When I first started teaching my market to table cooking classes in Florence, I had already spent 4 years shopping the markets, cooking to perfect recipes and eating. What’s not to love? Every trip to the market is a new experience for me. Season fruits and vegetables, strange “offal”, eavesdropping on conversations and picking up…
Why I Shop Local Markets
Monday Market in San Casciano- ChiantiMy market mantra came from my Mother-in-law, Tina,“Spend more time shopping and less time cooking.” I have learned that it is not the recipe that you cook nor the time you spend preparing food which makes it taste good. It is the quality of the ingredients which you work with.In…
Why I Cook
This is not my kitchen- but have cooked here with my students-what a perfect space to enjoy cooking! I spend a lot of time now on Twitter as well as Facebook- for me it is like being at a party with a bunch of friends and eavesdropping on lots of conversations and jumping in with…
Cookies for Lent
Don’t ask me how cookies can be for Lent, but takes an Italian cook to create something sweet, even when one is supposed to be giving things up. The story goes that these dry cookies were supposed to help you while fasting during lent. Carnevale– is taken from levare carne– or to take away meat….
FAT TUESDAY- Martedi Grasso- Mardi Gras- Shrove Tuesday
Let the good times roll! inside our cab in NOLA!!!Florence also uses the Fleur du Lys Easter comes early this year, which means carnival is already here. Most people think of the fabulous costumes in Venice and the parties in palazzi, but it is also a festival of the people. Streets are filled with families…
How Do I Love Thee?
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways….. I cook for you!!! Hot Italian Kisses: chocolate hazelnut truffles with a kick for Valentine’s Day Today is really special as there are two holidays in one-Valentine’s Day and Chinese Lunar New Year’s So I decided to celebrate both. Yesterday I made the chocolate truffles with…
Hot Italian Kisses | Truffles
Probably one of Italy’s most famous chocolate candies is called Baci, meaning kisses. When I toured the Perugina factory in Perugia, they said that the original name was actually going to be cazzotti- meaning little fists or punches. Baci is a much nicer name for something so sweet. Italy has a history of adding hazelnuts…
There is No Place Like Home
I did not get my fill of Mexican food this trip, not enough avocado’s just with lime and salt.I didn’t eat enough food at the street markets nor did I bring back fresh chili’s or limes this trip.But when I arrived back in Tuscany- I wanted my Tuscan comfort foods. A nice bowl of Tuscan slow-cooked…