* * *
T. S. Eliot again:
And to make an end is to make a beginning
The end is where we start from.
Hopeful and true, these words. I’m again relishing walks on the Roman road, coffee in the piazza every morning, cooking from my garden, Wednesday night dinners at the Cardinalis’ house. I know there are amazing people in other places—and some cranks, too—but the friends I’ve known for many years are not replicable. Plus, I’m in love with my rooms full of books and collections, my blue stove, lemon pots and kitchen herbs, the lion’s-head fountain spilling music. This is memory’s crucible: family and friends who blossom here, six-hour feasts under the stars, all the books I’ve written in my third-floor study, even the mysterious hurts that visit now and then.
Trento is gorgeous and refined, Asolo, a fairy-tale setting, Carloforte, knock-out beach town, Campodimele, where everyone lives to be ninety-five, oh, many other contenders. But it turns out that Cortona already has imprinted as home, the perfect place to start from when Ed hauls the luggage from the storeroom, I stuff the book bag, and it’s time again to go.
NOTE:
“Little Gidding,” from The Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot.
Vitello Scottato con Pomodoro Verde in Olio Extravergine d’Oliva ed Erbette Aromatiche
STEAK WITH OLIVES, HERBED GREEN TOMATOES, AND PICKLED RED ONIONS, SERVES 4
Silvia Baracchi, starred Michelin chef, has a genius for using local ingredients in stunning new ways. I have made this with veal chops and with filet mignon. All good.
4 cups kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
4 boneless rib steaks, cut 1 ¼ inches thick
Extra-virgin olive oil, QB
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, QB
3 green tomatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
3 cloves garlic, slivered
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly chopped herbs of your choice: parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano
Pickled red onions (recipe follows)
Preheat the oven to 175°F.
Spread the olives on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake them for at least 4 hours or overnight, until they are dried out but not burned. Let cool, then transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.
Trim excess fat from around the steaks. Brush lightly with olive oil. Season the meat lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Press the ground olives onto both sides of the steak to coat completely. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before cooking.
In a bowl, toss the green tomato wedges with ½ teaspoon salt and a generous grind of pepper, the garlic, herbs, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Line a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) with parchment paper. Pour in 3 tablespoons olive oil and set over medium-high heat until hot. Add the steaks and sauté for 1½ to 2 minutes on each side until nicely browned. Transfer to the oven. Roast for 5 to 8 minutes, until the meat is rare to medium-rare. Remove to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Do not tent.
While the steak roasts, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the green tomatoes, their juices, the garlic, and the herbs. Sauté over medium-high heat until they are softened but still hold their shape, 3 to 5 minutes.
To serve, cut the steak against the grain into thick slices. Arrange on plates with alternating layers of the sautéed green tomatoes and pickled red onions.
PICKLED RED ONIONS
½ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
2 medium-size red onions, thickly sliced
In a medium-size saucepan, combine 4 cups water with the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaf. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the red onion slices and simmer for about 3 minutes, until the onions are just softened but still hold their shape. Transfer the onions to a glass container. Let the brine cool slightly, then pour over the onions. Marinate for at least 30 minutes before using. If you have extra, let cool. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Il Falconiere, Cortona, Toscana
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book belongs to Edward Mayes, my husband, as much as it belongs to me. A great Italian driver, he took us on many journeys into the heart of Italy, always with a sense of adventure. Extensive wine research, endless reservations, early trains, translations of obscure texts, and so much more—he was on it. He’s the consummate traveler; I’m in luck to take to the road with him. We were also lucky to have on some of our most fun trips grandson William Mayes King, age fifteen, then sixteen. Expert at directions and playlists and full of curiosity about every stop, he added sunlight and joy. Thanks to my daughter Ashley King and Peter Leousis, his parents, for allowing us to take him away for so long, and thanks also for the grand welcome home dinners.
I met hundreds of people along the way, too many to list, but they endure in my memory of each place. I’d like to thank especially the chefs who shared recipes so generously. Their names are in the book. Two kitchen geniuses, Susan Wyler in the USA and Gilda Di Vizio in Cortona, helped enormously with the testing. All fun! Charlie Conrad, Todd Alden, Sheryl Turping, Kip Keenan, Ondine Cohane, Steven Rothfeld, Robert Draper, Fulvio Di Rosa, and Aurora Patrito gave me great tips, and Coco and Jim Pante and Susie and Rowan Russell tasted and commented. It’s a privilege to be able to share the innovative recipes from some of our favorite restaurants. As always, Silvia and Riccardo Barrachi, owners of Il Falconiere, cooked, poured, and cheered this project along. And mille grazie to Giorgio Zappini.
And speaking of luck, Peter Ginsberg has been my superb agent since Under the Tuscan Sun. I depend on his humor as much as his sound advice. I’m fortunate to work with the brilliant team at the Crown Publishing Group, especially Rachel Rokicki, director of publicity. Elina Nudelman and Elena Giavaldi, thank you both for the design, and Melissa Esner for good outreach ideas and tech help. Copyediting this book must have been tough, with all the facts to verify, variant spellings, italics, on and on. This person is anonymous but a big thanks goes out to you; thank you to Cindy Berman for keeping everything on track. I’m grateful to Maya Mavjee and Molly Stern for their continuing support of my work. Sopratutto, above all, my gratitude to Claire Potter, my editor. She lavished attention on every page, with astute queries and perceptive comments. She is a delight to work with start to finish. I’m glad this book sent her off traveling to Italy.
RECIPE INDEX
B
Baked Onion Stuffed with Fondue and Bra Sausage (Cippola Cotta al Forno Ripiena di Fonduta e Salsiccia di Bra), this page
Black Pig Tenderloin with Nero d’Avola Sauce, Leek Chips, and Wild Vegetables (Filetto di Maiale Nero con Salsa Nero d’Avola, Patatine Porri, e Verdure Selvatiche), this page
C
Caponata, this page
Cold Thin Spaghetti with Raw Oysters (Spaghettino Freddo con Ostriche Crude), this page
Crispy Octopus with Velvety Chickpeas, Wild Fennel, and Lemon Zest (Polpo Croccante su Vellutata di Ceci, Finocchietto Selvatico, e Zeste di Limone), this page
G
Gnocchi with Wild Hare (Gnocchi con La Lepre), this page
Grilled Prawns with Fennel and Olives (Gamberi alla Griglia con Finocchio e Olive), this page
L
Large Fusilli, Prawns, Black Sesame (Fusillone, Scampo, Sesamo Nero), this page
Lemon Ricotta Tart (Torta al Limone e Ricotta), this page
P
Paduan Hen in Saor (Gallina Padovana in Saor), this page
Portuguese Rabbit (Conigghiu a’ Portuisa [Coniglio alla portoghese]), this page
Pumpkin Flowers Stuffed with Ricotta, Small Vegetables, and Fresh Tomatoes (Fiori di Zucca Ripieni di Ricotta, Verdure Piccole, e Pomodori Freschi), this page
R
Rice Cavour (Riso Cavour), this page
Risotto with Asparagus and Prosecco (Risotto agli Asparagi al Profumo di Prosecco), this page
S
Sardines in Saor Always Crispy (Sarde in Saor Sempre Croccanti), this page
Sea Bream in “Crazy Water” (Orata all’Acqua Pazza), this page
Sformatini of Cooked Bread with a Vegetable Pâté and Waterfall of Cannellini (Sformatini di Pancotto su Paté dell’Orto con Cascata di Cannellini), this page
Spaghetti alla Chitarra, Red Shrimp, Olives, and Squid (Spaghetti alla Chitarra, Gamberi Rossi, Olive Leccino, e Calamaretti Spillo), this page
Steak with Olives, Herbed Green Tomatoes, and Pickled Red Onions (Vitello Scottato con Pomodoro Verde in Olio Extravergine d’Oliva ed Erbette Aromatiche), this page
Stuffed Pork Chop (Costata Ripiena), this page
T
“Tadpoles”: Crumbs of Tossed Pasta Seasoned from the Garden, and Porcini Mushrooms, Almost Raw (I Girini: Briciole di Pasta Buttata Condite dall’Orto e Funghi Porcini, Quasi Crudi), this page
Y
Young Pork with Purée of Parsnips, Beans, and Apples (Maialino da Latte, Purè di Pastinaca, Fave, e Mele), this page
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Under the Tuscan Sun was Frances Mayes’s first book about Italy. Previously, she published six books of poetry and a popular college textbook on reading and writing poetry. Her Italian memoirs Bella Tuscany and Every Day in Tuscany followed Under the Tuscan Sun, along with In Tuscany, Bringing Tuscany Home, and The Tuscan Sun Cookbook. She has also written the travel narrative A Year in the World, the novel Swan, and a southern memoir, Under Magnolia. Her most recent novel, Women in Sunlight, takes place in Italy.
Frances and her poet husband, Edward Mayes, live at Bramasole in Cortona, Tuscany, where it all began, and on a farm outside Hillsborough, North Carolina.
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See You in the Piazza Page 40