Cooking with Carlotta

Giving you an authentic spoonful of Italy.

Cooking with Carlotta means cooking Italian. It means using genuine flavors and family recipes passed down from mother to daughter. It means getting your hands in the flour and making pasta the way my grandmother showed me. I really feel that when you are cooking with Carlotta, that’s me, that I am giving you an authentic spoonful of Italy.
It’s not just the menus that cater to your taste buds and dietary restrictions, but it’s the fresh ingredients, the local wines, the perfume of a summer day, the friendly banter, and the sense of family and community when we eat together on the terrace. This, to me, is an authentic spoonful of Italy.
I know that traveling abroad means lots of organization, so I work with each of my clients to create personalized menus that can be completed during your visit or for a special occasion, and I work within your budget. I am happy to arrange a visit to a local winery for a tour and tasting. Or organizing a stay in a local holiday farm within walking distance of my kitchen.
Enjoy the genuine taste of Tuscany​!

There are 3 good reasons why you should choose my cooking school

You have a few days to enjoy Florence and want to savour “a real Italian meal”.

You love the country, the Tuscan landscape, and a meal in the garden.

You want to enjoy an experience built around you, your personal taste, and level of expertise.

Enjoy an outstanding experience far from the hustle-bustle of Florence.

…you really can’t wait to get your “hands on pasta”!

Chef’s choice!

My Blog !

A fresh coffee dessert, ideal for the summer, and which will be appreciated by everyone. We will be able to serve it to all our...
After centuries we are still thanking the Tatin sisters for the famous apple tarte we all know well and love. From this mistake that produced...
This Apulian caponata is a version of this one of Sicily’s essential dishes. It is a vegetarian eggplant stew–more like a relish, really–made of eggplant, onions,...
This gluten-free dark chocolate cake was created by accident in Capri in 1920, in a similar way to the birth of Tarte Tatin. The pastry...
A gorgeous pie that increases the freshness of local and seasonal products like squash, leeks and chestnut with a twist given by Phyllo pastry. Not...
As our beloved Pellegrino Artusi claimed, “Cooking is a troublesome sprite”. Clear of any more or less pleasant surprises that can happen to those who...
Wider than “angel’s hair” pasta but thinner than tagliatelle noodles, tajarin (tagliolini noodles in the  Piedmont dialect) were made in the Langhe and Monferrato area...
Italian bread is famous for being based exclusively on flour and water, yet this recipe, typical of nothern Italy, includes olive oil in its dough....
Pignolata, also known nationally and internationally as Struffoli is a very popular dessert in Southern Italy at Christmas time. It is not hard to make...
Pignolata, also known as Struffoli in Naples, is a very popular dessert in Southern Italy, an area that was dominated by Spain for centuries, and...
These mini savoury panettoni are a bit time-consuming but not hard to do, you can decide whatever stuffing you love. The classic recipe included prawns...
This creamed codfish version is another example of the extreme variety and richness of Italian cuisine: stockfish and salted codfish were introduced to Southern Europe...
Maltagliati pasta is a very traditional shape in Emilia-Romagna, used for rustic soups like pasta & chickpeas or pasta & beans. Literally, its name means...
Pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) is a very typical Italian soup, simple, easy, yet incredibly versatile, as it is prepared many ways all across...
Around the time of the grape harvest in Tuscany, in all Florentine bakeries you can find a very popular dessert, flat bread with grapes (schiacciata...
In the trattorie of Florence I have heard shelled beans cooked in this way called “fagiouli all’uccelletto”. (Pellegrino Artusi, Science in the Kitchen and the...
Green beans are an excellent fresh vegetable, but there are not many variations for their preparation. They are usually boiled and eaten accompanied by simple...
The tradition of Easter eggs is a very ancient one, as it stems from the celebration of spring as a rebirth. It is the only...
Carbonara pasta is a typical Roman dish. Full of taste and very easy to make, its goodness is thanks to quality ingredients. Be that as...
Cauliflower is normally not a very exciting dish, but you can give it some pizazz thanks to this recipe: a crispy and flavourful gratin turns...
This risotto recipe is typical of Tuscany and Northern Italy, where asparagus is a symbol of Spring. I use a local asparagus variety that is...
Tangerine gelo. The mere mention of this dessert evokes a sensation of freshness, citrus scents, and summer nights. Tangerine gelo is a typical recipe of...
Zabaione is a fluffy mixture of egg yolks, sugar and a sweet wine, usually a Moscato d’Asti or Marsala wine. As a mousse, the addition...
What inspired me to make this tomato jelly was the need to prepare something healthy, with local ingredients, and because of my family’s cholesterol test...
Capon is a traditional Christmas bird in Europe. It is used either to make a very tasty but fat stock to accompany minestre, such as...
The cuisine in Emilia-Romagna is permeated with sexual innuendos, expressed in its iconic stuffed pasta, tortellini. Local legends say that the creation of tortellini was...
This Christmas Log, also known as Swiss Roll, originates from the French Bûche de Noël. It represents the ancient tradition of burning a large log...
Imperial soup has an Austrian origin, and was introduced to Emilia-Romagna by Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, the second wife of the Emperor Napoleon I....
Meat stock or broth (nowadays the distinction is quite blurred) is a very popular dish in Northern Italy. It is not only used for adding...
These almond cookies are the quintessence of Tuscan food. They are extremely simple, and the goodness of this recipe relies on the choice of quality...
This onion soup sinks its roots deeply in Tuscan tradition, even though it only  became famous when it was adopted by the French and became...
This rabbit stew (the rabbit can be substituted with chicken) is a vintage dish. I found it in a 1970s collection of recipes from an...
This fig cookie recipe brings out the magic flavour of an incredible, sugary fruit. Figs are at their best at the second part of August...
This chicken with bell pepper recipe is truly a typical summer one. The lively colours of the peppers and tomato create a unique blend that...
Traditionally, this walnut sauce was meant to be served with pansoti, typical Ligurian stuffed pasta, yet it is excellent with fusilli, potato gnocchi and other...
Chickpea flatbread is a humble but delicious dish, with its origins dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times.   On the Tuscan coasts it is...
This way of cooking red mullets is typical of Livorno, nevertheless, I discovered that the within the Italian Jewish community, it is also called “à...
The sauce of this unusual linguini with fresh anchovies combines ingredients that are characteristic of Mediterranean cuisine: olive oil, fish, and the introduction of raisins...
This stuffed calamari recipe is simple and incredibly good. Quite unusually, compared to traditional fish recipes, we add cheese which confers creaminess. I added the...
This Imperial Milk is a family recipe and originates from what Italians traditionally call “Portuguese Milk” or what is more internationally known as “crème caramel”....
This way of roasting lamb is incredibly simple but involves some degree of organisation, since you need to calculate the time needed for marinating and...
A necessary premise to an Italian article about frying is that the most common technique is shallow frying: most Italian fried dishes are in small...
This side dish was created in Emilia, and it is the perfect complement to a vast variety of roasted meats, such as beef braised in...
Fried custard is a versatile dish. According to where you are in Italy, it has different variations: it is considered mainly as an appetizer in...
This pasta recipe is quite rustic. Savoy cabbage and Italian sausage give a robust quality to this dish, and you can play with different flours....
Orvieto is a beautiful Etruscan town built on a sheer cliff that is mainly composed of tuff and pozzolana, a soft material easy to excavate....
Usually I stick to the Italian tradition, but by now, this dessert has entered our kitchens too. Moreover, I added a personal touch, since I...
Paccheri is a new pasta shape particularly well suited for being stuffed. With truffle sauce, sausage, and porcini mushrooms, it is ideal for festive occasions....
Porchetta is a typical dish of Central and Northern Italy. It consists of a whole pig, emptied, deboned and seasoned with rosemary or wild fennel,...
With the Bologna Certosino (Chartreuse cake) I want to introduce you to a typical Christmas cake of Bologna cuisine, with almonds, pine nuts, unsweetened chocolate...
The stuffing of this gnocchi is very similar to the one of Ascoli olives, a skilled mix of meats cooked in a soffritto, whose taste...
A luxurious braised beef in a precious wine like Barolo, again a recipe from Piedmont.A real comfort food,above all if served with polenta and its...
These chocolate truffles are lovely special presents to give at Christmas time: there is nothing like a homemade gift for our families and friends to...
These days, most recipes use some pre-cooked ingredients, but for these chestnut soufflés I prefer using fresh chestnuts and boiling them instead of using a...
This simple dish demonstrates the deep interconnection of Italy with the Middle East and the Arab world. In all Italy, mainly along the coasts, we...
Poached pears in red wine are a delicious dessert, which joins the pleasure to eat fruit in an unusual way and the possibility to offer...
This sformato (pudding ) is an extremely simple but elegant way to create a main course which is quite unusual and tasty. In the Italian tradition,...
Usually “potage” and “sea” contradict each other. This recipe is connected to “land” ingredients like potatoes, leeks, and a lot of fresh cream. I created...
There are few things that recall Autumn like chestnut Tuscan necci. These crepes made with chestnut flour make possible to enjoy them after the harvest...
Butternut squash is one of the many joys of the season: rain and cold temperatures are compensated by incredibly rich and comforting foods. It is...
Fancy a dessert that contains all the flavor of ripe cherries? If the answer is yes, then you absolutely have to try my vegan cherry...
Beyond excellent! Customizable Tuscan cooking lessons with amazing Carlotta!
Nicole
February 2021

I live outside of Firenze & put a post out to a Florence/Tuscany Facebook group asking for someone I could take ongoing cooking lessons with… Carlotta came back as the resounding must-try & I have not been disappointed. For starters, she’s Italian/from Emilia-Romagna yet her English is perfect. She also has a ton of personality & is a lot of fun, she continually tells you little tips & tricks that go beyond what’s in a recipe. She’s also all about teaching the essentials of Italian cooking so that you have skills & can make many dishes with what you learn. She sets a beautiful table when the lesson/cooking is complete & you enjoy a wonderful, memorable meal at her table. I asked if I could bring my 11 year-old son for some classes & this may not be typical but she said yes & she’s been terrific with him, he’s now so passionate about cooking & learning. The dishes we’ve made have been fabulous & Carlotta sends you home with lots of extra so you get to enjoy the fruit of your efforts for days to come; she continually goes above & beyond. I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher of Italian cuisine, I can’t wait to continue Cooking With Carlotta. She IS your must-do cooking school in Firenze.

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