Highlights from the Punk Domestics Trip to Italy in January 2012

This post covers highlights of our 2012 trip to Italy. Why don't you join us next October for a week-long trip to Emilia-Romagna, Italy, to learn to make preserves, pasta, piadina and more at the hands of local artisans who do it the way it's been done for generation upon generation. Tickets are on sale now!

Remember when I asked if you all wanted to go to Italy to learn how to make salumi, preserves and more? And then we actually went and the "more" included pasta and piadina? And it was awesome? Well, I sure do. 

Our inaugural trip to Emilia-Romagna, Italy, was a resounding success, and I for one cannot wait to do it again -- and this time do it even more awesomely. For the several billion of you who were not able to join us, here are the highlights from our trip: 

Preserves with Marzia
On day one of the Punk Domestics trip to Italy in January, 2012, we made three kinds of preserves with Marzia Brigante: Quince jam, pear jam with aromatic spices and savor, a conserve made with apples, pears, quince, nuts and saba.

Formaggio di Fossa
After making preserves with Marzia, we went to see formaggio di fossa, a sheep's milk cheese aged in tufa pits in the town of Sogliano al Rubicone.

Parma and Modena: Parmigiano-Reggiano
On day two, we went to a caseificio in Parma to watch the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano, the king of Italian cheeses. This is a truly artisanal production done on a large scale.

Parma and Modena: Prosciutto di Parma
After seeing Parmigiano-Reggiano, we headed to the nearby Prosciuttificio San Giacomo to see how prosciutto is made. Like Parmigiano-Reggiano, prosciutto is a case of a truly artisanal product that is made on a very large scale.

Parma and Modena: Aceto Balsamico
We headed to Acetaia Pedroni to learn about the production of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena -- true balsamic vinegar, not the stuff you find on the grocery store shelves.

A Fish, a Fish, Delish
We visited Cesenatico's pescheria, or fish market, saw the conserve where fish were stored before refrigeration, and learned how to prepare Adriatic fish. And, of course, we ate a lot of fish.

The Big Pig Day!
On day four, we finally met our pig, and made it into salame, salsiccia, cotechino, pancetta, guanciale, strutto, ciccioli and fegatelli. And, I am confronted with a cosmic conundrum. (Warning: Graphic images of pig butchery.)

Making Pasta in Cesenatico
On the morning of our final day, we made pasta: Strozzapreti, cappelletti, tagliatelle, tagliolini and passatelli, a dumpling-like pasta special to Emilia-Romagna.

Piadina, the Flatbread of Romagna
On our final afternoon, we went to Forlimpopoli to learn how to make piadina, the native flatbread of Romagna.

Sounds great, right? Now you wanna do it, too, don't you? Well today's your lucky day. We're taking another trip, and the next one is going to be even awesomer. We're making it a day longer so we can pack even more awesomeness in, and still have time for things like shopping. You'll still make seasonal preserves, hand-roll pasta with little old ladies who will put your pasta-making skills to shame, and eat, eat, eat. So whaddayasay? Will you join us?