Cinta Senese pigs are not the only ones pigging out in Tuscany In Italy, thirteen at the table is unlucky as it is the same number Jesus had at the last supper and look what happened to him! However, for me thirteen has always been my lucky number and this week myself and twelve other…
Falling Back
my room with a view, where I write Today we fall back one hour- sleeping in a little extra and waking to an incredible fall day.When I am working at my computer upstairs in our tiny 1/3 of a old stone farmhouse in the hills outside of Certaldo, the songbirds are soundtrack during the day….
Domenica da Dario
Just another Sunday lunch with friends but at the Officina della Bistecca-you leave with more friends than you came with! I feel really blessed to have worked for several years with Dario, before he became such a media star, when only a few journalists like Faith Willinger were writing about artisans in Tuscany. Thanks to…
Fall has arrived
Not living near the beach- summer does nothing for me. Living in Tuscany in the middle of olive groves and vineyards- Fall is when the countryside springs to life. Crisp cool evenings make me crave stews and vegetables roasted with herbs. Pumpkins and squashes are filling the markets for ravioli and soups, roasting and gnocchi….
La Vendemmia- Schiacciata con L’uva
In Italy, each region has seasonal dishes which one can make once a year. September is the wine harvest, vendemmia, and in Tuscany we make the Schiacciata con l’uva. A simple bread dough, often enriched with a rosemary-infused olive oil, is rolled out into a top and bottom layer and filled with Concord…
I Adore September
September 1984- the month my life changed I wanted to title this blog post I HATE AUGUST- but decided to look on the bright side! In Italy, if anything can go wrong it will in August, when everyone one is on vacation and nothing gets done. I had paperwork in process with the Italian government…
Taking Divina Cucina on the Road
Rancho Casa Luna- San Miquel D’Allende For years my husband and I would spend a month or two in Mexico in winter, saving big bucks on heating a large stone apartment with high ceilings in Florence. For those of us in the tourism business, we have nothing to do most of the winter. It made…
Pigging Out – again!
Mannetti family has been butchers in the Central Market since 1865Kate and I are celebrating the pig again- We were thrilled to be included in the Best of the Web on Saveurs site. There is a pig recipe for all seasons and summer calls for the grill! Nothing could be easier- we don’t marinade the…