We were back in Liguria again this year just in time for the beginning of the olive pressing season. Last year we arrived to find a depressing situation- olive trees suffering from leprosy with sparsely hung olives, mostly malformed or infected by fruit flies. 2014 was the first year in generations that Italian families that…
Fruit of the dead?
Halloween is approaching. Most people outside of America know about Halloween from the movies but the idea is starting to catch on with varying degrees of success. Last year during Halloween, we were in a small town in Sicily. A small group of young boys were trying to go trick or treating (“dolcetto o scherzetto“)…
A recipe your mouth will thank you for
So we are ostensibly in Piemonte to visit family and introduce the newest addition to the family. Fortune has smiled on me as my husband’s family live very close to the one place the very rare and intoxicating white truffle (tuber magnatum pico) is found. While most people have heard of the chocolate truffle, a few cognoscenti know…
4 unmissable towns in Umbria…and what to eat
Umbria has amazing light. The landscape is a patchwork of green, yellow and brown. The vineyards, fields of yellow sunflowers, hay bales dotting the plains, brick towers and cypress trees jutting towards the sky, white and yellow wildflowers line the country roads and fallow fields lie in between the shimmering olive groves, creating a stunning…
The ancient rediscovered dish of Tuscany that reminds me of Jessica Simpson
The name Jessica Simpson is associated in my mind with the Dukes of Hazzard movie and Chicken of the Sea (arguably the most famous brand of tuna in America). Jessica, having the incredible misfortune to be famous after the invention of the internet and thus have every dumb thing she says replayed over and over,…
6 easy recipes for a busy week
The euphoria of having the kids back in school has worn off and the malaise of homework and the PTA has set in. The premonition of free time has been a mirage. Meal planning looks something like this at the beginning of the week: Monday: braised veal with risotto Tuesday: beef braised in Barolo with…
How I fell in love with a fish
The first time I tried turbot was on a rainy day in England. I passed by a gastro-pub on a cold, wet evening and through the steamed up windows I could see it was packed with diners. My mouth watered at the smell of hot food on a cold night. When I entered, I noticed that…
The days are getting shorter, but here is an autumn dish to cheer you up
We are just getting used to the new school schedule, wearing more clothes and looking ahead to all the autumn and winter holidays. Taking a new baby into the fold means that I am currently pureeing first foods and have started with butternut squash. Since my fear of having a child who only eats rice…
If you love Tuscany and Umbria then you will certainly love Le Marche.
As we enter Le Marche from Romagna, there continues to be hilltop towns, some with forts and the patchwork of green gives way to yellow. We pass field after field of sunflowers interspersed with vineyards and olive groves. My previous post was on Le Marche‘s coastline but similar to Tuscany and Umbria, the region also has historic towns…
Goodbye summer, hello cream puffs
Summer is ending. A sense of melancholy lingers in the air at the thought of putting away the sandals, sundresses and swimsuits. No more sunny days outdoors on picnics, swimming or walks. Strawberries are starting to turn sour, peaches are sold a bit more firm, their luscious perfume lost. But summer turns to autumn, a…
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