A Seasonal Focaccia - sweet bread with grapes

I cannot believe that it is the end of October already. Autumn has arrived sneakily with its colours, made a few carpets of leaves here and there, and almost taken them away with it. Halloween is tomorrow and then All Saints will mark a new month. I have always felt that grape is Autumn quintessential ingredient - together with figs, walnuts, and mushrooms. 

This sweet bread is one of those things that you need to know where to buy as otherwise it can be alluring at the look but deeply disappointing at the taste. And of course even better if you have a bit of time in your hands and decide to make it at home.

Soft amaretti - no more secrets

There is nothing more rewarding than hitting upon the right proportion of ingredients for one of your favourite things. Soft and sour amaretti are those sweets that you would eat one after the other, and as it takes only one bite to devour these little jewels it gets pretty difficult to keep a full jar for more than two days...our it's almost half empty and I do have restrained myself!

Maremma, Maremma!

Too often we underestimate what lays just a stone’s throw from us. I grew up in Tuscany and spent most of my summers on its coast. Maremma was the region that hosted all my swims, sun-tans, and afternoon ice creams and for years I simply took it for granted.  But only recently have I fully appreciated the beauties that this region offers to the curious traveller, a tourist who is in search of peace and old flavours. 

 

  

It is not surprising that the New York Times describes it as one of “the best destinations for those seeking nature, clean waters, and tranquillity”. Maremma is the wild heart of Tuscany, a region of melancholic beauty where white cows resting under olive and cypress trees and the butteri, the traditional shepherds, leading herds of buffalos along gentle sand dunes, and among pine trees and chestnut woods. Those who are able to ride can even join them at dawn and watch them working.

Dining al fresco

...and another summer is almost gone! To tell you the truth I am not entirely sure we even had one this year. June and July have been wet and windy and August has mixed some sunny muggy days with rain and clouds. I knew I should have planned a Spring baby and fly away a few months after! Lesson learnt for the next one!

In the meantime though I don't miss any opportunity to sit in the garden and enjoy a glimpse of sun. This lunch we put together at the last minute opened a window onto a luminous pier we were strolling along this time last year in Liguria, enjoying the singing of the seagulls and the screams of children running for their third ice cream of the day.

Linguine con le cozze is a "must" in our family in the Summer. And it is not the mussels cooked in the French style; oh no, they are as simple as possible with just those few ingredients that enhance the smell and taste of salt and sea. I can almost hear the waves crushing against the rocks.

  

Perfumes of Lavender

It is certain that if I say lavender you automatically think of the south of France. Fields of purple waves touched by warm sun and busy bees. True that even the word itself derives from Old French lavandre and that therefore this association would not seem entirely wrong. However, also England can claim a large handkerchief of its land of this blue flower that fills up the air with its pungent and distinct smell.

And here goes also with its uses. Added to sage, rosemary and thyme it enriches the meat of a chicken roasted in the oven or, if the temperature dictates, on the barbeque. Mixed to the flour it makes some classic scones a surprise to enjoy for a truly Summer tea. And like in this case, infused to milk transform some banal cupcakes to something new.

Cherries Part III: chocolate cake

This is the last post on cherries. I did promise to give you a sample of what you can do with cherries, if you have been lucky enough to have some either from your own garden or a kind neighbour/friend who had too many and didn't know what to do with them.

I seemed to manage to post the focaccia recipe just in time before contractions started and had to dash to hospital waiting for our little son to arrive - he did eventually 12 hours later...I promise he wasn't late because of the fear of facing more cherries! Shame he won't have the chance to have a taste of it...a few more months!

Cherries Part II: sweet focaccia

As I promised in my previous post, I want to share with you this very simple recipe that uses the many cherries - if you have been lucky to have an abundant harvest (or have a generous friend) - you might have in your hands (literally, considering how messy they can be!).

Time for cherries

We seem to have the good year for cherries. I have in fact discovered that fruit trees only give their beautiful products every other year. That's good to know.

Having managed to shoo away the various birds from the lowest branches, last weekend I dedicated an entire afternoon to pick our red and juicy cherries. I think the division with our fellow birds has been fair - they had the upper branches, we had the lower ones.

Chocolate salame to indulge yourself

Where does time go? I wonder whether it is my impression or it seems to disappear. Some time ago a friend gave me a book entitled "Why time speeds up when you get older"; perhaps that might give me the answer - I am getting older every year I add an extra candle to the birthday cake. 

But I realize that I had promised you to give a full menu from one of my secret suppers; it started well but we seem to have skipped to pudding all the way from starter!....Well, I hope you'll forgive me. I'll fill up the gaps later on.

This is not a cake to have at one's birthday, but for sure a real treat, something you can indulge your friend with at the end of relaxed and chatty evening, with a cup of Italian coffee or a glass of sweet wine. And I assure you, a slice follows another!

An (almost) mid-summer night dinner

The weather gifted us with a glorious weekend last week. It was real Summer. I spent three days bare foot, eating ice cream, and dozing on the deck chair in the garden. But as I am sure a number of people complaint because of the heat, it decided to take everything back and make us plunge once more in the midst of Autumn...this evening I've worn my coat again. Cold and rain characterize again our days so much so that our glimpse of Summer was a dream - a mid-summer night dream....

Fingers crossed for more Summer to come.