This book is a collection of the cosy, hearty dishes I love to cook in winter - recipes that are either traditionally Tuscan or Tuscan-inspired. It's all about comforting, flavourful food for cold winter nights. But more than that, this book is about a way of cooking I truly believe in: the quanto basta method. It means 'as much as you need' - a glug of olive oil instead of a tablespoon. A pinch of salt as needed. You taste as you go and adjust. Once, when I was learning to make pici with a local cook, she simply said, 'We need as much flour as it takes.' That's the essence of quanto basta. It's not about being perfect - it's about being present, being practical and making something delicious with what you have.Winter in Tuscany celebrates rich culinary and cultural traditions with a quanto basta approach - the intuitive, Italian method of 'just enough' - and brings the heart of Tuscany's cosy autumnal and wintry flavours to your kitchen. But quanto basta is more than just a philosophy for cooking; it's a metaphor for life.
This book celebrates life in the off-season; an ode to exploring Tuscany's villages and countryside when the crowds have thinned, allowing for a deeper, more intimate connection with the culture, food and landscapes. There are charming suggestions for pottering around Florence and Siena, and smoothly delivered snippets of history and art.
But most of all, this book is about the recipes. An artichoke omelette, chicken liver pate crostini, a lentil and sausage stew, the most delicious bistecca fiorentina and the ultimate green salad. Filled with an array of hyper-local, traditional recipes for the home cook, Winter in Tuscany is an invitation to slow down and appreciate the beauty in small moments and big flavours.
