Easy Italian Recipes

Spectacular Simplicity

Of all the regional cuisines of Italy, Tuscan cooking is perhaps the least influenced by other cultures and traditions. Its foundation is good raw materials—local produce, beef (especially the prized Chianina breed), chicken, pork, beans (such as cannellini and borlotti)—that are generally Culinary Signature: Olive Oilprepared with
a minimum of herbs and spices, so that their essential qualities shine through. Much of the food is homespun, and many dishes are born of poverty, like panzanella, a salad that turns stale bread and vegetables into a delicacy. Olive oil is the cooking fat of choice, and cheese is centrai to the diet, with the sheep's milk cheeses of the Pienza area among Italy's finest. Every Italian region with a coastline has its seafood stew, and Tuscany's is cacciucco, a spicy specialty of Livorno. Among the many celebrated Tuscan wines, standouts include Vernaccia di San Gimignano, a light, crisp white; the ruby red Brunello di Montalcino; Chianti Classico from the Chianti zone between Florence and Siena; the complex Vino Nobile di Montepulciano; the so-called super-Tuscans, sophisticated blends created since the 1970s and produced outside the DOC system; and vin santo, a sweet dessert wine.

Culinary Signature: Olive Oil

Olive trees define the landscape of Tuscany, and olive oil is the common denominator of the cuisine. It is used for frying and sautéing and is drizzled over soups, pastas, vegetables, and other dishes. Tuscan olive oil is prized for its fruitines, and low acidity. Olives are harvested in the fall and pressed immediately. The bright green new oil has
a peppery bite that mellows over time. Tuscan cooks prefer extra-virgin olive oil, which comes from the first pressing and has an acidity leve! of 1 percent or less.

Regional Specialties

Panzanella a salad made from day-old bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, moistened with olive oil and vinegar

Ribollita a bean and kale soup, layered with slices of bread and reheated

Pappardelle wide, flat pasta, often served with wild boar ragù

Bistecca alla fiorentina thick-cut grilled steak, made with meat from white Chianina cattle, a local breed

Cinghiale wild boar, prepared in umido (slowly braised) or simmered with tomatoes to make a robust ragù for pasta

Panforte the dense spite cake of Siena, studded with candied fruit and almonds Pecorino sheep's milk cheese, fresh or aged, also known in Tuscany as caciotta

Cantucci biscotti made with almonds, often served with vin santo, a sweet dessert wine, for dipping 

Photo: Tuscan olive oils (pictured at top) are generally fullbodied and fruity, with a pungent nose. Fiorentine steak (pictured at bottom) is simple and delicious.