Spring is one of the most exciting seasons to cook, as we all look forward to coming out of the dark winter to bright spring.. more light and gifts from the garden! A mild winter is bringing early gifts from the fields, we even have our first evening fireflies. Green and purple are my colors…
Addio Minuccio
Chianti lost one of it’s great men this week, Giovanni “Minuccio” Cappelli. I considered him to be the James Beard of Tuscany: a winemaker, restauranteur, bonvivant, and the ultimate Oste. Sig. Cappelli ran the Fattoria Montagliari until a few years ago, when he sold it to supposedly retire. His family had had this property for…
SWEET FOUR LETTER WORDS- GROM
Grom’s May Gelato menu in Florence It is in the news… GROM is coming to NY! Originally from Torino, GROM has shops all over Italy.Our FLorence shop opened about 4 years ago, and it is hard to stay away! Wonderfully rich, but not too sweet ice creams and sorbets only made from the BEST! Organic…
Keep on Fava’ing
So with Fava beans being so good for you.. I went in search of more recipes. Josh and The Food Section is always a great resource and Grilled Fava Beans are a a great idea, perfect timing for the season. The recipe is from another Judy….. at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. a Temple to…
Market lunch
Fresh Fava Beans The one problem with cooking with the seasons, is that there are only certain foods at certain times of the year, and at some point you may get tired of them. But Italians are very creative, and so I was inspired again today to continue cooking with Fava Beans.The hills are planted…
Over the Tuscan Grill
Cool breezes and warm days over this Italian holiday weekend call out for the BBQ.Tuscans love to grill! The air is just lightly scented with the first Acacia blossoms and smoke from the farmers burning off the cuttings from the olive trees, preparing for summer’s heat. Most homes have small fireplaces in the house to…
Market Recipes- Polpo- Octopus Salad
Saturday’s market also includes the fish truck.Although Italy is surrounded by water, fish is still considered to be an expensive item. Dried fish such as Baccala, the salt cod, is often the fish of choice. Even on the Island of Ischia, the local specialty is rabbit.. not fish.Fishermen sell the fish to make money and…
Celebrate Earth Day
Happy Earth Day… do something nice for your earth.. it is the only one you have! Here are some idea’s… and for the kidsand more ideas I planted.. what are you doing?