From My Italian Kitchen: Crostini with Tuscan Bean Spread

Beans have a starring role in Tuscan cuisine. So much so that the Tuscan people are sometimes referred to (not always meant kindly) as “mangiafagioli” or bean eaters. The cannellini, a small white bean, is a staple. It appears in many dishes - soups, pastas (pasta e fagioli is a classic), as a contorno (side dish) to meat dishes, as well as in salads.

These little boxes of already cooked cannellini are a staple in my kitchen.

Cannellini are also the main ingredient in a popular appetizer - a flavor-packed white bean spread used to top slices of crostini (toasted bread). The dish is called crostini con fagioli bianchi in Italian.

There are many variations of this recipe, some use whole beans and some mashed, some begin with dried beans and others take a shortcut and use already cooked beans available in cans or little boxes. Because I’m a bit pigra (lazy), I never bother with the dried beans for this recipe. The pre-cooked ones work just great.

Though other ingredients may vary, most all recipes flavor the beans with garlic and olive oil.

It is such a simple topping but tastes heavenly on toasted and oiled slices of bread. It’s especially nice in winter when fresh, wonderfully ripe tomatoes (another popular topping for crostini) are not available.

Just a few simple ingredients are needed for a flavorful Tuscan White Bean Spread

The last time I made Tuscan White Bean Spread I amped up the flavor by using roasted garlic instead of the usual chopped raw garlic. The roasted garlic added a nice depth of flavor and less of the strong tang and aftertaste that comes with raw garlic. I think I will always make it this way! I also like using lime juice instead of the more traditional lemon juice, but either works well.

This spread goes very well alongside some flavorful green or black olives, Tuscan-style salami, or marinated little round red peppers stuffed with tuna. Put those all together and you have a complete Italian aperitivo. Just add some friends and a bottle of prosecco!

Note: I wrote the above exactly one year ago after I made the bean spread for what was to be (though I didn’t know it at the time) the last big gathering before COVID hit and everything here in Italy locked down. I never did post it back then, and am posting it now with hope that I will soon (with COVID numbers relatively low here in Tuscany and a vaccine on the horizon) be able to invite people to my home to enjoy an Italian aperitivo gathering. You can be sure this will be on the table!

Tuscan White Bean Spread

375 - 400 grams cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

3 good sized cloves of roasted garlic (or 2 cloves finely minced raw garlic)

2 teaspoons flat leaf parsley, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon coarse or medium ground black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh lime or lemon juice (or more to taste)

2-3 tablespoons good olive oil

1 baguette of Italian bread

In a medium size bowl, mash cannellini beans with a fork.

Add garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and lime (or lemon) juice. Mix with fork to blend.

Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, adding another tablespoon slowly to achieve a nice spreading consistency.

This is a very flexible recipe - adjust the quantities to suit your tastebuds! If you like a smooth consistency, mash the beans to a paste, if you like a little more texture, then make a more coarse mash.

Cut bread into thin slices, lightly toast, and drizzle with olive oil. I don’t recommend rubbing the bread with garlic as there is plenty of garlic flavor in the bean spread - but if you love, love, love garlic then go right ahead and rub the toasted bread with it.

A Winter Without Carnevale

It should be starting this week - the annual late winter celebration of Carnevale. Unfortunately, the on-going COVID crisis has forced cancellation or delay of the festivities, including the two best known events here in Italy - Venice (cancelled) and Viareggio (postponed until fall).

Venice 2020

In the past few years, I’ve experienced both the craziness and political / social mischief of the Viareggio celebration (photos below) and the drama and elegance of the festivities in Venice.

Last year I enjoyed Venice during the opening weekend of Carnevale, just before the first wave of virus arrived in Italy and shut it all down. What an air of excitement! Such a spectacular weekend - from the opening night time water parade with its aerial performers and light shows (below), to the next morning’s parade of boats on the Grand Canal, to all the costumed and masked people in the Piazza San Marco. And - though it seems strange this year - we didn’t worry at all about crowd size and we still found the idea of masks charming (those masks being a huge step up from this year’s standard Covid ones). Carnevale is Venice’s big annual event and this year, without the spectacles, the glamour, the balls and visitors, will have a huge impact - economic, cultural, and psychological.

Last February, I think we all expected that by 2021 things would have returned to normal and we would once again be celebrating Carnevale in the usual way. But - here we are a year later, approaching the season of Lent without Carnevale celebrations to usher it in.

This week I found many of the traditional Carnevale sweets in the pastry shop windows, but that seemed sad knowing that all the events were canceled. Still - I felt it my civic duty to purchase some (any excuse for a sweet, right?)

As I returned home with my Carnevale mask cookies on a cold, rainy, late January day, I soon found myself looking at photos of past Carnevale events. The photos reminded me of the exuberance of Carnevale and all of a sudden the day didn’t seem so dreary. I hope these photos might brighten your winter day too.

And let’s all hope that, by next year, Carnevale will return. I imagine the floats and costumes will seem even more grand after a year’s absence.

San Quirico d'Orcia

The small villages in the Val d’Orcia have much in common.  They sit on hilltops and look out over rolling hills, olive groves, vineyards, and cypress trees. They are often fortified by city walls, the legacy of ancient conflicts. The street plans are mostly Medieval, often with a single main street and a large main piazza ringed with stone and brick buildings. They are filled with churches large and small.

Classic Val d’Orcia scenes, in the village of San Quirico

And the history!  From Etruscan tombs to Roman roads, from Medieval streetscapes to World War II bombs, the history of these villages is rich and fascinating.  That they have so much in common, and yet each village has its own unique character, makes a trip through this area especially wonderful. Think of Monticchiello with its Teatro Povero and stone houses, Montalcino with its famed Brunello wine and steep streets, Bagno Vignoni with its thermal pools, and Pienza - the perfect Renaissance city - with its pretty houses and flowers filled window boxes.

 San Quirico d’Orcia is yet another of the villages found in the Val d’Orcia. Named after a martyred child saint, it lies between Montalcino and Pienza, situated along the ancient Via Francigena, the pilgrim’s route between Canterbury and Rome.  Today, modern pilgrims and adventurous walkers still pass through San Quirico as they follow the ancient path. Other tourists arrive more conventionally by car and stay to enjoy the many things that make this a most pleasant spot.

The ancient wall around San Quirico

Most of the wall surrounding the city remains, with 2 gates providing entrance to the historic center of town and several of the former watchtowers still standing (though now repurposed, some into tall and narrow homes).  The Porta Cappuccini is the old and most historic gate – a lovely way to enter the town.

 The best way to explore San Quirico is to simply wander.  A stroll along the main street, Via Dante Alighieri, takes you both along the route of the Via Francigena and past most of the main sights in town. At one end, just inside the city walls, is the Collegiata Church (12th century) with its interesting shape, three very different entrances, and beautiful bell tower.  

The Collegiata Church (also known as the church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta)

Further down the street is the church of San Francesco, with its famous terracotta della Robbia madonna (moved here from the Chapel of the Vitaleta) and its combination bell and clock tower. In front of the church is the Piazza della Liberta`. This lively square is the center of town and a hub of activity.  It’s a great place to stop for a coffee or a glass of wine and to soak in the atmosphere. 

Piazza della Liberta` and the Church of San Francesco

In this square is also the entry to one of San Quirico’s special spaces – the Horti Leonini, a 16th century garden.  The centerpiece is a statue of Cosimo III di Medici. All around him is classic Italian garden design. 

Stepping back into the Piazza della Liberta`, and continuing down Via Dante Aligheri, are two of my favorite spots.  One, is a hidden courtyard which contains an old well and the pilgrim’s refuge the Ospedale della Scala.  The other, right on the street, is the small church of Santa Maria Assunta, which is over 1000 years old (but no interior photos allowed!)

The old well in front of the Ospedale della Scala

 It’s also fun to wander the small side streets.  On my most recent visit, during the height of the olive harvest, I found an active but very old frantoio (olive press) which was still using old stones to grind the olives.  The friendly staff invited me inside to watch the process.  The smell of the fresh olive oil was delicious!

And on a side street just along the church of San Francesco is the wonderful Trattoria al Vecchio Forno, built on the site of the old town bakery (forno).  I’ve eaten here on previous visits and it’s a place that never fails to please.  My lunch, a honey drizzled sformatino and a pappa al pomodoro, eaten outside in the garden on a warm fall day, was delicious.

 Heading back to Pienza, the Chapel of the Madonna of Vitaleta is visible from the road.  It is well worth the detour to stop and visit this tiny chapel, which is one of the most photographed spots in Tuscany.   The chapel itself is not usually open, but the surrounding vistas are spectacular.  

 San Quirico was the last stop on my trip through the Val d’Orcia.  There are so many other places left to explore, among them the famous wine towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano (which is just outside the Val d’Orcia) and also the gardens at La Foce.  

I guess I’d better start planning a return trip!

Cooking in Italian

I love Italian cooking and, even better, I like cooking in Italian.  For me that may mean using a recipe written in Italian, listening to Italian music while I cook or - best of all - taking a cooking class presented entirely in Italian.  Over the past several years I have taken many classes that combine language learning and cooking at Lucca Italian School (LIS).  Some classes were held in the kitchen at LIS while others were held in a fattoria (farm) kitchen in the hills outside of Lucca. These were peak experiences for me, combining language, hands-on cooking lessons, learning about local dishes and ingredients, wine tasting, lots of laughter, and the opportunity to socialize with students from around the world.

A pre-COVID cooking class with Lucca Italian School

 And then, along came the pandemic and it became impossible for LIS to offer in-person classes.  In response to the mandatory restrictions, the staff at LIS began offering on-line language classes, both group and individual.  More recently, they have developed a variety of classes on special topics (art, music, history, local legends) which allow us to continue practicing the language while also learning about Italian culture. Last week they introduced an on-line cooking class, taught by LIS’s fantastic culinary star Eva Dal Porto. Sign me up!
I have to admit I had some reservations about on-line learning at first (having experienced some really dry continuing education classes in my prior professional life), but I have really enjoyed my weekly at-a-distance language classes with LIS, along with some of the specialty classes, and have found them to be both effective and fun.  And now that I’ve just completed my first on-line cooking class, along with 40+ other students from around the world, I can honestly say that I can’t wait to do this again!

The class was all about carciofi (artichokes) and was delivered via Zoom straight from Eva’s kitchen.  A few days before hand we received a link to the Zoom session along with 3 recipes – a marinated raw artichoke dish, a carciofi fritti (fried artichoke) appetizer, and an artichoke risotto.  

Also included was a shopping list for the ingredients.  Shopping for the ingredients was fun – especially picking out those beautiful purple Italian artichokes.  

And I learned some new words, like scalogno (shallot). With my ingredients on hand I was ready to start cooking. 

Ingredients ready to begin preparation of the risotto

Participants had the option to just watch the demonstration or to cook along with Eva.  I knew that my tiny Italian kitchen would not have enough prep space to manage all 3 dishes, so I only watched during the preparation of the salad and the fried artichokes.  But the risotto I cooked during the class.  What fun!  

The easy to follow lesson, in Italian, began with how to clean and trim the artichokes and then soak them in lemon water to prevent discoloration.  

Next came step by step instruction and demonstration of the preparation of each dish.

And if you aren’t confident using a mezzaluna, well Eva demonstrated that too. 

The on-line instructions and demonstration was easy to follow

 By the end of the lesson my kitchen smelled wonderful and I was hungry!  Luckily, my artichoke risotto was ready to eat.  A delicious ending to a fun lesson.

The finished risotto. The grains of rice remain separate and are never mushy

Artichoke Risotto  (In the class we used half of these amounts to make 2 servings)

 8 artichokes (the small purple ones are best)

1 lemon, juiced

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

320 grams of risotto rice (about 1 ¾ cups)

1 cup dry white wine

1 liter vegetable broth (about 4 ¼ cups)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons butter

Grated parmesan cheese, to sprinkle on top of the finished risotto

 Clean and trim the artichokes (remove tough outer leaves, cut away top half of remaining bulb to leave the heart and tender inner leaves).

Cut each trimmed artichoke lengthwise into 8 pieces and remove the fuzzy “choke” (leaving the tender inner leaves just above it).

Immerse the cut artichokes into a bowl of lemon water until ready to cook.

Dice the garlic and the shallots and saute in the olive oil until softened.  Add the artichoke pieces, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes or so.  Add the rice and stir to coat with oil. 

Add the wine and allow it to evaporate fairly quickly over moderately high heat.  Keep stirring!

 Lower the heat, add the salt, pepper, and about 1/3 of the broth.  Stir and cook until broth is absorbed.

 Continue to add broth 1 ladle full at a time, stirring until each is absorbed.  Rice should be cooked by the end but still a bit al dente and not sticky or mushy.

Add the butter and stir well.   Serve right away sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Pienza - A Renaissance Jewel of a Town

This frescoed arch tops the entry gate in Pienza. Note the marker saying it was destroyed in 1944 and restored in 1955. Near the end of WW II, an RAF bomb hit Pienza (which was occupied by the German army), destroying buildings on this end of the city and killing 22 residents.

Now that the holidays are over, it is time to return to writing about the Val d’Orcia. Today - the city of Pienza. To really appreciate Pienza, a little history provides important context.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Italian Renaissance led Europe out of the Dark Ages. With a fresh look at classical Greek and Roman culture, and a hefty dose of humanistic philosophy, this was a period of great advances in science, art, literature, and economics.

One important figure during this time was Eneo Silvio Piccolomini, born in 1405 in the village of Corsignano near Siena. Eneo Piccolomini grew up to become Pope Pio (Pius) II. A true Renaissance man, he was a poet, historian, humanist, and - something I greatly appreciate - a proponent of urban planning based on Renaissance principles of beauty, proportion, and classical form.

As Pope, Piccolomini decided to restructure Corsignano, transforming it from a Medieval village into the ideal Renaissance city. The newly renamed Pienza (meaning the City of Pius - I guess he wasn’t a modest man) would serve as his summer residence, a respite from the Vatican. Working with the architect Bernardo Rossellino, the new town was designed to maximize the views from its hilltop position above the surrounding valley as well as to create a beautiful and harmonious atmosphere inside the city walls.

Pienza is situated high above the valley, with beautiful views.

Today, the historic center of Pienza remains much as it was during Renaissance times. The central square, Piazza Pio II, is anchored by the duomo (cathedral). A modest size church, it makes a statement with gorgeous painted and arched ceilings and a central nave lined with massive stone pillars. The soaring bell tower guarantees that Pienza can be seen, sitting high on the hill top, from across the valley.

On one side of the church is the Piccolomini Palace, once home to Pope Pio II. This is a beautiful building with an inner courtyard surrounded by an arched loggia. The rear of the palace has 3 levels of terrace overlooking gardens and the valley - it’s a “can’t miss” place for the spectacular views. The palace is open for tours and also has a wonderful small gift shop. Opposite the Piccolomini Palace is a second palace, the Palazzo Vescovile, now a museum. These buildings, along with the duomo, frame three sides of Piazza Pio.

The interior courtyard of the Piccolomini Palace

The final anchor in the piazza is the Palazzo Comunale, a civic building. Small in size, the building has a beautiful loggia complete with historic markers and faded emblems as well as a clock tower. A stop for coffee at the nearby Caffe la Posta, provides an opportunity to sit and imagine this piazza as it must have been in the time of Pope Pio II while simultaneously experiencing a small slice of life in modern day Pienza (and a really good cappuccino).

Clocktower of Palazzo Comunale, Pienza

Pienza is not just a place of history. It is also a vibrant small community and one of the prettiest villages I have ever seen.

There is one main street, Corso Rossellino, lined with shops and cafes, and several smaller, charming side streets. As a plus, Pienza sits atop a flat mesa rather than a steep hill which makes for easy walking. For shoppers, Pienza is a treat. There are several shops selling local products, including its most famous product, Pecorino cheese. Just follow your nose and you can’t miss them!

Pienza is a great place to buy artisanal crafts including art work and ceramics. My favorite shop - the sign at the door says Bai Laboratorio Ceramica (officially it’s called Ceramiche d’Arte Bai Linda) - is a bit off Corso Rossellino at Via Gozzante 33. The shop is built into an Etruscan cave, the beautiful ceramics are made and painted on site (you might even get a glimpse of the artist at work in her studio), and the husband and wife owners are warm and friendly. On the day I visited they were about to host a workshop on-line because the pandemic had cancelled the in-person visit of an American group. At the end of my visit they gave me a painted ceramic magnet, a wonderful souvenir which now sits above my stove and reminds me to plan a return visit ASAP. This is exactly the type of small, local artisan’s shop that I like to support.

Much of the pretty in Pienza comes from the homes found on the smaller streets. They are immaculate townhomes made of stone with pretty wooden doors and ceramic house numbers. There are vines climbing the stone walls and flowers spilling from window boxes, steps, and railings. With such beautiful surroundings, it is easy to imagine living here.

Pienza is one of my favorite places to visit. The village is small but full of life, the surrounding countryside is peaceful and spectacularly gorgeous, the food is wonderful (I can still taste the delicate lemon pasta I had at La Bandita Townhouse), the people are friendly and welcoming, and the artisan workshops delightful. And, just outside of Pienza (a 10 minute drive), is the wonderful Agriturismo Cretaiole, which provides the perfect home base for exploring Pienza and the surrounding areas. Staying there makes any trip magical.

Agriturismo Cretaiole, a wonderful home base for exploring Pienza and the whole of the Val d’Orcia