 |
Quixote's Kitchen |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
Culinary Tours
Join us in Toledo, the capital of Castilla La Mancha (Castille) and birthplace of El Greco, for this stimulating all-inclusive weeklong culinary tour that includes lessons in regional cuisine, guided tours and private tastings of local products such as wines, cheeses and saffron that are valued around the world and make delectable and tasty meals.
Enjoy panoramic views of the ancient city of Toledo from your luxurious deluxe hotel furnished in authentic 16th century style as your base for your decadent culinary tour.
Castilla La Mancha...this region with its quiet and unassuming image holds many treasures beneath its surface yet to be explored and tasted.
Did you know it is home to "Spanish gold" (saffron)? Or what about the famous olive groves & vineyards? These are only a few of the things you will learn...
True Don Quixote land, is the focus of this packed 6-day, 7-night journey into the mystery of Castilla La Mancha cooking.
Overview of Castilla La Mancha
Highlights of Castilla La Mancha’s Gastronomy
Itinerary: Castilla La Mancha – Toledo
This intense and comprehensive hands-on course will provide all the pleasure and enjoyment of Castilla La Mancha cuisine along with the means to duplicate it at home:
DAY 1: Sunday – walking tour + dinner
DAY 2: Monday – cooking lesson + tapeo
DAY 3: Tuesday – cooking lesson
DAY 4: Wednesday – cooking lesson + tour of award winning factory
DAY 7: Saturday – Adios + Checkout! UP
DAY 1: Sunday – walking tour + dinner
Check into your hotel & meet the rest of the group to for a walking tour of Toledo. Do some shopping (or enjoy a siesta) before we meet again for dinner.
DAY 2: Monday – cooking lesson + tapeo
Wake up bright and early for first cooking lesson. Included will be how to choose the produce, tools of the trade, spices and “hallmarks” of Spanish cuisine. A four-course meal with wine accompaniments follows.
Break & then meet again for by typical “tapeo” (night of tapas) in Toledo’s local haunts.
DAY 3: Tuesday – cooking lesson
Wake up & head out to enjoy your second cooking lesson. A four-course meal with aperitif, wine and sweet wine accompaniments follows.
You will end at about 5PM for the day.
DAY 4: Wednesday – cooking lesson + tour of award winning cheese factory
The morning starts with your third cooking lesson: a four-course meal with aperitif, wine and sweet wine accompaniments follows. After an afternoon break get ready to head out to taste and learn about the different types of Queso Manchego at an award winning factory.
You will end at about 8PM for the day.
DAY 5: Thursday – Field Trip Almagro (windmills, famous stop of Don Quixote) + Valdepeñas vineyards + meal
Today’s fun-filled and jam-packed day starts off with a visit the famous vineyards of Valdepeñas & a stop at Almagro, a beautiful setting depicted in Cervantes Don Quixote. We’ll stop for a traditional meal then return to the hotel.
You’ll end at about 6PM for the day.
DAY 6: Friday – Field Trip Marzipan factory + hands-on instruction + Olive oil factory + behind the scenes cooking lesson with award winning chef
It’s hard to believe it’s almost over!
Learn the history, craftsmanship and making of "magnificent marzipan" at an award winning factory. Then
learn about the olive oils of the region from an award-winning producer.
Finish with a "behind the scenes" look at an award winning chef & enjoy the feast where you will be given certificates for the successful passing of course participants.
DAY 7: Saturday – Adios + Checkout! UP
The cost is €3,000 US pp based on double occupancy. Sign-Up!
The cost includes luxury accommodation, breakfasts, lunches and most dinners as well as entry fees & transport to cooking route scheduled events. UP
Overview of Castilla La Mancha
Castilla La Mancha, home of Don Quixote’s famous battles with the windmills in Campo de Criptana, is located at the very center of the Iberian Peninsula. This region, large in size, is located south of Madrid and occupies what was previously the southern part of the ancient kingdom of Castille.
Castilla La Mancha's capital, Toledo, is representative of the depth of history found throughout the rest of the region. Much like the rest of the region, Toledo is one of the densest monumental cities in the world with representation from virtually all of the stages of Spanish art including Moorish-Mudejar-Jewish buildings and intricate Gothic structures. UP
Highlights of Castilla La Mancha’s Gastronomy
Castilla La Mancha’s gastronomy is simple but tasteful with stews, game, sausages and the famous Manchego cheese. The region’s excellent wines – Valdepeñas, Castilla La Mancha, is one of eight key D.O. (Denominacion de Origen) regions – are a perfect match for the cuisine.
Of notable fame to La Mancha are its cheeses, marzipan and saffron, world renowned and exported to many countries.
The cheeses of La Mancha can be consumed tierno (soft and creamy, cured under three months), semi-seco (half-cured, for three to six months), or seco (dry, cured for more than six months). A mature manchego seco is nearly the equal of an Italian Parmesan.
The cuisine is heavily influenced by a long tradition of hunting and cattle-breeding combined with exotic Moorish influences.
Why not try quails, a most extraordinary pleasure for the palate, served stuffed, Perdiz Estofado, or with a regional legumes, Perdiz con Pochas? You can also try succulent lamb dishes, common roasted or grilled, Cordero Asado or Cuchifrito. Not to be forgotten are the migas machegas (side plate similar to stuffing) or suspiros y quebrantos (famous dish eaten by Don Quixote himself). UP
You just need to remember a few simple rules to eating in Spain and you’re set!
-
Breakfast is light, not much more than a bun and some coffee.
-
Lunch is the main meal of the day. It is eaten from 2-4PM; but some meals can start at 2 & go until 7!
-
Dinner is eaten as early as 9PM or as late as midnight depending on time of the year and whether it’s a weeknight or weekend. The average dinnertime starts at 9:30/10:00.
-
Tapas are eaten before lunch or dinner or could even include a night of tapeo. Spaniards version of the pub crawl but lighter on the alcohol and heavier on the protein. You move from bar to bar eating a tapa and a small glass of wine.
-
Coffee is always served after dessert & before the “copita” (a shot of liqueur to be sipped after the meal & aid with digestion).
-
Wine is the beverage of choice with meals; “tinto” (red) being most common.
-
Many dishes are to be shared reflecting Spain’s open & very social culture.
-
Every meal is a celebration!! UP
|
 |
||||||||||
