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May not look pretty, but their chocolate lava cake was fudgey, warm and delightful! Read more…

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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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Surely those of you who’ve visited Florence have

I will never get over the obsessive dedication Ita

I will never get over the obsessive dedication Italian cuisine has for making individual ingredients outstanding and how you only need a few quality ones to combine something magically delicious. Fresh sweet fragrant basil from Leo at the market, dense fatty Buffalo milk ricotta hauled in from Campania at the Neapolitan bakery (omg) on Via Gioberti and a humble fleshy cuore di bue (my preferred tomato for caprese-like salads), crushed with smoked maldon salt, cracker pepper and grassy Tuscan ev olive oil. voilà! 🇮🇹 #curiousappetite

This may not look like much but it was indeed a ta

This may not look like much but it was indeed a tasty forchettata of tangy tomato coated fresh spaghetti alla chitarra with a dollop of burrata and snippets of basil. Carbs procured by @enotecavignanuova who catered @girlinflorence’s birthday/going away dinner @palazzosanniccolo- who have both been collaborating on aperitivo and dinner events for locals since the space would normally be filled with visitors. So clever!

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Enoteca Vigna Nuova is one of my favorite spots in Florence who does food, wine (like literally every bottle) laid-back ambiance and service consistently, deliciously well. Bravi! Ignoring the sadness of my dear friend leaving by eating my feelings although proud/excited to watch her expand into @girlinzug. Hope you all had a pleasant weekend although mine (and for many more friends) was slightly bittersweet 💔#yourflorence 😭🍝

These are little (not spicy!) vinegar cured pepero

These are little (not spicy!) vinegar cured peperoncini bulbs stuffed with tuna plus capers and herbs cut in, marinated in extra virgin olive oil. Flavor euphoria!

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This is one of the newest snacks in our new summer-themed gourmet club boxes and I’m obsessed. For supply’s sake, I’m trying my best not to eat the whole jar (and then another) in one Aperitivo sitting.

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For wine- these would be delish with a Verdicchio, Falanghina or depending on the grape- a funky fresh orange wine. Details about these Italian summer gourmet boxes in our newsletter out today! Buon venerdì a tutti e buon appetito 🌶 🐟 #curiousappetite #florentinegourmetclub

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.

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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.

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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.

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Blogs might be dead (are they?) but I still update mine, including a recipe and some food for thought just posted (link in bio).

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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!

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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.

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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.
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Tuscany, I 💚you
#curiousappetite #florencesidecartour #winetasting 🍷

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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.

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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.

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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