I have been away for a month in northern France and Italy, discovering and devouring delicious late summer foods, everywhere we went. The highlights, apart from several outstanding restaurants which I always research and make reservations at before I leave home, were the stunning markets in both cities and hilltop towns in rural areas, overflowing with brightly coloured jewel-like vegetables and fruits, huge stalls of the freshest seafood and meats, and amazing arrays of cheese.
The dense population throughout Europe, with so many food lovers and excellent food producers and growers, makes these markets well supported and caused me endless envy. I so wished I had a portable kitchen in my luggage so I could gather a bagful of the amazing produce to take to my hotels and cook up a storm!
Luckily, one of the motivations for our travels was an invitation to join a dear friend for a week in Tuscany in a stunning villa near Florence. Paula Lambert, who is a mozzarella maker in Dallas, Texas, leads week-long cooking classes in the late spring and again in autumn for very small groups. A very enthusiastic “Italianophile”, Paula takes her groups out each day to explore the art, culture, food and wines of the area. We learned from local expert cultural guides she works with about all the treasures and age old edifices in the surrounding towns and villages, and on little daily passegiatas (walks) with shopping opportunities, too.
We lunched at simple local restaurants and each evening we returned to the Villa Le Radicchie to cook together under Paula’s expert guidance, eating our stunning candlelit dinner together. The villa is managed by a young couple, and Paula has been taking her groups there for 14 years. I was excited to see the manager, Tammy, was a Kiwi and we had some great conversations about New Zealand, while her partner Nicola was an excellent cook and wine expert, who shared his knowledge of the region generously.
Over the course of the week we cooked a range of lovely meals from fried ricotta-filled zucchini blossoms to some great handmade pasta dishes and simple desserts. Limoncello appeared often and I developed skills in peeling lemons to produce paper thin rinds to flavour this highly alcoholic drink, which we used in several of our light desserts. Perhaps my favourite of the week was this hearty Tuscan meatloaf. If you can’t find wild dried mushrooms (Sabato stock them), use fresh meaty portobellos cut thinly. It is equally good served both hot and room temperature, and would be perfect for a summer picnic.
Tuscan meatloaf with wild mushroom sauce
500g lean minced beef
4 slices white bread, crusts removed
2 tbsp milk
½ onion finely chopped
2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped pancetta
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 egg yolk
¾ cup fine white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
For the sauce:
30g dried mushrooms, soaked for 20 mins in warm water
1/3 cup white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
Place the mince in a bowl, and gently heat the bread and milk together, mashing with a fork to form a paste.
Add the bread to the mince with the onion, salt and pepper, pancetta, cheese, and garlic. With wet hands mix the meat until all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Add the egg yolk and form the meat into an oblong roll, about 10-12cm thick. Roll in the breadcrumbs so it is evenly coated.
Drain the mushrooms, saving the soaking water, and rinse well. Chop if large into smaller pieces. If you use fresh mushrooms you will need a cup of chicken stock in place of the mushroom water.
In a heavy pan, melt the butter in the oil and carefully brown the meat loaf on all sides.
Tip the white wine into the pan and raise the heat so it comes to a boil and reduces by a third. Turn the heat down, add the mushrooms and the strained mushroom water with the tomato paste. Stir well until it comes to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Check to ensure it is not too dry, adding a little water if necessary. Remove the lid, simmer another 15-20 minutes, turning and basting the meatloaf occasionally.
Remove the meat to a heated serving plate and check the sauce, reducing by boiling if it is a bit too liquid.
Finally, rest the dish and then to serve, slice the meatloaf and pour the sauce over. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green salad.
Serves 4-6.
Dining and Cooking