italians love to celebrate seasonal, truly fleeting produce. They have a knack for making simple feel special, and they know how to transform a small basket of vegetables into a feast for a crowd. Viola Buitoni will inspire us with her approach to the gems of autumn: squash. 

MENU

Zucca al forno con crumble salato di amaretti—Savory squash and amaretti crumble

Gnocchi di zucca e patate dolci—Pumpkin and sweet potato gnocchi

Ragù di zucca e funghi con nocciole e salvia croccante—Squash and mushrooms ragout with hazelnuts and crunchy sage

Zucca in agrodolce—Baked pumpkin in sweet and sour onions sauce

Minestra di zucca, farro e castagne—Pumpkin, farro and chestnut soup

Risotto alla zucca e porri con pistacchio e taleggio al profumo di arancio—Orange scented squash and leeks risotto with pistachio and taleggio

*As this class is aimed at celebrating produce at its peak, ingredients may change due to availability and Viola's ever-changing ideas

**The menu is vegetarian.

Viola Buitoni, a direct descendant of the famed pasta and chocolate family, hails from Perugia, in the heart of Umbria. She came to the US for college, but soon after attending NYU as an economics major, she was drawn back into her genetic passion for food. She ran an Italian catering business and had a shop showcasing the best of Italian food on Madison Avenue in NYC. After moving to San Francisco in 2004 to start a family, Viola can now be found giving lectures on Italian food traditions and trends, and teaching cooking classes in collaboration with 18 Reasons, SF's Italian Cultural Institute and Italian Consulate, Cavallo Point Lodge Cooking School, Draeger’s in San Mateo and Blackhawk and Pepperberries in Eugene, OR. Since 2013, she has been a brand ambassador for Baci, the iconic Italian chocolates made by Perugina, the worldwide confectionery brand founded by her great grandfather. Viola has also produced food articles and cooking videos for MissionLocal.org. Recently, she began speaking on panels about tradition and innovation in food production and leading groups to explore local and artisanal food systems and producers in Italy.You can follow her adventures and find information on traveling with her at www.violabuitoni.com.

_{Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash}