PECORA IN UMIDO – STEWED LAMB

Cut a 1.5 Kg. leg of lamb into neat squared pieces and cut away surplus fat.
Prepare chopped vegetables, 2 onions, 1 carrot, 1 stick of celery and rind of 1 lemon; gently fry chopped vegetables in 15 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Fry slowly until golden brown, add 400 gr. Minced meat and cook for 10 minutes. Add the pieces of lamb, salt and pepper and continue to fry until meat is well sealed, add 1 cup of wine. Allow wine to evaporate then add 500 gr. of peeled tomatoes, cover and cook on low heat for 2 ½ hrs., stirring occasionally. Pour over ½ cup Brandy and continue cooking for 30 mins without a lid. The sauce is also excellent served with tagliatelle or short cut pasta. The meat is wonderful served with polenta.

TRIPPA ALLA FIORENTINA – FIORENTINA TRIPE

Tripe can be bought already boiled. Wash thoroughly and cut into strips, drain in a colander. Chop onion, carrot and celery and fry slowly until golden brown. Add the tripe with tomato sauce, salt and pepper, add a little water and stir well. After half an hour, stir well and serve piping hot.

BISTECCA ALLA FIORENTINA – FIORENTINA STEAK

“Queen of the Grill”. The steak must be at least 3cms. thick and therefore weight approx. 1 Kg. Kit should be cooked on a hot grill placed above a thick layer of red-hot embers. Place the steak on the hot grill and leave until the meat is well sealed and no longer sticks to the grill. Turn over and salt the cooked side. Repeat this action for a few more minutes. When cooked remove from the grill and add pepper and serve hot. This steak is excellent with a bottle of CHIANTI “Le Baccane”.

PANZANELLA DELLE BACCANE

Wet state bread well squeezed, tomatoes cut into thin slices, onion, basil and cucumber dressed with olive oil, salt, pepper and vinegar. Put in fridge for 2 hrs. Perfect served chilled on hot summer days.

RIBOLLITA

Ribollita is nothing more than a bean, turnip or cabbage soup leftover from the day before and re-heated in a saucepan or the oven with a little of oil. In restaurants, bean soup is deliberately prepared in advance and then re-heated before serving in earthenware pots. For a traditional Ribollita any vegetables usually found in a minestrone soup can be used and then re-heated a number of times and… Buon Apetito.

LE ZONZELLE DELL’ANGELA

Make a dough using 1 kg. flour, 1 cube brewer’s yeast, oil and salt. Leave dough to rise well. Shape dough into small ball shapes and deep fry. Excellent as a starter with an aperitif or with slices of cheese. If possible serve hot.