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Heirloom beans from Lucca (Tuscany) Read more…

ABOUT

ABOUT

Curious Appetite is a Gourmet Blog by Coral Sisk, Italian-American writer, certified Italian sommelier & culinary tourism specialist from Seattle living in Florence, Italy


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Oh hello Italian summer! Some finds from what I’ Oh hello Italian summer! Some finds from what I’d call the happiest place on earth (Florence’s Sant’Ambrogio food market) and some dishes I’ve been playing with. _ 1st is the white eggplant cooked in good oil, garlic, tomato, with some sausage, fresh basil with ricotta crumbled atop. 2nd is a zucchini flower “pasta” with garlic, oil and a touch of chili. Instead of tagliatelle, I used Japanese shirataki noodles (starch-free made from konjac) and 3rd are bocconcini di pollo (chicken bites) with steamed taccole green flatbeans dressed in fresh lemon juice, maldon smoked salt, cracked pepper and good oil. _ I may have mentioned having switched to a low-carb diet about 18 months ago (ciao, 20 kilos!!!) and I love it because a. I can still have wine lol (not going bananas here!) but mostly of all the vegetables since no matter what diet should always be centerpiece. _ Blogs might be dead (are they?) but I still update mine, including a recipe and some food for thought just posted (link in bio). _ What would be some recipes you’d make with this veg spread? 🍅🍆🍋#curiousappetite #cookinginflorence
193612874 things I love about Tuscany is researchi 193612874 things I love about Tuscany is researching new tours (taking advantage of all this free time!) with friends like Tommaso @florencesidecartour who share a love for getting out into wine country and spending time with salt of the earth producers like Vigliano who make gorgeous, organic, terroir-driven natural wines I’m totally in love with. As you can see! _ They make a super fresh/cherry-light Sangiovese which drinks beautifully chilled and an unfiltered orange (skin-contact) wine from Trebbiano which zips with bright complexity (nutty lemon minerality with touch of caramel) and can pair with pretty much any dish you can dream of. _ Chefs kiss to the simple pane toscano bruschetta made with tomatoes plucked from their garden doused in their own olive oil and dessert of fresh picked plums. _ Tuscany, I 💚you #curiousappetite #florencesidecartour #winetasting 🍷 _ When you can travel again, revisit this bookmark for a gourmet wine tour by sidecar (DM for details!) and if you can’t wait- let’s do an online tasting together (info via link in bio/curiousappetitetravel.com
Florence has changed a ton since I was last here, Florence has changed a ton since I was last here, but I’m trying to focus on the positive changes like modern Sicilian @araesicilia restaurant opening up a rosticceria-type fast casual tavola calda like bakery deli in the Sant’Ambrogio district serving up Sicilian-style slices, sweetened marzipan desserts like cassata, fried cannoli stuffed with mountain-sourced sheep ricotta, top notch pistachio GELATO and an array of boutique quality Sicilian wines. They have outdoor seating which is all the rage for the current dining scene in Florence. I’m so proud of the strides Italians/local residents have taken to #flattenthecurve. It’s unfortunate the pandemic has partly become a political topic, but I hope we can all enjoy a slice and a bottle together again sooner than later. I’m rooting for you, America. Hope you all had a delicious and relaxing weekend 😘#curiousappetite #florenceitaly
The moka is the little genius contraption which al The moka is the little genius contraption which allows Italians to caffè at home, invented in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti. Our online coffee workshop led by a pro barista/coffee expert in Florence tamps little tricks on how to maximize your moka experience at home- such as moka care, ideal coffee amount down to the gram and starting water temperature. I took part in one of the lessons and thought I knew all there was to know about la moka, but wrong! My morning caffeine infusions are a lot tastier now. How do you caffè at home? ☕️ #curiousappetite #onlineworkshops
Missing a plate of my auntie’s home cooked Persi Missing a plate of my auntie’s home cooked Persian food: tahdig (bottom of the pan crispy rice) over a dollop of baghali polo (dill fava bean pilaf), mast o khiar (herbed yogurt w/ Persian cucumber) kuku sabzi (spring herbed frittata) and her homemade pomegranate molasses slathered on and her turmeric-spiced chicken kotlet cutlets. Persian foodways, like Italian food, is delicious in thanks to international exchange. When I visited Iran, I learned from @persianfoodtour for example that rice farming reached Iran via SE Asia and India. _ I greatly credit my curiosity for food culture from my Iranian half and consider myself extremely lucky to have these food memories. And especially glad to be in Florence which has @ristorantetehran for exceptional traditional Persian fare in case of a hankering. _ My stories the last couple days have shared thoughts on crediting global cuisines and ingredients which inspire viral recipes, and you all have shared some interesting thoughts of your own- please continue to share and discuss your food for thought! Buon appetito, or nooshe jan 😘 🇮🇷 #curiousappetite
Let’s pretend these carbs are vitamins (I mean, Let’s pretend these carbs are vitamins (I mean, they ARE macronutrients after all!) and double up on doc’s recommended dose. Mortazza, pistach and stracciatella di bufala 💚💗 | For those of you in Florence please do yourself a favor and pie-out @alsolitoposto_pizzeria_gourmet and if you’re not in Florence- for doc’s sake find the closest thing. And if you still can’t resolve your vitamin deficiency, learn to make pizza at home with a virtual cooking class or book a pizza class with us for your future travels! (Link in bio 😘) buon appetito!😋#curiousappetite #pizzagourmet
Just added tiramisù making to our virtual biscott Just added tiramisù making to our virtual biscotti and dessert making class! This personal pot of tiramisù is made a touch more gourmet with pistachios 😋 Heavenly! _ For those of you craving a pick me up, let’s plan to make something delicious together on a virtual culinary experiences with one of our pros in Florence! We have a range of unique experiences led by chefs, food historians, sommeliers, pro bartenders and baristas, scheduled daily via link curiousappetitetravel.com/online-food-tours _ If you don’t see something suitable to your appetite, we can customize an online experience per your wishes 💚 Hope you’re in pleasant spirits this Sunday-wherever in the world you may be! ❤️#curiousappetite #onlinefoodtours
The first snack that had to be had back home in Fl The first snack that had to be had back home in Florence was crumbly soft fresh sbriciolona fennel salami. Is it just me or is this heart shaped?! 😍 Not sleeping on aperitivo either with perfect mozzarella di bufala bites and this wine gem from the COOP (12€!), a natural fresh, bit of rich, zesty fruity and slightly sea salty Sardinian wine made from vermentino and moscato di sennori with a touch of skin contact during fermentation so a tinge orange-like. Why this pairing? Because these are foods I like and a wine I like- don’t let the “supposed to” rules prevent you from the same! (Unless a pairing is totally egregious, i.e. brunello and oysters) Any sbriciolona fans out there? Prefer this or drier finocchiona? Know the diff? Buon appetito 😘 #curiousappetite #eaterathome
In San Francisco, it felt as if leaving a battle s In San Francisco, it felt as if leaving a battle scene for restaurants. Businesses who already operate on razor thin margins and astronomical overhead had to pivot overnight to delivery/take-out and still seemed to barely break even although now they are starting to open up to allow dining. _ From what I understood in Florence, food/bev establishments closed during lockdown were without the option for take-out (some did delivery but not all) and once the country started to re-open, there was a short period in which take-out was done before dining in/outdoors was permitted again. _ So it’s interesting to see what spots in Florence are bustling since there aren’t any visitors yet, and can’t say I’m surprised the Cibreo complex is one of them. _ Although I wonder for the other venues in Florence who don’t have as much of a cult following but definitely purvey delicious quality fare. I wonder how they’ll stay afloat and hope with all my might they do. _ What are some spots in Florence you suspect are recession-proof? Any other lesser-sung gems for those of us here should we be out supporting? Your thoughts on how to be ethical when dining out considering the risk to staff and fears of a second wave looming like an elephant? Again- love to read your takes! #curiousappetite #florenceitaly🍴
Ponte Vecchio, June 2020- pieno giorno (prime dayt Ponte Vecchio, June 2020- pieno giorno (prime daytime). The image (from a colleague) clearly speaks for itself and @theflorentine published a thoughtful article about the predicament for jewelers to be open on the famed bridge without tourist traffic. _ In light of @nytimes publishing its piece about the unlikelihood for European travel by US travelers this July (which is historically the busiest month in which Italy sees American visitors)- I wanted to share some thoughts. _ We conduct tastings and classes with overseas travelers so of course our work like many has been put in a blender. At the same time mass tourism made Florence feel unlivable. I’m sure many recall moments of panic squeezing through crowds at most hours of the day and avoiding such gorgeous paths in daily routes. _ Life is unpredictable and unpredictably so, our gourmet events we started in San Francisco are on hold while we focus on our Italy activities. The lasting question I’d like to close with is this: when Italy does decide to open its doors again to the rest of the world- do we want this to be the first step towards a return to what was before? Perhaps Florence has a chance to create a new kind of tourism- and not because of crowding but also the impacts mass tourism has on local housing and the environment, for example. Thankfully our type of experiences have always been small-group with darling curious travelers focused on cultural immersion towards sustainable travel. _ But this city, and many others, deserve to be livable and I hope this monster named Corona has provided a silver lining of an opportunity to hit the restart button in this regard. I’d love to read your thoughts on the matter. Big hug to all in these trying moments of uncertainty. 😘 #curiousappetite #notafoodpicthistime