Taking Gluten Free to a New Level of Delicious

Last week’s gluten free culinary getaway in Lucca marked a weeklong gathering of food-loving travelers to the villa for cooking classes with jovial’s founder, Carla. While the week focused on baking bread, making fresh pasta and cooking traditional Italian foods, it was really about coming together as a group of celiac and gluten sensitive food lovers to support jovial’s belief that eating gluten free does not have to feel like a sacrifice.

There was no lack of talent in the villa’s beautiful Tuscan kitchen this week, as the guest list included four chefs and a number of accomplished home cooks. Eager to cook, our guests not only worked in harmony during the cooking classes, they also spent much of their free time in the kitchens practicing the new recipes on their own.

Pizza and bread day is always one of the favorites for everyone. In the evening before the class, the group gathers in the kitchen to learn how to create a gluten free sourdough starter and how to manage proofing times when baking bread. The group mixes enough pre-ferments for baking a variety of breads the following day. Carla wakes up very early the next morning to get the sourdough pizza dough ready, while jovial’s pasta artisan Maurizio stokes the fire in the villa’s brick pizza oven outside.

Together, we made sweet potato rolls, focaccia and ancient grain walnut raisin bread. We enjoyed eating al fresco with individual Italian-style pizza baked in the brick oven, an impromptu seasonal salad bar and roasted guinea fowl. We used the ashes from the fire to roast chestnuts from Garfagnana.

For dessert, we were in for an unexpected treat! To celebrate her friend and travel partner’s birthday, our guest and pastry chef prepared a gluten and dairy-free chocolate cake. After a meal like this, we all walked away very full and 100% reassured that a life without gluten could be absolutely magical!

The list of foods that we prepared during the week is long and delicious. For breakfast, there were sourdough waffles, pancakes, muffins, egg rolls, bagels, and walnut raisin boule.  Savory dishes included pumpkin risotto, braised veal shanks, artichokes, lasagna bolognese, tortelli, tagliatelle, tigelle, fresh mushroom and parmigiano salad, fagioli al fiasco and chicken cacciatore. For dessert, we had buccellato, crostata, cream puffs and apple pie. Traveling to Lucca to be with Carla and her family means tapping into local food traditions. The group tasted many regional specialties like sheep’s milk cheeses from the hills of Garfagnana, Brigidino di Lamporecchio, croccantino, porcini mushrooms and hazelnut torrone.

If you feel like getting away and not worrying about gluten or other food intolerances, we would love to spend a week with you in Lucca. Check out our 2015 schedule now!