Whether you are traveling to Tuscany or recreating the Tuscan experience at home; a little walk-though of the alimentary indulgences of the typical Florentine in a normal working day might prove informative, amusing or merely diverting.  As previously mentioned in “Italian Paradox,” it is common in Italy to eat frequently throught the day, just like all those health advisors and scientists tell you to do.  So let’s wake up on a weekday morning.

• Prima colazione-this is the “first breakfast,” this is NOT your grandmother’s breakfast.  A day typically begins with a coffee (espresso), a single brioche or croissant and perhaps a small glass of juice.
• Segunda colazione-the second breakfast is comparable to coffee break time in an American office.  There will be a second coffee and most likely a small panini, roughly half the size of a typical deli sandwich.
• Pranzo-for lunch either pasta or a sandwich, both with a small salad or piece of fruit are the most common choices. Lunch is also generally later than an American lunch, 1:30 is not unusual.
• Merenda-a snack, this is generally light and in the late afternoon, perhaps an orange, or maybe a small amount of cheese and some bread.
• Aperitivo-After work-this is generally a single light cocktail or glass of wine and nibbling on a wide array of snacks, at some places in Florence and Milan this is an art–and almost expanded into a full meal.
• Dinner-in a restaurant with friends this is generally three courses, slowly eaten, over lively conversation with lots of sharing and does not begin until 9pm. At home it will be only slightly less food, but generally will have a little prosciutto, cheese or something to begin; a dish of pasta or small meat portion and a little sweet something and coffee or tea to finish.  Did I say wine? You must have one glass of wine–it’s good for you!!

The coffees I have referred to are espressos, not six-ounce or Venti size coffees–if you had that many you might spill your wine.  Another note, when Italians consume sweets, which is fairly often, they are generally not overly sugary and are in fairly small quantities. A gelato serving, for instance is roughly the size of an old-fashioned tea-cup, but the gelato is rich. And creamy. And full of flavor. And ooooh so satisfying.

How do you most authentically recreate the relaxing, time-honored type of dinner Tuscans indulge in when going out to dine in your own home?  The first thing to consider is time.  A meal is not something rushed through prior to doing something else; it is paced slowly, so you can enjoy time with your friends and good food.  The discos don’t get any customers until 11 or 12 because before that everyone is still eating. You should allow a good 2-3 hours for a dinner like this, so Saturday or Sunday are probably the best nights to serve this.

The first course should generally be an antipasto; hopefully including some assorted crostini, fegato, pomodori or mushroom.  Some good prosciutto, salumi and some cheeses such as taleggio, Asiago or Gorgonzola are classic ways to start.  Most people eat a bit more slowly when they have a lot of different things to try so allow at least 20 minutes for people to really get a chance to enjoy and try everything.

For the primi piatti a simple pasta dish is the hands down favorite.  I recommend starting your water to boil when you serve the antipasto; this way your water is hot and ready to go, but there is no rush into the next course, all you have to do is turn the flame down and let your friends enjoy each other.  Unless you are using a sauce that must be made on the spot, it makes for much easier timing if you can make the sauce prior to your friends arriving and just warm it for serving–tomato sauces are perfect for this. And of course nice warm bread should be available throughout the meal.  A trick of my mother’s was to have bread remain on top of the stove wrapped in a warm towel, it stays warm and doesn’t dry out.

Most Italian meat dishes have a fairly short cooking time. If you have everying prepped beforehand you should not need to put the meat into the oven or onto a grill until you are serving the pasta.  Having as much prepared prior makes life sooooo much easier, and the night so much more relaxing for you and your friends.  Starting the vegetable when everyone has finished their pasta should make it ready at the same time as your meat, depending on the vegetable you chose, sauteed spinach is a great, quick option for this.

A little Panettone or biscotti with Vin Santo to finish, unless you have time to do a tiramisu, make a perfect ending.  And, of course, it goes without saying, wine, wine, wine.

If you are anything at all like me, one of the most appetizing aromas you can imagine is the smell of bacon sizzling in a skillet in the morning.  If that is not one of your favorite smells then skip this post, this is all about the pork.  Pork is extremely popular in Italy, and the array of preparations is truly mind-boggling.  I will date myself here and say I remember the days when not only was there a neighborhood butcher, but also a butcher in the supermarket.  I’m talking about a real butcher, with real meat, who can actually talk to you about what you are buying, not a guy who puts the prewrapped packages in the Safeway display.

In Italy, this is still extremely common.  And they love teaching people about it.  This is one tasty lesson to learn, and keep learning, because failure only means you must try again and eat more!!!  My favorite lesson is, hands down, prosciutto.  Prosciutto is to ham what Champagne is to a $5 dollar bottle of sparkling wine.  If you have not yet acquired a taste for prosciutto, I highly recommend adding it to your to-do list. True DOP prosciutto is a bit pricey when tariffs and shipping do those nasty things they do. But one great thing about prosciutto is that a little goes a long way.

Prosciutto is pork that has first been salted, pressed, washed and then left to dry and age and become the addicting taste sensation that “prosciutto crudo” is.  There is variation in the flavors of different prosciutto from different regions, whether nuttier like Prosciutto di Parma or sweeter like my personal favorite Prosciutto di San Daniele, which are both imported to most parts of the United States.  Prosciutto is sliced very thinly, think of an old school deli guy layering piece after piece of paper thin slices of pure heaven while you wait, this is not your grandmother’s ham.

Prosciutto can be used through almost every course of an Italian meal.  It is one of the most common things in a plate of antipasto and in the summer when melons are in season, wrapping slices of the melons with room-temperature prosciutto is one of the most popular appetizers.  In a pasta course it blends best with cream style sauces and vegetables.  If you combine a tagliatelle with prosciutto, cream sauce and asparagus you have a dish you will make again and again. In main course it is almost always used to accent the flavor of another meat.  My favorite of this type of combination is Saltimbocca “jumps in the mouth” a name that could not be more appropriate. Traditionally veal, but chicken is also common, layered with fresh sage, prosciutto a few splashes of Marsala and a touch of unsalted butter.  If you can’t find true prosciutto at a gourmet grocery store, and you don’t have a local Italian deli, then igourmet.com sells both the Prosciutto di Parma and the San Daniele.

In my continual quest for truth, beauty and eternal happiness….okay, not really, more like my continual quest for yummy things that satisfy my hedonistic nature, I found a beautiful website. I was first attracted to the beautiful photographs. I have a debilitating weakness for scenes of Tuscany and am a sucker for weddings and a well set table. So I was browsing through, and lo and behold, in addition to the typical setup of a website for accommodations in Tuscany with all the myriad of options, they have recipes.

I must admit, it is a small selection of recipes, but the quality so far has been superb. I have a strong leaning towards simple dishes that use a minimum of fresh, high quality ingredients where the flavors of each come through. The recipes, though limited in number, are ideally suited for this. I have been on a tiramisu quest since moving here. Having an Italian friend growing up whose mother did all the old-school type of cooking, including homemade pasta, spoiled me immensely and made me a critic at the age of 12. But I found my tiramisu. One point they emphasize that can not be overlooked is that the coffee must be strong. I love, love, love this.

I am shaking with anticipation at them adding more meat recipes, my canines can never get enough exercise and the quality of meat that you can buy in Tuscany is amazing. The tips listed for cooking Bistecca are spot-on, especially the “turn the steak on the fire only once”, if I can add to this NEVER press down on your meat while cooking, just those two tips will make a huge difference in the juiciness of your steak.

The only part of Tuscan cuisine that I don’t absolutely love is the vegetable preparation. My California roots favor minimal cooking for vegetables, preferably lightly baked or sautéed in olive oil, so the boiled vegetable thing just does not work for me (sorry Mom). The two vegetable recipes they had for veggies, surprisingly to me, actually suited me. I love cannellini beans; they have a comfort food quality to me that is similar to potatoes or polenta, and of course adding olive oil and tomatoes makes for a tasty combination. But OMG the fennel gratin, fennel is served regularly here, both in restaurants and at home, but this was by far, the best I have ever tasted it, absolutely perfect.
Do make sure to use unsalted butter and enjoy, I could have made a meal of just this.

Use the link or at the bottom of the homepage there was a link, the recipes aren’t the focus of the site and it was only by luck that I stumbled upon it. Live vicariously through those gorgeous photos too, even Tuscany doesn’t look like that at this time of year.

www.tuscandream.com/recipes.

When you begin to get that gnawing feelings in the pit of your stomach and you are walking around Florence and you know that no place really opens for dinner until 7:30 and your friends do not want to eat until 9:00, what do you do?

You could succumb to food designed for tourists if you are not near one of the very few decent restaurants that does not close between lunch and dinner. But it is doubtful if you would really enjoy that. A much better idea is to pick up a habit that is nearly a ritual in northern Italy, aperitivo. American Happy Hour is basically the red-headed step-child of aperitivo. In virtually every bar from roughly 6:00 until about 9:00 there will be an assortment of aperitivi for all of the customers. This can range from a place that with a 4€ glass of wine offers some chips, nuts and olives to places where a 14€ cocktail is accompanied by hand delivered small plates that turn food into art.

The concept is quite different from an American Happy Hour, and much more civilized. Most patrons have one or possibly two cocktails while slowly nibbling and sampling small tastes of the assorted offerings. It is a post-work pre-dinner ritual that whets the appetite just enough to keep you smiling and chatting with your friends while you wait for that 9:00 dinner reservation.

Most places will have in addition to all the normal bar selections a list of specialty cocktails and in most of the bars in Florence the price of a drink during aperitivo ranges from 7€-10€. Not bad considering some of the places offer an assortment of temptations that can easily destroy your appetite for dinner if you do not pace yourself.

The favored drinks for most Florentines are what would be defined as apertifs. Typically white wine, prosecco, bellini (best in the summer), Campari or Aperol and soda, and the ever present Negroni. Flavors meant to stimulate the appetite in readiness for dinner. It is a habit I can not recommend enough and hope you enjoy as well.