Eat

Ribollita - the best comes from Tuscany, specifically Sienna

In Tuscany food is rustic and so lovely. In Sienna you must eat Ribolitta. The beginning of March is roughly around the time I was traveling through the region in 2006. The weather was crisp and made you want to eat comfort food and drink some of the best red wine on the planet...

Sitting in the Piazza - Sienna, Italy

 
Ribolitta
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
3 15-ounce cans cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarians)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
1 small crusty baguette toasted  (recipe below)
Grated parmesan

1 In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the first four ingredients in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for 5 minutes.

2 Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the beans, broth, and rosemary. Simmer, covered, until the beans break apart, about an hour. 

3 Add the kale and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more. Stir in the bread crumbs and serve, drizzled with the remaining olive oil and sprinkled with the cheese. Slice bread and serve warm.

Baguettes (from Mireille Guiliano's recipe)
Author of Why French Women Don't Get Fat - great story... good recipes!

I love this recipe because it is four ingredients! And it works every time.
Makes 4 small baguettes. I use this bread to make my french toast.

Ingredients:
4 cups cake flour (see my recipe for cake flour)
1 teaspoon dry yeast
2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons kosher salt

In a small bowl dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water using a fork. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture, stir in remaining 1½ cup water. Mix until sticky enough to knead. Knead for 6-10 minutes; dough should be sticky and smooth. Put in a bowl, cover with a damp tea cloth, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume.

Punch down and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each into a ball and shape into a baguette. Transfer to slightly greased baking sheet (I use a special baguette-shaped baking pan) and let rise until nearly doubled). Brush with mixture of one beaten egg and one TB water. Score.

Pour two cups of hot water in a pan and place in preheated 450° F oven. Bake the baguettes for 15 minutes then lower temperature to 400° F and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool on a rack before slicing.  
 

It's been a while, but I think I have these dreamy photos labeled correctly. Please correct me if you have been there since 2006... and it is fresher in your memory than mine. Then again... the wine...

Gubbio, Italy

Orvieto, Italy

Tuscan landscape - On our way to Montepulciano (I think...)