Non-stir risotto I first met Gabriele Ferron of the Antica Pila Vecia while shopping at the Mercato Centrale in Florence where he was visiting market vendors who sell his rice. He returned with me to my kitchen to cook the rice, showing me his risotto tricks. He said, “Don’t stir my rice. It is too delicate.”…
Feast of the Seven Fishes- Cacciucco
I have heard from so many of my Italian American friends about the Feast of the Seven fishes for Christmas Eve, but no one in Florence has ever heard about it. Like many Italian American traditions, they came with the immigrants and found new life in the USA. Regional Italian cooking, would trace that recipe…
Comfort Food- Bollito Misto
This recipe was from my old website as part of a newsletter for Andrea’s Xmas Dinner. My husband loves tradition and this is one that also saves me time and takes very little actual cooking time to prepare and feeds us for several meals. This is true comfort food. For Christmas we serve tortellini…
Ballotte-Stewed Tuscan Chestnuts
When the chestnuts come out you know the temperature has gotten chilly and we have broken out the down comforter, put the mattress heater on the bed (called scaldasogno) and turned the heat on in the house. The grapes have been harvested and driving past the wineries you can get drunk smelling the wine fermenting….
Amatriciana for Amatrice- #virtualsagra (updated)
One of Italy’s most famous sauce, Amatriciana, originated in Amatrice, a small town in Lazio famous for the pasta dish, made using guanciale. The 50th anniversary sagra, food festival, was to be held this weekend. Amatrice no longer exists. Hopefully it can be rebuilt. Usually they move the towns. The earthquake on August 24th leveled…
A Passion for Pomodori [San Marzano-Danicoop]
As August hits us with it’s super hot days, it also gifts the garden with ripe tomatoes. We were very lucky to have been invited down to Sarno outside of Naples to the first POMODORO SAN MARZANO DAY, celebrating the DOP tomato produced in the volcanic soil near Mount Vesuvius outside of Naples. …
Cookbook Review: Florentine, The True Cuisine of Florence by Emiko Davies
I recently received a copy of Emiko Davies ‘s cookbook, Florentine, The True Cuisine of Florence. It is filled with her favorite recipes from living in and around Florence. Like me, she got some of her inspiration for the local trattoria’s, pizza places and friends. Marrying a Italian also helps for quality control! I first saw…
Divine Days- Livorno
There is nothing I love more than a food festival except perhaps being by the sea. When the two worlds collide, I am ecstatic! I saw that one of my favorite towns on the Tuscan Coast was having a 3 day celebration for the local specialty, Caccuccio, the fish soup. In San Francisco, we have…