With guests at lunch, such as our own Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, to inspire us in cooking class, one of my old favorites, became a new favorite Chicchi a fabulous recipe from Umbria using chickpeas and farro becomes gluten-free using Riso Venere, or Forbidden Rice*. The texture and flavor of the rice was a…
Market to Table – Certaldo- Francesca’s Figs
Spending more time out in Certaldo, most of my best new recipes come from Francesca at the Certaldo weekly market. She only sells from her own farm and that of an aunt, so what you see is what you get. Today I saw the first figs! We picked up a whole tray of them when she…
Brutto ma Buono
Brutto ma Buono….Ugly but good Heirloom tomatoes are not always pretty but they are pretty good! Rich and almost meaty! Today’s Cuore di Bue ended up in a riff on a traditional summer salad lightened up. Insalata Russa , russian salad, is a classic, made from tiny boiled veggies, usually peas, carrots, potatoes and string…
In a Pickle
I adore Pickles! Not dill, but instant gratification Bread and Butter pickles I think we call them. I use a recipe from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook, the book I go to when I have my American cravings, it has it all! Of course I tweek it…. Can never seem to follow a recipe as is!…
Eggplant Fetish
I must admit.. I have a thing for eggplants! I love the color, the look,the feel and the flavor of eggplants! Called Melanzana in Italian from the latin Mela insana, a “not healthy” vegetable and was considered to be poisonous, but so were tomatoes and potatoes! I love them grilled,roasted,fried… and even with chocolate! Yes there…
Tonno di Coniglio.. Rabbit, tuna style
Last week I had a whole family for class, the children walking around on their own as we were waiting for our vegetables, they came back from the nearby butcher’s booth with this dramatic statement, ” Daddy, I didn’t know that they ate poodles!” It isn’t just kids that are confused with the shape of…
Pomodori Ripieni- Stuffed Tomatoes
Having a couple of days off… I cook! My husband loves these stuffed tomatoes. They are perfect for summer. His Aunt Vivetta had a restaurant in Cecina, near the sea,in Tuscany, where he spent his summers and she always prepared trays of stuffed vegetables, some with meat and bechamel, some with rice and others with…
Leo’s Artichokes
For years, the central market, San Lorenzo, was my home away from home. I was there daily, shopping and picking up recipes from the vendors and when I could, eavesdropping on the people while they shopped, listening to how they ordered, what they ordered and how they were going to cook it. Normally when you…