Ages ago on a trip down to Umbria, we stayed in a castle hotel run by locals that has restored the abandoned castle. We dined there one night. Chef Donatella Lauteri, the young wizard in the kitchen, shared this incredible recipe with me ,warm truffled farro (spelt) salad. She called it Chicchi, little kernals. …
Garden to Table- Eggplant
When summer hits, we are also hit with a glut of vegetables from the garden. Actually not MY garden. We learned that we just cannot keep up with raising and eating as much as a few plants produce and we don’t have a big freezer or a lot of storage space for jars. I buy…
A Taste of Puglia- Plic/Plac
I have been going down to Puglia for about 8 years, each time researching new areas and looking for places to organize culinary weeks. I finally put it all together and created something special for a group of women that met on one of my Chianti Kitchen weeks and enjoyed each others company so much…
Walnut Sauce- Salsa di Noci
There are a lot of recipes to celebrate Saint’s days. In Florence, June 24th is Saint John the Baptist, San Giovanni, is the patron Saint and there are parades, a historic soccer game and fireworks. In the countryside people gather the green walnuts to make Nocino, which I have written about several times as I…
Sicilian Swordfish Polpette – Fish balls
What do you call meatballs made from fish? Fishballs? Italy simplifies things, polpette are small balls of minced anything, bound with an egg, seasoned and fried. When I am in Sicily, we tour the Capo food market in Palermo and stop and enjoy lunch at a small trattoria run by a fish shop. As part…
Artichoke Season
One of the things I love most about living in Italy is eating seasonally. It isn’t always easy waiting, but we are always rewarded with exceptional flavor and joy. Spring comes in with a bang, artichokes, asparagus, fava beans and peas. When you get the first products, we tend to enjoy then raw. Raw Artichokes?…
Out of the Kitchen into the World- Sicilian Artichokes
I began my culinary professional life in the kitchen of a 5 star hotel in San Francisco, the Stanford Court Hotel. They were open to training me for the position when I told them I wanted to be a pastry chef. While traveling, I always found a job in a restaurant, either waiting tables or…
Sicilian Flavors: Zucca Gialla- marinated pumpkin
When I get ready to leave for a trip, I always leave my husband some of his favorite dishes. This marinated pumpkin is at the top of the list.The market inspires what I cook and this week at my farm shop Francesca had zucca gialla, pumpkin. Francesca is Sicilian and often gives me great recipes…