Cerataldo Market Day

 

Word of the Day:  Homemade!

 

In Tuscany there are no Superstores, like Walmart and Target, instead the different "departments" arrive in vans and trucks and line the streets for blocks and blocks one day a week.  This is my friend, Erika's, families "vegetable stand/truck" - at the Cerataldo street market.

But, before we start cooking for the day it was off with Erika, her friend, and Zoe the dog to shop at the fashion vans/trucks.  (I found some great deals, Mom!)

OK - back to our cooking day.  First we shopped for our ingredients - and some of the food you just don't see in Indiana like these zucchini.  They look like tiny pumpkins!

Once we got back to our apartment, Erika and I started the prep work.
 

And started all of the cooking.
 

 

In progress in this picture is the beginning of a homemade ragu sauce on the back burner and the beginning of papa al pomodoro (their version of tomato soup that you can eat with a fork).

 

For our homemade pasta, we made pici.  A pasta made with just flour and water.  Pici is hand rolled, so we didn't even need a pasta machine.

 

 

When we sat down we started with our papa al pomodora, sage chicken, fresh sage pesto, zucchini with herbs, homemade pici pasta with homemade ragu sauce, and fresh white peaches in white wine and sugar.  (Another new thing I learned, their sugar isn't as sweet as ours - it's beet sugar, not sugar cane.)

 

Another great day in Tuscany - with new found friends!  (Erika and her mom at their vegetable stand/van...and me:-)