This year’s Tuscan Sun
Festival in Cortona had an incredible line-up of cultural events that included
Jeremy Irons as Chopin, tangoing to Martha Argerich, and yoga with Trudie
Styler. But the other attraction of the festival was the array of foodie
events. Tucked away in the cloister of the church of Sant’Agostino, Hollywood
actress Debi Mazar and her Florentine husband Gabriele Corcos cooked up a
beautiful summer meal for the filming of the final episode of their hit cooking
show, Extra Virgin.
In between the
charming husband-and-wife banter and tips for cooking the perfect risotto,
Gabriele and Debi managed to whip up a beautiful prawn and zucchini risotto and
a delicious bresaola and peach salad,
all while keeping cool for the cameras and still looking as glamorous as ever.
What could be better
than being part of all of this as a quiet spectator in the tiny audience?
Tasting the food of course, which we were lucky enough to do after wafts of
sizzling prawns and risotto simmering in white wine had our mouths watering.
Debi herself dished up helpings of bresaola salad, like the proper hostess to her guests.
The couple met in
Florence 10 years ago and, with their two young daughters, divide their time
between Los Angeles and Fiesole. If you want the recipes, be on the lookout for
the final episode to be aired in the United States on the Cooking Channel this
fall and check out their blog, Under the Tuscan Gun (to which The Florentine and I contribute): http://underthetuscangun.com/se.
