Authentic Tuscan Recipes

🍲 First Courses and Soups

1. Ribollita

The queen of Tuscan soups. The secret lies in letting it rest and using “sciocco” (unsalted) stale bread.

• Ingredients: 1 bunch of black kale (cavolo nero), 1/2 savoy cabbage, Swiss chard, 300g dried cannellini beans, 2 potatoes, carrot, celery, onion, tomato paste, stale Tuscan bread, EVOO.
• Preparation: Boil the beans and blend half of them. Sauté celery, carrot, and onion, then add diced potatoes and all the leafy greens, roughly chopped. Add the bean broth and the puréed beans. Cook for about 2 hours.
• The Final Touch: Add the whole beans. In a pot, alternate layers of bread and soup. Let it rest overnight. The next day, “re-boil” (ribollire) everything with a drizzle of oil and serve hot.

2. Pappa al Pomodoro

An iconic “poor man’s dish,” celebrated for its incredible creaminess.

• Ingredients: 500g stale Tuscan bread, 800g canned peeled tomatoes (or very ripe fresh ones), garlic, vegetable broth, plenty of fresh basil, EVOO, salt, and pepper.
• Preparation: Rub the bread with garlic and break it into pieces. In a pot, heat oil with garlic, add tomatoes, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the bread and cover with hot broth.
• The Final Touch: Cook over low heat, stirring with a whisk to break down the bread. Once it reaches a creamy consistency, turn off the heat and add plenty of fresh basil and a drizzle of raw EVOO.

3. Pici all’Aglione

Fresh pasta from Val di Chiana, served with a local garlic sauce that is surprisingly sweet and easy to digest.

• Ingredients: For the Pici (flour, water, a pinch of salt). For the sauce: 4/5 cloves of Aglione (giant garlic), 500g tomato pulp, white wine, EVOO.
• Preparation: Make the pici by hand-rolling the dough into thick, irregular spaghetti. For the sauce, crush the aglione and cook it in a pan with oil and a bit of water until it turns into a cream (do not fry it). Deglaze with wine, add the tomato, and cook for 15 minutes.
• The Final Touch: Toss the al dente pici directly into the sauce.

🥩 Historical Street Food

4. Lampredotto sandwich

The soul of Florence, traditionally sold by the “trippai” (tripe vendors).

• Ingredients: 1 lampredotto (the fourth stomach of the cow), aromatics (onion, celery, carrot, cherry tomato), parsley, “rosetta” or “michetta” bread roll.
• Preparation: Boil the lampredotto in plenty of water with the aromatics for about 2-3 hours until very tender.
• The Final Touch: Chop the meat into strips on a cutting board. Dip the top part of the bread roll into the cooking broth, fill with lampredotto, plenty of green sauce (salsa verde), and chili oil if desired.

🍪 Traditional Desserts

Ricciarelli di Siena

Soft almond cookies born in the Middle Ages, famous for their “melt-in-your-mouth” texture.

• Ingredients: 400g almond flour, 350g powdered sugar, 2 egg whites, bitter almond extract, orange zest, wafer paper (optional).
• Preparation: Mix almond flour with sugar and zest. Fold in the lightly whisked egg whites and the extract. Form irregular diamond shapes (lozenges) with your hands.
• The Final Touch: Place on a baking sheet (over the wafer paper), dust with more powdered sugar, and bake at 160°C (320°F) for about 12-15 minutes. They should remain pale and form typical cracks on the surface.

6. Panforte

The Sienese holiday cake, rich with spices, candied fruits, and nuts.

• Ingredients: 150g toasted almonds, 150g candied orange and citron peel, 150g honey, 150g sugar, 100g flour, spice mix (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper), wafer paper for the base.
• Preparation: Melt honey and sugar over heat to create a syrup. Stir in flour, candied fruits, almonds, and spices. Mix vigorously. Pour the mixture into a tin lined with wafer paper and level it well.
• The Final Touch: Bake at 150°C (300°F) for 20 minutes. Once cold, dust generously with spiced powdered sugar.