August in Italy is vacation season. At the moment, the news reports are full of exactly how many Italians have taken to the road, trains, or planes to spend their annual vacation in or outside of Italy. The August holiday peaks around the 15 August, which is the feast of the Assumption of the […]
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 »
Tozzetti are the Umbrian version of cantucci (aka biscotti or biscotti di Prato) and are slightly different containing hazelnuts as well as almonds and being flavoured with aniseed. I first had these at the Saio Winery in Assisi, where they served them as part of the food to taste with their wine. Cantucci are traditionally dipped in
Tozzetti all’anice: Aniseed biscotti – Chesnuts and Truffles TV 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 »
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 »
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 »
