Yesterday when I was passing by Trattoria Mario’s on the way to the market with my students for class, as we read the menu, we had to go in and see the special of the day. Whenever possible, Romeo Colzi, chef and owner, has something special on the menu. It was Cinghiale, wild boar! There…
Florence’s New Year’s Day!
March 25th… 9 months to the day to Christmas.. The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci which is in Japan at the moment!
Organic Florence- Sunday Market- Good Kitchen Karma
The third Sunday of the month in Florence is the Fierucola in Piazza Santo Spirito, crossing over the arno… to the oltr’arno…. or as they say here Dilladarno. This is a wonderful place to shop, picking up home-grown items such as honey, plants, herbs, pasta, cheese, wool items, soaps and whatever these creative people can…
Is it Spring??? Spring it is….
We are all still in shock over the lack of winter and spring popping up everywhere. There are warnings for snow this weekend! My garden is amazing me daily… wild borage with is prickly leaves great in salads tasting like cucumberand the electric blue flowers as a garnish or served floating in a soup. Last…
Winter Greens to Spring Salads
Winter tiptoed through Tuscany, barely chilling us and Spring has snuck in. My tiny yards, front and back, are covered with wild violets, filling the air with a perfume like a grandmother’s hankie! Iris have started to stick their heads up, yellow mimosa trees also are full early this year. The hills are a velvet green…
Market leftovers- turnip greens
Saturday’s Turnips from the market, had such beautiful greens, I followed Roberto’s advice and cooked them twice. This is quite common for any leafy green in Tuscany. Overcooking by boiling in salted water, tenderizes even the toughest stems. Draining the greens and squeezing out all of the water and creating little balls is the base…
Market to Table- Certaldo- Concetta’s Pasta
I call myself an Italian life coach. It is not easy to learn how to be Italian. I made lots of mistakes at first, as all newbies do. Quickly corrected by all those around me, I now pass-on what I have learned. Recipes are only part of it! But since I teach cooking, that is…
More leftover’s
I really do love the end of the week, clean-out-the-fridge meals. This week we made a saffron-pumpkin risotto one day, buffalo mozzarella as an appetizer…so the left-over’s became…. Arancini di Riso Sicilian fried rice balls, made with the left-over risotti stuffed with some mozzarella. You add a beaten egg to the cold risotto and some…