“Focusing on seasonal produce was a choice we made to respond to what’s going on right now in the restaurant world; there’s a real need to do something original. Much ...
Waste not, want not. Chef Andrea Campani, of Florence's Il Borro Tuscan Bistro gets creative with cold cuts by rehashing leftover chicken into a delectable chicken dog.
If your holiday season is anything like mine, you’ll find yourself inundated with yeast cakes and a certain Christmassy nougat. Honey, egg whites and almonds are shaped into an elongated ...
These autumn days, the sun is so bright during daytime hours we almost forget that we very well may be bundled into sweaters and blankets by nightfall. In this recipe, ...
In October, we find ourselves in the heart of autumn, a season of changing colours, cozy evenings and mug of hot tea in hand, watching the sun start its early ...
September is a month of memories: joy at the happy times spent among family and friends, sadness at the summer that has passed and energy as autumn knocks at our ...
Now that the summer heat has turned its thermostat to “on”, our taste buds switch their style to “tomatoes”. In my debut recipe for The Florentine, I’ve taken the ...
Summer’s (almost) here when apricots appear on supermarket shelves. We love their natural blush, as if the fruit’s feigning embarrassment at their own goodness. These fragrant orbs are loved ...
When five stories break a day and Florence’s events scene enters sixth gear, I retreat to radishes. Packed with potassium and folic acid, radishes are the ultimate energy bringer and ...
‘Eat them now or wait for another year’ sums up the agretti affair. Depending on the weather, these grass-like leaves appear in greengrocers for six weeks or so every spring. ...
Topinambur is a beautiful word, conjuring up a wonderful world of princes and castles, unicorns and open-top silver carriage rides while snowflakes flutter on our faces. Then reality bites that ...
Forgive me while I wax lyrical about purple potatoes—again. One lunchtime, my excitement at this tubular discovery resulted in my foisting violet mash on The Florentine’s team at our usually ...
A post-Christmas return from England leaves me gasping for greens. Potato-ed out but curiously craving more starch than usually features in my predominantly Tuscan diet, my mind turns to a ...
Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve got a new dealer in Maremma. An asparagus dealer. Her name is Irma and she defines herself as an “asparagaia”. The adjective is interesting ...
Garmugia is a springtime soup from Lucca, traditionally associated with seasonal transition and renewal, much like a variety of Italian specialty soups at this time of the year. Throughout southern ...
They might not be the most sparkling jewel in Tuscan brilliance, but they are a product of local wisdom, shaped by the creativity of many hands, like in a Renaissance ...
Crostini have endless potential and prove the ultimate snack food not only during the aperitivo hour, but also as appetizers at lunch or dinner and the perfect pairing when drinking ...
Farro is one of the oldest grains grown on the planet, but recently it has been overlooked in favour of on-trend grains like couscous, quinoa and amaranth. I have a penchant ...
Given its name, one would assume the Feast of the Seven Fishes is of, quite literally, biblical proportions, with a rich culinary history to match. But like many of today’s ...
Christmas doesn’t have to be a season of slaving away in the kitchen, spending hours basting your bird or slow boiling your stock for cappelletti pasta. What I love about ...
There are few things as comforting and satisfying as apples in desserts, in any form—balanced between sweet and tart and particularly delicious while still warm. By the time their autumn ...
In Tuscany, September and October have a single sweet focus: grapes. While wine is the concentrate of the season, grapes are delicious in their own right. In traditional Tuscan recipe pan ...
Use this recipe to make your own pomarola, a traditional Tuscan tomato sauce.
Preserving fruit in alcohol and sugar is an age-old preparation, and an enjoyable one at that. The liqueur infuses the fruit, the fruit infuses the liqueur and the sugar adds ...