This week, Vincenzo and I hosted a cooking class at a beautiful local kitchen shop called Figue. The main dish that we created together with the group was a classic Tuscan sauce called Ragu Finto. This translates to "Fake Ragu" and is a poor man's sauce that is created with vegetables and herbs to mimic a rich meat ragu sauce. The history of this dish goes back a time in Italy when noble families were the only ones who could afford to have meat in their sauces on a regular ba

Vincenzo and I are in Italy to visit family and friends. Our first few weeks in Abruzzo are always filled with days planned around our favorite foods. One of them is this special traditional dish made by Concetta. The history of pallotte cace e ove is steeped in the farming culture that is so strong in this area of Abruzzo - Roccascalenga. Most families have their own animals, including chickens, cows, goats, etc. At one time, everyone had access to fresh cheese made locally,

Sometimes, Mamma's food is just exactly what you need. Simple, easy, and warms your heart just like a mother's embrace. A few weeks ago, Vincenzo made me his mamma's sauce with eggs. I remember having this dish in Abruzzo with mamma Concetta cooking in the kitchen and it was delicious. I had almost forgotten about it until Vincenzo suggested we make it. This dish is so easy to put together with ingredients you probably already have in your refrigerator and pantry. The history

With this long, winter weather, I've been craving sunshine. Lemon is one of my favorite summertime flavors and always reminds me of sipping on limoncello after a beautiful summer meal outdoors in southern Italy. The first time I tasted limoncello was in Capri when Pam invited me to join her, Emma and Siena on a private tour with a bunch of vivacious girlfriends. This is when I met Rebecca. She is an American who lives in Capri and took us out on the most mesmerizing boat crui

February is a month for celebrating love. Love in a Tuscan Kitchen is my personal love story which all started when I asked Vincenzo for his recipe for hot chocolate cake. I thought It was the perfect time to feature the hot chocolate "love cake" recipe on the blog. Vincenzo always says it was fate that brought me into his kitchen that day about 11 years ago. I agree, but this delicious chocolate cake also had something to do with it! I could tell that Vincenzo cared for peop

This year, Vincenzo and I decided to make lasagna for Christmas, just as his mother, Concetta made the first year we celebrated the Christmas holiday together in Abruzzo. It's a memory I cherish and is described in Chapter 13 of the book. The recipe for Concetta's Christmas Lasagna is not in the book, so I thought I'd write it out for you here to read and try. It seems a bit long an complicated, but it's so worth the time and effort. And, how fun to make this with your family

A week ago, I was at our local farmer's market and discovered a bounty of end of season heirloom tomatoes and beautiful zucchini flowers. I decided to make a tomato pie inspired by a recipe from my friend Susan. I would frequently make tomato pie when we lived in Italy and loved to eat the leftovers for days. This time, I added zucchini flowers and sun dried tomatoes for a beautiful and delicious treat. In Minnesota, we treasure the days as Summer and Fall come to an end and