Bean and Escarole Soup (or Crostini)
You can serve small quantities of this Tuscan bean dish on crostini, as an appetizer, or larger quantities as a hearty soup.
Entries by Riccardo
Minestrone alla Genovese ~ Silky vegetable soup with basil pesto
This soup is almost too solid to be called a soup. Its flavours are very rich, with the mushrooms and basil really adding a great depth of flavour.
Minestrone ~ Tuscan Vegetable Soup
The distinctive taste of this soup comes from the cavolo nero (“black cabbage”). This has recently been popularized by chefs such as Jamie Oliver and is now available in many farmers’ markets.
Dairy-free carrot cake
Hardly a dieter’s cake – the 5 eggs probably make up for any points you gain by not having dairy, but light nonetheless.
Fruit Bavaroise
This is a great summer dessert which is light, fruity, fresh and refreshing!
Focaccia with cherry tomatoes and oregano
An easy but unusual focaccia recipe which makes a rustic-textured, half wholewheat bread. Ideal to eat with cheeses and salad.
Rustic Focaccia
An easy but unusual focaccia recipe which makes a rustic-textured, half wholewheat bread. Ideal to eat with cheeses and salad.
Pasta with broccoli
This is a quick, healthy and tasty dish originally from southern Italy which has many possible variations (some add anchovies, some boil the broccoli in the pasta water etc).
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.
Small Onions in a Balsamic Vinegar Reduction
Your guests will be fighting over these tangy onions! Remember to provide plenty of bread to mop up the delicious caramelized sauce coating them. At our cooking school in Tuscany, this side dish is one of the biggest hits!