Carne Cruda all'albese

There's a dish I've probably eaten more of in the last few weeks than I have in all the previous years combined. I enjoyed the versions of it I found in Paris and now in Piemonte, you'll find it just about on every menu. You'll know it by its more familiar name steak tartare but here it's called carne cruda.

For steak tartare, the cut of meat most commonly used is eye fillet, which although tender isn't the most flavoursome piece of meat. For carne cruda, you use "fesa di vitello" or veal breast. To get exactly the right type of meat I've returned to my favourite butcher. After explaining what I wanted to make and for how many, he gave a nod and a smile as he headed to his special glass doored fridge in the wall to retrieve the veal breast. A minute or so later, it was done and I had this beautiful array of finely sliced veal before me.

Ravioli del Plin con Tartufo Bianco

Besides tajarin, the other most famous pasta of this region are the Ravioli del Plin.

B&W Wednesday #12

One of the things that I've most loved about being here in Italy and in particular this town, is the open air market that rolls through the streets three times a week.

The subject for Black & White Wednesday, hosted by the indefatigable Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook is one of the large trucks that make up the market - this one is a deli that any cured meat or cheese lover would want to have access to.

Fegato di Vitello e Salvia

There are lots of things that I love about being in Italy and having the luxury of, if just for a while, living in Italy. I do adore the proper butcher shops that I have a great pleasure of frequenting - I love the simplicity of their meat cabinets. Instead of an array of pre-portioned cuts we see the meat presented in much simpler forms.

At my first visit I was immediately drawn to the beautiful veal liver displayed before me and when two perfectly fine slices were cut, well, I think I've found butcher heaven.

Weekend Herb Blogging #303 Hosting

The wonderful Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging.

While it's called Weekend Herb Blogging we don't limit ourselves to just posts dealing with herbs - we celebrate vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, flowers, grains - in fact if it is plant based, then we'll love to hear more.

Your posts can either be informative and/or include a recipe where your featured ingredient is the main ingredient of the dish. If you've found a new way to cook an old ingredient or discovered a new ingredient, you're more than welcome to share it with WHB.

Posts can be written anytime during the week but need to be sent to the host by the appropriate deadlines.You can find more information by checking out the WHB rules.

Send your entries to winnie AT healthygreenkitchen DOT com
with WHB#303 in subject line and the following details:

• Your Name
• Your Blog Name/URL
• Your Post URL
• Your location
• A photo: 400px wide

Your entries need to be received by:

• 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
• 10pm Sunday - London Time
• 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
• 7am Monday - Melbourne (AUS) Time

If you're looking for even more WHB, the Italian version is being hosted here in Piedmonte by Ancutza from Matrioska's Adventures.

Giardiniera "Piemontese"

Astrid from Paulchen's Foodblog is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging but I must take the time to send my condolences as Astrid has had a very sad week with the unexpected passing of her beloved dog Ben. There are really no words that can take away the pain but know that there are many that will have you in their thoughts.

As I'm still enjoying the Piedmonte region of Italy, the focus of this WHB post is on one of the more prolific crops of the area - Peperoni

Crostini Con Lardo

While my first purchase in Italy was a coffee and my second was a black truffle my third purchase was the irresistible Lardo.

B&W Wednesday #11

It's been a busy and tiring four days at this years Slow Cheese held in Bra, Italy and for this week's Black and White Wednesday I've turned a monochrome eye on Cheese.




With literally thousands of cheeses on display and available for tasting and purchasing, it's a difficult task to select just one photo.

Be sure to visit Susan at The Well-Seasoned Cook to check out this weeks gallery - judging on previous weeks it is a must see for lovers of b&w photography.

Weekend Herb Blogging #302 Hosting

The lovely Astrid from Paulchen's Foodblog is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging.

To participate:

The rules are simple - post about any herb, fruit, seed, nut, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative, spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Entries must be submitted by:

• 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
• 10pm Sunday - London Time
• 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
• 7am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Time

Send your email to foodblog AT paulchens DOT org
with WHB#302 in the subject and the following details:

• Your Name
• Your Blog Name/URL
• Your Post URL
• Your Location
• A photo: 400px wide

Don't forget you can also keep track of the Italian version of Weekend Herb Blogging - this week it is hosted by Terry from Crumpets & Co

Tajarin with Black Truffles

Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs) is hosting Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I'm in Piedmonte and celebrating with Black Truffles.

B&W Wednesday #10

I missed last weeks Black and White Wednesday as I was somewhere between Melbourne and Paris but as this Wednesday is my last day in Paris, I thought I'd mark the occasion with a little tipple.




Be sure to check in with Susan at The Well-Seasoned Cook to see the latest photos from this week.

Weekend Herb Blogging #301 Hosting

This week Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs) will be hosting both the Italian and English editions of Weekend Herb Blogging.

It's very easy to join in - you have the week to post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower, nut, seed or grain - in fact if it is plant based we'd love to know more.

Your post can be informative, spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe. To find out more just check out the rules.

Entries need to be submitted by the following times:

• 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
• 10pm Sunday - London Time
• 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
• 7am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) Time

Send your posts to scrivi AT erbeincucina DOT it
with WHB#301 as the subject and the following details

• Your Name
• Your Blog/URL
• Your Post URL
• Your Location
• A photo, 300 px wide

Girolles à la Forestière

Simona from Briciole is hosting the 300th edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week as I'm currently in Paris, I'll be celebrating the occasion with Girolles.

Beulet Petit Reblochon

While I found some great cheese at the Paris markets, the supermarkets also proved to be a good spot to find interesting cheese.

Cheese from Gaspar-Vieira

One of the things I enjoyed most in Paris was visiting Place Maubert Market and in particular, being able to indulge in cheese. These three cheeses are from the Gaspar-Vieira stall.

Weekend Herb Blogging #300 Hosting

Weekend Herb Blogging reaches its mammoth 300th edition and this week the lovely Simona from Briciole will be hosting both the English and Italian versions.

If you're new to Weekend Herb Blogging or haven't joined in for a while, here's a quick recap of the rules.

You have the week to post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, seed, nut, flower - in fact if it is plant based then we'll love to hear more. Your post can be informative, spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Entries must be submitted by:

• 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
• 10pm Sunday - London Time
• 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
• 7am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) DS Time

Send your posts to simosite AT mac DOT com
with WHB#300 in the subject line and the following details:

• Your name
• Your Blog/URL
• Your Post URL
• Your Location
• Attach a Photo: 400px wide

Remember, Weekend Herb Blogging will soon be celebrating it's sixth birthday!

Dried Blueberry and Oat Cookies

Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week marks the start of spring here and soon fresh berries will be back in season, until then I'm making do with these  lovely Dried Blueberries.