The Mint Shop

The Mint Shop

Monday 29 August 2011

A Panzanella in Chianti



Every time that I go back home (my other home, in Tuscany) I find myself astonished by the beauty of my birth region. Everything is drawn together in such a harmonious way that one cannot doubt the presence of a divine painter brushing colour with care and skills.

Monday 15 August 2011

Unexpected Livorno


It is really true: never judge at first glance. This applies to people, food and places. And this is what happened to us in Livorno. I suppose that wandering in the rain without a map and dragging our luggage did not help...

Wednesday 10 August 2011

Liguria - Food Heaven


Except for its pesto, many people may not know that Liguria is a real gourmet place. At every corner you find a bakery with the most inviting delicacies, both sweet and savoury. And patisseries that crop up almost at every street with alluring cakes and pastries...ah! I really don't know how locals keep fit. Or perhaps I do... the hills!

Monday 8 August 2011

The true pesto "alla Genovese"



It is really true that secrets can only be discovered with the locals.

I have always loved pesto but often found it difficult to forget (= *digest*). It was all that raw chopped garlic that you could not even to dodge (having become invisible in the mix) that only "les Gaulois" or Vampires could enjoy.

It took me a trip to Genoa to find the answer.