Spring. Its late and a little cool this year in Chianti but it has arrived. And like every year it is a little overwhelming! We’re busy getting things ship shape, inside and out, after a long winter. Yesterday we welcomed the firsts guests of the season, for a farm tour and lunch. I’m sorry I…
Petraia
It’s that time of the year again! Like every winter, this has been a busy one at Petraia. People are often surprised to learn most of the work on our farm is done in the winter. We have about 40,000 grape vines to prune by hand before bud break in early spring. A couple of…
I own four pressure cookers and if I was going to be stranded on a desert island I’d definitely want to have one of them with me. Probably it would be this small, easy-to-use version because it is always busy on top of my stove doing something. When I teach cooking classes I’m often surprised by how intimidating…
We’ve been making our signature CRACK since the day we opened at La Petraia. These addictive crackers have become quite popular over the years. I’ve shared the recipe with countless guests who now make their own at home and some people have even tried to persuade me to start a cracker business. I think this could…
I’m crazy about legumes. For years we have been growing our own and for years I’ve been saying its time to stop. They are relatively cheap to buy after all, and extremely labour intensive to grow. Especially because at Petraia we dry them on the plant and harvest each pod only when it is perfect. This…
Like all the baking I do this bread is semi-sweet and made with honey instead of sugar. It has just enough sweetness to highlight, not overwhelm all of the other ingredients. The result is a really interesting cake with complex and balanced flavors. I use honey because, unlike sugar, honey adds not just sweetness but flavor too. Especially if you choose a varietal honey like…
Verbier, Zermatt, Crans Montana, Davos, Klosters, Gstaad, Saint Moritz….. These are all famous Swiss alpine resorts, hangouts for the rich, the famous, and lots more. But Switzerland is littered with smaller resorts little known outside the country, or sometimes even their own Swiss canton. These places have much to offer anyone contemplating a winter alpine vacation. They are usually free of the…
Yesterday was a root day in the biodynamic calendar so we harvested the last of our beets, carrots, salsify, swedes, turnips and parsnips. The garden is pretty much empty now, ready for its winter rest. There is just enough hearty brassicas and some kale to sustain us till early spring. Yesterday we dug up roots…
Gelatin made from bone broth is one of the essential ingredients in my kitchen. I make mine using pork. Having raised pigs for years I’ve learned to appreciate the way pork gelatin enriches so many things. It adds body and hearty flavor to ragu, stews, anything braised. I use it to make my favorite head cheese…