Sometimes eating fabulous meals can take 10 minutes and give immense pleasure. I made a Tuscan Ragu, which we call sugo, the other night. I let it pippare, slowly simmer, while I watched TV, worked on the computer and talked with my hubby. One should always have ragu in the freezer for quick meals or…
Pleasures of Pumpkin-again
pumpkin gnocchi with sage, butter and parmesan With the crisp fall weather holding before the wet winter sets in,I am having a love affair with pumpkin. I am lucky to not have to buy whole pumpkins,but slices, as I need them. I find myself cooking pumpkin in many ways. So far I have done the grilled…
Tastes of Sicily- Pasta with Cauliflower
The markets are GREEN in Palermo this time of year Sicilian “green” cauliflower getting a ride Tuscan olives, usually picked green to press for oil Fall is in full swing as I returned to Tuscany from Sicily. I gave my neighbors some of my oil from Olio Verde they traded me some fresh olives to cure….
Taste of Tuscany- Fresh Beans
Shelling fresh Lamon beans from Cuneo One of the best things about the markets in Italy is the service. I love going to get my beans and my lovely vendor is sitting there shelling the beans for me!It makes life so much easier. I also adore cooking fresh beans as they only take about 30 minutes…
Pesto lasagna- to die for!
Todays food memory- Pesto Lasagna, San Fruttuoso near Camogli , Liguria Staying home for summer vacation is a real vacation for me. Time at the computer and watching the Olympics in my pj’s. Eating watermelon, plums, cantalope and grapes.Gorging on fruit; the flavors of the seasons. Thinking of past vacations and memorable meals. On a trip…
You say Tomato- I say Pomodoro
Reading Deb’s Tomato Fest on Martha Stewart’s Blog, Dinner Tonight, how could I not gather my Italian tomato recipes together in one place now that we are having a gut of tomatoes! So stopping by Margaret’s Way to the Garden Blog, I got the info on the Food Fest Party they are having weekly….
Can’t stand the heat?
My Tuscan-Russian Salad It is sooooooo hot here right now that it is almost impossible to even think about cooking, but one must eat, so I was inspired to create a cold New Tuscan Style- Russian salad. Insalata Russa was a classic when I first moved here, a vegetable salad bound together with at least a…
Gragnano Pasta- Stuffed Rigatoni
On our day trip to Gragnano, where one of the BEST pasta’s in Italy is made, our lunch was on a working farm. Driving past the village itself, I saw the factory for the Faella pasta company right in the main part of town. The pasta from Gragnano is famous not only because of the quality of the wheat…