Cooking A St. Anthony’s Feast With Letizia Mattiacci (Recorded in 2021)

This workshop has taken place and is recorded, you may purchase the full recording of the live class along with the recipe ebook. 

Saint Anthony is the patron not only of domestic pigs but of all domestic animals, and also of butchers. For centuries, farmers in Italy have prayed to St. Anthony to protect them against any number of human and animal diseases.

In Italy, St. Anthony is celebrated on the day of his death, January 17th, in what still is one of the most heartfelt celebrations in rural communities, deeply connected with the ancient rituals of purification of the fields, blessing of animals and – of course – offerings of food. In the area of Assisi in Umbria, 24,000 sausages are consumed during the course of one day to celebrate the saint and one of his miracles.

Letizia Mattiacci, cookbook author and owner of Alla Madonna del Piatto cooking school near Assisi, will join Kathy McCabe LIVE FROM UMBRIA for this cooking class on simple recipes prepared in central Italy to celebrate St. Anthony. 

You will receive a shopping list ahead of time if you would like to cook along with us. Otherwise join us for a demonstration and a chat with Letizia about the intriguing history and traditions about St. Anthony.

Letizia will start with Saint Anthony’s Meatballs which are the centerpiece of the Saint’s Feast in  Santa Maria degli Angeli, a village near Assisi in Umbria. This is a delicious version of the Italian classic, enriched with raisins, pine  nuts and pecorino cheese and make a fabulous main served over a bed of
steamed greens and creamy polenta.

Letizia will then prepare a robust Umbrian dish, Polenta, which appears regularly in winter on the Umbrian table. She will explain how to elevate a seemingly uninteresting cornmeal porridge to perfect comfort food for the cold months. This is a great dish for a party as it can be easily scaled to multiple portions.

Italians are fond of beans and cook them in many ways. Bean and Escarole Soup with or without pasta features frequently on the Italian table and is offered to the poor on St. Anthony Day after Mass.

We will be making the following three recipes during our LIVE workshop:

Saint Anthony’s Meatballs

Stone Ground Polenta

Beans and Escarole Soup 

Also included:

Shopping List: You will receive a shopping list via email at least a week ahead of time so you can purchase ingredients and cook along with us LIVE.

Recipe Ebook: Just before the virtual workshop we will email you a recipe book with recipes from Letizia’s latest cookbook Festa Italiana.

Recording: After the live workshop, you will be sent a link to a recording that you can view later on.

Within 24 hours of your purchase of the workshop, Stephanie from our team will send you a Zoom link to access the workshop on the day it is being held. The shopping list will be emailed the week before, the recipe ebook a few days before and the recording the day after! Can’t wait for you to join us!