Culture, Cuisine & Colorful Chaos: 2015

Culinary Tour of Tuscany 2015 - Dream Big and Live It!

Never give up on a dream. Share your life and self with family and friends.
Enjoy today as tomorrow may turn a new page.
Look forward to new adventures and experiences.
If today is not a good day, smile through it, tomorrow promises to be better.
Above all else that is humanly possible, never give up on yourself.
Peel back a new layer and breathe.
Welcome change.
Ciao for now!

We relished the beauty

We lived the life

We looked forward to each adventure..

Walked..

Marvelled..

Breathed in...

and relished the gifts of nature.

We shared the dream..

We walked the walk..

We enjoyed our own back yard with early morning cafe Americana and the morning sunrise!

We learned to relax and cultivate new friendships

We learned respect for history and art

A picture of grace, beauty, pride.

Simplicity at its best

Friendships shared

Wine tasting

Breathtaking views

Market squares of beauty and grace

Cathedrals gave smiles to every face

Culinary Tour of Tuscany 2015 - A Time for Everything

From espresso’s served at café bars on the way to work, fresh pastries enjoyed over a frothy cappuccino, and afternoon aperitifs of wine, cheese, and meats, the Italian culture has rules of proper ways to eat, drink, and be merry. They say when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So I’ve learned, when in Italy, enjoy as the Italians do.
In our culture a cup of coffee is a life line for the trip to work or a sweetened high calorie treat in the middle of the day. In Italy, an espresso (strong shot of pressed coffee), is usually served at a coffee (café) bar when on the way to another place. The patron walks in, order the espresso, stirs the froth and shoots it back like a tequila. In most cases, it has a very bitter after taste. (Most of us weaklings have to add a sugar in order to get it down.) It’s an eye opener and could contribute to the all-day-long smiles and bright eyes of the Italians. Espresso is usually enjoyed at the top of the day and at the finish of meals. A cappuccino on the other hand is only enjoyed until the noon hours.
The order of drinks is best described as morning espresso, break time cappuccino, wine aperitif, wine during lunch, wine during dinner, and an after dinner espresso. It legitimately works and makes sense with their day, so why argue? Wine is not used to become inebriated. Becoming inebriated is not at all acceptable in the Italian culture. It is essentially considered to be a classless act.
Wine compliments the dish it is enjoyed with. A good dry red is great with a hearty cut of steak. It cuts the fat from the mouth and actually helps to cleanse the palate so other flavors can be enjoyed. A nice Chianti is acceptable with any meal and it’s usually the house wine. Wine does not have to be fancy or expensive to be good.
White wine is generally served with fish and seafood. At the Pesce Azurro, near the coast of the Adriatic Sea, boxed white wine and water are available for refills of which the cost is included in your meal. In Italy, it is not a sin to drink boxed wine. They actually appreciate that it’s kept in a dark, cool, air tight container which keeps the wine well.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner all have their own sets of rules. There not rules actually, just ways of doing things.
Breakfast is usually a light pastry, croissant, toast, and espresso. It’s on the go. Giacomo, our guide, says he much preferred the American style hearty breakfasts because it keeps him full and well fueled for the long days ahead.
Lunch or dinner either one, can be a two hour affair. Initially lunch was the big meal of the day, with a light dinner and digestive to end the evening. The two hour lunch period is a time to break, meet with family and friends, enjoy the afternoon, catch up on each other’s day, and return to work or school and give it your best. Some Italians have taken up the American habit of a light lunch and save the long meal for evening. Giacomo advised they’re also starting to get heavier with this habit, but they are all so busy that it’s a habit that is becoming more popular.
The longer meals consist of an antipasti. Antipasti is about the same as an appetizer. It’s mean to compliment the meal and entice your hunger. It’s never mean to be a big and full as many American appetizers which leave you wanting a doggie bag for your meal. Oh, and take away (as Italians call it), is not popular. Not many places will allow you to take the food with you. It’s just not heard of.
The antipasti can be crostini with wonderful toppings such as porcini mushrooms with cheese and olive oil, garlic trussed crostini with drizzled olive oil, bruschetta, or bread with a chicken liver pâté. Antipasti can also be a tray of sliced tomatoes and mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh basil, or even tray of fresh salamis and cheeses.
The next course is generally called the Primo. Many times it’s a pasta and side dishes. We’ve enjoyed cheese filled ravioli, chestnut pasta with ricotta, spelt salad, Panzanella, pickled cabbages, a salad of greens drizzled with balsamic and olive oil, and even sautéed zucchini. Their imaginations have no boundaries and the food always appeals to the taste buds. Ok, not always, but usually.
Primo is followed by the meat. We’ve had wonderful dishes of roasted pork with fennel, garlic, and rosemary. We’ve also enjoyed roasted chicken, meatballs made of a trio of beef (veal), chicken, and pork that melts in the mouth, and veal with truffles and parmesan.
Italians sweets are not truly sweet. There may be a tad of honey or agave in a treat, but the desserts aren’t usually sugar concoctions in Southern Italy. In many cases the desert is a biscotti, pound cake or dense treat served with a digestive. A digestive is a very sweet name for a concoction that threatens to peel the skin from the insides, from the esophagus to the stomach and come out to do the same to the outside. It’s a burn your tongue and belly kind of drink. With that being said, some people think it’s a sweet and a wonderful addition to finish any meal. That person is not me. The purpose of the digestive (such as Vinsanto, Spinello, or another sipping liquor), is to help digest the foods you’ve just enjoyed. I think it just melts it and you don’t have to worry about it. That and the mountains could be good cause as to why the Italians are generally thinner and in good shape!
The final call is the espresso. Our sweet hosts generally offered a café Americano or cappuccino to the weaklings as well. Toward the end of the trip, I must say, I became accustomed to the espresso to end my day.
The Italian community uses these meals to be with family. The one most important entity in their life. The reason for their existence. Italians work hard, reinvent themselves when times are tough, and enjoy life. Everything is set to help them enjoy life.
I am waiting for my boss to realize that I need a two hour lunch. I may be waiting a long time. Money is key here in America.

Fresh breakfast at the Ostello

First Cappuccino in Arezzo

Chicken liver crostini at Gestione Primetto

Organic wonders at Agriturismo La Pievuccia

Antipasti at Fiaschetteria, Osteria Nuvoli

Gnocci con ragu with Paola

Organic chestnut pasta with ricotta

Pollo Al Vinsanto and Insalata Verde Melenoci e Fragole with renowned Italian chef

Fresh Panzanella

Organic chickpea salad

Elegant rice puddding (Dolce Riso con Salsa di Fragole)

Crostini of linguini and wild boar sauce at the Semel with Marco, the Italian version of Sean Connery (he's just as charming)

Expresso done right

Sausage and broccoli crostini

Food, fun, breaking bread, and new friendships. Italy lives, to LIVE.

Culinary Tour of Tuscany 2015 - Fruits of the Grove

Believe it or not, there is a correct way to use and eat olive oil. There is also a proper way to produce it so that its structure and taste is not compromised. Heat in the production and use changes the structure, the flavor is lost, and it becomes a heavy tasting oil.
Leda, a kind of Sommelier of olive oil, said there’s two things to know if you know nothing else at all about olive oil. If it smells of the earth it is good. If it smells man made and pungent, it is not good to eat. Good olive oil is found in dark bottles with only natural color. If it’s in a clear or see through bottle, is dyed green, and smells “not of the earth”, it’s not real olive oil.
Let’s start from the beginning. The groves and other fields are planted in even rows with grass growing all around. The grass, just as it does in grape vineyards, gives nutrients back to the ground that the fruits need in order to produce a better product. The olives are harvested from October through Late November. The first harvest gives a spicier, bitter fruit. The second yield is a darker fruit which is more mature and delicate tasting. When the harvest is good, one kind of olive can be used in the making of the oil. When the harvest yield is low, the oil is a mixture of the olives.
Out of 100 kilo of first green olives, approximately 10ℓ of oil will be produced. A harvest of 100 kilo of the darker, slightly black olives can yield 20ℓ of oil. One bad rain can change the yield and flavor of a harvest. In 2014 a larvae that could not be controlled somehow infiltrated the olives all over the region and after the harvest and pressing, a rancid olive oil was born. It should not be used and could not be sold. Most producers trashed it.
Cold pressed olive oil is the most pure. It generally has not been altered by heat in any part of the process. One mill visited, used large mill stones to flatten and squeeze the oil from the fruit, leaving behind a paste of skin and seed. The olives need to be milled within twenty four hours of picking, so the once the harvest begins, there are workers around the clock until the production is completed. Another producer used a spiral blade that cut the olives into a mash and then the oil was squeezed out, but the blades can cause friction and therefore heat so the taste is slightly altered. This is still counted as cold pressed because the olives are pressed and there is no added heat.
The oil is bottled in dark containers so that no light will penetrate and heat the oil, which again, changes the structure and flavor. Olive oil should be tightly sealed and stored away from light. The popular containers with flip over lids are not ideal storage for oil that will kept in it for more than a week. The Italians do not cook with olive oil in general, as it changes the flavor of the oil and doesn’t have as high of a heat point. Like us they use Canola or vegetable oil.
The best olive oil has an acidity of less than 0.8%. Its best uses include a drizzle over bread with herbs or cheese, as an emulsifier in dressings and pesto’s, drizzled over foods with cheese and spices to enhance flavor and lend moisture, or drizzled over pasta with fresh cheese and pepper. It’s used as an addition to most dishes. It’s a topping, a spice, and main ingredient. The cold pressed olive oil tasted so light and fresh that just drizzled over a green salad with a little salt was enough to satisfy this girl who loves some ranch style dressing!

Historical view of harvesting and producing

Beauty of the groves

Lesson of Olives

How to harvest

Milling

Grown from seed or grafting

Tilled ground for air, water, and soft catch for falling fruit

Paste of seed and skin after pressing

Beautiful fresh olive oil

Beginning to end

Fire toasted bread with fresh olive oil..WONDERFUL

Culinary Tour of Tuscany 2015 - Bread for Life

The history of the creation of Tuscan bread is said to be rebellion and by others is described as a means of survival through struggling economical times. In actuality it was brought to life by a mixture of the times and a good measure of rebellion.
In the beginning Tuscan bread was prepared just as most other cultures did, using a recipe that included salt. The government decided a tax needed to be levied in order to help a struggling economy. They chose to tax the salt because it was the most widely used product in cooking and baking and promised to generate more income. When the Tuscans realized the tax would become reality, they rebelled and chose not to use salt in their bread. Salt was most used in bread and in their rebellion they believed this would cut the governments gain. In truth, they simply could not afford the tax and continue to purchase the salt to make their breads. Next to its role in boosting the flavor of bread, salt helps in tightening the gluten structure and adds strength to the dough. It also helps to support good volume. Tuscan bread is therefore more dense and can become rock hard in about five days or so. In an effort to keep from wasting the bread, new recipes were for formed. A traditional recipe of Panzanella is one of the most popular of these recipes.
Panzanella is a bread salad consisting of soaked Tuscan bread, vegetables, herbs, olive oil, salt, and vinegar. The bread is crumbled, soaked in water for five minutes, and wrung out. The fresh vegetables such as tomato, carrot, celery, cucumber, and onion are added, and tossed with the herbs, oil, and vinegar. This is a surprising fresh, light, and tasty dish. It can be served as a side dish or as an appetizer.
Another favorite recipe , enjoyed in the region closer to Florence, is Ribolito. Ribolito also uses the hardened bread, but it is stewed with leftover vegetables in their own juice and served warm with a drizzle of fresh olive oil and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese. To some it may not sound appetizing and may even look strange, but it is a wonderful comfort food. I can imagine enjoying a dish, cozied up to a nice fire, wrapped in a warm blanket, while cuddled into the comfort of an nice plush couch. Ingenuity and reinvention run through the veins of the Italians in food and in life.