With the considerable help of family and friends, we finished in record time the olive harvest on our Tuscan farmlet high up in the hills behind Cortona, Italy. It was not the best harvest we’ve ever had, though the yield, at 12.8 percent, was high. Translated
When holiday time rolls around, thinking of good gifts for foodies can be a challenge. You can send food of course, but serious foodies love something that anyone can give, and it will last a lifetime. Cookbooks, memoirs with recipes — in other words, food porn.
Cooking for dinner parties should be fun. If the occasion is a holiday, a birthday or a personal landmark, celebrating at home with a meal cements relationships with friends and family. But when preparing the meal is too much work, the fun goes away. [aside] With relative
Whenever I mention Swiss wine — which I do at every possible opportunity — most people get a glazed look in their eyes. Some folks are unaware that wine is even grown in this tiny, mountainous, landlocked country. Those lucky few who have had the
The restaurant was nothing special, just a small room with a couple of low tables and stools. There was no menu, nothing to indicate what was being served. But next to the door was a wide basket piled high with fresh rice noodles, and behind
Paso Robles, California, is gaining as much recognition of late for its cuisine as for the region’s celebrated wines, with chefs drawn to the bounty of the state’s Central Coast. Downtown Paso Robles, ringed with fine restaurants, is anchored by the historic Paso Robles Inn, which
With Europe on edge after the bombings in Paris, it is good to be reminded of the joy of sharing a meal with strangers. But what happens when you don’t know anyone at a dinner party, not even the host? [aside] During a recent evening in Brussels,
Every time I come back to Italy, which I do as often as I can, I learn something new. Take pasta, for instance. The subject is very much on my mind these days because I’ve just published, with my daughter Sara (chef-owner of Porsena Restaurant in