Archive for 'Food and Wine'

Wine is often the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Italy, and it has indeed been a chief export of Italy for thousands of years. Italy and wine are almost inseparable, but what is to be done with what is left over from wine production? Many wine-makers used the remains as compost to fertilize the vineyards the next year, and some pressed them into disks to be used like charcoal to heat the fires for distillation of brandy. All good and productive uses for what appeared to be little more than refuse after squeezing out the lifeblood of the grapes. However, grappa was created one fateful day and the Italians have used it ever since as a 'digestivo', a drink to aid in digestion after meals.

Spinach in Florentine style.

Ingredients:

• Spinach fresh and clean 1 kg


• Olive Oil


• 2 garlic cloves


• Béchamel sauce (2 cups)


• Grated Parmesan


• Salt and Pepper

A hearty bread and vegetable soup; traditionally made from minestrone soup and the leftovers then layered with bread and baked for a dish on the second day, and then the third day ribollita was made. This is a recipe to get there a little faster. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Dried white beans 400gr


• 1/2 Savoy cabbage


• 2 bunches black Tuscan cabbage


• 3 ripe or canned tomatoes


• 1 stalk celery


• 2 carrots


• 1 garlic glove


• 2 onions


• 1 peperoncino (red pepper)


• 4 potatoes


• 2 bunches beet or fresh spinach


• Extra virgin olive oil


• Whole wheat bread (pane casalingo)


• Salt and Pepper

Regional cuisines can develop for a myriad of reasons: types of food grown in the area, wealth of the area, or simple preference. Areas of great wealth are able to import exotic spices or ingredients and incorporate them over time into the normal meals of the area.

Regions with bland ingredients tend to more, and often hotter spices than regions with more rich and flavorful ingredients. The area now known as Tuscany has been populated since at least 1,000 B.C., though the exact history of the ancient Etruscan settlements there are unknown. Tuscany has had over three thousand years to refine the cultivation of its local ingredients and its own style of cuisine.

Tuscan cuisine is the epitome of rich ingredients. Often forgoing thick and heavy sauces or heavily spiced dishes, Tuscan cooks let “the food do the talking”. The region is well known for its hearty soups, olive oil, fine wines, delicious cheeses, unsalted breads and flavorful meats. Each and every element of the Tuscan kitchen has been refined over time to near perfection. The best way to ensure a delicious meal is to begin with the freshest ingredients of the highest possible quality.

Toasted bread with black sauce.

Ingredients:

• Chicken livers 200gr


• Bologna mortadella 100gr


• 1 onion, a small carrot, a stalk of celery


• 1 garlic clove


• Parsley


• 2 leaves sage


• 1 tablespoon capers


• 2 fillets anchovies


• 1 lemon juice


• olive oil


• salt and pepper


• 2 baguettes