I LOVE PUGLIA Last trip we visited the more famouse towns, Lecce, Alberobello with it’s trulli, Ostuni and Otranto. This year I wanted to see the other side. We headed over to Gallipoli and our trip was cut short due to my bad back….. but Egullet is talking about the cuisine of Puglia and I…
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!…
Don’t Bogart those herbs… my friend
Recently David Lebovitz wrote a cute entry on his blog which had me laughing again remembering our day together. It is funny that erbe… herbs.. in Italian is slang for yeah.. that stuff. I found a cute jar in Siena, that I keep my oregano in, that says Maryjuana. Everyone has their own blend, I…
Pigging out
When Kate and I began dreaming about pigs, pork artisans, farmers and recipes, my mind started going a thousand miles and hour. Where does one start and even a worse dilemma, where does one stop? I knew where to start, that was easy, at the Central Market where I do have the choice of Nose…
CICCIA- Bistecca alla Fiorentina
Bistecca alla Fiorentina I received an email from a student, asking why the recipe for cooking Florentine steak wasn’t in my cookbook. It is so easy, I didn’t even think about it, as really it is more of a non-recipe. I then began to think, it is usually the easiest recipes that are the hardest…
Prune Thursday
David , wild thing that he is, said “Hey,I love prunes.. let’s do a Prune Thursday“. I adore Prunes, which can be a problem or a good thing. I started dreaming about what I could make, but then decided that for his blog event, I should stick to something Tuscan. Wild Boar came to mind. Fruit and…
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…