I adore this time of year, work slows down to nothing and I have time to cook for pleasure. In Italy, the holiday season really starts on December 8th when the trees and creche scenes are set up and everyone gets in the mood! The chilly weather is also an incentive to spend time in…
Lost Recipes – Sedano Rifatto
I am blessed to have married into a Florentine family. My husband’s mother was a fabulous, tough woman who outlived two husbands and raised two lovely men. Tina Barchielli, lost her first husband during WWll, he was taken prisoner and died. Her second husband, Arturo, was the father of her children, Cesare and my husband…
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…
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…
Signs of the Season
In Italy, you must pay attention to the seasons. Often you only have once chance at making a seasonal recipe. This year I missed the Elderberry blossoms, to make a syrup for cocktails. But I did get my green walnuts to make Nocino, although this year I am celebrating my French side of the family…