This year I am participating in a promotion of @TheGreatestTomatoesFromEurope and @IloveSanMarzanoDOP. Stop by my Instagram page @divinacucina to participate in a give-away. More information at the end of the blog. Summer in Italy ends with a mad rush to preserve as much of summer as you can in a jar. Mostly tomatoes. You can…
Summer Dining -My Pork Bruschetta
August came in with a BAM! We have been so lucky to not have had killer heat until now. But summer also brings beautiful fields like this near my home in Certaldo. Sunflowers always bring a smile to my face and we can’t help but jump out for silly foto-ops. In Summer in Italy it…
Taste Chianti | Divine Daytrips- Giotto
Now that we can drive around and move more freely, Andrea and I have been taking some daytrips. It’s great to visit some of our favorite spots, but also pure joy in discovering new places. Years ago, I created the Taste Chianti app to share my tips on where to eat, drink, shop and stay…
Corona Kitchen – Liberation
Monday May 18th, Italy moved on to the next stage in the Pandemia. We are allowed to leave our homes without a permission slip (papers we had to fill out and keep with us). We can also leave our towns and go to nearby towns in the region. In my village, our weekly market opened…
Easter- Home Alone
In Italy, there is a saying. Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi Christmas with your family and Easter with who ever you like. This year that meant spending Easter alone. Lent, the 40 days before Easter, took on a whole new meaning.In Italian Lent is called Quaressima. Originally the Quaratine, was the 40…
Corona, Not the Beer
Italy has taken the Corona Virus seriously and acted aggressivly to stop it. At first, creating the large Red Zone up north in Lombardia and then when those living in the Red Zone fled and headed all over Italy, the Prime Minister clamped down and made all of Italy a Red Zone. We are “grounded”…
Simple Pasta Sauces- Penne Lisce Arrabbiata con Tuna
I was inspired to do a simple recipe by a fotograph taken of the panic in the local grocery stores around Italy with the Corona Virus scare. The circle is around the Penne Lisce pasta, obviously not a favorite with many people. Italians are fanatics about what sauce goes with what shape of pasta and…
Frangipane for the Befana
After all the food orgies for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve if you can make it to January 6th, the sort of official end of the holiday feasting, you win! I am celebrating with an Italian-French Frangipane cake. The Epiphany is the religious holiday, celebrating the arrival of the three Magi with…