The magic of Florence is legendary. The city, with its red-tiled roofs fills the wide valley of the river Arno, straddled by the ponte vecchio, literally paved with gold shops. The enormous cupola of the duomo, also red-tiled, has given Florence one of the most recognized skylines in the world, to rival, Paris, London, New York, but […]
Florence at Christmas: a photo essay Read More »
Salami is one of the most famous of all Italian ingredients and forms part of antipasto platters and pizza toppings up and down the peninsula. Travelling around Italy however, once again, you notice that every region has its own variations and varieties. Perhaps the most famous Tuscan salami, and certainly my favourite, is finocchiona,
Quick guide to Italian ingredients: Finocchiona (fennel salami) Read More »
Watch me make peposo, an amazing Tuscan winter warmer stew. This dish originated with the workers in the terracotta factories of Impruneta, near Florence, back in medieval times. Like them, I use a traditional terracotta pot, but you could make this in a slow cooker, or a normal dutch oven. Nowadays, some people add
Peposo: Tuscan beef, black pepper, and red wine stew Read More »
At 43 degrees north, 650 meters above sea-level, and almost perfectly halfway between the two Italian coasts, Caprese Michelangelo enjoys four, very distinct seasons. So, after one of the hottest summers on record, we are now halfway through autumn and preparing for, perhaps, two weeks of forced hibernation, when the snows come in January.
Winter warmer 1: Tuscan sausage, brussels sprouts, and walnuts Read More »
One of the things I miss most from my travels in the USA is the gourmet burger. And they are quite difficult to knock up at home. Here in mainland Europe, it’s impossible to find good burger buns. The ones sold in the shops here are weird, dry, flaky things that fall to pieces the
Burger Toscana: Tuscany Burger (recipe) Read More »
Nothing illustrates the regionalism of Italian food better than the fact that, despite Sarah Palin-like, being able to see Umbria from my Tuscan bedroom, until last Monday I had never heard of torta al testo, their ubiquitous and delicious flatbread.
Torta al testo: Umbrian flat bread (recipe) Read More »
