by Penny | 8 Nov, 2013 | Cooking, The Medici, UK Activity
It is approaching the end of the mushroom season, so some of my Italian friends escape as often as they can in search of the final crops of fresh porcini mushrooms in the woods around the Tuscan region of Maremma . Previously the Maremma was one of the most dangerous...
by Penny | 10 Oct, 2013 | Cooking, Florentine restaurants
For me it was a beautiful meal – and all I had to do was a bit of pear peeling and a lot of washing up! Lisa Banchieri did all the “easy” stuff – like most of the cooking and a few tasting sessions! The menu was :- Lisa’s Bruscette Fresh...
by Penny | 17 Jul, 2013 | Cooking, News
Cooking with Lisa Banchieri in Florence 16th July The day began well – sunshine (what else?) and a man singing lustily outside my window Le Lucevan e stelle – I popped my head out of the window to watch him go by and he called out to me Buon Giorno Bella...
by Penny | 27 Apr, 2013 | Cooking, Social History
Last night at Dinos I had my first taste of Agretti – a grass like Mediterranean vegetable with thin succulent needle like leaves that grow on small bushy plants – in season now – it will not be around for long! Expensive and highly prized by top...
by Penny | 29 Mar, 2013 | Books, Cooking, The Art of Writing, writer's retreat
28.3.13 Another fun day out with Lisa Clifford, reviewing the venues for the two afternoon respite periods for the aspiring writers on the Art of Writing Course. The ewes are now producing the early milk of the season in order to feed their new lambs – They will...
by Penny | 15 Mar, 2013 | Cooking
Back in beloved Florence – where it has been raining enough to look as if the banks of the Arno might give way – no small problem given the chaos and destruction caused by a breach in those same walls in 1966 Raining in the morning so a good time to be...
