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…
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…
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!…
Winter’s Slow Soup
Winter has hit Florence full force, reminding us all that it was in November of 1966 that the Arno River flooded the city, bringing it to it’s knee’s and the wonderful support from the Mud Angels, young students.. and not.. from all over the world who ran to the rescue. My husband who was 11…
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…
Leo’s Artichokes
For years, the central market, San Lorenzo, was my home away from home. I was there daily, shopping and picking up recipes from the vendors and when I could, eavesdropping on the people while they shopped, listening to how they ordered, what they ordered and how they were going to cook it. Normally when you…
Too much Tuscan Sun!
When there is too much of the Tuscan Sun, it feels like we are being grilled. It is the feast day of San Lorenzo, St Lawrence, the patron saint of the Central Market in Florence. San Lorenzo, patron saint of cook.He was martyred by being grilled to death, that is a grill in his hand.I…