Petraia


    At La Petraia we don’t have cows.  The principal fats we produce are olive oil and lard.   I have found it possible to reproduce, with good results most butter based desserts and pastry using these two fats.  In this post I will discuss olive oil, which is an excellent choice for anyone…

  Capofreddo is the head cheese we make from our Cinta Senese pigs every winter.  Unlike our salt cured salumi products (salami, gota, rigatino, spalla and prosciutto), capofreddo belongs to the cooked salumi family which  includes mortadella and buristo, or blood sausage.  Because it is not cured or aged capofreddo is ready a day or two after it is…

Hello everyone and welcome to my new blog where I will try and post a weekly account of what I am cooking, growing, and most importantly what I am learning from La Petraia.  I will also share with you my stories of the places I travel to and the people I meet who inspire me….