Table
of Contents
1. Our Featured Recipe
- Penne with Tomato and Ricotta Salata, alla Santo
Spirito
2 . Our Favorite Restaurants
of the Oltrarno
3. A Walk Through the Oltrarno
Our Latest Recipe: PENNE A LA SANTO SPIRITO
The first dish that we attempted to replicate upon
reentering our own kitchen was this most delicious
of the primi piatti, inspired by a dish that we
enjoyed at Osteria Santo Spirito, in the delightful
Piazza Santo Spirito, the very heart of the Oltrarno,
the area of Firenze that we will explore throughout
this issue.
This was perhaps the most memorable pasta dish
of our week in Firenze. The dish was elegant in
its simplicity, light, fresh and easy to replicate.
Although this may not be just the way they make
at Osteria Santo Spirito, we were happy with our
results, inspired by their delightful presentation.
Penne Santo Spirito
with Marinara Sauce and Shaved Ricotta Salata
Serves 4 as a first course
1 pound penne macaroni
For the Tomato Sauce
- One small onion, chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound can crushed plum tomatoes with their
juices, or the same amount of fresh tomatoes,
skinned, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups white wine
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
Ricotta Salata, to taste
Saute the onion over medium-low heat, in two tablespoons
of olive oil. When the onion is translucent, add
the minced garlic and cook for just a few minutes
to sweeten and soften the garlic. Add the tomatoes
and sauté for about 15 minutes. As the tomato
juices reduce, add the wine and cook until this
is reduced by half. At this point, add the basil
hot pepper flakes and sauté for just a few
minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, and toss
with the pasta, cooked, of course, al dente.
Top each portion of the dressed pasta with a generous
shaving of Ricotta Salata. I used a potato peeler
to shave the cheese, and that seemed to do well
to replicate the shavings as presented at the Osteria
Santo Spirito.
Buon appetito!
Our Favorite Restaurants of the OLTRARNO
Alla Vecchia Bettola
This delightful restaurant was introduced to us
by the Florence Villas team, and we couldn't have
enjoyed it more. Owned by the people who run Nerbone,
the venerable sandwich cafe in the Mercato Centrale
(be sure to watch for tour of the Mercato in an
upcoming newsletter), Alla Vecchia Bettola is colorful,
fun and absolutely delicious. The restaurant is
located just across the Viale Ariosto from the southwest
corner of Piazza Tasso.
Diners here are seated at long tables, on stools,
adding to the conviviality of the bright, warm and
welcoming room. Our hosts ordered an amazing meal
for us: we began with what must be Firenze's most
popular appetizer, Crostini di Fegatini di Pollo
(chicken livers on toast), and Vecchia Bettola's
Antipasto Toscano, which was an array of absolutely
incredible cured meats, velvety and pungent. These
delicious appetizers were followed by a primi of
Penne all Bettola, penne tossed with a little cream,
tomatoes, a dash of hot pepper and punched with
vodka!), rich, unctuous and irresistible. And after
that, a secondo of Agnello con carciofi; a miraculous
dish of lamb, rolled and stuffed with artichokes.
And we still had desert! Our dolce was some of the
best tiramisu we have ever tasted: moist, creamy,
loaded with flavor and yet still light and refreshing
after a rich and complex meal. Don't let the casual
atmosphere of Alla Vecchia Bettolo fool you: this
is Florentine cooking at its finest.
Alla Vecchia Bettola
Viale Ariosto, 32/34r
055 224 158
Osteria Santo Spirito
Osteria Santo Spirito, with its colorful walls,
upstairs dining nook, imaginative artwork, and hip
crowd reminded us of New York's East Village. In
fact, it was an East Village resident that recommended
this restaurant to us, and as soon as we were seated
we knew why she did so: the funky ambiance and art-filled
walls must have helped her to feel right at home.
But this place is in Florence, and in many ways
it was also quite different from New York. The young,
attractive staff were friendly and helpful, the
other diners were all Italians, and the food was
inexpensive and delicious. We loved this restaurant!
Standing out among our memories of our evening in
Piazza Santo Spirito is this: three young boys,
each about 12 or 13 years old, came to the restaurant,
with reservations and without adults. What made
these youngsters so memorable to us was the natural
ease with which they approached their restaurant
visit. We were impressed as we watched them order
and navigate their dining experience. To see young
people with an appreciation for great food, combined
with easy manners and hearty appetites isn't something
we experience every day. These young fellows warmed
our hearts.
Among our favorite dishes at Osteria Santo Spirito,
in addition to the penne recipe at the beginning
of our newsletter, were a huge platter of rucola
covered with shavings of parmigiano and served with
thick, green extra virgin olive oil and sweet aceto
balsamico to sprinkle over it all. We also enjoyed
a wonderful dish of linguine with the tiniest baby
clams, fresh and briny, and more of them than I
could count. Dozens and dozens of these delicious
tiny creatures, in their shells as small as a child's
thumbnail, crowded the plate. I thought I couldn't
eat them all, but of course, I did.
Osteria Santo Spirito
Piazza Santo Spirito, 16r
055 238 2383
La Casalinga
Just around the corner from Piazza Santo Spirito
is a perennial favorite among visitors to Firenze,
La Casalinga. This bright, clean, unpretentious
spot is one of our favorites, too, and we try to
stop there on each visit to the city. Casalinga
is casual and consistent, and the same faces greet
us on each return visit. The food is simple and
delicious and the wait staff is always helpful.
On our latest visit, we enjoyed a thick and flavorful
Pasta e fagiole, and a wonderful free-range chicken,
roasted brown and crispy, recommended by our waiter.
Casalinga draws plenty of travelers as well as locals,
all looking for a casual and delicious meal. This
place is a terrific value, and we always leave happy
that we came.
La Casalinga
Via del Michelozzo, 9r
055 218 624
The Oltrarno
On previous visits to Firenze we had visited the
Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. This time,
we wanted to really explore this diverse area, and
explore we did! One of the highlights of our visit
to the Oltrarno was a walk down the busy Via Maggio,
lined with antiques dealers. Most of the shops along
this thoroughfare are filled with world class antiques,
at world class prices. Although we weren't in the
market for such heady merchandise, we found that
strolling the Via Maggio was akin to visiting an
open air museum of the decorative arts.
Leaving the traffic of this active street behind
us, we headed west. One of our favorite routes took
us through the tiny and charming, rather hard to
find, Piazza della Passera .
There is an equally tiny cafe in the piazza and
we sometimes stopped for a coffee and sat on the
round benches outside, resting and enjoying this
quiet corner of the city.
A Walk Through the Oltrarno
Santo Spirito
Just a block or two west of Piazza
della Passera , Piazza Santo Spirito
is a romantic destination, drawing visitors seeking
both the historic and the bohemian. This is the
heart of the Oltrarno and residents and visitors
alike come in the morning for the market stalls
selling fruits and vegetables, and in the evening
for the lively cafe and restaurant scene.
The Church of Santo Spirito
was designed by Brunelleschi, but largely executed
after his death. The serene rhythm of its graceful
columns is enhanced by the orderly semicircular
chapels bordering the walls. The overwhelming experience
that one takes away from Chiesa Santo Spirito is
a sense of peace. Cool and quiet, basically unadorned
except for the ornate baldacchino added in the 17th
century, the church of Santo Spirito is an important,
if oft overlooked, Oltrarno destination.
The Brancacci Chapel
Having read about the Cappella Brancacci
, located in the Church of Santa
Maria del Carmine , I was anxious
to pay a visit there and see the chapel's famous
frescoes for myself. Santa Maria del Carmine, just
west of Santo Spirito, is itself a late Baroque
wonder, rebuilt shortly after a fire destroyed it
church in 1771. But the reason to visit Santa Maria
del Carmine is to see the frescoes of the Brancacci
Chapel. Miraculously, the frescoes and the chapel
survived the devastating fire, as well as later
attempts to replace them with something more modern.
Thank God, because these works of art are as beautiful
as their survival is miraculous.
The frescoes, a vision of light, contrast sharply
to the baroque/romantic period design of the rebuilt
parts of the church, and one marvels at their orderly,
fluid beauty. Finished by Fillippino Lippi late
in the 15th century, the work was designed and begun
by Massolino in 1425. Lippi faithfully executed
Massolino's plan and was true to the original style;
the unity of the completed chapel is a testament
to the gifts of both artists. There are frequent
guided tours of the chapel; reservations are suggested.
We look forward to continuing our tour of Firenze
with you in upcoming issues of The Tuscan Life Newsletter.
Debra Cole-Weber, Editor
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