AKA Thermomix. Along with my pressure cooker this is one of the most valued appliances in my kitchen. The thermomix is a machine that emulsifies and cooks at the same time. It’s a common fixture in European home and restaurant kitchens. Made by the international, German headquartered company Vorwerk, their website credits the…
As usual this time of year is our busiest. So much to do and we are more than a little behind thanks to a cold, wet winter. Planning our first menus of the season today I was inspired by a few things I found around the property. More than ever this spring I’m going to…
Thanks to everyone who has been following my new blog these past two months. So far, I’ve been having lots of fun posting and I promise to do my best to keep things up as our season begins in earnest in a few short weeks. Any feedback you would like to share…
Sadly, it’s over. Here is the last of this year’s citrus I ordered from an organic farm in Sicily a few days ago. The fruit was picked and shipped that same day. It won’t be until late next fall when the days get shorter and Christmas approaches that we will see this wonderful fruit…
Crystal clear and nutritient dense stock and broths in 45 minutes. White beans like zolfini and cannellini; black eyed peas and chick peas cooked to perfection in 20 to 30 minutes with no overnight soaking. Ragu, stews and braises in an hour. My pressure cooker is the most used appliance in my kitchen and…
It’s almost Easter, the days are getting longer and my hens, ducks, geese and quail are busy again laying lots of eggs after a slow winter. I’m busy too, making pickled eggs for the holidays which is an Easter tradition in my family. METHOD To make the pickling brine I combine our red wine vinegar…
Last year was my sixth year cooking for guests at La Petraia and we welcomed more dairy and wheat free diners than any other year previous. Probably more than all years combined. We also had more vegetarians and vegans. “Paleo” and “GAPS” became new words in our dietary lexicon and food sensitivity levels grew…
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…
Last spring we harvested our fava leaves along with their beans and we saved all of the shells from our peas. The fava leaves we used fresh in salads and in a spectacular fava leaf risotto which was a big hit with our guests. The surplus leaves we dehydrated along with the pea shells. I’ve…
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…