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Christmas Eve Salad from Naples- Insalata di Rinforzo

Happy Holidays! This Christmas Eve Salad is a new favorite in our house. Bringing a little Southern Italy into Tuscany. I can’t get enough cauliflower which is in season now, we have had it in so many ways. Baked, boiled, battered and roasted. The Markets are filled with such a variety. Have you seen the…

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meatball stew

Feast of the Seven Fishes by Daniel Paterna |Book Review

I received a copy Feast of the Seven Fishes by Daniel Paterna to review for my site. As you know, I am not Italian American, but have been living now longer in Italy than I lived in the USA. In Italian years, I am 35. I always hear people complain when coming to Tuscany, that…

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Market Recipes | Pork Filet from Massimo Manetti- Mercato Centrale

I opened my cooking school in front of Florence’s Mercato Centrale in 1988. I had moved here in 1984 and took 4 years to really learn the language and study the local cuisine. When I arrived here I was pretty much an Italian food virgin. Like many people, Italian food of the 80’s was more…

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Eat Your Wine- Mangia Bevi

September is Wine month. There have been festivals all month long. I don’t go to them all, but have been to them all. The harvest is starting, first the white wine grapes for white wine. They also harvest the grapes to be hung and dried to make the dessert wine Vin Santo. Then the red…

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meatloaf

Italian Polpettone- Cooking like a Nonna

I didn’t grow up eating Italian food. My mom was raised in China so almost everything was seasoned with soy sauce and ginger. I taught myself American food using my Betty Crocker Cooking for Boys and Girls cookbook . One of my big successes was a meatloaf pie, using the recipe which was on the…

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panzanella

Panzanella – Why Tuscan bread is Saltless

One of the things everyone comments on in Tuscany is how tasteless the bread is. There is a reason, there is no salt in the dough. In the past, salt was a commodity. Florence bought their salt from Pisa. Pisa put a salt tax so high, that normal people couldn’t use salt for things like…

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Summer’s Magic Potions

June is an important month for the summer season. The Solstice has always been a day to celebrate, but all over June 24th also has magical potions being created. I have posted the recipe on the traditional Nocino liquore which is made with the green walnuts harvested on June 24th on my site.  My friend…

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Frances Mayes “See You in the Piazza”: Book Review, Recipe and Giveaway

What’s not to love about a book that takes you on a trip? This is not another novel by Frances Mayes, but rather a travelogue of her trips around Italy. See You in The Piazza is her travel diary of her private explorations with Ed and some with their grandson. They take you with them,…

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Judy Witts Francini

Originally from California; Tuscany has been my home since 1984. I found the city of Florence to hold all my passions, food, wine, art all in one place. When I am not in Tuscany, I am often found in Sicily, my other favorite place to be. Always searching for recipes to share and exploring for the guides I write to my favorite cities for food and wine.

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Visit Tuscany | Kitchenmate

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