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Cooking Vacations



It's Vendemia Time in Sunny Italy!




Estate Indiana, Indian Summer, is here in Italy. With temps still in the 80s, gardens are blooming with zucchini and pumpkins, the winemakers are already pressing, and days to the sea for a swim are at the top of our list.


Although we are always sad to see days wane with earlier sunsets, we are blessed with an autumn harvest and another year of grapes and olives being pressed by the farmers and put into green bottles.


We are traveling through Tuscan vineyards and sunflower fields filled with hearty lunches of panzella, tagliatelle with black truffles and Vino Nobile di Montepulicano nourishing our hearts and souls. From Montepulciano to Montalcino and also the foothills of Umbria, are visiting our chefs and properties while creating new cooking programs for 2024. Imagine blending your own wine or visiting ancient vineyards where the Romans have been making wine for the last 2000 years.


This week, we are in Montepulciano and Chef Massimo is sharing his recipes for slow-cooked pumpkin soup with wild rosemary, pici all’aglione, thick pasta in a creamy garlic sauce and crostata di mele, and an open-faced apple pie. We are even making schiacciata con l'uva, a sweet grape bread.


Food, wine, and warm evenings welcome outdoor dining under a starry scintillating black sky.


We invite you to join us in our kitchen for a dreamy food and wine experience and learn how to prepare these Tuscan recipes with Chef Massimo and Stefania, our villa host, in Montepulciano -


Villa On A Tuscan Hill

https://www.cooking-vacations.com/tour/food-wine-cooking-classes-in-the-land-of-siena-7-day/

where everything is deliciously divine.


Enjoy the Tuscan recipe below!

Lauren



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Schiacciata con L'uva,

Vintners' Sweet Grape Bread


Schiacciata con l'uva, one of the most difficult words to say, is the most delicious to eat. Literally meaning squashed, schiacciata's protagonist ingredient is the grape pomace.


This farmers' recipe is made after the wine harvest using the remaining grape pomace. The grape pomace is laid over the dough and then baked to a sweet bite.


Making schiacciata con l'uva is a farmers' tradition. After a long day's work in the vineyard picking and then pressing the grapes, the farmers gather for lunch and enjoy schiacciata con l'uva and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano on the table.


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Schiacciata con L'uva


Ingredients:


600 grams of flour 0

100 gr of sourdough (or 20 gr of dry yeast)

400 grams of water (2 glasses)

10 grams of salt

Grape pomace, enough to cover your dough. If you do not have grape pomace, you can opt to use organic rosemary if you do not have grape pomace and a sprinkling of sea salt.


Extra virgin olive oil, enough to brush and cover the dough with.



Preparation

Mix the sourdough starter with the flour and water, or alternatively mix dry yeast with the flour, and mix well the two ingredients for at least 10 minutes. The dough will become elastic. Next, let the dough rest for 10 minutes.


After 10 minutes, work the dough again for another 5-10 minutes.


Add the salt and mix, continuing to work the dough for a few more minutes.


Next, extend the dough to a rectangular shape and drizzle with olive oil. Then, spread the dough out a little wider, make a three-fold (fold in 3 ), and seal all the sides with your fingertips so that the bubbles of air inside the bread do not escape. Cover with a plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.


After 30 minutes, make another fold and let the dough rise. Place the dough in a loaf pan and brush the top with olive oil. Cover it with plastic wrap and let rise (it will take several hours, depending on your home temperature - - in a 22C° - 71F temp room, rising time is 8 hours. In an 18C - 64F° temp room, you will need more time. If using traditional dry yeast you can estimate half the time.


Next, place the dough on a well-olive oiled rectangle pizza pan and gently spread the dough out, leaving the edges a little higher, then let the dough rise again until you do not see the bubbles. The dough will double in size.


Brush the dough with a generous amount of olive oil, then cover with the grape pomace or alternatively sprinkle with sea salt and fresh rosemary.


Bake at 210C° - 400F for about 10 minutes, then lower it to 180C° - 355F for another 15 minutes. Bake for another few minutes and keep the oven door open so the bread dries out while baking. When the edges are golden brown, remove them from the oven. Let cool, slice, and serve.



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Get Your Scoop

Flavors for Every Season


While strolling along the cobblestone streets of Florence it's impossible not to stop for a creamy gelato - there's a gelateria on every piazza!

After all, Italians love gelato in spring, summer, autumn and winter. So whether you are meandering without a plan or have marked your favorite gelato addresses, here are two of my favorites. And if you're lucky enough, you may even find grape or olive oil gelato on the menu - and they are truly worth a taste.


Edoardo Gelato was the first certified organic gelateria in Tuscany. Under the shadow of Brunelleschi’s Cupola in Piazza del Duomo in Florence, this ice cream shop is scooping artisanal gelato with a genuine taste. High-quality products and sustainability are at the core of what they do. They were also one of the first ice cream shops to offer vegan fruit-based flavors. https://www.edoardobio.com


Cross the Ponte Vecchio to the Oltrarno, literally meaning the other side of the Arno, for a neighborhood feel of artisan shops, wine bars and gelato! My favorite is Gelateria Vivoli and it is one of the oldest in the city. Since 1930, this family has created creamy homemade gelato with high-quality ingredients and passion - now handed down to the 4th generation. Small batches and lots of love will have you ordering three scoops, or maybe even four! https://vivoli.it/en/home-2/







Cooking Vacations

Recipes


Wish you were here in sunny Italy, and if you are not, please visit our new recipe page https://www.cooking-vacations.com/recipes/ with delicious recipes from different regions of Bella Italia - we are adding new ones as the seasons change. Enjoy!




Grazie Mille!

Lauren


www.Cooking-Vacations.com

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