italian cooking in the city of 'david'

Florence is full of firsts, but the two that stood out for me on my recent trip there was seeing Michelangelo's David, a towering, fertile symbol of the Italian renaissance; and attending an Italian cooking school. While dropping my head back and marveling at the 14-foot marble statue bathed in the light of the Galleria dell' Accademia was indeed impressive, my real love affair was fondling and grilling fresh figs under the guidance of a handsome Italian instructor (tough, I know!).

At Apicius: The Culinary Institute of Florence, I learned the simple art of putting the freshest ingredients together to make alarmingly sophisticated and tasty dishes. For the appetizer, I bathed succulent ripe green figs in olive oil, grilled them to intensify the flavor, and wrapped the sweet, warm slices of fruit in prosciutto. To finalize the dish, I paired the figs with baby greens, and drizzled the whole plate with reduced balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

My classmates made this delicious "Petto di pollo alla Florentina" (pictured above). Here's the recipe:

Petto di Pollo Alla Florentina

1 chicken breast
4 oz cooked spinach
1 oz pine nuts
1 oz grated grana padano cheese
1.5 oz extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
2/3 cup dry white wine
Juice from one lemon
salt and pepper

Divide the breasts in two along the central bone. Remove the small breast bone; then with the tip of a knife pierce them making a pocket.

Chop the spinach, add the pine nuts and grated cheese.

Fill the pockets with this mixture and close with toothpicks.

In sauce pan, heat the olive oil with the garlic and the bay leaf. Add the chicken pockets and brown them on all sides; season with salt and pepper. Wet with the wine, let evaporate, then add the lemon juice. Cover and let cook completely. Slice chicken breast and serve with sauce.

Comments

[Geralyn]

Angela, I just want to tell you again that this Blog is "Fantastic" & "Maikai Loa"(so wonderful & good)!!!! I just love the recipes, all your pictures ,and the food looks so delicious!
I was looking for a recipe from Fontana that we had. it was very simple, fried potatoe cubes. I will just make it with what I can remember. Keep up the great work!

[Angela]

Thank you, Geralyn! Your message made my day. You are so sweet. Thank you so much. I will e-mail you that potato recipe; it's wonderful simple and I've made it several times. Cheers!