A Tuscan Treat

I have just returned from the most divine trip to Tuscany, a special treat from a dear friend in advance of a major birthday milestone. She has a lovely converted farmhouse near Gaiole-in-Chianti, where four of us met up for almost a week of delicious food, fine wines and much laughter and merriment. We were without our partners. It rained all week, often in torrential floods, but none of us noticed; we were too busy giggling and reminiscing about times old and new. It seemed as though the sun shone down on us every minute of every fun packed day.

The highlights of the trip were a visit to Arezzo to see the beautifully restored Piero della Francesca frescoes in the Cappella Maggiore in the church of San Francesco, and, of course, the glory that is Florence. But, best of all, was a day's cooking class with the amazing Orsa Pellion di Persano, a well known Italian food writer, anthropologist and proprietor of a famous Tuscan cookery school at Borgo Personatina. It was a surprise, and extremely generous, early birthday gift from Helen. Orsa came to L'Aiaccia laden with fresh produce and implements to instruct the four of us in her own unique style of traditional Tuscan cooking. She is an expert in her field and has spent many years researching the culture of Italian food, which she documents in her lovely, and very original, cookery book, 'Lessons in a Tuscan Kitchen'.

I was in seventh heaven! There is nothing that I enjoy more than spending time with people who are interested in the history and culture of food. It is what makes us different and the essence of who we are. It tells the story of the movements of humankind across the globe, of the men who sailed the ships to faraway lands and the women who sought to grow and preserve what they eventually brought home. Along with language, it tells the story of our past. Bread came with the Romans, who had captured Greek bakers as slaves when Rome destroyed the Persian armies. Rice came with the Arab invaders in the 5th century and pasta was born of the need to preserve a flour and water dough, possibly from China. Polenta may have come from the Americas, or, much earlier, from the Euphrates basin.

Someone once said [quoted by Rick Stein in his book, 'Mediterranean Escapes'], "In France food is all about the genius of cooks; in Italy it's about the glory of God." As someone who loves French food and French cookery, I totally understand the sentiment. Much of French food, as we now know and understand it, has devolved from the out of work chefs displaced by the horrors of the French Revolution, when their grand masters lost their heads or their incomes. They set up restaurants to replace their lost revenues and the culinary traditions of the great houses [many influenced by the Italian, Catherine de Medici!] were passed on into the canon that has become 'la cusine francaise'.

Of course there is a peasant cuisine in France, glorified in the twentieth century by writers like Elizabeth David and Elizabeth Luard. Here in the Ariege, there is little that is grand in our local cuisine. Michelin stars are sadly missing from our maps. Here it is the exception that proves the rule. In Italy, it seems to me, 'la cucina povera' is the rule. The food traditions of Italy are all about making the very best of the best ingredients, to feed a family or a restaurant. What you eat when you go out to dinner in Italy is, generally, not so very different from what you might eat at home. In France, when we go out, we eat something that shows off the skills of the chef. Lesser ingredients are often reassembled with finesse to make a stunning dish. No French chef would dream of serving a dish of wild greens sprinkled with olive oil and lemon juice or a simple salad of stale bread and tomatoes!

We made five dishes with Orsa. The first was a torta di ricotta cake, in honour of my birthday, a really simple but delicious cake. Then we made a delicious terrina di melanzane [aubergine terrine], which would make either a great starter or vegetable side dish. Next we made gnocchi di patate [potato gnocchi], which was so far removed from the insipid supermarket pre-packaged variety that it would be impossible ever to eat anything but the real thing again. Gnocchi are very easy to make and a great way to use up all those surplus potatoes that always seem to clutter the vegetable basket. As an accompaniment to the gnocchi, we made the most fabulous pink pesto sauce, pesto Trapanese, a Sicilian take on the traditional Genovese basil and pine nut pesto. Finally, we made calamari ripieni [stuffed squid], which elevates a simple supper dish to the sublime.

TERRINA DI MELANZANE*

Serves 6

3 aubergines
2 mozzarella
basil and mint leaves cut into fine shreds
2 tbs breadcrumbs
salt and peeper to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Bake the aubergine in a pre-heated oven [200C fan, 220C regular] until browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. When the aubergine is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh taking care not to damage the skin. Oil 6 ramekins and dress inside with the skins of the aubergine, shiny side on the outside. Chop the aubergine flesh roughly and drain of surplus liquid, cut the mozzarella into strips, and mix in a bowl with the basil, mint, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place the ramekins in the pre-heated oven and heat through for about 15 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Turn out onto a plate. Decorate with a basil leaf and a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.


GNOCCHI DI PATATE*

1 kg potatoes
250g flour
salt
white flour for dusting

Boil the potatoes gently with a tablespoon of coarse salt with their skins on. Do not allow the skins to break. Drain and peel immediately. The potatoes should be dry and flaky. Pass the potatoes through a food mill as soon as they are able to be handled and knead in the flour a little at a time.

Divide the dough into 4 parts, then roll into a snake. Cut into diagonal pieces of 2 -3 cms. Leave them to dry on a tea towel that has been dusted with flour [or a mixture of flour and semolina].

Boil the gnocchi in salted water, 15 -20 at a time, and when they rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon. Serve immediately with a pesto or ragu sauce.


PESTO TRAPANESE*

Sicilian Pink Pesto Sauce

3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 tbs toasted almonds
1 tbs salted capers
4 tomatoes
salt and pepper
half a cup of extra virgin olive oil
quarter of a cup of Dry Pecorino cheese, grated

Peel and chop the garlic. Wash, dry and remove the stems from the fresh basil. Grate the Pecorino cheese.

Add the garlic to the food processor and mince. Add the basil leaves, tomatoes, almonds, salt and pepper. While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all the ingredients are pureed. Add the Pecorino and mix in to the rest of the mixture. If the pesto is too thick, add more oil.

Serve with the gnocchi, or trenette, linguine or tagliatelle pasta.

* All recipes Copyright 2011 by Orsa Pellion di Persano.
'Lessons in a Tuscan Kitchen; Recipes from Borgo Personata', 2009, by June Bellamy and Orsa Pellion di Persano

We ate our way through our lovingly produced fare, sitting on Helen's lovely terrace overlooking a lavender garden in full bloom. Later, replete with too much good food and wine, watching the fireflies dancing in the moonlight, we pondered the simple pleasures of life. Food, wine and friends [and, because we were in Italy, Verdi in the background]; who needs anything more? I shall be back at Bardies soon, to experiment with the ripening produce from my 'potager', but I suspect that much of what I produce will show the cultural influences of my life long love affair with Italy. There is no getting away from it. I am wedded to French food but Italy has become my mistress! Well, at least for a summer.....Bella Toscana!