Market days….Flea market and Food markets

The third Sunday of the month is the wonderful flea market in Siena. It is one of my favorites. Located in the old market piazza behind the Torre di Mangia( city hall) it is easy to find. The covered market ( called the Tartaruga, turtle) has great prices and a huge variety of goods; linens, stamps, prints, china, frames.. and more.

I picked up an old butchers hook for 10 Euro.

Florence’s San Lorenzo market is my second home.
There are several bars where I alternate having breakfast, today was with Claudio and Alma. Florentine Soccer fans ( everything is purple at their bar for the Viola ( purple) Fan Club. Here you stand up, read the paper, listen to the market gossip getting the current news by word of mouth.

Alma is very proud of her cappuccino’s. Try one!

Sometimes when you are walking through the market something just grabs your eye, and calls our your name. This week it was live with their eggs still attached!

Signora Dolfi… my fish lady!

Pasta with scampi and their caviar!!!
We bought potato ravioli’s and served them with the scampi tails.

To prepare the scampi:
We put the in the freezer ( as they were alive) to kill them.
We then cut off the heads ( making a court bouillon for another day, boiling them with garlic, olive oil, salt and white wine)

The tails where then cut in half and quickly sauteed with garlic, olive oil and chili pepper flakes,a generous splash a white wine, a pinch of salt.
Cook until the meat of the tails turns white..and the caviar turns red, approx 4 minutes.

Drain the pasta into the pan and warm together.
NO cheese!

The Tuscan simplcity in cooking!
Build a fabulous rapport with your vendors and you will get the best ingredients that need very little work in the kitchen to show them off!

My Mantra
Spend more time Shopping and less time Cooking!