Recipes (Page 4)

Cheesecake is an ancient part of Italian culinary tradition. Roman statesman Cato mentioned cheesecake in his second century B.C.E. De Re Rustica according to Alan Davidson in The Oxford Companion to Italian Food. It was a baked cake of cheese sweetened with honey and flavored with spices and dried fruit that Roman soldiers ate. Today, Rome’s torta alla ricotta sets the standard. Lighter than the New York style variety, Roman cheesecake derives richness from cream and a slight tang from freshly made ricotta cheese.Because of the soft consistency in its filling, cheesecake requires some type of crust. In the United States, we’re familiar with crushedRead More →

Olive oil cakes come in many forms. Light sponge cakes in which a small amount of olive oil helps tenderize the crumb or moist and slightly dense cakes where oil acts as a liquid fat to enrich the batter. What these cakes share are a few common elements, olive oil, a flavoring usually from citrus fruit, sugar and flour or a starch. In Tuscany, you’ll find such cakes perfumed with lemon or orange juice or a combination of the two. Grated zest too. Milk or yogurt might be added to moisten the dry ingredients or a sweet wine such as vin santo in its place.Read More →

Cooks and our Tuscan Women Cook nonne make focaccia their own, scattering spiny rosemary leaves, paper-thin slices of red onion, black and green olives, or cooked bitter greens over their dough. Some add rosemary, fennel, and other spices to the dough. In season, fresh zucchini blossoms may adorn the dough as well as any seasonal herbs including fennel fronds, marjoram, and oregano. During the grape harvest, cooks in the region prepare schiacciata con l’uva, a grape-filled sweet tort and focaccia’s cousin. It’s a not-to-be-missed treat when you visit in the fall.This recipe is from nonna Lara of Tenimenti Andreucci.Read More →