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Book Review: Eating My Way Through Italy

When I first moved to Italy in 1984, there were a couple of Italian guide books with an emphasis on eating in Italy. Often food is a part of a guide book, but for people like me, often the destination is all about the food. Recently I received a review copy of my friend  Elizabeth…

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Easter | Torta Pasqualina

  Ligurian Easter Savory Tart Buona Pasqua, Happy Easter, Passover and April Fool’s Day! This year it seems like we are always having something to celebrate. Spring came in on March 21 and in Florence we celebrate Tuscan New Year’s on March 25th. This year Easter is early. April fool’s day. I am wondering how…

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stewed cauliflower in . tomato sauce

Seasonal Vegetables: Twice-cooked Cauliflower

At the weekly markets, you can tell the real farmers as they only have what is in season.The stands with bananas and pineapple simply buy their products and resell at the wholesale market, which makes it hard to really know what is in season. Even Italy has access now to out of season produce from…

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Taste Florence – Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori

  When you ask a Florentine where to go to eat great food, usually like with chef, they say their mom’s. If you aren’t lucky enough to have a mamma in Florence, don’t worry, there are still some places you can eat just like at a Florentines mom’s kitchen, with mom’s rules. My husband Andrea,…

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Fig and Walnut Panforte

I have written about fig and walnut panforte before as a note on my panforte recipe on the blog, but I really think it deserves a page on it’s own. I adore simple recipes and with not much more than the figs and walnuts, this is good anytime of the year but I especially love…

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polenta with ragu

Celebrating Fall| Non-stir Polenta

October is my anniversary of arriving in Florence, in 1984. If you have ever been here in Fall, you will know how easy it is to fall in love with Tuscany with the Fall light. The countryside is turning gold, the vineyards and hills covered with chestnut and oak trees are vibrant. Weekends are filled…

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Eating in Summer| Shopping not Cooking

This summer we are having a drought and record breaking heat wave. The hills around my house we have a lot of hay for the animals, which turns the them golden. A touch of green from the woods, chestnut and oak trees and then grape vines and olive trees. This year the grapes and olives…

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Culinary Inspirations- Always Learning

My cooking in Tuscany is seasonal. Dishes that bring me great joy when they come back into season. The anticipation of a fresh peach or tomato. Often, it is also repetitive cooking regionally. Not being Italian, I don’t feel the obligation to always cook Tuscan, nor Italian. Summer is when I really like to travel…

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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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