Nonna Ida's Stewed Artichockes

Since when i was a child,when i was roaming around the restaurant kitchen,this is one of my favourite recipes.
This is a very tasty plate and for me it's also full of good memories so i'm really glad to post it here for you all.

Ingredients for 6 people :

6 Artichockes
80gr. of Tuscan Rolled Pancetta
8 Leaves of Calamint
4 Sloves of Garlic
4 Spoons of Fresh Chopped Tomatoes
1 Onion
4 Spoons of Extravirgin Olive Oil
Water
Salt and Pepper

Preparation :

Clean the artichockes first,take one artichoke at a time and cut the stem off leaving up about 10cm from the flower head then remove any of the hard leaves around the stem that are not edible and then remove the pointed tops using a sharp knife.
Once you've cleaned them it's time for the stuffing....use the pancetta,the garlic,the leave of --- ,salt and pepper and ground them all finely.
Help yourself with a proper tool (i use a wooden spoon) and open the hearth of the artichockes to be able to fill them with the stuffing you did before.
Take the stuffed artichockes and cut their stems then put them all (with the cutted stems) into a pan and add tomato,olive oil and then put water in the pan until it's fully covered with it.
Let all cook on low fire until all the water it's gone,then serve it !

Enjoy !

I was a guest star in a cooking show "Aspettando il Tg"

"Ballocciori" Boiled Chestnuts

Chestnuts were called "tree bread" and used to be the main product of our earth..an irreplaceable resource for our farmers because they could use chestnuts for their daily meals,so they would be more tasty and nourishing.
With the chestnuts flour,our ancestors used to feed themselves every day by cooking it in the form of "necci" or polenta or chestnuts cake or simply as "ballocciori" (boiled chestnuts).

"Ballocciori" are a very simple recipe :
Take the chestnuts in the desired quantity and put them in plenty cold water. Add salt,some laurel leaves and some wild fennel. Let gently boil and then let it simmer until the chestnuts will be well cooked.
You can eat them both hot or cold. It's advised to use "Carpinesi" chestnuts as the skin will be easier to remove.

"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...!