I do not know if it is because we had an aunt with a peach tree when I was growing up, or whether it it because peaches peak right about the time the mercury busts out of the thermometer. But they are one of the perrenial symbols of summer. Their succulent juice dripping over your fingers as Mom sent us outside to eat them. She was no fool. Or when they are baked into any type of dessert dish, with the wonderful flavor and texture that combine so well with so many things.
Italians are known for their appreciation for fresh, in-season produce. And peaches are a close second to strawberries here for “Favorite Fruit of the Summer” award. This recipe happens to work really well for peaches that are slightly past their prime, and in fact is better than if the peaches were slightly hard.
INGREDIENTS
4 peaches, pitted and halved (peeled if you prefer)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp slivered almonds
2 Tbsp Amaretto or other almond liqueur
2 Tbsp dried currants
1 Tsp grated orange rind
candied orange rind or fresh mint to garnish
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter (unsalted) a 9×13 in baking pan and set the halved peaches sliced side up and bake for 20 minutes. Do not overbake, the will lose their shape and the texture will not give the intended contrast to the topping.
Stir together all remaining ingredients except the garnish, making sure that you use a high quality ricotta. The bargain versions have too high of a water content.
When the peaches come out of the oven scoop them into dessert dishes and layer with the topping and garnish.
A few twists: you can add chocolate chips, but I prefer the flavor combination without the chocolate. I also think the topping actually has a more integrated flavor if you make it a few hours in advance. Any leftover topping happens to work pretty well with fresh strawberries too, in case you run out of peaches.
If you have ever explored the historical centers of older Tuscan and Italian cities you know that there are an abundance of curvy cobblestone streets to get pleasantly lost on. Yes, after a couple years of living here I am still getting lost. But I find new places to eat when I am lost, so let’s call it Research and Exploration.
So I was again Researching and Exploring my adopted Tuscan home, and surprise the aroma of food called to me. It’s difficult here to not be called by the aroma of food, but this was in a new and unexplored piazza, Piazza Brunelleschi. Just a few minutes north of the Duomo.
I stumbled across a place that had recently opened and was setting up for aperitivo. Zona 15. On one of the sweltering Tuscan summer days they not only offered food, but oh, goodness was it nice and cool inside. A further benefit is that it is new and undiscovered by the hoards of aperitivo seekers.
There were just about a dozen people there. And the food kept coming. And coming. The owner made sure that everyone was completely taken care of. And the ice cold bellini in a chilled glass made for a refreshing treat after a day of traipsing around Florence.
At about 9pm more people started arriving. The nightclub vibe was beginning to emerge. By 10pm the food stopped and the DJ took over. The next time I stayed for the festivities for a while, and if you are looking for a place to have a snack, a cocktail and do a little dancing later you can’t go wrong. Pizzas, pastas and salads to begin with, delicious cocktails and a convenient location.
For those that have never been to Italy or never eaten authentic Italian style pizza fired in a wood oven, the switch to true Italian pizza can be a bit surprising. The pizzas at California Pizza Kitchen would outrage most Italians. If you try to ask for an New York style pizza or a Chicago style pizza you will get a strange quizzical look unless the pizzeria owner happens to have family in New York or Chicago. There are two different regional styles here, Roman style and Neapolitan or Napoli style.
What makes the differences are mostly the dough and the toppings. Dough is hand tossed here. Period. And it is tossed as thinly as angel wings for the Roman style. The Napoli style is a touch thicker than a New York style. You will only find thicker crusts in the pizzerias that sell slices by weight. Cuz then they make more money with the same amount of toppings. I have yet to find a deep dish style pizza in the Chicago tradition, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
You will not notice a significant difference in pizza sauce, except in the quantity, generally just enough is used to complement the flavors of the toppings. There will not be tomato sauce oozing all over your plate. There are also a significant amount of white pizzas. When the flavor of tomatoes does not blend well with the toppings the pizza will be sauceless, or very occasionally have a white sauce.
Toppings are the difference people tend to notice first. Yes, mozzerella is used, and in the better pizzerias they use a low water content mozzerella because the water doesn’t leach out and make the crust soggy. But, and this is a big but, the amount used is a lot less than anything you will see at Round Table or Pizza Hut. Far and away the most popular pizza is the margharita, tomato sauce, mozzerella and basil. Most pizzerias will have about 20 different types you can order. You will find pork products of every incarnation on pizza, pepperoni, sausage, prosciutto etc. You will also find anchovies, capers, mushrooms and most types of vegetables. You will find egg. Give it a shot, it’s actually quite good, anyone who likes a bacon and egg breakfast should try it at least once. If you are looking for BBQ sauce or chicken you will be looking for a long time.
Unless you are eating a thick slice from a by the slice pizzeria people here eat the pizza with a knife and fork, at least until getting to the outer crust. And most places do not slice the pizza, with the thinner crust it cools faster and slicing before it goes to the table makes it cool even faster. Drizzle some of the olive oil infused with peppers over your pizza if you are a fan of spicy food and you will be in pizza heaven
The other day I went around the corner to get some pizza and there were two American girls who spoke no Italian there and the owner doesn’t speak English. So I helped the girls order pizza and answered some questions for them about Florence/Tuscany/Italy and food/weather/men.
I realized after they left and I was still wolfing down an entire prosciutto and mushroom pizza that I had forgotten to explain the coffee differences. The expression on many faces when ordering coffee here are kind of comical for the uninitiated. Despite the fact that the Starbucks CEO got the inspiration for the idea from a trip to Italy and Italian coffee, the similarities pretty much end there.
First thing, you don’t go to a cafè or coffee shop, you go to a bar. Yes at 8am you head to a bar. The concept is different than in the US, yes they sell alcohol. But they sell waaaaay more coffee, maybe with a little alcohol in it as a corretto after a rough night. And, unless you are in a strictly neighborhood place there are two prices for your coffee. The first price is if you drink it standing at the bar and is roughly 0.80 euro for a caffè and up to perhaps 1.30 euro for a cappuccino. The second price is for using a table, and is usually about 3 euro. Don’t question this, “this is the Italian way.”
Second thing, 90% of what you get at Starbucks doesn’t exist here. The chances of finding anything resembling a frappuccino are about as high as finding ugly Italian shoes. Don’t be shocked. If you try to order a half caf half decaf nonfat anything you will receive a look generally reserved for people who have a penchant for jumping out of planes and off buildings.
What they do have. The coffee here is amazing. In four vacations and more than a year of living here I have had two bad cups of coffee. One in a “tourist only” place and the other on an incredibly busy Saturday night in a restaurant that normally has great coffee.
What you will find:
espresso caffè-espresso here is a newspaper
cappuccino cappuccino-and only before lunch
caffè latte caffè latte-don’t make the following mistake
latte milk-if you order a latte, you will get latte, milk, leche
macchiato macchiato-the same, caffè with a touch of milk
What you won’t find:
nonfat what? yes, the milk exists in the supermarket, but that’s about it
decaf same concept
huge servings there is one size, that is the size… the concept of a 20 oz coffee (venti=20) boggles
lots of ice for iced coffees, cokes, anything
Helpful words:
con ghiaccio with ice, they will do it, but it will only be two cubes
in vetro in the small glass cups
corretto for when you drank too much Chianti the night before
senza schiuma no foam
Lastly, it is possible to get coffee to go, “porta via” but it is unusual. Coffee is served at ideal drinking temperature and you will not see people walking around with cups of coffee. “Taking” a coffee is a chance to slow down for a moment and relax.
Yea, I know, but they are only 3,60 a kilo right now, a little over $2 a pound. Tastilicious and healthy. And this way they can make spinach seem like a dessert so you can’t go wrong with that, right? Plus, I never knew before that there were actually multiple varieties of strawberries. Pears, yes, potatoes, yes bla bla bla. But this multiple types of strawberries thing was a new one on me, so this is all “research” and fully calorically justified.
So let’s be educational first and then delectable. Strawberries are actually a good thing to munch on if you have a headache, they actually contain small amounts of acetylsalicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin. So if anyone asks why you are wolfing down a one pound container yourself and not sharing, just say you were out of Tylenol. The also, of course, have loads of vitamin C, one of the best known antioxidants there is. This is all in addition to being fabulously yummy.
This is a simple salad, but will get even the littlest tykes to eat spinach.
INGREDIENTS
Baby spinach
Strawberries
Ricotta cheese (high quality, the water should not be leeching out)
Candied pecans
Balsamic Vinegar
Marjoram
And, shocker, olive oil
pepper
DIRECTIONS
Take some olive oil and add some marjoram and if you are using dried let the mixture sit for an hour or so so it can absorb the oil. Take your baby spinach and make sure it is well washed and allowed to dry. Sprinkle over with crumbled ricotta cheese and candied pecans. Slice the strawberries over the top of the salad and drizzle with olive oil. Toss lightly, letting the oil and marjoram mixture coat the spinach leaves. Just before serving add a very slight drizzle of Balsamic, the flavor combination with the strawberries may surprise you pleasantly and have your kids actually enjoying some vegetables.
