The wild figs were still green but the sun warmed the thicket and the smell was intoxicating.
Never knowing quite how to start a residency, a diary is always a good starting point, and as soon as I walked into the kitchen at the villa where we are staying in Tuscany I knew food was going to be a central focus. So here is my diary of foraging, finding local produce and trying to cook some Tucana recipes in full knowledge of my limited abilities.
The nearest supermarkets is (depending on which sign and who you ask) nearly a 2.5 hour return walk up and down the tuscan mountainside around 12k. This picture is about 4/5th the way to the shop! on the way we caught sight of many blackberries, rosemary and sage. The aim is to find some Italian recipes and translate and see if i can make them.
First things first.. lets “starter’ at the very beginning.. with the mother which will provide sour bread staples in the upcoming weeks..
Local plain flour and water to make a slurry then leave it somewhere airy for local yeast to infest! Give it little feeds of a sprinkle of water and flour once a day until foamy.
Items from Castel del Piano Carrefour
There are always some left over items in the cupboards from previous residents (dried lentils, flour, salt and pepper) and mat had picked up some staples including tomatoes, olives and several kinds of cheese between a train and a one of the buses on our way here.
Tuscan Scarpaccia
3 Zuchine zucchini
8 fiori di zucca zucchini flower
4 cipollotti. spring onion
sale pepe salt and pepper
90g farina 0. plain flour
40g farina di ceci chickpea flour
2 tbs olio d’ olivia olive oil
Wash and chop veggies, add salt and cover for a few hours in the fridge. can use a colander here but i just put a wedge or parmigianino under one edges of the dish to let liquid drain
Use the vegetable liquid to make a batter by adding the flours and the salt and pepper
Press a thin layer (1cm) onto a greased baking tray til golden 190*C 30 mins or so
Other items
Lentil Salad
boiled up some dried lentil in salted water for around 20 mins til tender. drained added a slosh of red wine vinegar and olive oil and veggies on hand..tomato, onion, olives and some basil
Yoghurt bread
Mixed by feel! Plain flour with a dash of bicarb mixed with olive oil and yoghurt to form a dough. Rest for 10 mins before formed into balls and then flatterned using a rolling pin. Fried in a pan with olive oil. super simple bread recipe whilst waiting for the mother to develop.
We were invited to a local olive oil farm last night. where Davido launched some beautiful orange wine, coloured by the skin of the grape and aged in barrels made from the local chestnut wood. Not a white wine drinker by nature the hot weather and generous company not to mention the Italiano Karaoke made it a molto bene stasera.
3 August
The mother is ready! I know this as it was full of bubbles this morning and when I feed it she talked back. My mother at home is a decade old so this young bubbly entity is a bit new and exciting. I wonder if the yeast that has infested my batter began in the peach tree outside the window?
I love making bread I am always astonished that flour and water can make such a delicious and beautiful staple.
I normally throw flour and water and a dollop of mother into my beloved stand mixer at home so it has been a beautiful task this morning to knead again. Time feels like such a privilege.
I feel so in the moment standing barefoot on the terracotta, swaying , folding and twisting until the dough surrenders to me
Bread Recipe
I mix by feel so add a little extra flour here and a slosh of water there to get it to the consistency I want which is perhaps a learnt, sensory preference. I add a good pinch of salt if I remember on the second knead. in this first batch I’ve used a mix of flours found in the cupboard.
3/4 C mother/starter (feed a little first)
4 C Flour
2 C Water
Mix everything together adding flour and water as you go to get a kneadable soft clay like texture. Knead by pushing and then turning until you feel a kind of release and the dough softens to your pressure.
Let it rest til it’s grown (not quite doubled) then another knead and shape the bread. proof for another hour or so then to cook in a dutch oven (super easy non fail option) in a very hot oven. 220*C 25 mins with lid on then another 20 or so with lid off.
Barefoot on terracotta tiles. Leaning rhythmically into the marble, Pushing and twisting until the dough surrenders
Flour
I know to use 00 flour for pasta but I’ve never questioned why. There is much to work out so I’ll be experimenting with flour mixes to work out why texturally and flavorwise why.
Farino = Flour
Tereno = Land (wheat)
‘00’ its soft and has been milled so its almost silt like..I guess this is the icing sugar of flour..
‘0’ this is more like a plain flour being from Tassie Id say think “four roses”
‘1’ this is a bit darker and when i added it to my mother it had like a refined wholemeal kind of feel I really like slightly less refined feel without going all out stoneground.
‘2’ haven’t been able to grab this yet. its suggested a semi- wholemeal so ill be on the look out for this to try.
‘Integrale’ whole wheat
Duro = Hard (semolina)
‘Rimancinata" (reground) Ive used this in my bread mix this morning its super fine and yellow perhaps the 00 of duro.
‘Semola’ this is the semolina we are used to in Australia. its a bit courser and maybe the go to basic flour of its type the ‘0’ of duro.
‘Integrale’ As above its the courser style whole grain. looking forwartd to playing with this also.
The first loaf was surprisingly good a little rustico but a new srtarter a new oven and new flours to play with all in all I’m taking it as a win!
A quick lunch of leftovers . I kept one of the yoghurt breads from yesterday and broke it up with some tomatoes and olives, rocket and whatever remained from yesterday’s lentil salad and threw a Burrata on top…
Burrata - Oh my, its a life changer of a cheese! It has an outer consistency of mozzarella but when you break it open creamy, gooey, soft, deliciousness. It is magic.
Carolyn acknowledges the muwinina and palawa traditional owners of the land where she lives and works and pays respect to her elders past, present and emerging and recognise today's Tasmanian Aboriginal families as custodians of lutruwita / Tasmania.
carolynwigston@me.com | +61419782034
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