crispy panzanella salad franco’s style panzanella salad stuffed and baked onion with parmigiano cheese, savoury biscuits and green herb sauce eggplant cake with burrata cheese and tomatoes sauce crispy celery dumplings on a chickpeas pancake with a sundried tomatoes dipping vegetables garden in a tartlet, brisè pie filled with ricotta and seasonal vegetables from our vegetables garden primi

pasta e fagioli (pasta and bean soup) risotto with truffle and red beets pesto tagliatelle with bolognese sauce tortelloni stuffed with braised beef tagliolini with sicilian pesto

pork tenderloin with marsala and chocolate sauce topped with pistacchio seabass fillet with leeks and cardamom sauce and roasted potatoes braciole di vitella rolled beef stuffed with pine nuts, raisins and pecorino romano roasted pork loin porchetta style roasted chicken breast with caramelised onions and raspberries compote

carrot cake with orange sauce and cardamom gelato poached pears in redwing sauce with zabaione Franco’s tiramisu panna cotta with mixed berries sauce cannoli with ricotta orange zest chocolate chips and pistacchio

Franco Palandra

Chef at the cooking school in Torre del Tartufo

Franco Palandra was born in a small village in the south of Italy, called Camigliano (near Caserta). At the age of 14 he enrolled at the National Hotellerie institute of Italy for a five year course and graduated when he was 19. During the summer vacations he worked in different parts of Italy in Restaurants and Hotels, studying the different regional Italian cuisine.

Torre del Tartufo

Tuscookany Tuscany cooking school Franco Palandra.

Tuscookany Cooking school Italy Ravioli Franco copy.

Tuscookany chef Franco at the cooking classes in Tuscany

Tuscookany Italian cooking schools in Italy delicious food at Torre del Tartufo

“A true passion to experiment and innovate”

After graduation he decided to travel and work in Europe to study the cuisine of other European countries and to learn different techniques. He worked in England as an assistant chef and learnt a great deal in the kitchen as well as how to speak English! Franco also worked in France, Switzerland and Greece on Rhode and has through his travels and experience given traditional Italian dishes an international character making his dishes truly special. This passion to experiment and innovate gave him the opportunity to work on board the Caronia vessel of the Cunard line.

Franco lives with his girlfriend (Paola) and his dog in Arezzo. He also does chef consulting for restaurants and travels internationally in the off season to promote and advise on Italian cusine. During his free time Franco loves doing freelance photography and doing long distance hiking.

Franco teaches the One Week Italian Cooking classes Italy and the Three Day Italian Cooking classes Italy at Torre del Tartufo. Author of the cookbook Tuscookany The flavours of Tuscany.

Franco’s menu

Sample of Franco's menu for the Italian cooking classes in Italy

Please note that you will be receiving a cookbook with over 100 recipes and the sample menus below is just an indication to whet your appetite! This changes depending on the season and group. If you have something special you have always wanted to learn to make our chefs are happy to see if they can plan this in too.

Antipasti

crispy panzanella salad franco’s style panzanella salad
stuffed and baked onion with parmigiano cheese, savoury biscuits and green herb sauce
eggplant cake with burrata cheese and tomatoes sauce
crispy celery dumplings on a chickpeas pancake with a sundried tomatoes dipping
vegetables garden in a tartlet, brisè pie filled with ricotta and seasonal vegetables from our vegetables garden primi

Primi piatti

pasta e fagioli (pasta and bean soup)
risotto with truffle and red beets pesto
tagliatelle with bolognese sauce
tortelloni stuffed with braised beef
tagliolini with sicilian pesto

Secondi piatti

pork tenderloin with marsala and chocolate sauce topped with pistacchio
seabass fillet with leeks and cardamom sauce and roasted potatoes
braciole di vitella rolled beef stuffed with pine nuts, raisins and pecorino romano
roasted pork loin porchetta style
roasted chicken breast with caramelised onions and raspberries compote

Dolci

carrot cake with orange sauce and cardamom gelato
poached pears in redwing sauce with zabaione
Franco’s tiramisu
panna cotta with mixed berries sauce
cannoli with ricotta orange zest chocolate chips and pistacchio

Have fun cooking!

What you can expect from Franco’s menu

Come and have fun cooking with chef Franco, learn to roll out pasta the traditional way, bake your own pizza in our wood burningstove and make delicious four course Italian dinners to enjoy with your fellow cooks with wine pairings.

Franco offers:
One week Italian cookery course at Torre del Tartufo

Three day Italian cookery course at Torre del Tartufo