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 »
This classic recipe comes from La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene by Pellegrino Artusi, first published in 1891. Not widely known outside Italy, this book is considered to be the definitive text on traditional Italian cooking, however, a great many of the recipes are from Tuscan cuisine. Artusi was born in Forlimpopoli
Torta di noci: walnut and chocolate cake – Chestnuts and Truffles TV 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 »
For Tuscans, panforte means Christmas. A centuries-old tradition from the province of Siena, panforte is a rich cake made of almonds, candied peel, and honey peppered with winter spices, with a unique flavour and texture. There are several variations on the recipe for panforte, but to create this one, I went back to the official requirements
Panforte di Siena: Chestnuts and Truffles TV Read More »
Know your baldo from your arborio? What’s the difference between roma and vialone nano? And which rice is best for risotto? Find out with this quick guide to the top Italian rice varieties. Until relatively recently, people in the northern regions of Italy didn’t really eat pasta. After the introduction of the maize plant to
A quick guide to Italian rice 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 »
