I can get a fix on certain foods. When I waitressed in Fiesole, the first year I was living here, I fell in love with the pasta which we would often have for lunch. We worked hard. The Italian restaurant system is different. You are paid wages and benefits by the owners, which is very,…
Preserving Tuscany- Salt Cured Olives
As you know, I am always inspired at the market. When we bought our tiny 1/3 of a farmhouse in the hills outside of Certaldo, they wanted about $10,000 for 10 olive trees and an extra piece of land in the back of our house. I don’t know about you, but I can buy a…
Radicchio Roses
Like most people that love food, I am a cookbook junkie. Not so much the big cookbooks filled with fotos, but rather the small collections of recipes, written by women that are not professional cooks or the typical church fundraising cookbooks, filled with classic local favorites. I am much more interested in tried and true…
Gift of Love- Tortellini
Making pasta is an Italian mother’s way of saying “Ti Amo”, I love you. Simple ingredients, flour and eggs, turn into a gift of love, especially at Christmas. Yesterday in cooking class, my students requested to make Tortellini, one of the most traditional pastas from Emilia Romagna. Tuscans buy tortellini, not make them. We make…
A Stew for All Seasons- Peposo
I don’t eat a lot of meat, but when I do, I want the best. I an very lucky to be able to have a choice of several great butchers in various towns near me. Often, I make a day-trip out of shopping and head over the hills and through the woods to Panzano in…
Italian Kitchen Tools- Taglia Puntarelle
I am a sucker for kitchen toys! The puntarelle are a kind of chicory. The plant has leaves on the outside which are also edible but the treat are these chubby “fingers”. They get cut into tiny threads and then soaked in cold water to curl and crisp up. In Rome, it is possible to…
Culinary Notes- Pasta con le sarde
Sometimes recipes just need to be made, just because. I met a saffron producer online, who is also creating some facinating products from his farm in San Miniato. Toni’s site is Croco e Similace. Besides saffron, he grows rhubarb and thyme. He creates some very creative products which I can’t wait to try. Strawberry and…
Goat cheese crostini
Sometimes inspiration comes while I am shopping. We now have a local artisan “grocery” spot. Sort of like a pop-up. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; different organic artisans share a space to sell their products. Yesterday i was overwhelmed with choices. The Poggio di Camporbiano had incredible produce and GOAT CHEESE. We bought kale, potatoes, carrots,…