Arista -Tuscan-style roast pork
this is one of the classic tuscan roast meat dishes, herby and succulent.
Pasta and bean soup
Since Italian cuisine is so regional, there are dozens of versions of this delicious, hearty soup. In Tuscany, white cannellini beans are used.
Sugo finto – A meatless ragu
This is a poor man’s meat sauce: the vegetables are cut finely to simulate a ground beef texture and the result is very tasty indeed.
Stuffed artichokes
You can use the filling here to fill other vegetables, such as peppers, zucchini etc.
Slow-cooked green beans in a tomato sauce
This is a signature dish of the late great Mario, the multitalented father of Tina who used to be one of our amazing instructors at our cooking classes in Italy. You may say that you like your green beans to be firm and crunchy, but after tasting this dish you may also appreciate their sweet, melt-in-the-mouth quality when slow cooked.
Torta salata di verdure – Italian vegetable quiche
Use what you have around! Italians love quiches and love using all sorts of leftovers in them. A classic is sautéd spinach with plenty of nutmeg.
Pollo ai semi di finocchio
Chicken with fennel seeds
An aromatic, original twist on a simple dish.
Zuppa inglese
This dessert often gets translated as “trifle”. It is a layered dessert like trifle, but is as far as one can get from the jelly and sherry of British offerings.
Polpettine di patate
Tuscan potato croquettes
The flavours of the nutmeg, garlic and parsley really stand out in this simple peasant side dish/appetizer.
Fennel gratin
A simple yet delicious way to prepare this nutritious and aromatic vegetable.
Cardoons in a tomato sauce
Cardoon grows everywhere and is from the same family as the artichoke and as well as being nutritious (plenty of potassium, calcium and iron) is incredibly tasty.
Cecina – Baked chickpea pancake
There are versions of this all the way up to the French Riviera. In Livorno (Leghorn) it is served as an energy-packed sandwich.