Just another Sunday lunch with friends but at the Officina della Bistecca-you leave with more friends than you came with! I feel really blessed to have worked for several years with Dario, before he became such a media star, when only a few journalists like Faith Willinger were writing about artisans in Tuscany. Thanks to…
Fall has arrived
Not living near the beach- summer does nothing for me. Living in Tuscany in the middle of olive groves and vineyards- Fall is when the countryside springs to life. Crisp cool evenings make me crave stews and vegetables roasted with herbs. Pumpkins and squashes are filling the markets for ravioli and soups, roasting and gnocchi….
New Market to Table Class in Certaldo-
I am thrilled to be getting back into the Kitchen! Francesca and I at her stand at the market I start my collaboration with Villa Poggiolaia this week with a custom cooking class for a group, and then a full week Chianti experience for…
La Vendemmia- Schiacciata con L’uva
In Italy, each region has seasonal dishes which one can make once a year. September is the wine harvest, vendemmia, and in Tuscany we make the Schiacciata con l’uva. A simple bread dough, often enriched with a rosemary-infused olive oil, is rolled out into a top and bottom layer and filled with Concord…
Amici Miei- Andrea Bezzecchi
Why is it that a traditional balsamic vinegar from Reggio Emilia or from Modena is $125 a bottle? If you ever have seen what it takes to make it, it seems like a real bargain! Start with grape juice and lose 70% in cooking it down. Invest in 5 to 7 different…
I Adore September
September 1984- the month my life changed I wanted to title this blog post I HATE AUGUST- but decided to look on the bright side! In Italy, if anything can go wrong it will in August, when everyone one is on vacation and nothing gets done. I had paperwork in process with the Italian government…
Tuscan Treasures- Macelleria Marianelli
Antica Macelleria- Norceria Marianelli- Montopoli I must have a gourmet guardian angel. We reserved tickets for a dinner and a show as part of a new “Utopia del Buongusto”, a series of theater pieces arranged by Andrea Kaemmerle and his Theatre Company. As we had never been to the village where the show was being…
Taking Divina Cucina on the Road
Rancho Casa Luna- San Miquel D’Allende For years my husband and I would spend a month or two in Mexico in winter, saving big bucks on heating a large stone apartment with high ceilings in Florence. For those of us in the tourism business, we have nothing to do most of the winter. It made…