Imagine the aroma of marinara sauce wafting through the air, or fresh herbs hanging from the stalls of a local Tuscan market. When you hear the city of Tuscany mentioned, visions of delicious pastas and savory sauces come to mind.
Patty Willard, Area Manager for Italy, recently shared with me that she sometimes participates in the Discovery Series event, Festa della Pasta dinner, on our Tuscany & the Amalfi Coast vacation. During this dinner, Patty demonstrates how to prepare different types of delicious pastas and their accompanying sauces. She jokes that her travelers say she should even host a show on the Food Network!
Here, Patty shares a few traditional Tuscan recipes, including ribollita (a vegetable and bread soup), sugo di carne (meat sauce), and castagnaccio (chestnut cake).
Ribollita (Bread and Vegetable Soup)
Ribollita—a famous Tuscan soup—has peasant origins. Its name means “re-boiled,” and the dish was originally created by re-boiling leftover vegetable soup from the previous night’s dinner. Today’s version includes leftover bread, white beans, and vegetables like carrots, onions, and cabbage.
Ingredients:
2 cups wet cannelloni beans
2 cups wet borlotti or pinto beans
½ Savoy cabbage
1 lb. Swiss chard
3 ripe or canned tomatoes
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 onion
1 leek
2 cloves garlic
1 sprig of thyme
Whole-wheat bread
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Cook the beans (after soaking them overnight), retaining all of the cooking water. Take about three-quarters of the beans and strain through a sieve right back into their water. Set the rest of the beans aside.
- In a large pot, sauté the finely chopped onion with a clove of garlic in eight tablespoons of oil. When they’re brown, add the sliced celery, carrot, and leek.
- Sauté for a while, and then add the chopped tomatoes, rinsed and sliced Swiss chard, Savoy cabbage, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Pour in all of the liquid from the beans and cook the soup very slowly for an hour, adding a little warm water if necessary. Towards the end of cooking time, add the beans.
- Place slices of bread in the bottom of the soup bowl, pour half of the soup over them, cover with another layer of bread, and then pour in the rest of the soup.
- Before serving, let the soup stand for a few minutes. Serve with a splash of good extra virgin oil.
Servings: 6
Sugo di Carne (Tuscan Meat Sauce for Pasta)
This meat sauce is ideal with all types of pasta. If you like, you can add grated Parmesan cheese to the top of the sauce.
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh ground beef
1 onion
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
2 garlic cloves
6 skinned and chopped tomatoes
½ glass white wine
5 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Sauté finely chopped onion, celery, and garlic in five tablespoons of oil on medium heat.
- Add the meat, stirring constantly. Once the meat is browned, add the wine and turn up the heat.
- Let the meat mixture cook for a couple of minutes (or until wine has evaporated) and then add tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.
- Add two cups of water and lower the flame to very low heat. Simmer for two hours, stirring often.
Servings: 6
Castagnaccio (Chestnut Cake)
Since ancient times, the chestnut has been used in many different forms—from roasted to boiled to ground (chestnut flour). And today, the chestnut still has cultural significance throughout Italy. At its simplest form, castagnaccio was made from ground chestnuts mixed with water. Today, it’s been enhanced with pine nuts, rosemary, and sometimes, raisins.
Ingredients:
1 lb. chestnut flour
2 Tbs. orange zest, sliced thin
4 quarts water
A pinch of salt
¼ cup pine nuts
1 small sprig of rosemary
Preparation:
- Sift the chestnut flour into a large bowl, and add a pinch of salt.
- Add pine nuts, orange zest, and rosemary leaves.
- Pour the water slowly over the flour, mixing it together with a wooden spoon.
- Place the mixture into a well-greased pie dish or cake pan and cook in a 350°F oven until the cake turns crispy on the top.
Servings: 6
Enjoy these traditional recipes—and more—on our Tuscany & the Amalfi Coast vacation.