Tuscan Food Diary

[Joe H]

The overall quality of your photography is superb. Which camera are you using? You mentioned Olympus-which one? How many megapixels? Almost all of the photos excepting a few just above are almost professionally lit. Is there a flash feature as part of the camera or are you using the available lighting?

Thanks for sharing. Just fantastic, exquisitely detailed photographs that capture the texture of the objects!

[Adam Balic]

Joe - thanks very much for the comments, I have had the camera for about four weeks and and any decent pictures are entirely due to it, rather then me as I don't really have much idea what I am doing. The camera itself is an Olympus C-765 UZ, 4MP, 10 X optical zoom. I am very happy with the image quality from such a cheap camera, the only real issue is the yellowing in low light, but this seems to be common to most DC.

[Adam Balic]

A quick trip into Florence today.

First stop was the largest food market, Mercato Centrale, near/in the San Lorenzo market area. The small both on the left is one of the famous tripe and offal stalls of Florence (more on this later).

The Market itself contains large sections dedicated to meat, fish, fruit and veg and also deli type ingredients.

As you can see salt-cod is very popular! These are various grades of fish.

Some bistecca in its crude form.

Now for breakfast I had lampredotto in a roll. Lapredotto is the forth stomach of a bovine. This is the same type of acidi stomach as our own an is rather different in texture and flavour to conventional tripe. This image shows both tripe (the white stuff) and lapredotto (the brown stuff) in its pre-pared form.

When bought from a stall, a crusty roll is hollowed out, massive amounts of lapredotto cooked in a tomato based broth is added and you can get it served with green sauce.

Quality varies from stall to stall, but when it is good it is very very good.

Edited February 19, 2005 by Adam Balic (log)

[Adam Balic]

Later on in the day I went to the smaller Sant'Ambrogio market, near St. Croce.

Similar food stuffs, but some differnces and a more rustic amtmosphere.

Now I thought that the Tuscans had wiped out most small birds, but it seems not. These are sparrows (labeled 'imported from Tunisia') and a bargin at €1 per bird..

[Adam Balic]

But the main reason for going to this market was to have lunch in 'Trattoria da Rocca', which is within the market itself, so you can watch the butchers at work from your booth.

For lunch we had:

Minestrone.

Half cooked beef with olive oil.

Stuffed peppers.

All this with bread, a bottle of cheerful wine and two glasses of grappa was €19.50 for two people. Not bad at all when it has one of the best views in Florence.

Edited February 19, 2005 by Adam Balic (log)

[Kevin72]

This pictures are damn near heartbreakingly beautiful. Just a different way of living than I can get in the States, unfortunately.

What's the weather like there? How cold is it?

[Adam Balic]

Yes, well this is not something that I get to do often either, so when I can I indulge my interest in food markets. It has become quite cold, about 3-10.C.

[hwilson41]

Absolutely incredible photographs Adam. Thanks so much for sharing. What a great treat to be able to do this. It pains me a bit, though, to think that some people get to live like that (more or less) 24/7 .

[divina]

24/7 since 1988!!!

here is the view from my window

and where I like to have my breakfast when really hungry!

boiled beef anyone!!!

Edited February 20, 2005 by divina (log)

[Adam Balic]

For dinner last night we had some saltimbocci (rolls of veal, ham, cheese and sage leaves). The sauce is simply deglazed pan juices with vin santo and a touch of butter. Cheap vin santo (no the fortified stuff) makes an excllent cooking wine for veal.

We also had some sweet yellow pepper and tuscan sausage pasta.

My wife* and I discussed that one of the pleasures of being in Tuscany was using the ingredients, this pasta is very simple (onions, tomato, peppers and sausage), but we would be unable to create it in Edinburgh as we could simply not get the quality of peppers required. Many people complain that Italian restuarants are not good enough, I can't comment on this, but if you go to Tuscany and do not cook for your selves, you are missing out on one of the greatest food experiences availible.

* my wife wants me to point out that we do not normally eat this much food in a day!

[MobyP]

Adam - you're killing me.

Thank you.

Don't stop.

[Adam Balic]

Bah, it cold and wet out side so todays lunch is leftovers and cold-cuts.

[Joe H]

Adam, have you been to Sostanza? I've raved at length about this place for several years. It also has great "character" as well as a tiny kitchen. If you have the chance to go I think everyone would enjoy seeing how they cut their bisteca and cook it. I would argue that Sostanza is to Italy as Luger's is to the U. S. Also, if you go, their meringue cake (off the menu) is awesome. Still, as Florence's oldest operating restaurant (300+ years?) it is a very real experience in its single cramped white tiled dining room.

Thanks again for the vicarious pleasures of your photos.

[Adam Balic]

Thought I may have solved a minor culinary mystery yesterday. In England there is a 'sausage' called a "faggot" which is chopped seasoned liver wrapped in caul. The name is thought to derive from faggot=bundle. But, 'faggot' is very similar to the italian "fegato" (liver) and I have had a private theory that the english Faggot sausage is a transliteration of the Italian for liver. You know the scenerio, Traveling Italian sausage maker in medieval England is asked what that item is and he says "Fegato", locals remember it as "faggot". Anyway, yesterday I came across this item, called a "fegattinini" (little liver).

Sadly it turns out that faggot=fagotto in Italian. It is one of these tricksy Indo-European words that is common to many languages, so no room for English transliteration really. Tasted nice though.

As we intend on having a boozey dinner tonight, last nights dinner was simple. Roast chicken, sauted rape and roast potatoes. If you ask for a roasting chicken at the butchers here they will automatically spatchcock it for you. The potatoes are done in the local forno style (roasted in a hugh amount of new season olive oil).

Rape are turnip tops. Due to the influence of French cuisine, people tend to associate tuscany and Florence in particular with spinach, but this is onely partly true. Various greens are for sauteing etc are availble, the most common being spinach, swiss chard and turnip tops. These can be bought pre-cooked from local stores and supermarkets.

Rape in the uncooked form

As it is monday, it is Prato's market day. This is in a local carpark and covers several acres. Unfortunately, due to snow there where less stalls then usual. But what is here is quite good.

And finally for some supplies.

[bleudauvergne]

Dear Adam. The ambient light where you are is wonderful. Can you tell me a bit more about the salt cod you photographed at the market?

I recently got some from my local Italian vendor and I want to know about the grades, and most of all, the best way to prepare it. Do they grade it by thickness? Have you tasted it yet?

Kind regards.

[divina]

In Florence they are called Fegatelli, pork livers wrapped in caul fat.my prefered way is ground and seasoned ( which look like what you bought) cooked in a hot oven and splashed with Vin Santo at the end.

Most butchers just do them with whole livers, and their custom seasonings, which always include fennel seeds ( to help digestion)

Will check out my Florentine butchers blend..

[bleudauvergne]

And finally for some supplies.

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What are those little sausages in the middle above the cabbages, Adam? They look heavenly.

[Adam Balic]

Dear Adam.  The ambient light where you are is wonderful.    Can you tell me a bit more about the salt cod you photographed at the market? 

I recently got some from my local Italian vendor and I want to know about the grades, and most of all, the best way to prepare it. Do they grade it by thickness? Have you tasted it yet?

Kind regards.

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I'm afraid that salt cod is not something I know very much about. I can select a good piece and can prepare it, but the variety of different grades in this picture leave me slightly bewildered. We have noticed that the amount of salt cod on sale is massive compared to the summer (which makes sense) and we also see preserved herring for sale, which we have never seen before in Florence. Today I saw a piece of salt cod that was two inches thick in the pre-salt stage, it would have been a monster fish.

[Adam Balic]

And finally for some supplies.

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What are those little sausages in the middle above the cabbages, Adam? They look heavenly.

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These are from Colonnata (or in the style of ), where the famous lardo is made. Have yet to make them.

[Priscilla]

Inspiring ingredients. What is next to the orange, top right? Is it a cut-open pomegranate? Long red onions look like red versions of Japanese long onions, what will be their fate?

Was your menu set by the time you've composed this photo, or is it still in process?

[Adam Balic]

As you can see the artichokes have now met their fate, being stuffed, braised and served as entree.

Main was pot roasted veal with vin santo, chickpeas from the forno and young zucchini sauted with panchetta.

Dessert was more gelati. Yum.

[Adam Balic]

Inspiring ingredients.  What is next to the orange, top right?  Is it a cut-open pomegranate?  Long red onions look like red versions of Japanese long onions, what will be their fate?

Was your menu set by the time you've composed this photo, or is it still in process?

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I have never seen this type of onion before, I thought they were just young red onions, but the flavour is much more robust, more like a grey shallot.

Next to the blood orange, is another blood orange (but it is in a wrapper). Damn I thought this was in focus .

Menu was set about half an hour before pre-work. A combination of ingredients and can I be arsed are the main factors.

[albiston]

Adam, those artichokes look fantastic. Did you use the sausages as stuffing? The "crust" at the top is particularly mouthwatering, is that egg was and cheese by any chance? And the prok roast picture just made me figure how much I miss zucchini that actualli taste of something!

Looking at your pictures all I can say is that I'm happy I'll be travelling to Italy in 10 days time . Thank you for this great food diary.

[Adam Balic]

I'm not sure what "prok roast" is, is it like veal roast at all? I love these zucchini, the ones in the UK are watery and flavourless by comparison. These are crisp and full of flavour. I may have to grow some this year.

The artichokes were stuffed with sausage meat that has been mixed with breadcrumbs, egg, lemon peel and sage. Another idea would to use mortadella instead of sasage and to make a lighter stuffing. Anyway, they are then put on a bed of onions, carrots, celery etc, wine, olive oil and stock is added to half way, they are then braised for about an hour, basting every ten minutes or so.

[albiston]

I'm not sure what "prok roast" is, is it like veal roast at all?

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Hem... yes, the veal roast . Must be my subconcious: I was thinking "Arista di Maiale" all the time, or maybe I'm day-dreaming about that porchetta again .