Italian food, travel & lifestyle
Summer days have slipped away and although I always look forward to the season change and all that it brings, thoughts of long sun filled afternoons make me a tad melancholy. The flavors and smells of freshly grown summer herbs are difficult to capture once the time has passed. The perfume of the lavender fields are an iconic symbol of summer and what better way recapture that image than with Lavender & Chocolate Biscotti….
Keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, here is another of our family favorites adapted from the gifted Gina DePalma of Babbo in Greenwich Village. If you are not familiar with this recipe, you are missing something extraordinary. In it’s simplicity, Pumpkin Cake with Rosemary or Torta di Zucca delivers the essence of a fall evening in the Italian countryside – comforting, straightforward, and satisfying. The ingredients couldn’t be more Italian – olive oil, rosemary, raisins, Grappa, pine nuts; pleasantly evoking something typically prepared by a loving Nonna using only what she had on hand….
Castagnaccio is a classic late Autumn cake of sorts traditionally from Tuscany made from the flour of dried chestnuts. Generally a rather dense cake typically baked in low sided copper pans customarily including olive oil, raisins, pine nuts, a bit of rosemary or any combination of these ingredients. Castagnaccio, as with any dishes relying on the chestnut harvest typified cucina povera. Make no mistake, Castagnaccio has a distinct rustic flavor and is not especially sweet, definitely not for the faint of heart. Chestnut Cake is my adaptation of Castagnaccio inspired by two of the late Gina De Palma’s recipes; my attempt to make this Tuscan classic a bit more approachable….
As we look forward to crisp evenings, toasty fires and Thanksgiving, I simply must share this recipe with you. I stumbled upon this dessert years ago when thumbing through Richard Sax’s wonderful cookbook, Classic Home Desserts. What originally attracted me to it was the incredible photograph of the Bosc pears, regally glistening in a baking pan. This stunning fall centerpiece is a wonderfully luscious way to end any meal. To make things even more perfect, Trattoria Pears are idea for vegan guests….
