The above blog banner is a foto of Colle Val D’Elsa where I will be holding my one day classes and week-long programs. I am so in love with Colle Val D’Elsa and will be happy to share it with my students. It is easy to arrive by car as it is just off the…
Charcutepalooza- First project- Duck Prosciutto
What secrets hold a bowl of salt? I have a fascination with home curing of foods. Recently, I wrote about the olives I am making for my husband and now I am doing duck breasts for the Charcutepalooza project. An easy quick meat to cure, but the duck breasts I can buy here are much…
New Projects for 2011
I sort of have a love-hate relationship with the holiday season here in Italy. Life seems to shut down from Christmas Eve until after the Befana- Jan 6th. They love their holidays, but when you have things to get done, it tends to make you a little crazy! So now we can get on with…
Salt-Cured Fresh Olives
After all the sweets and indulgences over the holidays, I am glad to get back to setting up my savory pantry. When I was at the market last week, I found some fresh black olives to preserve “sotto-sale”. One of the oldest ways of preserving food in the world, salting. One of the benefits of…
Aggiunge un Blogger a Tavola- invite a blogger to your table
Some of my friends are amazed how much time I spend on the computer. I live in the middle of olive orchards and participating in online social networking as been a lot of fun and an educational experience for me. I don’t spend a lot of time reading blogs or participating in “Events” online, but I…
Xmas Countdown- Fear of Xmas
I am so glad that I don’t have a huge christmas, actually my husband and I really don’t get caught up in any of the holiday rushes here in Italy. I now have a Fear of Xmas- and try to keep my head while others around me are losing their’s. It is fabulous to be…
Simply Divina- Tuscan Herbs
Probably one of the BEST recipes I have learned and taught in Tuscany are my Tuscan Herbs. Every butcher has his own blend, which is used on the fabulous prepared meats, ready to cook, which are sold in the markets here. The base is a simple trinity of rosemary, sage and garlic, finely chopped with…
Cooking Cardoons- Marisa’s Polpette
From emails I get from my blog readers and on FB, I see cardoons are getting easier to find in America. Cardoons are cousins with artichokes, looking more like celery, but tasting like artichoke hearts. What’s not to love? When I was at Paola’s,my ortolana (vegetable vendor), in town; she had huge fabulous long cardoons…