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…
Feast of the Seven Fishes by Daniel Paterna |Book Review
I received a copy Feast of the Seven Fishes by Daniel Paterna to review for my site. As you know, I am not Italian American, but have been living now longer in Italy than I lived in the USA. In Italian years, I am 35. I always hear people complain when coming to Tuscany, that…
Italian Polpettone- Cooking like a Nonna
I didn’t grow up eating Italian food. My mom was raised in China so almost everything was seasoned with soy sauce and ginger. I taught myself American food using my Betty Crocker Cooking for Boys and Girls cookbook . One of my big successes was a meatloaf pie, using the recipe which was on the…
Comfort Food- Bollito Misto
This recipe was from my old website as part of a newsletter for Andrea’s Xmas Dinner. My husband loves tradition and this is one that also saves me time and takes very little actual cooking time to prepare and feeds us for several meals. This is true comfort food. For Christmas we serve tortellini…
Arrosto Fiorentino
This is one of my personal favorites for teaching in classes and for parties. It is so simple to prepare and HUGE effect! When I worked with Dario, we once did this for a party for 200 people that we catered. Dario did get tired slicing, but it was perfect for a large crowds….
Big White Cows- Nose to Tail
I was asked to participate in the Vetrina Toscana sharing my recipe for a favorite dish using the Vitellone Bianco dell’Appenino Centrale. What is that? The huge white cattle raised for meat, In Tuscany it is the Chianina, in Emilia Romagna the Romagnola and in Le Marche the Marchigiana. The Big White Cows, standing higher…
Simply Summer- Carpaccio
When the temperatures start to rise, quick and easy recipes are what we look at for easy meals. A favorite is Carpaccio. I remember it was one of the dishes that won me over to Italian food in the 80’s at Prego restaurant in San Francisco. The original dish was created by Arrigo Cipriani of…
Involtini- Simply Divina
Probably the thing I adore about Tuscan cooking is the simplicity. This is a recipe that my husband grew up with and his mother, Tina, was the Queen of simple. She always taught me, spend more time shopping and less time cooking. People are always amazed and the short list of ingredients and quick cooking…