eG Foodblog: divina - Over the Tuscan Stove

[Megan Blocker]

Oh, wow, what a treat! This blog is already off to a fantastic start. I'm planning a trip to Italy next spring, and this will be such a great help! Can't wait to see what else is in store...

[divina]

ok hard to believe but I am getting hungry!

here is a sandwich from NERBONE!

I get mine with everything.

It is a boiled beef sandwich ( not corned beef) and then thinly sliced,

if you would like he dips half the bread ( inzuppata) and tops with the meat.

Salt, pepper, salsa Verde and or chili sauce. topped with the other bread and wrapped for you to go!

[Catriona]

Via Faenza Internet Train! *dances around* I know where you are...

Ok, sounding like a stalker.

Do you not find that if you get the bread inzuppata it is almost too soft to eat tidily? Perhaps you take it home and eat it in a civilised fashion at your table..

It's making me very very hungry... (it's a great picture, by the way!)

[divina]

actually I think it makes it easier to eat.

There is a new bag too it hold 's the sandwich and catches any juices protecting your arms from getting soaked!

Edited November 6, 2006 by divina (log)

[Catriona]

actually I think it makes it easier to eat.

There is a new bag too it hold 's the sandwich and catches any juices protecting your arms from getting soaked!

←

Clearly the solution! A revolutionary new idea...

I'm going home to pretend my cold roast beef sandwich is from Nerbone.

One of the best meals I had in florence was a melon risotto from Osteria Da'Benci, a staple for those trying-to-feel-special-on-a-low-budget student days. My kitchen was almost useless, so I had to eat out more than I would have wanted... Da'Benci also introduced me to carpaccio. It has a lot to answer for.

Can we have a larder/fridge photo?

[divina]

I took the foto today... but forgot to download it!

will do later.

funny as I was looking at it.. it is EMPTY except for all my chili stuff!

have been on the road, so not teaching.

Was away for a week with Ecole Chocolat, I created a fabulous workshop for chocolate masters with the masters...

then to Torino for Salone del Gusto... dinner with the Kansas City convivium and their leader Jasper Mirabile of JAsper's.

Then when they came down here we toured for 2 days..and did a dinner at Teatro del SAle and one at SoloCiccia with Dario.

tomorrow is the reopening of the kitchen!

I don't even have any parmesan!

Edited November 6, 2006 by divina (log)

[hathor]

You have punch in the morning??? Hats off to you!

My family loves to tell the story of the time I drank 2 glasses of punch, staggering home and sang fractured Christmas carols....

[divina]

at the port in Livorno, something nice and hot to warm their souls.. is must!

Here the market is also up early, the trucks arrive from 4am on , the market opens at 6am some of the drivers sleeping the the trucks.

By the time they get in, they are ready for a shot!

I remember in my younger days... we went to Tenax for concerts and would finish around 3am or later and stop off at the larger wholesale market which had their bar divided in two, one for the workers who were just arriving and for us on our way to bed!

some of the BEST cappuccino's and pastries!

There are still some pastry shops that will sell hot pastries while they are working!

Love those late nights!

Edited November 6, 2006 by divina (log)

[divina]

here is the before shot.

Since I have my cooking school studio right in front of the market. We shop everyday.

But looking at what I have is scary!

I have 5 containers of capers.. FIVE! some in vinegar some in sea salt, some appetizer size, the larger seed pod size and various smaller ones for cooking.

in the door is a basket of french butter.

then we get to the chili! I have N'duja the calabrese chili lard.. sort of sausage that they use to spice up their dishes, I love it just on bread.

then we have the Mostarda di frutta, the Candied fruit from Cremona with a kick..the mostard essence in the simple syrup...t o have with boiled meats or cheeses.

More chili in sauces, some from my friend Rita ( PepeRIta) in maremma from her organic farm.

the freezer has 5 kinds of chili's from my last trip to Mexico which I am hording.

there is also a container of tobiko from the last trip to the states.

The small Duomo Bottle in the freezer is homemade limoncello and is in front of the vanilla ice cream.. never know when you are going to need a limoncello shake!

[divina]

oh yeah. frozen peas in the back... from when a lady fell and hurt her wrist!

always prepared!

Edited November 7, 2006 by divina (log)

[divina]

hubby in the countryside so on my own for breakfast.

here is the setup..

My MOKA , Illy caffe, biscotti di prato from Mattei.

Added french chocolate chip cookies, made with the cocoa fave ,picked up at the Salone del Gusto.

As per a previous note ( I think in the Tuscan cooking thread) biscotti di Prato are often called cantucci in local dialect, cantuccio meaning corner, formed by the hand, which is the correct size!

ciao for now.. off to get ready for class.

here is my biscotti recipe.

Notes:

all the flour that we use is low gluten like White Lily, beet sugar and fresh eggs.

Biscotti di Prato

5 cups flour

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 pound toasted almonds, skin on

4 large eggs

1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350.

( If you need to toast the almonds, do so and let them cool before adding to batter.)

Prepare dough.

Mix the whole eggs with the sugar.

Add the flour and baking powder.

When the dough becomes to stiff to stir, put on table and start to knead with hands.

If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, if too dry a little milk.

Flatten the dough on the table and add the almonds

Fold the dough over the almonds and knead in to incorporate.

Divide the mix and form long ropes.

Place on baking parchement and press down down to flatten, allow for some spreading.

If you like you can give the cookies an egg-wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Let cook until firm to touch and cut while still warm.

Edited November 7, 2006 by divina (log)

[Catriona]

YUm! I'm going to make your cantuccini.

One of my favourite snacks is cantuccini and vin santo...

Do you have a limoncello recipe? I'm kicking myself, as on a visit to a friend's friend's mother (yes, one of those things) in Subbiano (near Arezzo), she first served us liberal helpings of her limoncello (in the middle of a baking hot afternoon) and then provided the recipe, in her old-woman handwriting on a page torn out of a schoolbook. And I can't find it anywhere!

I had the leftovers of a bottle in a mineral water bottle in my freezer for years...

[divina]

My traditional Limoncello

2 cups whole grain , Everclear 95% alchol 190 proof

5 organic lemons

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

Put the whole grain in a large mouthed jar.

Using a potato peeler, peel the lemons over the jar, and let the zest fall into the jar.

Cover and let sit in the light for 3 days.

( you will see that the alcohol leeches the essence out of the lemons, which is why you want organic. If you don't have organic, soak the lemons first in warm water to get the chemicals out!)

When the lemon zest has turned white and the alcohol is yellow, make your simple syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil to dissolve the sugar.

I just let the sugar melt, do not try to create a dense syrup.

Off the heat add the lemon-infused alcohol, straining out the zest.

DONE!

If you use Vodka, you don't need to add so much simple syrup as the vodka is already drinkable, but it takes longer to get the lemon to give up it's essence.

This is one of the recipes that makes me realize why we studied fractions in school.

Since whole grain is 95% alcohol, it needs to be cut at least in half ( as in my recipe) to become 100 proof or 50% alcohol to drink.

Grand marnier is 45% and most commercial limoncello is 33%.

If you want yours to be lighter.. one part of your alcohol to 2 parts sugar syrup is 33%.

1 cup alcohol to 2 cups simple syrup.

I also do manderin-cello,sage-cello, basil-cello and mixed citrus.

Christmas is just around the corner.

[Swisskaese]

As part of work today we toured the town some and then toured the market followed by lunch.

We started with snacks at Pork's, a Sicilian run bar, with lots of great eggplant recipes.

I will post foto's tomorrow with some of what Benita makes.

Lunch was at a simple little fish place near me called LOBS, looks like a fish shack from back east.

our meal was:

Pasta with fresh salmon and pesto

Pasta with fresh swordfish and porcini

Spigola in Acqua Pazza with Potatoes.

We drank dessert!

Sgroppino a venetion recipe, lemon sorbet whipped with prosecco and vodka

lemon/Basil sorbet with vodka

when you serve any ice cream or sorbet with alchol, it is called corretto.. or affogatto.

We stirred it up so it was like an icey vodka margarita? or Granita with a kick

then a lemon marscarpone tart

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Ho fame! Wow, that looks delicious. You are making me homesick for Italy. We are trying to plan a trip to Italy in the spring. Where is this bar?

[divina]

The Sicilian Bar Porks is in the market which is open from 7am until 2pm.

The food shots are from

LOBS

Via Faenza, 75/r

[divina]

I love the freedom I have with my job.

Letting others help with the menu planning is perfect!

As we shop the market we stop to do tastings to build up the students palates for the Italian Cuisine.

my mother-in-law taught me, spend more time shopping and less time cooking.

Words for the wise!

Noneof my students believed we would get our meal done in time, having spent so much time shopping.

Organization is the trick!

We started at Sieni caffe/pastry shop on the corner of Via dell'ariento and Via San Antonino with Cappuccino ( they use Illy cafe) and Sfogliatelle and Fedora's my favorite pastry.

then off to the market.

We began at Stefano Conti's stand tasting 12,20 and 30 year old traditional balsamic vinegar. then new oil, young "fake" balsamic and smelling the NEW Items like truffle salt, truffle honey, fennel pollen etc, that build up flavors and make your food taste FABULOUS.

my salt collection

After tasting we toured the stands , looking for ideas.

Todays menu ended up being:

Tasting of Culatello di Zibello

Buffalo mozzarella

Blood sausage

Lardo from Colonatta

new oil tasting

Yellow Bell pepper soup ( cibreo restaurant's recipe, on my site)

Risotto with gorgonzola ( non-stir which i learned from Gabrielle Ferron of Pila Vecia in Verona, rice grower)

Arrosto Fiorentino ( Dario Cecchini's recipe on my site)

fresh salad with new oil and 30 year old baslamic vinegar and Fleur du Sel salt

Dessert

Panna Cotta with strawberries and 30 year old Balsamic ( what again!)

we bought our wines at the new Vino Sfuso place near me called DiVino,

we had a Primativo from Puglia and a Montepulciano and a lovely light white to start.

7 Euro total for the wine!

Buon appetito..

Maybe porcini tomorrow.. and truffles!!

Edited November 7, 2006 by divina (log)

[weinoo]

actually I think it makes it easier to eat.

There is a new bag too it hold 's the sandwich and catches any juices protecting your arms from getting soaked!

←

What'll they think of next?!

great sandwich shot, too!

[Milagai]

my mother-in-law taught me, spend more time shopping and less time cooking.

Words for the wise!

Noneof my students believed we would get our meal done in time, having spent so much time shopping.

Organization is the trick!

Buon appetito..

foto's later. having internet problems... WAY TOO SLOW!

←

Now I'm really curious! The menu you described has so many items;

how much time did you spend shopping and how much time cooking,

and how did you organize to get it all done?

Thanks in advance

Milagai

[divina]

Practice makes perfect!

having cooked professionally..it is easy to teach people how to be organized and work backwards!

We made the panna cotta and the marinated strawberries first.

then put the meat in to cook. ( arrosto Fiorentino)

Made our tuscan herbs ( on my site Erbe Toscane)

put the soup on to cook.

Sat down and had snacks. Drink wine

started the non stir risotto ( 14 minutes cooking time)

Pureed the soup and ate it. Drink wine

Had the risotto

Sliced the beef and dressed the salad... drink wine

ate the panna cotta!

we meet at 11am and were back at the studio by 1.. 1:30 and cooking.

Done by 4pm.

Edited November 7, 2006 by divina (log)

[divina]

Breakfast sweet.. mini sfogliatelle!

Today we began class by doing a tasting at PORKS, the Sicilian wine bar in the Mercato centrale run by Benita and her two sons and granddaughter.

We had some sliced porchetta, grilled eggplant, caponata, grilled pumpkin, and the best!

her stuffed artichokes

she makes a savory bread "meatball" called Frusceddedu ( don;t really know how to spell it, it is in dialect.) a bread crumb, egg, mint and grated pecorino cheese. Today she used that as stuffing for artichokes. FABULOUS.

Shopping gave us this menu:

Fresh pasta with white truffles, french butter and parmesan ( 4 year old by Bonat)

White truffles are going for 250 for 100 grams, mine was about 20 grams for the 8 of us.

Rolled chicken breasts, stuffed with ham and cheese with a caper sauce.

Sauteed fresh artichokes with cherry tomatoes and orange.

Baked pears stuffed with crushed amaretti cookies butter and cacoa powder.

market shots

sushi anyone?

Tomorrow I will cab over with the students to San Ambrogio market and go to Vestri for hot chocolate!!!

Edited November 8, 2006 by divina (log)

[Catriona]

Who's the Tuna Guy? That's a brilliant expression on his face. Next time I'm hacking into a huge scaly onster I'll give that a go!

Breakfast time in Florence was one of my favourite times. I spent a few summers there, so was always there at the height of tourist season, and it would get really jampacked with people later in the day. The mornings, though, from about 7 to 8, were gorgeous. Slightly chilly sometimes, but the streets were quiet, the sky blue with no heathaze yet, the streetsweeping machines had cleaned up the mess, and the passersby would be more likely to be the smart local officepeople than straggly backpackers (how snobbish of me).

For my first stay, I was in an apartment out near Piazza d'Azeglio (about 10 minutes walk form the Duomo, the centre of the town). The cafe below the apartment made great coffee, but their food was pretty dire, so I'd grab a quick espresso there before heading to class (I was studying italian), and head out through the nearby square with its trees and birds and every now and then a kid on the playground.

Next cafe stop was beside the newspaper place - La Repubblica, another coffee, and a cornetto alla crema, a bit like the sfogliatelle you have pictured above.

One more coffee, a bottle of water from the fridge and a quick chat with the guys at Bar Max (not its real name, can't remember what it was called), and then class.

I loved mornings. All that adventure all within 25 minutes.

Do you have a routine, divina, or is it dependent on class schedule? what do you do when you've no classes on?

[divina]

oops.. forgot..

when the students arrived this morning we also put some Tuscan Beans on to cook slowly while we were shopping.

We used the Zolfini beans from the Val D'arno region.. a slow food protected food.

We used them to make a warm seafood salad with Calamari ( instead of tuna and beans)

and we also put some wild boar in a marinade.. tomorrow wild boar pasta sauce and fresh homemade papparedelle!

[divina]

Massimilliano is my connection for sushi grade tuna... as well as great recipes.

he has owned his own restaurant and the food was spectacular.

as for my daily grind..

When i am in Florence for classes.. Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday like this week, are the norm.

If I can I try to be off Friday Saturday Sunday and Monday.

I live about an hour away.. and when I come down to teach I stay here.

Gas is $6 a gallon and the drive can be hectic.

When I am in the countryside.. I write.. maintain my site, answer emails to take bookings, plan trips for groups coming, and of course am trying to write my own cookbook.

I love to enjoy the countryside, we have a tiny backyard.... and love to go to fleamarkets, and junk stores and farmers markets which are usually on the weekends.

Dinner with friends..and just enjoying the company of my hubby...and our cats!

[divina]

any special requests..

I have been asked to visit some shops... for foto's

foods???

Edited November 8, 2006 by divina (log)

[judiu]

Waiting for the traditional kitty pictures, here...