Winter tiptoed through Tuscany, barely chilling us and Spring has snuck in. My tiny yards, front and back, are covered with wild violets, filling the air with a perfume like a grandmother’s hankie! Iris have started to stick their heads up, yellow mimosa trees also are full early this year. The hills are a velvet green…
Market leftovers- turnip greens
Saturday’s Turnips from the market, had such beautiful greens, I followed Roberto’s advice and cooked them twice. This is quite common for any leafy green in Tuscany. Overcooking by boiling in salted water, tenderizes even the toughest stems. Draining the greens and squeezing out all of the water and creating little balls is the base…
Market to Table- Certaldo- Concetta’s Pasta
I call myself an Italian life coach. It is not easy to learn how to be Italian. I made lots of mistakes at first, as all newbies do. Quickly corrected by all those around me, I now pass-on what I have learned. Recipes are only part of it! But since I teach cooking, that is…
Soothing Soup Minestrone
There is nothing like a soup to soothe all. Winter this year has not brought on the chill’s which are relieved by soup until now. So as soon as the first chill came in, soup’s on! After being in a sort of Summer in Florida, the Tuscan winter called me back to the roots of soup,…
Francesca’s Pumpkin Risotto-Market to Table- Certaldo
At Saturday’s market in Certaldo, the local farmer Francesca is a wealth of knowledge. She only sells what she grows, and I trust a woman with a smile! She has a real passion for cooking and is full of ideas, today she gave me a recipe for a Pumpkin and Leek Risotto. Risotto di Zucca…
Christmas Sweets- Simply Salami
I adore figs. I have always heard about the Salami di fichi made in Le Marche region of Italy and this year decided to make it! This is such a simple recipe everyone can do, anywhere. Traditionally the liquid in the recipe is called Cotto di Fichi, like Vin Cotto, it is a reduction of…
Puglia….Tiella with mussels
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!…