Carpaccio Where do names of dishes come from? Well, This is a painting by Vittorio Carpaccio, Venice, 1465-1525. Look at those vibrant reds. Red was a color depicting wealth. It was derived from a small bug which lives in a cactus, the cocciniglia, Dactylopius Coccus.In Florence, it is also used to color the liquore Alkermes which…
Put an Egg on It!
Are you burning out on what to fix ? Here in Italy, many of us are still out of work and at home cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner. Both my husband and I have been vaccinated now, He gets his second pfzier next week. But work won’t start for me until Italy opens up to…
Spring is here
Nothing can stop Spring from coming. We may be blocked in our homes, going out just to shop for essentials, but life goes on. Italy is just really opening up the vaccinations, there have been so many holdbacks. We are still in red zone until after Easter and then in orange zone until the end…
We Have a Winner- I Love San Marzano DOP
Congratulations to Denise Gudger! She sent in her family recipe for Carmela’s Eggplant Pie. I made the recipe and it is a keeper! It is like an eggplant parmigiana with sauted peppers and onions between the layers. A real celebration of Summer. Eggplants, Peppers and San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese – Nocerino DOP . I made…
Christmas Eve Salad from Naples- Insalata di Rinforzo
Happy Holidays! This Christmas Eve Salad is a new favorite in our house. Bringing a little Southern Italy into Tuscany. I can’t get enough cauliflower which is in season now, we have had it in so many ways. Baked, boiled, battered and roasted. The Markets are filled with such a variety. Have you seen the…
Panzanella – Why Tuscan bread is Saltless
One of the things everyone comments on in Tuscany is how tasteless the bread is. There is a reason, there is no salt in the dough. In the past, salt was a commodity. Florence bought their salt from Pisa. Pisa put a salt tax so high, that normal people couldn’t use salt for things like…
New Year- Old Recipes
I adore new beginnings. They don’t always have to be the beginning of a new year, but any new adventure. When I first left the USA in 1984,I had no idea I would end up living in Italy. It was real culture shock actually living here rather than being a tourist. Learning to function in…
Buglione- A Summer Stew
In my husband’s family, Buglione was always on the table in Summer. His father worked at the city’s main fruit and vegetable market in Novoli. There was was always seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables on the table. His mother was a great cook with simple seasonal produce. Summer hasn’t really decided if it is here…