"Authentic" Cinta Senese Steak

Today the weather is really bad,and so i've decided to prepare this "Authentic Cinta Senese" steak !
I'm using the word "Authentic" because many people often sell or try to sell regular pork as Cinta and i get really angry when this happens....the one and only Cinta Senese is usually half fat half meat (as show in the picture below)...now that you know you won't get fooled !
I usually buy Cinta Senese from a farmer that feed the pigs with a 50% of chestnuts and acorns

This special kind of pork it's delicious,especially it's fat,which is what gives the particolar taste.
unlike the beef fat,this one is tender,soft and tasty..it's even better than the meat itself !
Some healty people might dislike but once in a while it's a fantastic "sin" :-)
Remember!!  That diets hurts your soul ! ;-)

You can have some more details on Cinta Senese by visiting THIS LINK

Project Food Blog Challenge #3: Traditional Tuscany Dinner Party in Grand Historic 1700's Villa In Lucca

Thank you,thank you,thank you everyone for your votes,even if i was not able to advance to challenge
 #3 i still wanted to show you the post that i've prepared for it...enjoy !
Thanks to Foodbuzz to let me partecipate to this,and let the best blog win !

"This new challenge "Luxury Dinner Party" will require us partecipants to prepare a dinner gala for you readers...and so I've used my tuscan knowledge to prepare you this traditional tuscan dinner menu,located in a Villa in the hills of Lucca,where i've cooked for my friends and for the people who were staying there."

The starters : tuscan cold cuts (salame,pancetta,lardo) and various cheese dish.

For the wine,i've chosen this "Pergole Torte 2006" from Fattoria Montevertine,it's a very good tuscan wine and they liked it so much that they've decided to go on with this one for all the dinner.

I've prepared two pasta dishes:

Thin tagliatelle with mushrooms and truffles,made with fresh porcini from the Garfagnana area and white truffles from San Miniato.

We went back to tradition with the second serving : Home made Ravioli called "Tordelli" here in Lucca,stuffed with Chianina beef and Pork from Garfagnana and served with meat sauce and thyme.

The main course,a Chianina Beef Filet cooked on the grill and seasoned with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil,rosemary and black pepper.

Let's talk about the dessert now  !
A Wild Strawberries parfait,made with wild strawberries,cream and wildberries's coulis....they really appreciated this one !

And to finish....instead of the same old "Limoncello" i've decided to go for a more luxury ending :
Home made cantuccini biscuits and chocolates served with "Passito di Pantelleria Donnafugata" a dessert wine that's just perfect for the ending of this evening.

My guest were very impressed about this,i hope you can feel a bit of what we've went through in this party by reading this lines...!

Project Food Blog Challenge #2: " Flan de Vanilla"

First of all,thanks for everyone for voting me so that i've been admitted to the second round of this challenge.
Here i am again,and this time it's getting tougher...because a tuscan farmer like me doing classical ethnic recipes..?! are you really sure you want to see that ? :-)))
When i was in Honeymoon in French Polynesia on July I bought some vanilla  sticks from the island of Taha'a ,a place full of Vanilla Trees where you could really feel the smell everywhere !
Then...i was wondering what could i do with this wonderful vanilla ? and then i remembered that i ate a Mexican Dessert in Tijuana made with vanilla, so i've been collecting some datas on it and now i'm presenting it to all of you,
From Polynesia to Mexico,we could really say that this recipe have travelled a lot :-)
Enjoy !


Flan de Vanilla

As i've said before this is a typical mexican dessert,we could say that for the countries of central america this is the equivalent of the italian "budino",this one is really aromatic with vanilla,cinnamon,lemon and orange.

Ingredients :

Skin of half a orange
Skin of half a lemon
1 Stick of Vanilla
1 Stick of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Cornstarch
150g. of Sugar
500ml of fresh milk
2 Eggs Yolks
Topping Ingrendient : Caramel Sauce


Preparation :

1) Beat the eggs with sugar,cornstarch and a bit of milk.

 2) Put the rest of the milk on the fire and add the cinnamon and the stick of vanilla (cut it in the lenght and open it as in the picture) add the skins of lemon and orange as well and let everything gently boil.

 3) When it's boling strain the milk to remove the skins and the sticks then add the previously beated eggs in the milk and stir using a whisk.

4) Put the mixture back on the fire and,stirring continuously,until it starts simmering then take it away from the fire and,using a strain,pour the mixture into six molds

Let the flan chill to room temperature and then put the molds into the fridge for at least 2 hours.

At the moment you want to serve it,cover it with some caramel sauce.
If,after reading all of this,you still think i deserve your vote...:-)

Voting Open: 6AM Pacific Time September 27th through 6PM Pacific Time September 30th
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR ME 

Prosciutto "Bazzone"

Prosciutto Bazzone's origins are around the late nineteenth century, when families of farmers living around Serchio river slaughtered pigs weighing 200 kg,thus about 18 kg thighs. The production process at the time, maintained even today, provided that these hams, heavy and elongated, were placed together with other parts of pork (bacon, lard, cheek) in a stone basin (pond) for seasoning,adding salt, garlic, spices and wine. The Prosciutto Bazzone currently weighs an average of 13-15 kg depending on the season, shows a typical elongated shape and with a step of about 4-5 cm along the edge (Bazza,in italian), hence the name. The meat is usually deep red and may have small infiltration of fat that give a taste quite recognizable but delicate. The Prosciutto Bazzone  of Garfagnana and Serchio Valley  is, since 2004 a  Slow Food product,and it is still made using  the old tradition recipe. After trimming, the hams are placed in groups of 5-6 into a stone basin of Cardoso Stone by adding salt, pepper, spices, bay leaves, garlic and rosemary. After 90 days, the hams are removed from the tanks, washed and left to dry in cold adapted, temperature and humidity controlled. Once dried, covered with a shirt are composed primarily of pepper, garlic and spices, then hung from the ceiling of rooms adequately ventilated or in dark cellars. After a minimum of 20-36 months of slow maturation, Prosciutto Bazzone is ready for use. Thanks to Antica Norcineria

Project Food Blog Post #1 "Reasons behind my choice to start a Food Blog"

We interrupt our regular scheduled programming for my Challenge One submission to the Project Food Blog competition. The goal...to find the next food blog star!
You already know my story,but here's the reasons that maked me decide to partecipate at this contest :
Apart from the food passion,i've also been a huge follower of internet since the early 90's.
After spending some years surfing on the net,i've decided to become an "active" user,so i started writing about my job and my passion,which is the same thing : Tuscan Cooking.
While i was travelling around the world,i've started to notice something which was often done abroad :
Recipes that are modified and adapted to the taste of the country they're prepared in.
In my opinion that's not the right thing to do,as the original taste and ingredients would be modified,making it just another recipe,which is not the original thing anymore, example : a simple plate of "Fettuccine al Pomodoro" re-invented and adapted to a french nouvelle cousine making it more rich and colorful at the eye,ignoring that the secret behind the original Italian recipe was not that,but the simplicity and the quality of the ingredients like tomatoes,home made pasta and freshly harvested olive oil,so if i would want to give something more to this plate i would instead,for example,add fresh home-made pasta prepared with eggs from the farmer.....that would really makes the difference !
To make it short....yes im here to win,like everyone else,but my first objective is to "broadcast" my message to every family,to teach them how to make a real Italian dish,so that for a Sunday Meal they could really let their families taste the true taste of Italian Cooking,in my case,the Tuscan Cooking !

If,after reading all of this,you still think i deserve your vote...:-)
Voting Open: 6AM Pacific Time September 20th through 6PM Pacific Time September 23rd
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR ME