Curious Appetite

Recipes

La Panzanella- Florence’s signature Tuscan bread salad (with recipe)

/ antipasti, First Courses, Florence, Italy, Recipes, Seasonal / 2 Comments

Bread salad? Yes.

I wonder if people coming to Florence or other destinations in Tuscany realize what Tuscan cuisine is and what it isn’t.

Tuscan cuisine is a complex yet simple beast. Frankly put, it is not just pizza and pasta. There are flatbread pizzas (schiacciata) and ancient recipes for some pastas (maccheroni alla cacciagione). But pizza is usually best associated with Naples and fresh egg-based pastas with Emilia-Romagna. These are gross generalizations, but you get it!

If I had to sum up Tuscan cuisine, it would be the art of not wasting anything- down to the last stale bread crumb and 4th cow’s stomach, drizzled with local fresh olive oil. Continue Reading →

{Recipe} Cheesy, saucy smoked spaghetti inspired by Amatriciana

/ First Courses, Food and Wine Pairing, Recipes / 0 comment

I have a love hate relationship with pasta. I love to eat pasta (more than pizza) and is my favorite food to cook albeit a total monster to my dress size. In addition to my superficial struggles in having a healthy relationship with my love to eat pasta any chance I could, I also struggled a lot with the title of this post. For reasons varying from respect for the original recipe to the fact I’m no expert on the food from Lazio.

I shouldn’t be too worried since I’m not a chef and not writing authoritative books on Italian cuisine. Nevertheless, I think it’s important to consider a recipe’s origins if you plan to blog about it or share it with others. This post is about how I imagined a tasty af amatriciana to be, and hope you enjoy reading (and eating). Continue Reading →

Deviled eggs and crab caviar snacks for a Happy New Year (2022)

/ Aperitivo snacks/Finger Foods, Cucina Lockdown (Recipes in the time of COVID-19), Food and Wine Pairing, Recipes, San Francisco, Seafood / 0 comment

 

Not so shabby caviar deviled eggs devoured at New Year’s!

Ciao a tutti!

I haven’t written in a while (shocker!) as I’ve been focused heavily on my newsletter, Instagram and trying to figure out TikTok (someone save me) and wondering who is still left here reading.

I decided this time instead of writing a longer on IG, to instead put my creative calories here on the blog. Fair warning, this post has virtually nothing to do with Italy or Italian food, but is instead an update to what I’ve been making and devouring in America. I hope you enjoy the random read! Continue Reading →

Zucchini Blossom Salad, Ricotta and Roman memories

/ antipasti, Italy, Recipes, Seasonal, What's in Season / 0 comment
Missing Leo’s stand in Sant’Ambrogio….

Since Florence (and much of the world in Summer season) is steaming hot, I thought to share a fresh salad recipe and some ideas for using squash blossoms (that aren’t only battering/frying). Not really a creative feat since so simple, but I had a hard time finding inspiration online for non-fried recipes for zucchini flowers so thought I’d share some of mine! Along with a few memories on how these fiori di zucca are treated (and devoured) in Italy. Continue Reading →

Cooking in Florence: Pasta with zucchini flowers

/ First Courses, Florence, Italy, Recipes, What's in Season / 0 comment

 

note the mask over ear;)

“Life is unpredictable” was used in the last blog post entered before COVID-19 hit Italy on my then reflecting on having started to split time between San Francisco and Florence. Famous last words, you could say.

Long story short, I came to some difficult conclusions and here I am in Florence. C‘est la vie. I’m trying to roll with life’s punches while clasping to gratitude for what I do have. I’ll explain a little bit of what it feels like being back and conclude with a quick summer-themed pasta recipe. Continue Reading →

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