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Baby it’s cold outside!

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The renowned Florentine bread soup

In the past, a chilly winter day in the countryside was often warmed up by a comforting pot of hot vegetable soup, known as ‘ribollita’ or ‘minestra di pane’ (bread soup). This traditional peasant dish, with its deep roots in the Middle Ages, was typically prepared in large batches on Fridays to be enjoyed over the weekend. The reason behind this practice was twofold: it ensured that the soup could be stored and consumed for several days, providing sustenance for the entire family. Moreover, the soup turned out even more flavorful the day after it was made. Initially, the soup was served with chunks of white Tuscan bread, which were dipped into it, creating the delightful combination of ‘minestra di pane’ (bread soup). The leftovers were then re-boiled the following day, resulting in the hearty ‘ribollita’ (re-boiled bread soup).

Ingredients: Cavolo nero

To this day, Tuscan bread soup remains the ideal way to keep warm during the cold season while simultaneously providing a nutritious boost of vegetables. Its perfect blend of carbohydrates, legumes, and vegetables makes it a wholesome choice.

 

The star of this dish, and the one that truly defines its character, is the Tuscan kale, also known as lancinato kale. It is an essential ingredient for an authentic taste, and it is impossible to call it ‘ribollita’ without it. We refer to it as ‘cavolo nero’ (translated as black cabbage), and it is a leafy, dark-green type of cabbage that is packed with over 50% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins A, C, and K. It is also rich in antioxidants and other essential nutrients, and it is remarkably low in calories. This super ingredient can be found in every Tuscan farmer’s orchard from November through spring. It is best enjoyed freshly picked during the cold season.

The recipe for Tuscan bread soup is a family heirloom that has been passed down through generations. It’s a simple yet delicious dish that fills your home with the comforting aroma of a special dinner.

 

Ingredients:

  • Extra virgin olive oil, freshly cold-pressed
  • 300 grams of dry borlotti beans
  • 400 grams of Tuscan kale
  • 3 carrots
  • 3 potatoes
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 twig of thyme
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 thick slices of Tuscan prosciutto pork ham

Method:

  1. In a large pot, heat a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil over a low flame. Add the prosciutto, carrots, celery, and chopped onion. Cover the pot and stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables, thyme, and beans.
  2. Make sure the vegetables are cut into small pieces to ensure a thick but not chunky soup. Pour in at least 1 liter of hot water and 3 four-fingered pinches of salt. Lower the flame and cook for at least 90 minutes, covered with a lid.
  3. Serve the soup piping hot, garnished with freshly ground pepper and chunks of Tuscan white bread. The bread can be dipped into the soup, lightly rubbed with garlic, and generously sprinkled with Tuscan extra virgin olive oil.

 

(Note) For the best flavor, let the soup sit in the refrigerator for a night. This allows the flavors to meld together beautifully. The next day, simply bring the entire pot to a boil and enjoy a warm bowl of delicious ribollita.

 

This Tuscan basic recipe is perfect for the season. Why not try it out and impress your family with a new and nutritious dish that will warm your winter holidays?

Oh, and remember: when you visit Italy during the summer months, don’t ask for a pot of ribollita. It’s definitely off season! Have a holly jolly winter everyone!

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L’Olio Novo

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The Tuscan Green Gold, from the farm to the fork!

Autumn isn’t just about roasting chestnuts and sipping red wine by the fireplace. There’s hardly any time to relax when you’re living in the Tuscan countryside. Therefore, between the golden autumn leaves and the first winter chill, as soon as we’re done with the vine harvest, we have to get our strength back and be ready for a new adventure: the olive harvest.

Like every other year, we start picking olives on our farm around mid-October, just before the first chills of November. Back in the day, they used to wait for the olives to be fully mature before harvesting. But the weather wasn’t always kind to crops in late autumn, so to protect them from the early frosts, people have traditionally developed the custom we all know today: harvesting olives earlier, even before they are fully ripe.

This tradition has become an essential part of our territory’s reputation worldwide, for it has given us a unique product of excellence: “l’olio novo” toscano (the freshly pressed Tuscan extravirgin olive oil). Unique because the chemical and organoleptic characteristics of the PDO extravirgin olive oil are mostly related to the climate of the growth area, which directly influences the quality of the phenols, the bitterness, and the sharpness of the taste.

The Harvest

Harvesting olives before they’re fully ripe means they still have a high level of polyphenols. Unfortunately, this means we get less product, but it’s exactly what we need to achieve that perfect balance of intense bitterness and peppery flavor, which is so characteristic of Tuscan extra virgin olive oil. However, the final taste of each batch also depends on many other factors, so it’s almost impossible to have two different productions with the same taste, even in the same area.

As we always do on our farm, harvesting olives is a group activity. Farming is a physically demanding job, and any extra help is always appreciated. Traditionally, during the olive harvest, close relatives, friends, or neighbors from nearby farms come together to lend a hand and spend some fun days outdoors, enjoying the stunning views of the Tuscan hills. Everyone participates in the process, and seeing the product go from the olive grove to the table is really exciting for everyone.

The day begins very early in the morning, with rubber boots, comfortable clothes, and tools of the trade, we head to our small olive grove and start picking up the little green-purple gems. What we love most is that our family still keeps the tradition alive from past generations, and a day of hard work on the farm can easily turn into a celebration. We love to bring back the old-fashioned charm of country living, just like our grandparents used to: understanding the importance of this moment, giving thanks for nature’s abundance, and sharing the sweat, laughter, food, and wine until the work is done! My grandfathers used to tell me about their harvest gatherings, describing those moments as the most important in a farmer’s life, for socializing and opening up with others about everyday life, by sharing the labor and the table.

Finally, the new oil

Our day of harvesting olives ends only after the sun sets, always following nature’s rhythm. Depending on how big the olive grove is, it might take anywhere from a day to a whole week to finish. So, we store the harvested pods in plastic boxes or on the cool, well-ventilated floor until we can take them to the mill for pressing, but usually not longer than 48 hours.

There are many mills around here. We take our harvest to a very old mill nearby that uses the traditional “cold pressing” method to get the best extra virgin olive oil. First, we wash the olives in cold water to remove as many leaves as possible. Then, we crush them together with a giant millstone and store them in stainless steel tins.

This is what we actually call “l’olio novo” (the new oil) here in Tuscany! It’s the freshly squeezed, unstrained, and unprocessed extra virgin olive oil that we all love. It’s the main ingredient in all our traditional dishes and is recommended worldwide for its well-known health benefits. We use it in our kitchens every day: drizzled fresh over a salad, cooked in most dishes, sometimes as a healthy substitute for butter in cakes, and even in the pan for a healthier fry. However, when it comes to the fruity; peppery; pungent freshly squeezed olive oil, the first thing that comes to mind is “la fettunta” (the greasy slice). This is Tuscany’s traditional, healthiest, and simplest dish ever, and the best way to enjoy the amazing flavor of “the new oil.”

As soon as we bring the “green gold” back home, we just can’t help but drizzle it on a piece of Tuscan toasted white bread (unsalted). Just like that, nothing else added, no other confusing ingredients, just our own special extra virgin olive oil… and this is when we realize that all the sweat and hard work was all worth it!

red-onion-certaldo

La Cipolla di Certaldo: the Sweet Red Onion of Certaldo

Nature, Personal Chef, Seasonal, Traditions, , , , , , ,

Back in the XIV century, Boccaccio, in one of his most famous stories from The Decameron (VI, 10), wrote about Certaldo.

This little story shows that Certaldo’s red onion has been known for ages, even before the middle ages! It’s a slow food product and a true treasure of our land, available in two types: Stantina, a round, purplish onion with juicy flesh that’s best enjoyed in the summer, and Vernina, a bright red and tangy onion that’s picked from late August through the winter and is a symbol of Certaldo.

“Certaldo, as you may have heard, is a castle of Val d’ Elsa situated in our county, which, however small it may be, was once inhabited by noblemenand men of substance; and thither, for that he found good pasture there, one of the friars of the order of St. Anthony was long used to resort once a year, to get in the alms bestowed by simpletons upon him and his brethren. His name was Fra Cipolla (Friar Onion) and he was gladly seen there, doubtless due as much to his name, as to other reasons, for thus it was known that the soil of those fields produces onions, that are famous throughout all Tuscany.”

But even before Giovanni Boccaccio’s Friar Onion, the red onion had already become a symbol of the hardworking, strong, and sweet nature of Certaldo’s people, and it was even on the town’s flag. It was on the white side of the two-tier shield, with the motto: “By nature, I am strong yet sweet, and everyone here likes me, those who work and those who sit.” But in 1633, the Priors in charge of the town thought the crest wasn’t good enough for their town and changed it to a lion. Later, in the XIX century, the city council brought back the original crest, which you can still see on our town’s flag today.

When you’re in Certaldo, don’t be surprised if you don’t see onions everywhere! Most farmers here grow their own for family use or to sell locally. If you’re on the hunt for these sweet red gems, your best bet is the weekly local markets on Wednesday and Saturday, or the annual Sagra della Cipolla (The Onions’ Festival).

We’re so proud of our local onions that we celebrate them every year with a week-long festival! It’s held in the old town of Certaldo Alto, usually around the end of August, when our farmers harvest the Vernina type. Every evening, we get together to enjoy the delicious dishes made with red onions, using recipes passed down through generations. People from all over come together, including locals, visitors, and even tourists, to feast on the good food and plenty of Chianti wine from our local producers, all while enjoying theater plays or themed performances.

The main goal of this event is to keep the old recipes and traditions alive, but we also want to look to the future. So, on the second-last day, the festival features a food competition between the town’s quarters, which is a preview of The Calambur: Certaldo’s medieval Palio, which will happen a few weeks later. Each quarter has to come up with a new and creative dish made with red onions. A committee of the public gets to taste and vote on the best recipe. This year’s competition is extra special because they have to create a dessert! I bet you’ve never thought of onions for dessert, but you might be surprised by the genius recipes and flavor combinations these people have come up with over the years.

They’ve evolved from simply making the usual soup, pasta, and meat dishes with red onions to pickling, canning, making jam and jelly, adding them to chutneys, sweet and salted pies, and even using them as homeopathic medicine, inspired by ancient remedies passed down from our grand-grand-parents. In essence, if you’re a big fan of red onions like we are, you can create almost anything with them!

At the Cooking School, we’re known for our most famous, handmade Red Onion Jam. It’s a family tradition that has been passed down through generations. It has a delightful bitter-sweet flavor and goes wonderfully with local pecorino cheese and salami, or Giuseppina’s special pork tenderloin in an old-style dry marinade… absolutely delicious!

If all this onion talk has captured your interest and you’re thinking of trying onions for dessert, here’s a special treat for you. This was created and shared by Carina, a friend of mine, and I’m telling you: if you’re into onions, you absolutely have to try this one!

Did we get you mouth-watering yet? Then here’s the recipe for you!

Red wine caramelized onions & dark chocolate tartlets

Slice up 2-3 sweet red onions from Certaldo and toss them into a pan with a tiny bit of unsalted butter and about 2-3 tablespoons of muscovado brown sugar. Cook it gently on low heat until it’s soft but not browned. Then, pour in a glass of Chianti red wine, sprinkle in a pinch of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, a few cardamom seeds, and some pink pepper granules (or any other spices you like). Let the liquid simmer until it’s mostly gone and the alcohol evaporates. Finally, add a chunk of dark chocolate. Let it sit for a bit, then get ready to make your favorite shortcrust pastry. The one I used had a nice rustic flavor because I mixed in half of the plain white flour with buckwheat flour. Blind-bake your pastry in a preheated oven, let it cool down before taking it out of the pan, and fill each pastry case with the caramelized onions. Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top and finish with goat cheese crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Have you tried this recipe? Share your photos in the comments below and tell us what you think!