eG Foodblog: divina - Over the Tuscan Stove

[percyn]

Divina, thanks for a great blog, pictures that will hopefully convince my wife to make the trip to Italy and finally for sharing your recipe.

Cheers

Percy

[racheld]

Bella Divina,

Thank you, Thank you!! This was a wonderful week, and your teleporter took me to unknown climes and gracious moments.

This was just lovely. I especially love the thought of just zipping off to Chianti for a sunny afternoon.

[Milagai]

One of the secrets to flavor is a mixture called Droghe.

Rather like Pumpkin pie spice, a blend butchers use here for seasoning sausage.

I use it in my ragu.

Cinnamon, nutmeg, coriandor, ginger, mace, allspice...

From Pre-Columbian times..when the spice trade was big business!

←

It's interesting (to me) how garam masala

type spice mixes show up in most of the cuisines

on the spice route......

Milagai

[divina]

FROM THESE HANDS

Today was so nice I have to share.

I was outside in the front, looking at my antique roses that are in full bloom and just enjoying the day aftee having already seen the police this morning and started to find out what I need to get the final paperwork done....

and out of the corner of my eye I catch site of a small person.

Turns out to be the little lady who moved into the house next door when she was a newlywed.

She is 80 years old now.

Nada Checcucci,came with her son to have their olives crushed.

Her son moved to a town neaer Florence for the kids to be closer to school.

When her husband died she also moved.

But when they sold the house, they did NOT sell the olive grove.

Over a period of three and a half days, Nada, her son and her daughter-in-law, harvested a quintale of olives, 100 kilo's. ( a kilo is 2.2. pounds)

I followed her to wait for her turn.

One first gets an appointment.

She showed me how lovely HER olives here.

skimming off the impurities.

Filling my 5 liter bottle

And from the mill to my bread!

Grazie mille Nada!!!

Dio ti Benedica!

Edited November 13, 2006 by divina (log)

[Catriona]

Buon appetito!

[Milagai]

FROM THESE HANDS has got to be one of the coolest

posts ever.

Thanks Divina

Milagai

[judiu]

FROM THESE HANDS has got to be one of the coolest

posts ever.

Thanks Divina

Milagai

←

AMEN!

[racheld]

FROM THESE HANDS

Grazie mille Nada!!!

Dio ti Benedica!

←

I'm always asking for pictures of hands, and these are the zenith!!

No matter who follows, these will remain the absolute.

Thank you again.

rachel

[KatieLoeb]

Even better than the first olive oil tutorial. Amazing.

[divina]

Thanks, I was so moved by her tales..

she has arthritis and also showed me how she can't close her and since she fell and broke her right hand last year.

she also told me how they hid their treasures under the house in a huge clay pot... from the Germans during the war. Will have to tell my neighbors.

Part of the Treasures of Tuscany.

[Chufi]

Nada Checcucci

←

Her hands are beautiful.

But it's her face I can't stop looking at.

The friendliest, kindest eyes.

The proud smile as she's standing there next to the liquid gold pouring from the vessel.

Just beautiful.

Thank you for this post divina!

[MarketStEl]

Between demands of work and various kinds of drama on the home front, I had precious little time to surf eG this past week, and thus for the first time in quite a while, I missed a foodblog completely.

Except for that post about having your olive oil pressed fresh from the grove. That was wonderful. Thanks for sharing that with us. Now I will have to go back over this blog at my leisure to see what other treasures you had to share.

[divina]

Thanks!

I had a great time..in my signature is my everyday blog too!