When the skies are grey in winter we wait until the temperatures drop and the blood oranges come into season to bring sunshine to the table in the form of a savory salad. Traditionally, it is served with fennel as an insalata di finocchio e arance. But for me, I never have enough oranges in the…
Polpettone di Patate- Osteria Luchin
I love road trips. My first trips to Europe all included France. My Grandfather was born in Soisson, south of Paris. I studied French for 14 years and was a French Pastry chef. But somehow, France was never really warm and fuzzy to me. Italy on the other hand was one big bear hug right…
Federico’s Sage Pesto
Winter is here and there is no basil left in the garden, freezing temperatures have killed off almost everything. But so far, we have missed the snow. Puglia and Sicily were hit hard. While watching the weather report on the huge storm getting ready to hit the East Coast which will then move in our…
Tuscan Beans- A Bean for all Seasons
My friend Samin has declared January #beanmonth. In Tuscany, every month is bean month. Tuscans are called mangiafagioli, bean eaters for their large consumption of beans. In Florence, dining out, you mostly find the cannellini beans or if you are lucky the rare zolfini bean. Heading out to Lucca, you really start to see a…
Got Olives?
Hey look what I got! OLIVES Easy to when you live in the middle of an olive grove in Tuscany. But even I must buy olives to preserve. My neighbors did give me olives as a nice gesture when I gave them some of my freshly pressed oil from the Becchina Estates in Castelvetrano. But…
Panelle- Sicilian Street Food
I was a vegetarian for about 7 years, I guess now you would say Pescatarian as I ate sushi! Living in Tuscany now for 30 years, I eat meat, but the mediterranean diet is high in grains and vegetables as well as incredible cheeses. We get our fair share of protein. Legumes are a high…
Simply Summer- Pomodori
This year, like last year, has been a wet summer. But when you work cooking in a hot kitchen, it is welcoming. Luckily, my tomato plants have survived. They did have a moment when they lost some of their blossoms, so we don’t have as many as we normally do. But it is always a…
Summer on a Plate- Peperonata
We snuck in a little mini-vacation at the beach as part of some research I am doing for a new tour, down in Maremma. Tuscany is so different in the various regions and not really over run with tourists. It is full of agriculture, not just wine. wheat ready for the harvest I am calling…