• Classic Lasagna Bolognese
• Veal Scaloppine with Prosciutto & Parmigiano
• Slow-Cooked Spinach with Nutmeg
• Buttery Jam Tart

If you love authentic Lasagna alla Bolognese, join us for this one time-only class. We'll prepare a rich ragu and creamy bechamel, and of course the most ethereal spinach pasta imaginable... a labor of love, and one you'll be amply rewarded for upon your first bite. The class is entirely hands-on so you'll really learn to make lasagna like a pro. There are definitely a few secrets to making perfect lasagna; the texture of the dough is all-important, but so is the way the ingredients are layered in the pan, and just how much bechamel and how much ragu are spread over the lasagna sheets. So to learn all you ever wanted to know about making the ultimate lasagna, don't miss out on this new class on the cuisine of Bologna. We'll also cook tender veal scaloppine with Marsala and Prosciutto, and serve delicate slow-cooked spinach scented with nutmeg alongside. And for dessert, a rustic tart featuring fruit jam in a buttery crust will end the meal on a sweet note.

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$95 pp | Evening in Bologna | Friday August 1 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
Tasca D'Almerita Leone 2006
Cos Pojo di Lupo 2005
Squinzano Rosso 2004

• Crispy Shrimp & Basil over Fennel Slaw
• Branzino in Parchment Paper with Aromatic Herbs & White Wine
• Crunchy Olive Polenta with Aioli
• Summer Blueberry Pie with Almond Crumble Topping

This is a must-do class for anyone who has ever wanted to learn how to prepare foolproof fish and seafood... and it's a great class if you love the idea baking pies but are intimidated by the thought of making your own pie crust. We'll talk about how to know whether fish and seafood are fresh (that's key to the success of any recipe) then prepare two utterly delicious seafood dishes: shrimp and basil wrapped in pasta squares, fried to golden perfection, served over a refreshing fennel salad laced with lime and chili; and an elegant branzino (Mediterranean sea bass) cooked in parchment paper with fresh summer herbs, lemon zest, and a splash of white wine. We'll serve our branzino with a crispy polenta laced with briny black olives and a heady garlic sauce known as aioli… and for a sweet ending to our seafood feast, we'll bake a summer blueberry pie topped with a crumbly almond paste.

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$95 pp | Classic Seafood | Monday August 4 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
Pecorino Colline Frentane 2007
Sant'Agata Baby Barb 2006
Sella & Mosca Cannonau Riserva 2004

• Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi in Amatriciana Sauce
• Herbed Lamb Saltimbocca Stuffed with Provolone & Prosciutto
• Broccoli Raab with Garlic & Chili
• Mom's Crème Caramel (Traditional Flan with Caramelized Sugar)

This class is my way of inviting you to Rome for an evening, so you can savor some of the Eternal City's most delicious dishes. We'll start by making my favorite pasta sauce in the world: amatriciana, a lightly spicy tomato sauce featuring chunks of Pancetta and slivered onion, a hint of garlic and chili, and a generous sprinkling of freshly grated Pecorino Romano. Amatriciana is absolutely perfect with homemade gnocchi; tonight we'll make our gnocchi with fresh Ricotta instead of potatoes, and the result is sheer magic. As a main course, we'll prepare lamb saltimbocca (my take on veal saltimbocca, and just as addictive): we'll roll thin slices of lamb around buttery Provolone and savory Prosciutto, sprinkle the bundles with fresh herbs for extra flavor, and cook them in a veil of white wine. For a side dish, we'll do as the Romans do, and slow-cook broccoli raab in true Roman style with chili and garlic to serve alongside our lamb bundles. And for dessert, we'll bake a delicious crème caramel: a rich, flan-like dessert you'll find on most Roman restaurant menus, but always best made at home. The crème caramel we'll make tonight is my mom's recipe, and it is silky smooth and so satisfying. Don't miss out on this class unless you already have plans to be in Rome this summer!

$95 pp | Flavors of Rome | Friday August 8 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
Principessa Gavia Gavi 2007
Cos Pojo di Lupo 2005
Villa Di Corsano Rosso 2001

• Homemade White Wine Tagliatelle in Lemon-Cream Sauce
• Sausages Stuffed with Truffled Cheese
• Peas with Prosciutto & Onions
• Apple & Marzipan Pie

Here's a menu for anyone who loves big, bold, bright flavors. We'll start by kneading and rolling out fresh tagliatelle; the dough for these tagliatelle is made with white wine, not just eggs, and the wine makes the dough more supple and silky... not to mention, it gives it great flavor. We'll toss our tagliatelle with a vibrant lemon-scented cream sauce, and prepare one of Umbria's signature main courses: plump sausages stuffed with truffle-scented Pecorino cheese (this is a spectacular dish for entertaining, and makes a great Sunday brunch offering with a loaf of crusty bread alongside). A side of sweet peas sauteed with Prosciutto and onions brings the flavors of Rome to the plate. And for dessert, we'll bake a moist, delicate almond and apple pie that embodies the spirit of country cooking.

$95 pp | Country Flavors | Monday August 11 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
Frentane Pecorino 2007
Bruno Porro Dolcetto di Dogliani 2006
Mirabile Nero D'Avola 2006

• Herbed Ricotta Gnocchi with Leeks, Cherry Tomatoes & Peas
• Stuffed Veal Bundles with Olives, White Wine, & Pine Nuts
• Rosemary-Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
• Hazelnut-Chocolate Tortes with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Trattorias are Italy's informal, often family-run, restaurants, and they are usually home to the best cooking in the country. Simple dishes prepared with great care and the freshest ingredients typify trattoria cooking; nothing fancy, but everything absolutely delicious and memorable. This new class is a celebration of trattorias all over Italy where I tasted some of the most delectable meals of my life. We'll begin by making the lightest gnocchi ever sauced with a Tuscan medley of leeks, cherry tomatoes, peas, and fresh summer basil. We'll stuff veal scaloppine with a fragrant mix of Prosciutto, pine nuts, olives, and Parmigiano, then slow-cook the resulting bundles in a white wine and tomato glaze; the best partner for these succulent veal bundles is a fluffy mound of mashed potatoes, and we'll stir young goat cheese and fresh rosemary into ours before serving. Dessert is a trattoria classic: hazelnut and chocolate cakes with just a touch of flour in the batter, lightened by beaten egg whites, served with vanilla ice cream. Get ready for a fabulous night of feasting!

$95 pp | Trattoria Cooking | Friday August 15 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
Anselmi San Vincenzo Bianco 2005
La Madonnina Chianti Classico Riserva 2003
Bixio Valpolicella con Ripasso 2004

• Pizza Rustica with Broccoli Raab & Sausage
• Country Chicken & Eggplant with Oregano & White Wine
• Roasted Summer Peppers with Basil, Garlic & Ricotta Salata
• Espresso-Almond Biscotti

Calabria is one of Italy's little-known treasures, a region that boasts both a magnificent coastline and rugged mountainous terrain. It is also home to an amazingly flavorful cuisine that makes the most of simple ingredients: fresh pork; cured meats (sausage, salami, Prosciutto, and Pancetta); courtyard animals like chicken and rabbit; cheeses both delicate and sharp, such as Ricotta and Pecorino; ample amounts of fiery red chili pepper; Mediterranean vegetables like eggplants, zucchini, and tomatoes; robust beans and handmade semolina pasta; fresh and dried figs, almonds, and honey, which feature in most Calabrese sweets; and fruity olive oil, king at the table. Join me for a new cooking class that explores the cuisine of Calabria through four of its heirloom offerings. We'll begin by preparing a homemade focaccia (pizza as it is often called in southern Italy) topped with an addictive combination of silky broccoli raab and spicy sausage; there's a trick to making light, airy pizza dough, and a trick to cooking broccoli raab so it loses every trace of bitterness, and I'll share both these secrets with you in class. Next, we'll braise chicken with chunks of eggplant, onions, garlic, and tomatoes, splash in some white wine, and enjoy this succulent main course with a colorful side of roasted peppers showered with salted ricotta, a Calabrese favorite. For dessert, we'll bake a batch of crisp espresso and almond biscotti-the perfect ending to a southern Italian feast.

$95 pp | Feast in Calabria | Monday August 18 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
Palazzone orvieto 2007
Vigna Maggio Levanter Salento 2004
Castello Fageto Rusus 2003

• Homemade Potato Gnocchi in Savory Leek Cream
• Veal Scaloppine Stuffed with Aromatic Herbs & Goat Cheese
• Caramelized Onion Soufflés
• Marzipan & Apricot Cake with Chocolate Glaze

If I had to enumerate my favorite dishes, potato gnocchi would be at the top of the list. Maybe it's because my mom makes the best potato gnocchi ever-when I was growing up in Milan, and later in Montreal, Canada, she made the lightest gnocchi, and usually sauced them with a luscious Gorgonzola cream-what a combination! I recently discovered a subtle leek sauce I love just as much as Gorgonzola cream, and it pairs splendidly with potato gnocchi. So tonight we'll prepare my mom's famous potato gnocchi, pair it with a lovely leek sauce, and follow our heavenly first course with an equally heavenly veal dish: tender morsels of veal, pounded thin and wrapped around a bold mix of young goat cheese and fresh herbs, roasted to tender perfection with a hint of white wine. We'll serve our veal bundles with rich, fragrant onion soufflés-and finish the meal with a decadent marzipan, sour cream, and apricot cake that is simply out of this world.

$95 pp | Summer in Milan | Friday August 22 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
San Valentino Alta Marea 2005
Canneto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Roero Filippo Gallino Superiore

• Cavatelli Pasta with Chickpeas, Cockles, & Mussels
• Tender Lamb with Wild Fennel & Peas
• Stuffed Peppers with Bread Crumbs, Pecorino, & Garlic
• Anise & White Wine Biscotti

Whenever I return from a trip to Italy, I come back with hundreds of new recipes I want to try: delicious dishes sampled as we made our way across the country, meeting amazing cooks and savoring the local fare. This menu features four such dishes, all of them delicious, and all of them from the southern region of Puglia. We'll start off with a hearty pasta that combines the very best of land and sea: cavatelli pasta with chickpeas and mussels, flavored with just a hint of chili, a touch of garlic, and a whisper of tomato. (If you're a fan of clams, they also work beautifully in this dish.) Next, we'll slow cook chunks of lamb with a heavenly combination of fresh vegetables and a sprinkling of wild fennel; this alluring medley is known as agnello cutturrid in Puglia, and it is so good, you'll be making it time and again at home. We'll serve our lamb with garlicky stuffed peppers, and finish our Pugliese feast with crispy, light olive oil taralli laced with anise seeds. (Taralli are those little crisp pretzel-shaped cookies, baked both sweet and savory, across central and southern Italy). What makes our sweet taralli so addictive? A good dose of white wine makes these taralli delectably crunchy.

$95 pp | Evening in Puglia | Monday August 25 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
Villa Arianna Frascati 2006
Cos Pojo di Lupo 2005
Petrilli Agramante 2003

• Artichoke- & Prosciutto-Stuffed Focaccia
• Classic Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
• Layered Potatoes with Pecorino & Oregano
• Sweet Ricotta Tart

Southern Italy is renowned for its astounding (and astoundingly delicious) variety of focaccias and savory breads. The cooks in Basilicata make some of the best focaccias I have ever tasted. One version I particularly enjoyed on our last trip to the area was stuffed with artichoke hearts, Prosciutto, and cheese... I simply could not stop eating it. Join me for a new class on the cuisine of Basilicata, a starkly beautiful region south of Puglia and north of Calabria where the food is amazingly tasty and utterly genuine. We'll learn to make focaccia dough (the trick: kneading it vigorously and not rushing the rising), stuff it with artichokes, Prosciutto, and more, and bake it to golden perfection. We'll also roll up our sleeves and make the most tender, aromatic meatballs imaginable-a savory blend of pork, beef, and veal will result in light, intensely flavorful meatballs that soak up the rich tomato sauce beautifully. A side of roasted potatoes with herbs and Pecorino rounds out the meal perfectly… but don't forget the sweet Ricotta tart, encased in buttery, flaky pastry, flavored with a hint of lemon and cinnamon.

$95 pp | Taste of Basilicata | Friday September 5 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
San Giovanni Kiara Pecorino 2006
Santa Marta Salustri Rosso 2005
Marchesi de Cordano Trinita di Montepulciano 2001

• Mom's Potato Gnocchi in Gorgonzola Sauce
• Herb-Rubbed Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Warm Apple-Rosemary Glaze
• String Beans with Radicchio & Balsamic Vinegar
• Fennel Gratin with Aged Parmigiano Reggiano
• Caramel, Chocolate, & Amaretto Pudding

Join us for an unbelievable evening of northern Italian food and wine. Our charismatic Wine Director Costas Mouzouras will lead you on a taste journey through Italy's famed northern Italian wine-producing regions, allowing you to sip and savor some of the country's greatest oenological offerings. The wine line-up will include 12 wines from 8 northern Italian regions, including some lesser-known treasures from Liguria, Val d'Aosta, and Lombardy. Before you sit down to enjoy your wine tasting, roll up your sleeves and learn to prepare five lovely fall dishes from Piedmont, Lombardy, and Emilia-Romagna. We'll start off with my mom's light potato gnocchi, served in a decadent Gorgonzola cream sauce (her gnocchi are truly the best I have ever eaten, and her recipe is foolproof). Next, we'll roast an herb-rubbed pork tenderloin to tender perfection and serve it with a delicately sweet, rosemary-scented apple glaze, the very essence of Italian autumn. We'll pair our pork with roasted string beans and radicchio splashed with balsamic vinegar, and a gratin of fennel dusted with aged Parmigiano. For dessert, we'll whip up a classic Piedmontese dessert called bonet: essentially a light amaretto pudding flavored with chocolate, bonet owes its distinctively addictive flavor to a hint of rum, a generous dose of amaretto cookies, and a luscious caramel hidden beneath its chocolatey goodness. Don't wait too long to sign up for this class: it promises to be one of the year's most popular offerings.

Course price includes...

• hands-on cooking lesson
• four-course dinner
• 12 wines presented by RUSTICO's Wine Director Costas Mouzouras
• a free copy of Micol's cookbook, THE ITALIAN GRILL

$150 pp | Northern Italy Wine Tasting | Tuesday September 9 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
Recioto di Soave, Il Modello – Veneto
Lambrusco Grasparossa, Carafoli – Emilia Romagna
Franciacorta, Montenisa – Lombardy
Lugana Riserva, Zenato – Veneto
Vermentino Albenga, Bio Vio - Liguria
Muller Thurgau Feldmarschall, Tiefenbrunner – Alto Adige
Gattinara Riserva, Travaglini – Piedmont
Refosco, Conte Brandolini – Friuli
Torrette, Les Cretes – Valle d’Aosta
Sforzato di Valtellina, Bettini – Lombardy
Schioppettino Riserva, Antico Broilo – Friuli
Avi Sangiovese, San Patrignano – Emilia Romagna

• Tuscan Bread, Tomato, & Garlic Soup with Basil, Garlic-Chili Oil, & Pecorino Crisp
• Slow-Cooked Chicken with Leeks, White Wine, & Forty Cloves of Garlic
• Sweet Peppers with Garlic Confetti, Oregano, & Ricotta Salata
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Moist Orange-Almond Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze

This is the third year I'm offering a class for garlic lovers, and I advise anyone who wants to join us to reserve quickly… This class will definitely sell out fast. The menu for the Third Annual Garlic Lover's Festival features three of my favorite garlic-laden specialties (and one delightfully sinful orange-chocolate dessert that is, as it should be, completely garlic-free). Tuscany's famed pappa al pomodoro, a garlic-kissed soup made with country bread, a handful of chopped onions, fragrant basil, plump tomatoes, and fruity extra-virgin olive oil; a crunchy Pecorino crisp lends both texture and salty flavor to this comforting first course, and a flourish of garlic-chili oil finishes the soup off on a high note. Tender morsels of chicken mingle deliciously with a tangle of sautéed leeks, tarragon, oregano, basil, and chives, plenty of whole garlic cloves, and a hint of fennel seeds. Strips of roasted sweet peppers are enlivened by a shower of fresh garlic, oregano, and milky Ricotta Salata (if you've never tried Ricotta Salata, you'll surely love it: it's a slightly salty, creamy grating cheese that pairs especially well with tomatoes, peppers, and other vibrantly flavored Mediterranean vegetables). Mashed potatoes, richly fluffy with cream and butter, are elevated by a generous dose of roasted garlic purée. And what better than the duet of orange and chocolate, in the form of a moist almond cake, to cap off this unique evening?

$95 pp | Garlic Lovers' Festival | Friday September 12 at 6PM

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Wines Served:
Porcia Traminer Aromatico 2006
Rei Capo Ferrato Cannonau 2003
Michele Chiarlo Barbera Le Orme 2006

• Crispy Goat Cheese-Stuffed Ravioli with Caramelized Fennel & Balsamic Vinegar Splash
• Herb-Rubbed Roasted Chicken with Fire-Roasted Grape Tomato, Yellow Pepper, & Purple Onion Salsa
• Braised Chickpeas with Spinach & Garlic
• Hazelnut-Chocolate Cakes with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

There are some recipes that just cry out for an audience… some dishes so good, you want to share them with others who love food as much as you do. The four recipes in this new class fit this bill perfectly, and you'll surely find yourself thinking up a guest list just so you can prepare this meal for your favorite dining audience. Our appetizer: a stunning assembly of caramelized fennel, peppery arugula, and sweet pears sandwiched between two crispy goat cheese ravioli, finished with a drizzle of honeyed balsamic vinegar. Our main course: fork-tender chicken slow-cooked with fresh herbs and garlic, topped with a vibrant salsa of roasted grape tomatoes, sweet peppers, and onions. Chickpeas may seem like a humble side dish, but when they're braised with garlic, tomatoes, and spinach, the result is as mesmerizing as it is colorful. A hazelnut-chocolate cake will leave you (and your guests) begging for more… especially since we'll be spooning vanilla ice cream and a warm chocolate sauce over its decadent goodness.

$95 pp | Entertaining all'Italiana | Monday September 15 at 6PM

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Wines Served: To Be Announced

• Homemade Tagliatelle with Roasted Butternut Squash & Sage
• Stuffed Veal Bundles in White Wine Glaze
• Roasted Cauliflower with Pancetta, Onion, & Parmigiano
• Pears with Mascarpone-Walnut Mousse

This new class features some of my very favorite ingredients, all of which bring to mind visions of a northern Italian harvest… Join me for a class devoted to the pleasures of fall in my native city of Milan. We'll cook a memorable meal with the season's bounty: sweet butternut squash; creamy cauliflower; juicy pears; intense walnuts; rich cheeses; and peppery Pancetta. Our feast will begin with homemade tagliatelle tossed with sage butter and chunks of butternut squash; not only will you learn how to make perfect fresh pasta using only flour and eggs, this dish is an ideal first course for chilly fall days, when the leaves rustle underfoot and the wind urges us to stay indoors. Veal scaloppine stuffed with a medley of fresh herbs and Parmigiano make a sophisticated main course; served in a rich white wine glaze, these veal bundles are perfect with a side of roasted cauliflower. And for dessert, we'll layer tender chunks of sweet pear, Amaretto liqueur, and creamy Mascarpone mousse in wine goblets: a visually striking way to end our autumn feast in Milan.

$95 pp | Autumn Feast in Milan | Friday September 19 at 6PM

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Wines Served: To Be Announced

• Tuscan "Bruschetta" Salad with Parmigiano Crisp
• Striped Bass with Ginger, Leeks, & Shiitake Mushrooms
• Roasted Asparagus with Parmigiano
• Lemon & Chive Risotto
• Coffee Bean & Almond Biscotti

In Italy, food is the source of endless pleasure, of passionate conversation and great debate. People love to sit around the dinner table and talk about past meals, future meals, celebratory meals, meals shared with loved ones. There is no greater joy for Italians than to spend hours discussing and dissecting food: the art of cooking is very much alive in Italy, and everyday eating remains a celebration of the pleasures of the table. But most everyday Italian cooking is rustic, and family favorites tend to be simple dishes that deliver big flavor without much fuss. That's the sort of cooking we'll be celebrating in this new class: rustic cooking from all corners of Italy. We'll begin with a delightful twist on Tuscany's famous panzanella salad: grilled bread rubbed with garlic, torn into pieces, tossed with juicy tomatoes, purple onions, and basil... a refreshing and colorful way to start a meal. Next, we'll steam-roast striped bass fillets under a cloak of sautéed shiitake mushrooms and leeks, a foolproof way to ensure the fish emerges moist and succulent from the oven. We'll enjoy our striped bass with roasted asparagus and a lemony risotto laced with chives. You'll learn first-hand that the trick to truly great risotto is threefold: using Carnaroli rice (not the more common Arborio); reaching for a deeply flavored stock; and stirring, stirring, stirring... For dessert, we'll look to the kitchens of Naples, where espresso is an art form and biscotti are a mainstay, as we bake delightfully crunchy espresso and almond biscotti.

$95 pp | Rustic Favorites | Friday September 26 at 6PM

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Wines Served: To Be Announced

• Miniature Goat Cheese & Parmigiano Souffles in Crisp Phyllo Baskets
• Radicchio, Pancetta, & Parmigiano Lasagna
• Whole Fish Baked in Sea Salt
• Sweet Polenta Cake

Venice: city of romance, city of mystery, it was once a great commercial and maritime power. Its empire extended across the Mediterranean and beyond, into the Byzantine world, bringing in exotic goods and spices which spawned a flavorful, eastern-influenced cuisine. From the Venetian lagoon come soups and risottos studded with seafood; in the valleys and hills surrounding Venice, myriad specialties feature radicchio (both the round and elongated variety, known as Chioggia and Treviso respectively after their native cities); and all across the Veneto, most meals bring polenta in one form or another: right out of the pot, fried, grilled, layered and baked, even cooked into rustic desserts. Join me for a brand new class on Venetian cuisine and allow yourself to be transported to this magical corner of the world. We'll begin our taste journey with an elegant goat cheese and Parmigiano soufflé served in a crisp phyllo basket; this lovely appetizer is even better served atop baby greens in a light lemon vinaigrette. Our pasta (homemade lasagna layered with sautéed radicchio, Pancetta, and béchamel) pays homage to the area's beloved radicchio, and it is the quintessential fall dish for entertaining: it can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated, and it warms the body and soul with its deep, comforting flavors. We'll bake a whole fish in a cloak of sea salt-not at all difficult once you've mastered the basic technique, and so dramatic at the table-plus, the fish emerges from its salt crust not the least bit salty, just perfectly moist and absolutely succulent. And for dessert, we'll bake a soft, liqueur-soaked polenta cake that would make a Venetian nonna proud.