Archive for 'Food and Wine'

Chef cook Roberto at Il Silene restaurant in Pescina (Seggiano) is contacting us to inform us that on November 4, 2011 at 20.30 hrs he has organized an interesting dinner tasting program together with some very important producers of Prosecco like Teobaldo Rivella with his “Montestefano” and Loris Folladore for “Casa Coste Piane”.

Imagine, the only VALDOBBIADENE Prosecco producer working with the natural method producing a truly exceptional Prosecco and you can drink it again and again since it has this natural effervescent ! Of course the producers will attend the dinner and will be happy to reply to all your questions.

The cost will be € 80.00 per person INCLUDING WINE, reservation is required since the restaurant is not that big and there will be many …. glasses…

Contact Il Silene directly for reservations.

Pici is a thick type of spaghetti, you should really try to make them yourself but also the fresh type sold in the supermarkets will do the job !


For the ragù sauce you need:
olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 or 3 gloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 bay leaves
a sprig of fresh rosemary
500 gr minced beef or veal
4 x 400 gr tins of plum tomatoes
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese for grating on top !

Heat a big saucepan, add the olive oil and the chopped onion and garlic and cook slowly for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the bay leaves, rosemary, minced beef or veal and the tomatoes. Stir well and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down ans simmer gently for 2 hours with lid on the pan (this is the secret: so no less than 2 hours…). In case the sauce starts to stick at any point, add a splash of hot water and stir well. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Fish out the bay leaves and rosemary sprig and after draining the past stir the Pici into the hot ragù sauce. Serve with lots of freshly grated Parmesan… Heaven.

Every region in every country has its own traditional recipe so it comes as no surprise that Tuscany has its own fantastic traditional recipe for bread.

It is said that in 1100 the Pisans blocked the salt trade into Florence due to a dispute and so the people continued to make bread, but without salt!

This practice, which has its roots in poverty, has continued over the centuries because the tasty food of this land goes well with the plain bread. This bread is actually famous throughout Italy for being ‘Sciocco’ which is the Tuscan dialect for ‘unsalted’.

If you’re going to be in Tuscany for a week and you have a passion for cooking, I strongly suggest you book a one day cooking class. You’ll be amazed at how much you can learn in a day from a professional chef. If you’re travelling with a group, a cooking class can be a great group participation event.

In the coming weeks we'll highlight some cooking class locations throughout Tuscany. Today I'd like to introduce the cooking classes held at Ristorante Malborghetto located in Gaiole in Chianti. The lessons are held at the restaurant in the morning before lunch service starts. The meals you cook are based on the wishes of the participants, each meal includes four courses, an appetizer, homemade pasta, main course and dessert. The participants share the food they cook along with a selected wine for each course.

Today we'd like to introduce you to a language, cultural and culinary school located in Siena, Italy called Dante Alighieri.  They have submitted this article as an introduction to the courses they offer.  If you're considering a cooking or language class while visiting Tuscany, we highly recommend you read this article to learn more about Danta Alighieri.