How many meat sauces exist in Italy? In between the rich and self-indulgent Bolognese ragù, where the ground beef and the ground pork are cooked with white wine, milk and tomato paste, and the Neapolitan one, where tradition has it that there is no ground meat, but whole pieces of…
It has been a year since we began a tour of Tuscany with Ventura. For you it has been a virtual journey, scented with spices and nuts and done through local and traditional recipes. For me it has been a real journey made across Tuscan villages and cities, a journey of growth and knowledge, during which I met…
December is my August, with the bonus of a cup of steaming tea, freshly baked bread eaten in the morning with raw honey, the crackling fire of the stove, the smell of tangerines and the relaxation, the luxury, to be able to do everything with calm. I have always considered Autumn to be…
To truly understand the Palio of Siena you must live there. You have to grow up in a contrada, a city quarter, a second extended family where to feel at home, surrounded by friends. You'll recognize the arrival of summer by the tuff laid in Piazza del Campo just a few days before…
I would have loved a road trip to Scotland or Ireland, possibly with an old fashioned car, visiting manor houses, pubs and tiny fishing villages. A few days in my beloved London would have been great, seeing our friends, eating my weight in sushi and drinking Pimm’s at sunset on…
What if one day you run out of recipes? I remember when my grandma asked me this innocent question a few years ago, worried that all of a sudden I could find myself in front of a blank page, without ideas, an empty pantry, clean pots, a bewildered look on my face. The end of inspiration. At…
When I was a child bookshelves at home were overfilled with home magazines, cars magazines, books and an old cooking encyclopedia my mum bought before getting married: a few issues from the complete edition you could purchase at newsstands weekly. No trace of cookbooks or food magazines. Mum never loved…
I chose Delancy as my beach book for the past summer holidays. I spent most of my afternoons sleeping in a dark room with a huge fan on the ceiling or watching episode after episode of the four seasons of Game of Thrones (yes, winter is coming). When I was laying…
Preserving is also one of my favourite way of procrastinating. When I am busy with deadlines and projects, this is when I try to steal time to preserve.