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…
Panzanella – Why Tuscan bread is Saltless
One of the things everyone comments on in Tuscany is how tasteless the bread is. There is a reason, there is no salt in the dough. In the past, salt was a commodity. Florence bought their salt from Pisa. Pisa put a salt tax so high, that normal people couldn’t use salt for things like…
Summer’s Magic Potions
June is an important month for the summer season. The Solstice has always been a day to celebrate, but all over June 24th also has magical potions being created. I have posted the recipe on the traditional Nocino liquore which is made with the green walnuts harvested on June 24th on my site. My friend…
Festival Foods: Catania- Sant’Agata February 5
I love festivals. Italy really knows how to party. Huge parades, lots of lights, often fireworks and costumes, but mostly FOOD. I was in Catania February 5th, Saint Agatha’s day. She is the patron saint of Catania. It was HUGE. They celebrate for three days. It coincides with the Candelora, which is the festival of…
New Year- Old Recipes
I adore new beginnings. They don’t always have to be the beginning of a new year, but any new adventure. When I first left the USA in 1984,I had no idea I would end up living in Italy. It was real culture shock actually living here rather than being a tourist. Learning to function in…
Castagnaccio- Chestnut Love
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, brisk chilly mornings. Markets full with kale, cabbage and artichokes. Fall brings so much to the Italian table. It was unusually warm for a long time, then it exploded.We finally got fall here in Tuscany. Italy was hit with huge storms and flooding both in the north and the…
Buglione- A Summer Stew
In my husband’s family, Buglione was always on the table in Summer. His father worked at the city’s main fruit and vegetable market in Novoli. There was was always seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables on the table. His mother was a great cook with simple seasonal produce. Summer hasn’t really decided if it is here…
Taste Chianti | Gelateria Dondoli – San Gimignano
I moved out to Certaldo around 2002 and am only 14km from San Gimignano. We don’t tend to go very often as it is such a popular tourist destination. But I know how to time visits and often can arrive at my favorite gelato place and not find a line, which is rare. The man…