October 25, 2009

Falling Back

my room with a view, where I write


Today we fall back one hour- sleeping in a little extra and waking to an incredible fall day.
When I am working at my computer upstairs in our tiny 1/3 of a old stone farmhouse in the hills outside of Certaldo, the songbirds are soundtrack during the day. Sometimes in the morning I am awakened by the sounds of hunters, hopefully shooting something larger than the songbirds, like pheasant or wild boar.

We arrived home from Torino last night too late to shop, too early to eat out. Thank goodness for the freezer. I heated up a bag of minestrone and we had our tray of miniature pastries from the fabulous pastry shop in Torino near our hotel, Querio. There is never a problem to find a wonderful pastry shop nearby! They are more like jewelry shops with tiny precious sweets and chocolates.
How can one refuse?

a tiny sampling of the incredible mini-pastries from Querio Pastry shop in Via Cernaia, Torino


Today woke up well rested with that extra hour of sleep, we changed our clocks here in Europe last night and with an empty fridge called for reservations at our local town favorite, La Casalinga. Mamma is still in the kitchen, not polite to ask her age, but probably 70 or 80?

Here is a typical lunch array- We ate light- no sliced meats or crostini to start-

penne pasta with broccoli and sausage sauce


lasagna with ragu and bechamel sauce a Sunday lunch classic

the spit-roasted pork: sausage, filet, liver wrapped in caul-fat and bread


oven-roasted potatoes cooked in the pan drippings- Patate alla ghiottona


Sunday is time for pastry- Ciambella con crema chantilly- cream puff ring with pastry cream/whipped cream

Andrea's cookie plate with empty Vin Santo glass

finishing your meal with fruit is a true Italian way to end a meal

If you want to really be Italian- you can add-on to this menu

Buon appetito


Italians have a saying: A Tavola non si invecchia- One doesn't age at the table.

Pull up a chair and join us!!!

Trattoria Casalinga
Via Roma, 44, 
Certaldo 
Tel: 0571 668198

Closed Sat



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Posted by at 2:52 PM

9 comments:

  1. thanks for sharing a snapshot of your life in italy.

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  2. Bentornata! Loved this and your post at FoodConnect. Let me know when you're in town, please.

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  3. Glad you ate light...ah Italia...;-)

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  4. Those lasagne looks truly wonderful. Brings back memories... and the roasted meats and the pastries and even the potatoes! And the ciambella... nothing like eating light!

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  5. I found your blog and I absolutely love it! My family is from Florence, Italy. I am determined to save a piece of our family history and carry on the tradition of homemade ravioli. Unfortunately, I have no one to teach me. I am searching for an authentic vintage Italian ravioli rolling pin but have not been able to locate one...do you have any suggestions on where to find one - without going to Italy? I live in the U.S.

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  6. I recently found your blog and love it. I just started my own blog "myravioliadventure" in the hopes that I can carry on the family history and learn to make homemade ravioli. Unfortunately, I have to learn on my own as my Nonni passed away years ago. I am looking for an authentic vintage Italian ravioli rolling pin to help me. Do you have any idea where I can find one - without travelling to Italy?

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  7. Ciao- I married a Florentine- never have seen an Italian use a ravioli rolling pin- I had one in California- was a mess-
    most italians roll out the dough with a long dowel- not even a real rolling pin as they are not long enough.

    The flour is important as are the eggs in the dough. Where is your family from in FLorence?

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  8. Ciao! My grandparents were both from Florence (although my Aunt said that my grandfather lived in the mountains). I never heard anything except that they were from Florence. My grandmother was Caroline Benvenuti and my grandfather was Massimilano Ferrari. Thank you for the info re: the ravioli rolling pin. I bought some 00 flour...what do you mean about the eggs?

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  9. Jennifer- recipes change region to region- getting the 00 flour is already a good start. Putting meat in the ravioli is not typical Florentine. Just outside Florence in the hills of Mugello, they make a potato ravioli that noone makes in Florence for example.

    the ratio eggs to flour changes with the flour! 100 grams of flour per egg- but how large are your eggs?
    Practice will make perfect!

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