There is a class of dishes common to Tuscany and Liguria curiously styled “in zimino” in which the main ingredient, usually seafood, is simmered in greens, usually spinach or Swiss chard, and more often than some tomato. As regular readers may remember, in past posts we’ve looked at calamari in … Read More
Brutti ma buoni
Brutti ma buoni, meaning “ugly but good”, is the jocular name Italians give to these nut and meringue cookies originally from north-central Italy (their precise origin is disputed) but now popular all over the country. The recipe is simple enough, though you need to take some care so they come … Read More
Pesto di cavolo nero (Tuscan Kale Pesto)
Generally speaking I’m not a picky eater. Just the opposite in fact. There are very few things I won’t eat or at least try. I’ve had alligator in Florida, live lobster sashimi and rattlesnake in New York, fried lamb’s brains and pasta with calf’s intestines in Rome, fermented cassava balls … Read More
Cacciucco (Tuscan Fish Soup)
One of the most iconic dishes in Tuscan cookery, cacciucco is a fish soup made in the costal areas of Tuscany, most famously in and around the port city of Livorno. Like many Italian fish “soups”, cacciucco is really more of a stew, made from a large variety of fish, … Read More
Castagnole
Carnival time was traditionally the last chance to have meat before Lent. The very word carnevale comes from the Latin expression carne levare, loosely meaning to “say goodbye to meat”. Indeed, martedì grasso or Fat Tuesday is still celebrated with a large meal featuring meat-laden dishes like the Neapolitan lasagne di Carnevale. And yet, perhaps the most iconic Italian dishes for Carnival actually come … Read More
Scarpaccia dolce viareggina (Sweet Zucchini Tart)
Now here’s something different you can do with zucchini: dessert! Believe it or not, the mild flavor of zucchini lends itself as nicely to sweet dishes as it does to savory ones. And this dish is the proof: scarpaccia dolce from the northern Tuscan coastal town of Viareggio. And no, … Read More
Pici all’aglione
As I’ve pointed out many times over the years, one of the hallmarks of “fake” Italian cookery is its in-your-face use of garlic. Now of course garlic is a common ingredient in Italian cooking. But Italians generally use it with great discretion. A common technique, featured in this blog for … Read More
Trippa alla fiorentina (Florentine Style Tripe)
It seems many of us have lost our taste for “variety meats” these days. It wasn’t that long ago—as I remember, well into my young adulthood—that you could find fresh veal and chicken liver, kidneys, tongue and yes, tripe in more or less any supermarket. Now you have to search … Read More