Cookery at La Pianella

Be it catering for a special occasion or full cookery course it can all be arranged. Mauro is Italian, Tze ela is Israeli. They met in Peru and pursue their love of cooking at Mauros home, here in Toscana.
They can prepare and serve a wonderful evening meal and will leave the kitchen spotless!

If you interested in learning their techniques, they can organise cooker classes at your convenience.

LA Pianella features an original pizza oven. Although it is many years old, it has been refurbished and now offers an excellent focal point for an afternoon or evening of fun dining.

With Pizza dough available from the local bakery, you can design you own pizzas and watch them cook before enjoying them with a glass or two of the local wine

There is a fabulous range of local cheeses and all the other wonderful italian cheeses are available through the local suppliers.
Pecorino is the name of a family of hard Italian cheeses made from sheeps milk. The word pecora, from which the name derives, means sheep. Most are aged and sharp.

Of the four main varieties of mature pecorino, Pecorino Romano is probably the best known outside Italy, especially in the United States which has been an important export market for the cheese since the 19th century. Most Pecorino Romano is produced on the island of Sardinia, though its production is also allowed in Lazio and in the Tuscan Province of Grosseto.

The other three mature cheeses are the milder Pecorino Sardo from Sardinia; Pecorino Toscano, the Tuscan relative of Pecorino Sardo and Pecorino Siciliano (or Picurinu Sicilianu in Sicilian) from Sicily. All come in a variety of styles depending on how long they have been matured. The more matured cheeses, referred to as stagionato, are harder and have a stronger flavour. Some varieties may have spices included in the cheese. In Sardinia, the larvae of the cheese fly are intentionally introduced into Pecorino Sardo to produce a local delicacy called casu marzu.

Pecorino Romano is most often used on pasta dishes, like the better-known Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan). Its distinctive strong, very salty flavour means that it is preferred for some pasta dishes with highly-flavoured sauces, especially those of Roman origin, such as pasta all amatriciana