The warm aroma of butter, sugar and almonds make winter and the Christmas season even more wonderful. Moreover, gifting some homemade biscuits is a simple gesture that can evoke forgotten memories and flavours. Cantucci, or Cantuccini are traditional Tuscan biscuits, usually served with Vinsanto. Originally from Prato, they were first made without the almonds that […]
Recipes
RECIPE: THE POTATO GNOCCHI
This Summer Vignamaggio harvested its first organic potatoes, and even if most of the them has already been eaten, we still have some stocks for this fall. To celebrate the beginning of Autumn with you, we thought about one of the easiest recipes of the Italian cuisine, but a real pronunciation challenge for many foreigners: […]
MELON AND GREEN OIL CARPACCIO
In this post we will be close to the stove for a very short time, thanks to one of the quickest and freshest recipes from our kitchen. To prepare melon carpaccio with green oil, few fresh ingredients are needed and very little time: the final result will be a refreshing aperitif or a delicious snack. […]
RECIPE: TUSCAN COCCOLI
Fried bread dough is found everywhere in Italy and each region has a different name for it: Coccoli, ficattole or zonzelle. This is the Florentine version of this national treat. WHAT WE NEED 200g flour Dry yeast Water EVO oil Seed oil Salt WHAT WE DO Empty the flour onto the work surface and make […]
RECIPE: THE TUSCAN GRANDMA’S CAKE
Torta della Nonna (Grandma’s Cake), originally from Arezzo, is a tart of confectioners custard encased in a short-crust pastry and topped with pine nuts and icing sugar. Legend has it that the creation of the dish was the result of a challenge, to prove that Tuscan cuisine does have its share of desserts. WHAT YOU […]
RECIPE: BAKED APPLES IN VINSANTO
Winter is the perfect season to warm up with a delicious homemade dessert and this time we thought we’d make a classic ‘Grandma’s recipe’: Our chef, Cristina’s delicious version of baked apples in Vinsanto. WHAT WE NEED 4 apples (4 people, one apple each) 125 ml Chianti Classico Vinsanto 4 table spoons raw cane sugar […]
WINTER SALADS
During the holidays there is always an onslaught of meat and fish, roasted and stuffed. We thought that the vegetables in our vegetable gardens also deserve a place on the dinner tables of special occasions. The base we started with is a simple radicchio and pomegranate salad: other than being delicious and in season, the […]
THE FLAN
Or, more precisely, the CRUSTLESS VEGETABLE FLAN. Flan is a French term with Germanic roots: in fact, in high German « flado » means wafer and today «Fladen (brot) » refers to a flat, only slightly risen bread. In our case, the flan refers to a soft and delicious starter. A simple, versatile recipe than you can […]
HOW TO PRESERVE TOMATOES (and enjoy a longer Summer)
An easy recipe for a lasting fragrance of summer? Preserving tomatoes in oil is accomplished in only a few simple steps and promises you some of the joys of summer, even when it is cold and the beauty of ripe, red tomatoes in the vegetable garden is but a distant memory. STERILISE THE JARS To […]
YOGHURT CAKE
This cake is a regular on the buffet table in our Breakfast Room each morning. At Vignamaggio breakfast is part of your stay: each morning we offer our guests a variety of homemade cakes and this must be one the simplest and most popular recipes. WHAT YOU NEED A 125 ml jar of yoghurt 1 […]