0, 00, 1, or 2? Italian flour can be confusing. Put it all straight with this quick guide. Once, I thought I knew flour: plain, self-raising, strong, wholemeal—each with their own uses, each with their own consistencies. And then I moved abroad. It was while shopping in Switzerland that I first noticed alarming range […]
A quick guide to Italian flour Read More »
This hand-rolled pasta is popular all over Tuscany with local variations on the name. My local town of Anghiari calls them bringoli and even has a festival dedicated to them in early November. Visit the festival and watch as I show you how to make them, just like an Italian would, in the video above.
Bringoli: Tuscan hand-rolled pasta – Chestnuts and Truffles TV Read More »
In 1439, a council of the Greek and Roman churches was called at Florence. According to legend, during the meeting, the Bishop of Florence proudly served his local communion wine to one of the Greek bishops who proclaimed, ‘What lovely wine! It’s xantho! (yellow)’. The Florentines, mishearing the greek adjective as santo (holy), took this as a
Holy wine!: How Vin Santo is made Read More »
Summer in Italy is a time for festivals. Up and down the peninsula, the sun brings communities out of their houses to join together in celebration of the many fine things Italian culture has to offer. How and what they celebrate is as varied as Italian cuisine, and just as regional. In the south
Running up that hill: the Palio della Vittoria Read More »
For the stranger to Tuscany, one thing that needs getting used to is the bread. The local bread, known as pane sciocco, is made without salt and to many foreigners taste is bland at best. The other problem with it is that it goes hard very quickly and bread bought from the bakers in the
Panzanella: quick lunches #2 Read More »
How a trip to meet my family resulted in tasting a now popular, but then unheard of dish for the first time.
First contact with a classic Read More »
