When summer hits, we are also hit with a glut of vegetables from the garden. Actually not MY garden. We learned that we just cannot keep up with raising and eating as much as a few plants produce and we don’t have a big freezer or a lot of storage space for jars. I buy…
Market Recipes: Benita’s Sicilian Eggplant
I adore eggplant and am always looking for new recipes. One of my first friends in the San Lorenzo market in Florence was Benita, the mamma at Porks. Originally it was a tiny corner kitchen, with sandwiches. I started to notice young men bringing her fish or a slice of meat and she would disappear…
Lovin’ Left-overs
Sometimes food memories come back with a simple ingredient. I remember a wonderful summer salad I had ages ago, in Florence, at a tiny trattoria. Cold grilled marinated eggplant slices with chopped fresh tomatoes, lots of basil and tiny meatballs. While I was cleaning the fridge for lunch, that came into mind. So I used…
Ode to the Eggplant- Melanzane al Cioccolato
The poor eggplant, melanzane in Italian; from mela–non sana, “not healthy apple”. The eggplant, like the potatoes, bell peppers and chili peppers are edible nightshade vegetables. When these foods were first introduced into the Italian diet, the first reaction was that they were not good for you and were often planted for their flowers in…
Sicilian Saturday- Caponata
I tried the Caponata at every restaurant and trattoria in Palermo. For years I had been making it wrong. I added bell peppers to the mixture more like Peperonata here in Tuscany. This recipe is much simpler. It is such a popular side dish that it is even sold pre-made in cans. Wonderful as a…
Eggplant Fetish
I must admit.. I have a thing for eggplants! I love the color, the look,the feel and the flavor of eggplants! Called Melanzana in Italian from the latin Mela insana, a “not healthy” vegetable and was considered to be poisonous, but so were tomatoes and potatoes! I love them grilled,roasted,fried… and even with chocolate! Yes there…
Caponata
Attended a party last night in the hills above Chianti, about 70 people. We had a sweet and sour, preserved bell peppers, cut into wedges and served with tonné sauce, pureed tuna with hardboiled eggs, capers and olive oil. Two pasta’s one with porcini sauce and the other with tomato and eggplant with basil. The…