briciole

cagliata / cheese curds

a quick peek under the cloth When I make cheese, my kitchen acquires a luminous quality. The pearly white of milk and curds reminds me of Galadriel, the royal Elf, as protrayed by Cate Blanchett in The Lord of the Rings movies. I took the photo while making Crescenza, a soft cheese I have been using most recently to dress chestnut flour handmade spaghetti to stuff homemade pita together with baby kale to top a savory tart This week, I have the honor of hosting Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook... Read more →

nasturzio all finestra / garden nasturtium at the window

edible window decoration I am looking at the bench in our garden and my view is framed by the intrepid garden nasturtium that has come inside our living room through one of the windows. I have been watching it grow, wondering where it will go, fascinated by its tenacity. Flowers, young leaves and seedpods of garden nasturtium are edible and I have featured them in some recipes: my Rattlesnake bean salad uses nasturtium-infused vinegar and my roasted cauliflower uses the pickled seedpods. I am planning to test additional creative uses for the plant in the coming weeks. Above is a cluster... Read more →

fragole / strawberries

irresistible temptation I am working on the next chapter of my pasta adventures, which will be out tomorrow or Tuesday and I am also writing a piece with recipe for my column on The Weiser Kitchen site on the subject of strawberries. I took the photo above at the farmers' market recently. If it looks like I am falling into the strawberries is because that is what I wanted to do: dive into the berry goodness in front of me. one ripe and one not From color overflow to monochromatic sparseness. I took the photo above during my most recent visit... Read more →

mollica e crosta / crumb and crust

look at this crumb! It was hard to take photos during the bread-baking class at the San Francisco Baking Institute I attended last week. I was always focused on the task at hand and my hands were usually not in the ideal conditions to pick up the camera. The quiter moment came at the end of each day, when we tasted our bread production. We mostly made baguettes using different methods and then evaluated the pros and cons of each in terms of look, smell and flavor. The photo above shows the beautiful crumb on a couple of baguettes made by... Read more →

chiocciola sul prezzemolo / snail strolling on parsley

small but strong (maybe it's thanks to the parsley) I don't mind sharing my garden with small creatures like this snail, whom I found in one of the parsley bushes. I admire the way it goes about its life with determination. The camera caught it stretched quite far outside its shell, getting ready to move onto a higher leaf. This is my contribution to edition #125 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week by Sanhita of Pocket full of Spices. The... Read more →

Black and White Wednesday #123: la galleria di foto / the photo gallery

wine glasses in good company I got your attention, didn't I? I have seen the mask many times and it still fascinates me. Without the wine glasses to mellow it slightly, it would intimidate me. Keep your attention focused as I move on to present the photos contributed to edition #123 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event. Enjoy this week's show! Aparna of Stories from the Mahe Coast: Mushrooms Priya of The Humpty Dumpty Kitchen: What's inside (is what matters) Cinzia of Cindystar: Gorgeous Grouper Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums: Wild Thyme From Palestine Simona of briciole:... Read more →

cavolo nero in fiore / blooming Tuscan kale

swan's song Kale plants that gave us a plentiful winter harvest bloom bright yellow and usher in spring planting at Redwood Roots Farm. Subtracting the color brings out the shapes. This week, I have the honor of hosting Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event. created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar. Send your contribution at simosite AT mac DOT com, namely your name your blog's name the image(s) (max 500 px wide, either orientation, max 150 kb file size) You have until Wednesday, April 2 at 9 am Pacific time to... Read more →

carote sul tagliere / carrots on the cutting board

fresh from the farm Colorful carrots I used to make a sklandrausis-inspired vegetable tart and beans in a cashew and tomato curry. I like the smell of fresh carrots, a refreshing blend of sweetness and soil. This is my contribution to edition #122 of Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar, and hosted this week by Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu. The photo was shot in color and then converted to black and white (Lightroom preset B&W Look 5). The gallery of images contributed to the event.... Read more →

orecchiette e luna piena / orecchiette and full moon

orecchiette on my kneading board... I am working on a new version of orecchiette and also on a new pasta shape. Above is a monochromatic preview of the former. and an "orecchietta" in the sky This is my original post on orecchiette, so you can start practising with your hands. The upcoming post will have some more details based on my experience teaching pasta-making workshops. Update: this post describes in detail how I made the orecchiette in the top photo, using toasted chickpea flour together with semolina flour. This is my contribution to edition #121 of Black and White Wednesday -... Read more →

un cesto di sedano rapa / a basket full of celeriac

a basket full of beauties Certain vegetables almost scream to be photographed. What is a person with a camera to do in front of a basket full of simply gorgeous celeriac? Kevin of Shakefork Community Farm arranged the bounty of celeriac tastefully (pun intended) on his table at the farmers' market. What I like is that the roots still have leaves attached, so one can see the resemblance to celery's. Celeriac (also called celery root) is a great ingredient, mostly in soups, like the one I shared a while ago. The aesthete in me enjoys looking at it for beauty's sake.... Read more →