Tuscan vegetable and bread soup

This soup, like many others, actually improves if left for a day or so. We make a large batch and have it in varied ways - without the bread soaked into it but served on top of hot toast rubbed with raw garlic or with the bread and served at room temperature.

Minestrone ~ Tuscan Vegetable Soup

The distinctive taste of this soup comes from the cavolo nero ("black cabbage"). This has recently been popularized by chefs such as Jamie Oliver and is now available in many farmers' markets.

Stuffed Round Zucchini/Courgettes

This recipe looks particularly good made with the cute round zucchini, but is equally tasty made with the long variety. Remember to be careful to reduce cooking times if your zucchini are small.

Porcini Sauce for Pasta

Fresh porcini are wonderfully aromatic and just melt in your mouth.

Bean and Escarole Soup (or Crostini)

You can serve small quantities of this Tuscan bean dish on crostini, as an appetizer, or larger quantities as a hearty soup.
minestrone

Springtime Minestrone

A slow-cooked minestrone made with fresh seasonal ingredients and served with good bread is a healthy and delicious dinner or lunch.

Baked Tomatoes Filled with Rice

You can only use parboiled rice in this recipe since the grains stay separate. Non parboiled rice will turn into a sticky blob!
pomarola

Pomarola ~ Simple fresh tomato and basil sauce

During our cooking vacations in Italy, we teach you various tomato sauces, some that are packed with tasty vegetables and some that have a purer tomato taste. This simple sauce relies on good, tasty, ripe tomatoes, fresh basil and a good olive oil.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

This is a dish to be made and savoured immediately. You can even make it as a pre-dinner nibble while you finish cooking something time-consuming with friends.

Small Onions in a Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

Your guests will be fighting over these tangy onions! Remember to provide plenty of bread to mop up the delicious caramelized sauce coating them. At our cooking school in Tuscany, this side dish is one of the biggest hits!