Italy
In September we closed our doors and I went to Italy for some tasty culinary inspiration. Staying out of the touristy places I spent most of my time driving down the small country roads of Tuscany going from one farm to another. That is where I enjoyed the real Italian food! On the organic farms honey-sweet figs come straight out of the tree, proscuitto is made from the pigs in the barn, peppery olive oil is pressed from the olives in the trees, mushrooms are picked in the forest and wine is made from the grapes in the vineyard. I found another culinary paradise!

With the freshest ingredients Italians prepare simple but very tasteful dishes. I ended up on a lovely farm in the South of Tuscany, where I was lucky enough to spend a week in the kitchen with the owner/chef. Among many dishes we made fresh pasta with a sweet tomato sauce, foccacia with olives and rosemary, a delicious eggplant dish with fresh tomato juice and oregano, carpaccio of zucchini with figs and a light cheese sauce and thinly sliced lardo on warm bruschetta. Every night we cooked a fantastic 8-course dinner (and managed to eat it).

What was the most important thing that I learned? The secret of every good dish is to work with the best ingredients.

But I guess I already knew that.