Skip to main content

Under the Tuscan Sun

There are tourists and there are wanderers. And then there are people who make another country their own. Like Frances Mayes did when, after years of spending summers in Italy as a tourist, she bought an abandoned villa in Tuscany. Under the Tuscan Sun, our book club's read for February, is her funny account of a tourist who decided to stay and discover the country's little quibbles.

The contractors, the workers who come to repair the villa, the first olives and the struggle to get them crushed into a golden olive oil - Frances Mayes adaptation to her adopted country is slow, her American surprise at how things work very real. Mayes' writing is a genre of her own, only surpassed by a similar account of Provence by Peter Mayles.

If it's Tuscany, can food be far behind. Accounts of food shopped from local markets and accumulated from Mayes' own gardens flow through the book. Then she very thoughtfully provides two sections of recipes - one for summer and tomatoes and peaches; the other for the hearty winter food. My first impulse was to cook one of her recipes. But then, I ended up making another Italian dish on my wishlist - the caponata.



Caponata is typically made with eggplants and capers. But I have so far not been able to convince myself to the use of eggplants in a dish so it ended up being a zucchini caponata. Heat a tbsp of olive oil and fry a finely chopped onion until it begins to brown. Add a zucchini, cut into thin slices and stir fry until it's golden but not mushy. Add 1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce, 8-10 sliced black olives and a tbsp of capers. Stir well, then cook at a low heat for 5-7 minutes. Check for seasoning and add some salt and pepper if you think you need it.

I served this caponata on toasted bread, but I have leftovers that are going into a pasta dish.

Here's what the other Tuscany inspired book clubbers came up with:
- Sweatha made Basil Mint Sorbet.
- Ann made a pizza with onion confit, grilled sausage and peppers.
- Aqua made Pears in Red Wine.
- Aparna is back after a long hiatus with Schiacciata Con L'Uva, a grape stuffed focaccia.
- Rachel made pappa al pomodoro.
- Srimathi, another member back after a long break, made eggplant rolls.

This month, we are switching tracks and reading a chic lit. If you would like to read Sophie Kinsella's "Can You Keep A Secret" with us, please leave a comment here and I will get back to you with details.

Comments

Ann said…
Mmmm..caponata, I need to wait till eggplants come back into season. Its been bookmarked for me for a long time. Interesting that you are going to put that into pasta too.
This looks good. I'd go with zucchini rather than eggplant myself. That's what has been keeping me from trying caponata despite the rave reviews! :)
suvi said…
Yeah, it does sound good with zucchini! Been meaning to make caponata for what seems like ages, somehow put it off because of the eggplant.
Yum!Caponata seems very interesting recipe. Will give it a try with eggplant. I am yet to post mine today. The books really captures a foodie's delight.
Jayasri said…
Hi, I came to your blog through aparna's, I love reading books, these reading books is become a dream, but I try my best and am crazy about my library I pick at least one book and try to read it through by a month, when I saw this blog doing something really very interesting, I decided that I want to join your club, First time here, you have a very interesting blog, I haven't gone through all your recipes still, will come back again!!, The caponata looks very nice, Am I allowed to join your club?, and how can I join your club, what should I do ? thanks Jayasri
ooh...I have read this book and I enjoyed it thoroughly even though the story line is quite obvious, it's still a funny book. I would love to join your club as it would force me to read open up my mind to other types of books. Can I join your club?
Unknown said…
I love caponata, it's typically sicilian and as all sicilian it's creative, it's got the sweet and the sour it's got the colors and it's got the amazing flavor! oriana of tuscanycious.com
What a lovely blog! I'm so glad I found it. I agree, there really is nothing lovelier that a cup of tea, especially if it's made with love. I'm also keen to join your book club, please.
CurryLeaf said…
I will try caponata next time with zucchini as well.Looks great Simran.I prefer caponata with pasta than Love your review of the book.It was nice of you to include my sorbet in the mail.I was in a hurry and could not send the mail to all in bookclub except you.THANKS.

Popular posts from this blog

Announcing AWED : Britain

Before I ate my first Italian wood fired pizza, before I went to that swanky Japanese sushi bar for the first time, or the neighborhood Chinese joint, the first non-Indian cuisine I encountered was British. Not real food, mind you, but the tempting, oh so delicious descriptions in my favorite novels. From Enid Blyton to Jane Austen to P.G. Wodehouse, every favorite character in every favorite novel seems to have food on their mind. Yes, British food gets ridiculed a lot. But forget their main course dishes for now, and think of the full English breakfast and the elegant afternoon teas. Then try imagining the world without cucumber sandwiches or potato chips and you will realize you can't do without British food. Which is why when I saw that DK was looking for hosts for her monthly event AWED (A Worldly Epicurean's Delight) and there has never been a British AWED, I promptly signed up. The rules are simple really: Make any vegetarian or vegan British dish (eggs are

Aloo Paranthas

In all these years of blogging, I've somehow never managed to talk about aloo paranthas, the potato stuffed flatbread that's a standard breakfast in North India. Possibly because they are such a staple in our home, I found there wouldn't be enough interest in the recipe. But I've also realised over time that my mom's recipe is unique, using a combination of flavours and spices that make these paranthas delicious. But that's not the only reason for this post. I also wanted to tell you about a super cool party and some ways we found to make aloo paranthas even better and believe it or not, healthier. The party in question was hosted by Rushina at her cooking studio a few months back. For a while now, Rushina has been talking about the merits of cling film, parchment and something called cooking foil made by Asahi Kasei. Because we won't believe that you can really cook without oil but using science, she invited a bunch of us over for a potluck lunch.

I've found my perfect cookie

It's a bite sized cookie, with flavors of a pie, shape of a croissant and a pretty, pretty name. It's Rugelach. I first heard of this cookie when it became the baking pick for Tuesdays with Dorrie a couple of months back. The looks, the concept - everything was fascinating. And I've dreamed of making this cookie ever since. I ditched hundreds of recipes floating around and went straight to the master. It's Dorie Greenspan's recipe that I used, and ain't I glad I got it so perfect the very first time. So what's rugelach? It's cream-cheese pastry dough, rolled then cut into wedges, spread with jam and sugar and fillings of choice, rolled into crescents and baked. First the dough. Dorie did it in her processor, but I just went and did it by hand. Put 100 gms cream cheese and 100 gms butter out of the fridge until they were soft but still cold. Added both to a cup of plain flour (I omitted the salt because I use salted butter). Rubbed the flour and but