novembre 4, 2009
Have I ever told you my mus has a twin? Aunt Silvana, they are as like as two peas in a pod. In the family, we are totally aware of all the differences: they have different voices, different hair cut, different attitude, not to mention accent! Since she married, Aunt Silvana lives in Florence, so now she speaks with a nice Florentine accent, so different from my mother’s way of speaking! If people meet one of them just a few times, it’s always the same… questioning glance, whispering and question such: has she changed clothes? wasn’t she in the other room? don’t you recognize me? and so on!
They have another important difference: mum cooks because she has to cook, she’s good, now, but she doesn’t love it. Aunt Silvana, on the other hand, really loves cooking, pots and pans!
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Posted in Appetizer & Finger Food, Italian Recipes, Tuscany, Vegetables 
1 Comment »
novembre 2, 2009
Today’s post will be entirely dedicated to me!
I feel like spell and magic. I’m not talking about eerie Halloween magic. I mean air vibrating, light hiding reflections and gleams, things happening without a logic explanation, just because you feel they should be nothing different than what they are.
I want to live a story like the ones Cecilia Ahern tells us in her novels: P.S. I love you, If you could see me now, Where rainbows end…
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Posted in Cakes, Tarts & Pies, Dessert No Comments »
ottobre 29, 2009
We are approaching to the end of October: Halloween, the night of witches and zombies, when little children dressed up as skeletons or monsters go around knocking at neighbors doors singing ‘trick or treat’. Halloween celebrations do not belong to our traditions, they have been imported together with Marshmallows and hot dogs form USA thanks to movie, serials and cartoons. When I was a little child and I was still at primary school I used to be looking forward the end of October to have a day off to celebrate the day of All Saints on the 1st of November.
When my younger sister was at school, instead, they started celebrating Halloween with the first baby parties: you had to wear a creepy mask and bring some sweets. Purists turn up their noses at carved pumpkins, skeletons and witches asserting that those traditions don’t belong to us. Are we sure?
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Posted in Eggs, Italian Recipes, Second Course, Tuscany, Vegetables 5 Comments »
ottobre 27, 2009
Saturday has been a great day, one of those days full of sun, bright and warm colors, fresh smells and good purposes. I was full of good purposes, first of all making jam! When I was at supermarket I was totally mesmerized by a pack of delicious Williams pears: red ad Autumn leaves, small and Tuscan. It was the perfect starting point for a jam filled with the last sun rays and able to warm up next breakfasts with amber-coloured beams and an unexpected hint.
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Posted in Jam & Marmalade 7 Comments »
ottobre 21, 2009
Some days ago I was searching for my weekly Tuscan recipe, when suddenly an idea came to my mind. Season is changing. When I come back home the smell of fireplace is lingering around, it is getting cold and in Siena the first roast chestnut vendors are popping at every corner. It’s time for a traditional chestnut cake, castagnaccio, as we call it.
… chestnut cake, ok. How to make it? I have barely tasted it once, go figure making it! So I started searching from the main ingredient, chestnut flour. We have a DOP flour in Tuscany, from Garfagnana, Farina di Neccio della Garfagnana. After a few hours I was holding in my hands a 500 gr chestnut flour pack of the finest quality, made by Associazione Castagnicoltori della Garfagnana.
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Posted in Cakes, Tarts & Pies, Dessert, Italian Recipes, Tuscany 3 Comments »
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