TUSCAN FOOD AND WINE!

Tuscan cooking is simple, straightforward and generally involves just a few ingredients: pasta (or bread), olive oil, salt, and herbs...and then there is meat.

Yours truly enjoying a beautiful glass of Brunello.

When my husband and I first arrived in Tuscany a week ago,  I started keeping a wine journal, but quickly abandoned that project and decided to simply enjoy what I was drinking. I am not a wine expert by any means and my descriptions sounded pretentious (hint of leather, subtle tones of cinnamon,  bright berry finish, slightly citrus...) and a little silly. So far I have not had a wine I haven't liked.

Some better than others (like the Brunello di Montalcino, Poggio Castagno that I'm having in above photo; or any other Brunello!), and truly have loved experimenting, sampling and discovering and enjoying each one for their uniqueness.

Montalcino has grand views and is an extremely pleasant small town. It's home of the prized Brunello wine, but the Montalcino Rosso offers a good alternative at a lesser price.

I ordered the Montalcino Rosso while we were in Moltalcino to go with my Chianina Beef Carpacchio. More on that in a minute,  but first the vino.

Our waiter quickly brought my selection of Rosso, but also suggested I try the Brunello to compare.  He graciously offered to bring me a glass 'on the house' (of course all of this is in Italian, very little of which I understood, but I kept smiling and saying 'grazie') so I could do my own "tasting". He obviously wanted to educate me in a very nice way.

The Brunello won hands down! But the Rosso is still very delicious.

Here's my thinly sliced, perfectly chilled raw Chianina Beef topped with parmesan, fennel, cherry tomatoes, and a light drizzle of olive oil. I added chunky sea salt and black pepper. I did not use the lemon, although a little lemon zest might be nice on the raw beef.

As with the wine, I decided early on to just enjoy the food; not a lot of fancy description or note-taking. After all I am on vacation!

Although I love to cook I am not really, in the traditional sense, a food expert or chef. I am not classically or technically trained, but I do both cook and eat a lot, so maybe I am qualified! I haven't enjoyed food more on any trip than I have in Tuscany; especially the small villages we have visited, and I have also loved cooking in our little villa. Here's my Tuscan cucina:

And here's the view from my kitchen window:

The first night we arrived in Italy we stayed in Florence (not a small village ;-@!) and on our first night out to dinner I had to try this special Italian beef I had heard about. I had it Carpacchio style-one of my favorites. The raw beef was served on a huge bed of Rucola (Rocket salad--also one of my favorite bitter greens that you don't see that often in the U. S.). The salad was dressed simply with olive oil, salt and pepper. The Chianina was topped with large very thin slices of pecorino cheese, salt and pepper. I had this with a half bottle of Rosso Montalcino. Great introduction to this very special beef and very special vino...and great first night in Italy!

I first learned about Chianina beef from my friend, rancher Duncan Blair (www.riosantacruzgrassfedbeef.com), who is a passionate producer of organic, humanely raised grass-fed beef; just like these critters. There are no feed lots in Italy! This is considered to be the finest beef. They call it, "The Queen of Beef". These cattle have a long and interesting history dating back to Estruscan times 3000 years ago. The meat is extremely tender, succulent and almost sweet. The cooked version, Bistecca Fiorentino, is very lightly grilled, always served rare, and has a taste and texture unmatched to any beef I've ever eaten.

I know this does not look that pretty, but you have to believe me that pork belly fat melting over a perfectly grilled steak was heaven.

I know most (normal) people would not have ordered their Chianina steak topped with pork fat, but when I saw that on the menu I couldn't say NO (other choices included rosemary or mushroom; I chose the fat.). This is Chianina beef, but because there is no bone-in and it is not 3 inches thick, it is not Bistecca Fiorentino. It' called Tagliatta Steak. The big meat was on the menu, but only at the 4 pound size for 40€, which is not a bad price, but what was I going to do with all that meat? We had just grocery shopped in the morning so I had the next couple nights dinners planned. I went for the boneless Chianina, which was not a disappointment. 

I had this with a Capresse salad, which was also spectacular.

I've always said, good ingredients mean good food. The mozzerella was made right in the restaurant, tomatoes and basil picked just before serving; does not get much fresher. By the end of my salad, because we were having a beautifully warm summer day, the mozzarella had started to melt makinģ it even more flavorful and delicious.

With this feast I had a Cardinali Rosso D'Orcia, which was the wine from the family-owned vineyard of the restaurant we were eating at in San Quirico D'Orcia. All the food was sourced from their farm, as well.

And to conclude the feast, I had a beautiful taste of grappa.

This meal could not have been better! On to another favorite Italian meat...

PORK AND WILD BOAR
Pork and wild boar play a greater role in Tuscan cooking than I realized.

We found this meat shop in Pienza. That's one large piece of pork!

Wild boar-Cinghaile, is a combination of the region's native pig-Sus Scrofa, and the wild boar introduced from Eastern Europe. "It is renowned for its quality of meat, strength, and voracity."--quote from the tourist board website. I love it!...especially the 'voracity' part!

This man was very pleased to tell us he shot the boar hanging above him.

Wild boars apparently do not have any predators in this region, except humans. According to the tourist board website: (www.tourismo.intoscano.it) "In Tuscany, wild boar hunting is both a tradition and a passion." The site states that wild boar population today is around 150,000!

I ordered Cinghaile al Tegame at a little restaurant in Montepulciano. With it I had a glass of Valdichiana Bianco and a tomato and lettuce salad. Since tegame means "pan fried" or "pan-ful" I am guessing this boar was browned in a pan and then braised, as it was tender and luscious; sauce was rich and herbaceous.

Here are two more pork dishes I want to share with you...

FICCO DI MAILE ALLE ERBE AROMATICHE; literally  translated means Bow Pig with aromatic herbs. I tried, but could not discover what bow (ficco) pork (maile) is, but the pork was beautifully cooked--very moist, tender, and flavorful. It was thinly sliced, doused with a fragrant olive oil and served with a mixture of finely ground herbs made into a pesto (paste) and topped with fresh sage and rosemary, whole peppercorns and black flaked sea salt--one of the best dishes I have had yet!

The herbs were growing all around the restaurant. This was the case at many of the restaurants we ate at and just before serving, the chef would pop out and cut the herbs used for garnish.

With my Bow Pork I had a delightfully refreshing rose.

The other night at the restaurant right beside our villa in Castiglione D'Orcia, I tried Pork Neck.

La Cisterna nel Borgo-The cistern in the village.

Each medieval village we visited had a huge cistern or well in its center with several other smaller wells throughout the town.

Here's the main well in our village.

I have forgotten the name of this dish in Italian, but asked Chef Marta next day how she cooked it. The Pork Neck was marinated in wine with lots of paprika and fennel. She then grilled it and topped with more paprika.  Very flavorful!

My contorni (side dish) was braised cabbage with raisins and pecans. All cooked to perfection and delicious. I chose a luscious Carpineto Chianti Classico to go with that Pork Neck.

I will conclude today's Food and Wine story with some miscellaneous shots of both. Let me say, a day has not gone by that I have not eaten pasta, at least once. Several times that included cooking and eating it at "home". The pasta is all fresh and homemade. Yesterday I made my own pasta in a cooking class my husband and I had with Chef Marta from the restaurant next door.

She is a fabulous cook and warm and wonderful person. I will do a blog on our class soon. One more in a series of dreams coming true in Tuscany!

TUSCANY IS A FOOD LOVERS PARADISE!

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Arrivederci!

Panna Cotta with Olives and Reduced Red Wine At Trattoria Il Cassero di Claudio e Maria in Castiglione D'Orcia. 

Ice cold tomato soup with Buffalo Burata at Il Dopolavoro La Foce. Kind of like gazpacho, but better!

Another beautiful Brunello di Montalcino enjoyed in my own backyard.

Rabbitt Terrine-rabbit stuffed with rabbit pate at Osteria Estrusca in Chuisi.

Almond Biscotti and Sweet Wine at the same restaurant in Chuisi. 

Cheese shop in Pienza--home of Pecorino. 

Strawberry Cheesecake in Assisi.

Bread...everywhere!

RABBITT'S BRAISED RABBIT RAGOUT

I thought it fitting for my first new recipe from Italy to be rabbit. Not sure why, but it seemed 'right'. And when I visited my local market here in Castiglione D'Orcia, in the heart of Tuscany, sure enough I found fresh coniglio for sale.

One of the things different about food shopping in other countries is that meat doesnt generally come cut up and packaged to look like something different from its original self. Here is one half of a rabbit.

I have not cooked domesticated rabbit before, but grew up eating lots of wild rabbit. The wild ones can be fierce little creatures and their flesh can be tough. My Mom used to par-boil them before frying and pan searing in butter and bread crumbs; simple, very moist and delicious! And even though I figured farm raised rabbits were not as tough, I still decided to braise, rather than pan fry.


I cut this rabbit down (thank goodness for the beautiful clever in my rental pantry-VERY impressed!) And then seasoned generously with salt / paper and browned in butter and locally produced olive oil.

Here's the recipe, but please take lots of liberties as I used what I had on hand and I believe one of the most fun parts about cooking is being creative with the ingredients you have available. I think green peas and wild mushrooms would be a tasty addition.

Rabbitt's BRAISED RABBIT RAGOUT aka 
Rabbitt's BRASATO CONIGLIO RAGU

Ingredients:
2-3 pounds rabbit, on the bone
1 Tbsp. Butter, plus more for sautéing veg
4 Tbsp. Olive oil for browning rabbit, plus more for veg
1 large leek, white part only, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped chunky
6 tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
3 stalks fennel, not cut up
1/2 cup roasted red pepper
Salt / Pepper
1 cup red wine
2+ cups water (I think chicken stock would be even better.)
1 Tbsp. each: thyme, oregano, rosemary (I would prefer fresh herbs, but did not have them.) These were in my Italian pantry.

Preparation:
Cut rabbit into 4 inch pieces. Liberally salt and pepper. Place butter and olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Cast iron would work well. Heat til nearly smoking. Brown rabbit on all sides and set aside. I used the head because it came with the rabbit, but if your rabbit comes minus the head I do not think that will pose a problem.
Broil Red Pepper:

You can either broil the pepper under the broiler making sure all sides get evenly blackened, or broil right on top of your gas range. I'm not getting a very even broil, but kept moving the pepper on the burner until it eventually got scorched. With tongs, place the pepper in a paper bag and let cool. When it's cool enough to handle, rub off the charred skin, discard seeds and pith. Dice 1/2 cup and set aside. You will have left over pepper.

My adorable kitchen in Tuscany!

The view from my kitchen window! Yes, right next door is a fabulous restaurant. Making friends with the chef and will get a cooking lesson from her next week!

In the same pan you browned the rabbit add 1 Tbsp. Butter and 2 Tbsp. Olive oil. Saute the sliced ​​leeks and garlic over medium high heat until leeks wilt, stirring occasionally. Add herbs and fennel stalks. The fennel adds a little sweetness. Add the red wine and 2 cups water. Reduce heat to very low and allow to cook down while you prepare the tomatoes. Taste for seasoning.

To remove tomato skins:

Bring enough salted water to boil and drop in tomatoes. Boil vigorously until the skins pop. Remove carefully with tongs. Cool. Rub off skins. Remove the hard stem area. Make sure you catch all their juices. Cut tomatoes into chunks and add to the ragout sauce. Keep an eye on the ragout so it does not boil off. Add water (stock) as needed. Now add the browned rabbit. Cover. Cook on low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the meat flakes off the bones. Check every half hour to make sure you have enough liquid. Cool. Refrigerate overnight. Next day, bring up to temperature on very low heat. Remove from heat and take all the meat off the bone. This is a lot of work and you may need a glass of wine. This is what I had--Il Pozzo, a beautiful, rich sangiovese from the D'Orcia region here in Tuscany. This is also what the rabbit had. Lucky rabbit!

So far, most of the wines I've tasted are very local, all related to the Val D'Orcia region. And so far, all fabulous!

Here's the meat sauce simmering.

Rabbit bones are tiny and it's much more pleasant to eat without having to deal with bones. The best way to remove the meat from the bones is with your fingers, scraping every little bit off the bones. Because you are using your hands you can feel the bones and are able to remove tiny pieces so they do not end up in your sauce. Remove the fennel stalks. Check sauce for seasoning. I served the Rabbit Ragout over fresh, locally made pasta tipico; pasta made with no eggs; just water and farina, and topped with freshly grated local parmesan.

This pasta was light, but also chewy and the perfect foil for my ragout!

ALL FOR TODAY FROM TUSCANY ...

THIS HAPPENS TO BE MY BIRTHDAY AND AM PLEASED TO SAY IT'S BEEN ONE OF MY BEST!

DREAMED FOR MANY YEARS OF BEING IN TUSCANY ON MY BIRTHDAY AND FINALLY HERE I AM!

KEEP COOKING, DREAMING, AND

BELIEVING IN YOURSELF!

HERE ARE A COUPLE MORE SHOTS FROM 
Castiglione d'Orcia!

PLEASE TUNE IN AGAIN SOON FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF CINDY COOKING IN TUSCANY!

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Fabulous tiny restaurant in Castiglione. 
Great attention to detail.

Ficco di maile alle erbe aromatiche

Bow pork with herbs

Oggi si Mangia

La vita e troppo breve per 

mangiare male e bere peggio

Life is too short to eat badly and drink worse.

Baled hay as far as your eyes can see.

CLASSIC IRISH SEAFOOD CHOWDER!

Go into any Irish pub that serves food and you're bound to find Seafood Chowder. It's one of my favorites and after trying about 100 bowls came up with this recipe. I think the broth made with the bones of 3 turbot is in part what made this chowder so yummy, but the bones of any white fish would work well.

IRISH SEAFOOD CHOWDER 

I made the broth a day ahead which made putting this chowder together fairly simple, but there are still quite a few steps.

I was offered the bones of several fish when I purchased a whole turbot at the Galway Farmers Market. Turbot (scientific name: Scophthalmus Maximus) is highly prized for its delicate flavor. It's native to North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Baltic Seas, but is also being farm-raised in the Achille Islands off the western coast of Ireland. Mine was a wild one!

The turbot is front left.

Turbot is a lot like flounder. It's a flat, round bottom feeder. I baked the whole fish in a little butter, white wine, garlic, salt and pepper at 350 degrees  (#6 on my Irish gas range) for 25 minutes. You will know it's done when the meat is opaque and flakes easily. It has the sweetness of lobster. Really delicious! I added my cooked bones to the carcass of 2 more uncooked turbot to make the broth.

TO MAKE BROTH:
Put bones in a big kettle with a mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery; aka the Holy Trinity!). I used leeks instead of onion and also added a big clove of smashed garlic and some herbs (tarragon, thyme, parsley and sage) along with salt and pepper. Cover with water to make about 6 cups. Bring to a boil and then turn down heat and let simmer at least 3 hours. The broth will become reduced to about 4 cups. Cool completely and strain to make a clear broth. Keep covered in fridge until ready to use.

The broth has become gel since I made it day before. That's pure goodness!

Chowder Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 small potatoes, peeled and diced (I used new Irish potatoes.)
1 small onion, peeled and diced
3 cups fish stock
1 cup milk
1/2 cups cream
3 Tbsp. Butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup mussel broth
1/2 cup white wine
White fish (I used cod.), about 3/4 lb. Cut into bite-sized pieces
Salmon, about 3/4 lb. Cut into bite-sized pieces
Mussels, about 1 cup cooked and removed from shell
Baby shrimp, about 1 cup cooked
1 tsp. Fresh Tarragon, finely diced
Salt/White pepper to taste

Cook the garlic, carrots, potato and onion in 3 cups of fish broth until just barely tender. Do not over cook as it cooks again after adding more ingredients.

TO MAKE A ROUX:
While veg are cooking make a roux with butter, flour, milk and cream.  Roux (pronounced roo) is the base for 3 of the 5 French 'Mother' sauces, Bechamel, Espagnole, and Veloute. In France roux is made with equal parts butter and flour.

Melt butter, add flour (If you want a thicker chowder use 1/2 cup flour. I don't like my chowder super thick.), and cook the butter and flour for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Add milk and cream. Keep stirring. Traditionally you'd use a whisk, but I prefer a rubber spatula.

Roux will be lumpy at first, but keep stirring until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 15 minutes. Slowly add mussel broth and white wine. Keep stirring.

Add tarragon. Season with salt/white pepper. Mix the roux into the veg and fish stock. Cook gently over medium heat for 30 minutes to bring flavors together.

TO PREPARE MUSSELS:
Remove any "beards"--the little pieces of seaweed looking hair sticking out of shells. Soak mussels in cold water for about an hour. Keep rinsing until all sand, grit, shell pieces are removed and mussels look clean. Place the mussels in a big pot. Cover with water, add salt, pepper, garlic and chopped onion and some herbs. I used parsley, thyme, tarragon and a sage leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until shells just open-about 15 minutes. Drain. Save broth.

You can clean and cook mussels up to a day in advance.

Add uncooked fish to chowder broth. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cooked mussels and shrimp. Adjust seasoning. This chowder gets better with time so you can make the whole soup in the morning or day before. It lasts well for up to 5 days.

Serve with chopped chives or have it plain. Great with a green salad and chunky bread!

This Seafood Chowder is rich, creamy and comforting. Perfect for an Irish summer day--55 degrees today with steady drizzle! My Arizona friends may want to wait until December to make this!

ALL FOR TODAY! 

I'M OFF TO THE PUB FOR A PINT OF GUINNESS!

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I'LL BE WRITING YOU NEXT TIME FROM TUSCANY!

A COUPLE QUICK TIPS and AN IRISH SURPRISE!

The other day I noticed my melon nearing the end of its life. This melon looked like a Cantelope on the outside,  but was bright green inside.  It had a rich, sweet intense flavor somewhat between traditional Cantelope and a Honeydew. I think it is a Galia melon, which is a cross between the two, but not sure.

MELON ICE

Does anyone know what type of melon this is?

I cut the last 3 pieces, peeled and scooped them into my brand, new blender. Up until recently all chores were done manually in my little Irish kitchen so quite a treat to have some gadgets. Remember whipping cream by hand, Diana, with a one-armed beater?

Blend until it becomes smooth and liquid. Pour into a shallow metal pan. Metal is better than glass for freezing. This is the same process as when making granita, which I like to include in a big, hoodoo dinner, especially our Easter feast. (Search for 'granita' to find recipes from previous blogs.) The difference here is that you don't add anything. And, also I use the granita course as a palate cleanser so it will be more refreshing than sweet. Melon ice is sweet!

Just place in the freezer and stir with a fork every half hour or so until you get a fine grain consistency. Great low-cal treat after dinner and excellent way to use the last of your melon before it goes south. I think this would work well with any overly ripe high sugar fruit.

And here is the finished product as green as an Irish field!

HERE'S A TIP...

To soften sugar that has become hard as a rock, add an apple.

Years ago my Mom taught me the trick of softening brown sugar that's become hard. I had never tried with white sugar, but it works equally well. Just place a whole apple in a jar of your hard sugar and in a few days it will become softened.

When I think of Irish food I think of spring lamb, beautiful grass fed Irish beef, or smoked salmon. Seaweed is not the first thing that comes to mind, but here it is! I added the seaweed, fresh tofu and thinly sliced leek to a Miso soup--granted it was packaged instant soup, but I couldn't find miso to make from scratch and this was really simple, quick and delicious!...AND organic!

The seaweed--Atlantic Wakame--is harvested locally in Clare, which is directly across Galway Bay from our house in Spiddal. Follow the land in this photo all the way to the end (right/west) and you will find the Cliffs of Mohr; a site you do not want to miss when visiting Ireland. Please note, it's raining across the Bay right now!

This is the view from our upstairs bedroom.
Across Galway Bay is Clare.

Clare also is where this organic seaweed has been hand harvested for 4 generations. One of the things I love about the Irish is their resourcefulness and commitment to sustainable living. The sea provides a vast opportunity for supporting this way of life.

MISO SOUP WITH WILD IRISH SEA VEG

My husband enjoying a hot bite of healthy Miso Soup

That's all for today 
from a delightfully, sunny Ireland! 

...such a rare treat!

And just so you don't think I've gone all lazy over here with instant soup, I did make a Cream of Celery Soup this morning from scratch with a super-rich 

homemade chicken broth.

Tune in again soon for another episode of:

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HOMEMADE HAMBURGER BUNS READY IN A BLINK!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY FROM IRELAND! 

My first blog post from a foreign country. My husband, Jerry and I are trying to feel the holiday spirit, but it's been pouring rain all day in Spiddal, Co. Galway with temps in the 50's. So I decided to make homemade hamburger/hotdog buns to cheer me up. The cook-stove has also been burning all morning so the kitchen is very cozy and now smells like freshly baked bread.

40 MINUTE HAMBURGER BUNS

I have made this recipe several times (It's from allrecipes.com) and thought I already blogged it, but couldn't find it. This time I made hotdog rolls, full size hamburger buns and slider buns as at a future time I will make ground lamb sliders with toppings like caramelized onion, Irish goat cheese, etc. Yum!

Hotdogs are not very popular in Ireland.  I found some in a jar,  but they looked nasty. The closest I could find are a hotdog type sausage from a fantastic butcher in Galway. It is a German recipe made right in their shop.

Here is the recipe for the buns...

Ingredients:

Ingredients are so simple!  Yeast is proofed. See how it's puffed.

2 Tbsp. Dry yeast
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Warm water (110 to   115 degrees--although I never test. Just use your finger. You want the water quite warm, but not so much that you burn your finger.)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used grape seed oil.)
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg (I used a duck egg because that's all I had on hand.)
1 tsp. Salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

Preparation:
In a large bowl,  dissolve  yeast in warm water. I like to add about a tsp. of sugar to make sure the yeast is good. This is called "proofing " or "blossoming" the yeast. If it puffs up it is good. If it doesn't, start over with new yeast. It will take only a few minutes to know if it's going to work.
Add oil and sugar;  let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; gently knead until smooth  and elastic; about 5 minutes. The recipe calls for dividing into 12 pieces for hamburger buns. If you do this your buns will be gigantic! This time I made 4 small hotdog buns; 8 slider buns and 7 regular hamburger buns. If you like big buns, go for it!
Place  3 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Cover and let rest 15 minutes.  Bake at 425 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. We tried one right from the oven slathered with butter so know they're ok! With our "hotdogs" we're having homemade Boston Baked Beans, coleslaw and potato salad.

SLAINTE FROM OUR IRISH HOME TO YOURS!

ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY AND TUNE IN SOON 
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