As the mercury begins to dip, there is nothing more satisfying than a bowl of something hearty and delicious, and Amber Guinness’s recipes from the south of Tuscany fit the bill.
The cook and food writer, who is based in Florence, celebrates everything this beautiful part of the world has to offer in the colder months in her new book Winter in Tuscany, from warming soups to filling salads.
Here are some of her favourite recipes for cosy nights in…
Vegetable minestrone
Serves 4
- 3 carrots
- 1 large courgette
- A few cavolo nero leaves
- A few leaves of silverbeet (Swiss chard) or white cabbage
- 2 potatoes, peeled
- 3 celery sticks
- 1 white onion
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- 1 litre (34 fl oz) cold water or vegetable stock
- ½tsp bicarbonate of soda (optional)
- 400g (14 oz) tin cannellini beans, drained
- 1 Parmesan rind (optional)
- Grated Parmesan, to serve
If your carrots are small, cut them into discs. If they are large, cut them in half lengthways down the middle, then cut them into half-moons. Do the same with the courgette and set aside in separate bowls. Discard any tough stalks from the cavolo nero and the silverbeet or cabbage, then cut the leaves into strips about 1cm wide.
Cut the potatoes into 2cm chunks, the celery into 1cm chunks, and very finely chop the onion.
In a large heavy-based saucepan (I use a cast-iron one), heat a couple of glugs of olive oil with a pinch of salt. Add all the vegetables except the courgette and potatoes, pour the water over and add two teaspoons of salt and the bicarbonate of soda, if using.
Cover, turn the heat up high and wait for the liquid to come to the boil, about five minutes.
Remove the lid and turn the heat right down. Add the courgette, potatoes and drained cannellini beans, and the Parmesan rind, if using.
Leave to simmer for 20–30 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked and the broth is reduced and tasty.
Serve in shallow bowls with bread, a little grated Parmesan and a drizzle more olive oil.
Sausage and stracchino crostone
Serves 4
- 4 large slices of white sourdough bread (preferably a little stale)
- 2 sausages, about 100g (3½ oz) each
- 6tbsp stracchino cheese
- Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F)/150°C (300°F) fan-assisted.
Take the slices of bread and line up on a baking tray. If the toast slices are very long, cut in half. Put in the oven for up to five minutes, until lightly golden and a bit dried out.
Turn the slices over halfway through, so that they dry evenly. Remove from the oven.
Turn the oven up to 200°C (400°F). Slice down the side of the sausages with a knife and remove the sausage meat from their casing.
Transfer to a bowl and break up the meat with a fork.
Add the stracchino and mix together until you have an amalgamated mixture.
Using a tablespoon, divide the mixture equally onto each piece of bread and smooth out to the edges using the back of the spoon. Drizzle lightly with a little olive oil and put back in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and browning and the sausage meat has cooked.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for five minutes, until cool enough to handle. If the pieces of bread are particularly big, you may need a knife and fork.
Pink radicchio and blood orange salad
Serves 4
- 2 heads of pink radicchio
- Large handful of lamb’s lettuce or watercress
- Hunk of aged pecorino or Parmesan
- 1 blood orange
- 3tbsp olive oil
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Sea salt
Clean and carefully dry all the salad leaves, keeping them as intact as possible. Mix together in a large serving bowl.
Using a potato peeler, shave shards off the hunk of cheese until you have a nice handful of shaved cheese.
When ready to serve, peel the orange, removing all the white pith, then slice into segments and arrange over the salad leaves.
Pour the olive oil and lemon juice over the salad, add a generous pinch of salt and toss well. Add the cheese, toss again and serve.
‘Winter in Tuscany‘ by Amber Guinness
THAMES & HUDSON £29.99
