This August I did a cooking class for an Italian friend at her fabulous villa in Chianti and one of the guests at the class brought a lovely hostess gift for both of us; 20 saffron bulbs. He gave me instructions for planting…. and I was so excited to see my bulbs sprout and flower….
Sicilian Street Food Snack- Panelle
This trip I didn’t get to spend any time in Palermo, where I love to enjoy the street food stands. At the Foresteria Planeta, where we did our classes, Chef Angelo Pumilia made us his version of panelle as an appetizer the first night with our aperitivo. Panelle are made from chickpea flour…
Sicily Sinking In
After I get back from a trip, I need some down-time for things to sink in. Sicily is overwhelming.It is a melting pot of cultures, due the the invaders which came and went, leaving traces in the cuisine as well as in the art and architecture. We saw Greek ruins and learned to make cous…
Sicilian Dreams
I need some time to let all the fabulous food, wine and new friends we made soak in to be able to write about our fabulous week in Sicily. We stayed in Menfi as a homebase and spent a day in Trapani making cous cous and a day in Castelvetrano where we had a cooking…
Sicily – It’s the People
When I offer culinary weeks besides the food, it is the people we meet that really make the trip. When you go home, having made new friends is a gift that never ends, the memories of time spent together, sharing a new place. This week in Sicily we are very lucky, we have made new…
Celebrating Oil- Simply
There is something about new oil– everyone wants to share theirs and compare. I just went and bought my first new oil and have been served the new oil already in three restaurants as Fettunta- Tuscany’s olive oil drenched bread. Toasted bread, rubbed with garlic while still hot, then given a generous drizzle of the…
It’s All About the OIL-
Living in the middle of olive orchards and next to a frantoio ( olive oil mill) there is nothing like the anticipation of new oil. I was thrilled to be invited to an evening with the Maestro dell’Olio Fausto Borella, offered by Voiello pasta. Fausto opened the evening explaining the importance of extra vergin olive…
The Most Splendid of Seasons- Fall
We were blessed with incredible weather this week in Chianti for our session, even the full moon did it’s part as we enjoyed it in San Gimignano sitting in the main square having pizza and gelato. Most of the grape harvest is done now and the olive harvest is beginning. I live next door to…