Autunno in Toscana.

Artimino, Firenze.

I bet it doesn't look like I have a 39 degree fever in this photo, does it? The drastic and sudden change in temperature here resulted in a city-wide influenza outbreak. Unfortunately this hit me while I had my colleagues visiting, but it did not stop me from venturing out into Artimino for a truly unforgettable (and quite romantic) lunch.

Da Delfina is a little gem situated in the hills of Artimino about 20km outside of Firenze that should be at the top of the list of restaurants to experience in Tuscany. My dear colleague Joanna discovered it by way of a food connoisseur and fellow Cornell alum, and in my experience when it comes to food those hotelies are always to be trusted.

Of all of the dishes we tasted, on the top of the list: ribollita.

Ribollita is a soup consisting of stale bread and vegetables typical of Tuscany. It is a "poor" dish of peasant origin. Farmers would cook a large quantity of a mix of vegetables including cabbage and beans, stewed over the course of several days. I have had ribollita more times than I can tell you, in fact, it was the very first thing I ate when I arrived in Firenze in 2001 as a student. It is your quintessential winter comfort food. It usually has a somewhat liquidy consistency, however, at Da Delfina it takes on a whole new life. Their version is baked to perfection in a wood-burning oven so it was crispy around the edges. The best comparison I can make is to a baked omelette. It was heavenly. We chose two different secondi, spalla di maiale al forno (pig's back, baked) on skewers nestled between grilled bread), and Stracotto Toscano, a type of meat stew, prepared with red wine and peperoni. Both phenomenal. Of course there's always room for dessert, but we kept it on the lighter side with fresh berry sorbet.

Photos courtesy of Joanna... grazie, bella!

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Ceriana, Impruneta.

During a recent weekend visit to Ceriana a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of partaking in an Italian family pasttime: chestnut and mushroom hunting. I joined my friend, her husband, and her two young three-year old twins in the bosco (forest) near their house in the hills of Impruneta. They gave me a hunting stick, with which I raked away the leaves to uncover fresh chestnuts that had fallen from the trees. To my surprise, I found my very first mushroom that you see pictured above. There is a very short season for mushrooms, and it will not last much longer especially since the temperatures dropped so significantly. Once the ground begins to frost over, the mushrooms season will come to an end. Earlier in the morning her husband found "funghi ovoli" that resemble eggs. I've learned that these are quite coveted, and are best enjoyed raw with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Immediately after our excursion we went inside to indulge on the fruits of our labor.

I transported my goodies back to Firenze (in the back of my Smart car) and had a Sunday night dinner with friends. Thanks to one of my friends who is quite skilled in the kitchen especially when it comes to risotto, we enjoyed risotto con funghi, as well as some other Tuscan delights like bruschetta with fresh pomodori.

Such is the life in autumn in Italia.