The Food Of Italy: Tuscany

Ciao Lovelies!

I'm sorry for the sporadic postings this week. Midterms are coming up and I've been busy creating outlines while trying not to stay secluded up in the apartment. The Rome recap post is coming up as well as an outfit post (finally!) Onto the food! For cooking class, we explored the food of Tuscany which, for those of you who don't know, is the region where Florence is. Today we made Coniglio and Carciofi Fritti, Pappa al Pomodoro, and Cantuccini, which translates to Fried Rabbit and Artichokes, Tomato-Bread Soup, and Almond Biscotti.

Coniglio e Carciofi Fritti

• 400g rabbit legs
• Rosemary
• 4 artichokes
• 1 lemon
• 70g flour
• 30g rice flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of White wine
• Oil
• Salt and pepper
• Ice cubes

Cut the meat in small pieces then put it in a bowl with pepper and rosemary. Leave for 30 minutes.Clean the artichokes, slice them, and leave them in a bowl of water with lemon juice. In another bowl, mix the two types of flours with the egg. Add the wine until it's a creamy consistency. Leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Get a big bowl and put ice cubes inside. Place the bowl of cream mixture on top of the ice to keep it cold.Take a frying pan and cover the bottom with olive oil. Dip the meat in the cream mixture and then put it in the oil. Fry until golden, turning when necessary. Dry the artichokes from the water and dip in the cream as well. Fry those, too. Sprinkle with salt, and serve.

 Pappa al Pomodoro

• 250g (8oz) stale coarse country bread
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Sage (optional)
• A couple tablespoons olive oil
• 700g (1-1/2lb) very ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
• 1 litre (1-3/4 pints) light chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• A handful of basil leaves

Slice and toast the bread and break into pieces. Fry the garlic and chop the leek, sage, basil, and pepper in oil until it begins to color. Then add the tomatoes and bread. Stir, until the bread blends with the tomatoes. Stir in some stock to get a thick consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes. Serve topped with more basil for decoration.

Cantuccini

• 330g flour
• 150g sugar
• 100g almonds (toasted)
• 2 eggs
• 1 yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 50g butter
• Zest of 1 lemon

Mix the flour with the butter to make crumbles; add sugar, 2 eggs, lemon zest, and baking powder. Mix. Then mix in the almonds and shape the dough into long rolls. Place them in a pan, either buttered and floured or on parchment. Beat the yolk separately and brush it on top. Bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees C. Let them cool. Cut in diagonal slices. Put them back in the oven for a few more minutes to dry. They should be crunchy, not chewy.

This was such a delicious meal - it almost tasted like chicken but a smidgen better! The deserts can do no wrong in my book, but I wasn't expecting the rabbit to taste so delicious. I'm still not a fan of the artichokes, but I'm glad that I tasted it. The pomodoro soup was my favorite and I even used it as a sauce for the rabbit. I can't wait for next weeks class!

Eternally yours,

Stephanie