Winter Lunch Lasagne

Winter weather in Tuscany usually involves a lot of rain, fog, and chilly days.  Occasionally it will snow, but normally the snow doesn't stick around very long.  I prefer to just see it adorning the mountain tops several kilometers away!

Snow on the mountains above Florence

One part of winter that I adore is all of the heartier meals that are prepared!  Comfort food at it's best!  Roasts, stews, and soups all prepared to fill the belly and warm the soul.

Lasagne, ready to pop into the oven

Lasagne  is one of my favorite treats to make and enjoy during the winter months.  We don't eat it often, but it is a wonderfully nice treat to have on occasion when the weather is chilly!  Plus, if you need to feed a crowd, it's perfect.

This is not the lasagne that you may be used to finding in Italian restaurants in the US.  There is no mozzarella or ricotta cheeses.  Instead, the traditional recipe uses a besciamella sauce (which you may know as béchamel or "white sauce"),  Simone and I created this recipe last winter when we wanted to have lasagne for lunch, but didn't want to pay for the pre-made stuff at the supermarket.  It's our take on traditional lasagne.

Simone was proud of our creation!

You'll notice that the word "slowly" is used quite a lot in the recipe, especially in the instructions on how to make the ragù (meat sauce).  It is really important that you take your time when you cook the sauces in order to get the correct consistency and flavor.  If there is one thing I've learned when it comes to cooking traditional Italian food, it's to not be in a hurry!  Believe me, it is well worth the time spent!

Lasagne, fresh from the oven

Lasagne

1 package lasagne pasta 
200 grams (or so) grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (approximately 1 1/2 cups, or so)

For the ragù:
Extra-virgin olive oil (about 4 Tablespoons)
500 g (about 1 lb) ground beef
1 carrot, finely minced
1 rib of celery, finely minced
1 onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 glass red wine (we use Chianti)
salt and pepper, to taste

For the besciamella:
750 ml (a little over 3 cups) milk 
75 g (about 3/4 stick) butter, cut into pieces
75 g (a little under 3/4 cup) flour
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt

For the ragù:
In a large pan over low heat, very slowly cook the carrot, celery, onion, garlic in about 4 Tablespoons olive oil until soft.  Stir in the tomatoes and let simmer.  Meanwhile in another pan, slowly cook the ground beef, stirring frequently until browned and finely crumbled.  Drain the fat and then stir the meat into the tomato sauce.  Add the glass of wine and let slowly simmer, partially covered for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the besciamella:
Over low heat, melt the butter in a saucepan.  Stir in the flour (I usually use a very small whisk) and let cook for a for a few minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the milk with a wooden spoon, mixing well.  Return the pan to the burner and let cook over low heat until it begins to boil, then stir in the salt and nutmeg.  Cover the saucepan with a lid and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

For the lasagne:
About the pasta:  Barilla makes an oven-ready lasagne noodle that I have found in the US.  If you use these, you don't have to pre-cook the pasta at all.  If it is the regular dried variety, cook it in boiling salted water until almost al dente, then drain (Simone then likes to rinse the lasagne noodles with cool water in order to help it to not stick together).

Drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom of a lasagne pan, then spread some of the meat sauce over top (I just use a big spoonful, which is probably around 1/2 - 2/3 of a cup).  Then layer as follows:
1. pasta
2. besciamella
3. ragù
4. parmigiano reggiano (a generous portion)

Usually we make 3 - 4 layers.  End with the parmigiano reggiano and then bake in a pre-heated 160°C / 325 °F oven for around 50-60 minutes.  When it is done, it's surface will be beautifully golden in color.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into slices.

Buon appetito!

The Tuscan Diet - Vegetables

The ancient Etruscans were incredible people.  They had an amazing sense of engineering, geology, and agriculture/land development.  Archaeologists discovered that around 700 BC, the Etruscans had developed drainage and irrigation of the land, which led to bountiful groves, fields and gardens.

Needless to say, vegetables remain as a large and important part of the Tuscan diet to this day.

A vegetable vendor at the Mercato Centrale in Florence

Full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, there is no denying that vegetables should be a major part of your diet.

Tuscan zucchini

A multitude of different vegetables can be found in the markets in Tuscany.  Some of my favorites are zucchini, melanzane (eggplant), cavolo nero (black kale), carciofi (artichokes), cardi (cardoons), asperagi (asparagus), peperoni (peppers), and spinaci (spinach).  Admittedly, I am a big fan of veggies!

Cardi (cardoons) cut up and ready to be cooked

Buying the freshest possible produce is important, so sticking with buying things that are in season is something I try to do.  Of course what is in season where you live may be different from what is in season where I live, so if you would like to find out when the best time of year to buy vegetables in your area, then do an internet search for seasonal vegetables in your area.

Cavolo Nero (black or lacinato kale)

I could go on and on about the different vegetables - what to look for in buying fresh produce, how to store and prepare them - but then this post would end up being entirely too long!  (In future posts, I may try to feature a vegetable now and then in order to give more specific information and how to prepare it.)

A good recipe using a lot of different vegetables is Minestrone.  The beans and the pasta in the soup make it quite filling.  It's very flavorful and makes a really great meal on a cold winter's day!

Minestrone

4 or 5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 oz. diced pancetta
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/2 pound yellow potatoes, peeled and diced
1 diced carrot
1/2 pound cavolo nero (black or lacinato kale), chopped
1 diced celery stalk
1 head of lettuce, chopped
2 or 3 small diced zucchini
1/4 pound string beans
2 or 3 ripe plum or roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
beef broth
1/2 pound short pasta (I use ditalini)

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.  Saute the pancetta, onion and basil.  Add all vegetables except tomatoes.  Salt and pepper to taste, cover and let cook for 10 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and beans, and enough broth to cover everything.  Cook slowly for 2 hours, covered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.  Add more broth or water as needed.
After 2 hours, add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes.  When pasta is done, the soup is ready to eat.  Serve hot, drizzled with a little extra-virgin olive oil.

New Year's Eve Traditions in Tuscany

Like much of the world, Tuscany views New Year's Eve as a great reason to throw a party.  Food, drink, music and fireworks are found all across the region...and the country!  In Florence, there are several free concerts going on, as usual.  This year, Max Pezzali (a famous Italian pop star) will be performing in Piazza Santa Maria Novella (for free)!  (The video below is the video for the song "Sempre Noi", where Max sings with Italian rapper, J-Ax)

Fireworks WILL be happening at midnight in just about every town, along with loud firecrackers.  If you're in Italy at midnight on New Year's, you might think that you are in a war zone with all of the pop-pop-popping going on!

Most every nightclub will have loud parties filled with dancing and various alcoholic beverages, but if you're like me and don't like crowds, a quiet celebration at home or shared with a small group of friends is more up your alley.  You can easily put together a nice little party and include some Tuscan influences.

For the New Year's toast, serve some spumanti or prosecco (or both!).  You can find these sparkling wines at most good groceries or wine shops.  Toast to the new year by saying something along the lines of "anno nuovo, vita nuova" - new year, new life!  A great way to herald in a new start to a new year and a new way of life!

Of course, any good festa includes a lot of good food.  For La Festa di San Silvestro, which is what is celebrated on New Year's Eve in Italy, the star of the show is cotechino and lentils, which are eaten for good luck in the coming year.

Cotechino is a boiled sausage and is rather fatty, so I tend to only splurge on it once a year.  You may not be able to find it at your local supermarket, but it can be found available on Amazon.com.

The lentils are prepared rather simply and are extremely delicious!  Here's a recipe for the lentils that we make each year.  Sometimes we add tomato, sometimes we add sage, but this is our basic "go-to" version.

Basic Lentils

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion
1 medium carrot
1 celery stalk
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 cup lentils
1 bay leaf
Salt
Pepper

Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery.  Smash and peel the clove of garlic.  Heat a small amount (around 2 Tablespoons or so) of olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the vegetables.  Cook a few minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft.  Add the lentils and bay leaf and cover with water (about 1 inch or so above the lentils).  Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to medium-low.  Continue to simmer gently, stirring every so often.  (If you're cooking a cotechino, you can add a little bit of that water as well in order to help flavor it.)  Cook for about 30-40 minutes, adding more water if needed along the way.  Drain any remaining water from the pan when done and remove the garlic clove and the bay leaf.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.


Buon nuovo anno a tutti!  Happy New Year to all!  May the coming year bring much happiness, prosperity and good health.

And I hope that one of your resolutions is to put a little Tuscany into your life!

La Vita è Bella!

A new year, a new blog!  

I have enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) writing all about my adventures in Italy in Un Cuore Scalzo - My Adventures in Italy, but I realized that I wanted to do something more than just share my Italian experiences. I have learned so much over the past several years as far as the Tuscan way of life by being in Tuscany and also from my better half, Simone, who happens to BE a Tuscan. 

Simone and me in December 2011 at Parco delle Cascine in Florence.
We really do need to take a more current picture one of these days!

My life has vastly improved by adopting a Tuscan lifestyle.  I'm healthier and happier!  And the great thing about it is that anyone can incorporate elements of it into their own life, no matter where they live!  Sure, you may not be able to look out of your kitchen window and see rolling hills with cypress trees, olive trees and grape vines, but you can adopt a Tuscan diet, add some of their traditions, etc.  

One of my favorite ways to exercise - walking in an olive orchard!

With this blog, I plan to share recipes, traditions, decor ideas, etc.  Basically, if it's Tuscan, I hope to share it with you here! 

I hope you will enjoy learning about the Tuscan way of life, as seen from my and my Tuscan's point of view!