We really could not wait any longer.
Since we first received the boxes and twittered about it, the outpour of emails and FB messages has been overwhelming: you are some hungry fellows! Thank you all for the incredible support and for your patience... finally our store is officially open. Only Paypal purchases are allowed at this time, it is just the most secure and financially viable for both you and us during this first stage.

As we told you in our latest episode, this is a two people operation, meaning Debi and I: if you have any questions about out products, just write us a quick email or Facebook us...you know where to find us, please do not hesitate.
We have been testing all products first hand, and we are incredibly proud of going live online with such a small delicious catalogue of Tuscan Bites.
At the next round, the highly anticipated and long over due bread grill will be available... so, stay tuned for much more to come!
Buon Appetito
Deni and Gabriele

Tags: farro, farro pasta, Organic pasta, extra virgin olive oil, truffle, rice

A few weeks ago, a friend Facebooked me about an online group of alumni from my old school in Florence; you know, one of those very happy pages full of stories that you still remember, bullies that you are still dreaming of strangling, and pictures of chicks that broke your heart... The most common result of this kind of web-groups though is that, no matter what, you always end up counting how many years have passed since, and you are left speechless!
Long story short, I reconnected with a classmate of Junior High, he is a fellow foodie, and is importing very precious eatable goods from Florence and its surroundings into the New Continent. After exchanging a few messages we both came to an inspired conclusion: it was about time for Under The Tuscan Gun to open its little marketplace and start spreading the love. Debi and I just received a first shipment of delicacies from Viola Imports in Chicago and will start setting up our e-Store immediately. We are hoping to be able to shoot another episode next week, before leaving for Italy... oh yes, that time of the year has come.
A lot of things to do during a month in Fiesole: oversee the end of the first batch of construction in our house and pick the color for the facade, check the first samples of our Olive Oil Cosmetic Line and ship a few boxes to L.A....also check for the children' school and lease a tractor...wink ...wink.

So, before jumping on a plane to go home for a few weeks, in a moment of excitement, right after opening our boxes of food, we decided to shoot an impromptu episode, featuring a few of the items that we'll make available online.
Last but not least, we wanted to thank all of you for participating in our Earthquake Relief Fund for the city of L'Aquila; all the items on eBay have been sold, and we are waiting to hear from Global Giving (which is still collecting funds) what is the final count of the money raised. A big thank you to everybody at Salvatore Ferragamo for their generosity and help.
No more talk, time to eat,
please join us for a quick dinner.
Debi and Gabriele

Tags: viola imports

One of the most fascinating results of becoming a truly obsessed foodie, is the awareness that you will develop regarding the ingredients you decide to use. As you already probably experienced first hand, the moment you decide to spend more time in the kitchen or in general thinking about what you like to eat and cook for yourself, is also the moment you start developing your knowledge about ingredients. You will take interest in farmers market, you will stop buying bulk, you will freeze more of your cooked food and stop ice-burning your meats and fish in the deep bottom draw of your fridge... eventually one day, you'll decide to start growing a few vegetables on your own.
What will happen after that? Well, it simply depends on what you will plant... If by any chance you plant more than two plants of tomatoes, one day in mid-July, you will find yourself with five full cases of ripe tomatoes. Eat them or cook them within a week from harvest, otherwise, all your effort will be for nothing. So, what happens the day you realize that you maybe should have planted some salad as well, or some peas? Your terrace is not big enough, you did what you could...and still, you have to take a trip to the store to grab some ingredients to complete your vegetable dish. Or you can open your laptop and log into Veggie Trader an online marketplace that works like a mash-up of eBay, Craigslist and your local farmers' market. The concept is easy, grow what you like or what you can, then swap your surplus with other small scale growers like you, genius!!!

Also, we would like to introduce you to a new cooking website that we have been visiting very often lately: Dish and Dine!
A very talented and experienced production team have been working on the creation and fine tuning of this site for the past year...after producing many hours of television (their credits include Rachel Ray and Food 911 for the Food Network) they decided to develop their own little "Piazza" for foodies. The website hosts a great variety of videos, well edited and easy to follow, and so far has been providing great inspiration to our household, we're sure you'll enjoy!
Last but not least, to all of you writing us to request a new episode, sorry, the Earthquake Relief Event kept us very busy until the end, we'll try to get the camera rolling and the pan sizzling before this week is over...we're also taking a quick trip to Italy, so be prepared for a couple of special recipes from Florence during the month of August.
Ciao
Debi and Gabriele

Tags: produce, urban farming, slow food

A month ago, when L'Aquila was almost obliterated by the biggest earthquake Italy has experienced in the past century, Debi and I reached out to our neighbors in Fiesole, the Ferragamo Family. We wanted to see if there was any way we could join forces and help, in the only way we could from here, by raising money to send to all those affected by the disaster. Our idea was immediately welcomed, and the Ferragamo store on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles was offered to us as a location for the event, now set to be held on Tuesday the 2nd of June 2009. The evening will be hosted by Debi and her fellow Entourage actor Adrien Grenier: a pretty solid celebrity list will attend, and funds will be collected through GlobalGiving.com and an online eBay auction of celebrity owned Ferragamo items. Friends like Dita Von Teese, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore, Hilary Swank, Eva Longoria, Marisa Tomei, Lily Tomlin and Kenny Sharf have already donated their items, in a humbling outpour of generosity and solidarity. The Fundraising Auction will officially start the night of the event, and will remain active for 10 days. Bookmark This Link and log in on June the 2nd, 7 pm P.S.T.
Click here to download the Press Release.

Needless to say, food will be provided by Under The Tuscan Gun in collaboration with chef Mark Peel's Campanile Restaurant. As many of you already know, through my facebook page, I joined part-time the incredible line of cooks at Mark's restaurant, where I'm sharpening my knives while getting ready for my future culinary adventures. With the help of their Chef de Cuisine Erika Lins we produced a great tasting menu of Tuscan Antipasti and precious mouth-watering desserts that will be paired to Italian White Wines, Prosecco and Stiletto Vodka cocktails.
All future communications and updates regarding the event, including the details on how to access the online bids will be given via our Facebook Page and via Twitter. Please keep following and join us online for the fundraising!
Debi and Gabriele

Tags: l'aquilia, earthquake, foundraising, ferragamo

When the other day, as I was approaching the end of my cookie obsession, I realized that the bag of yeast I was about to use was expired two years ago, I paused.
"How long dry yeast can survive?" I asked myself, "Isn't it two years a bit of a stretch when it comes to food?". I diligently launched my browser and started googling around, hoping for some useful direction...and don't you know, not only I found what I was looking for, but I stumbled upon a website entirely dedicated to the issue. Keep it or Toss it, is the basic simple question behind the incredible work done at Still Tasty, a small and contained website that collects all information about food: How long will your favorite food or beverage stay safe and tasty? What is the best way to store it? Do you really need to rinse your chicken before cooking it?
Needless to say, I felt the need to blog about it and share with all of you my joyful discovery; it is time for some food education! The basic tips and information on the site will help you achieve a better understanding of your ingredients, they will open your eyes to the "life in the pantry and the fridge", and at the end you will realize that all this can be translated into great savings!

I also wanted to share with our fellow foodies, my favorite Food Newsletter available these days: Tasting Table. This absolutely unpretentious and non intrusive newsletter can be received daily or weekly, and it feels almost like an underground music bulletin. Besides the stunning graphics and the ease of use, Tasting Table puts the spotlight on new young chefs and restaurants across America, it delivers easy recipes and is overall a very inspiring novelty to read.
As you might have noticed on our Twitter feed, I finally persuaded Deb to start putting herself out there, even if it's with 140 characters at the time (absolutely not enough for her). While we are designing her own Beauty Blog, Deb will Twit about herself, the Tuscan Gun, and her new Cosmetic Line that we just developed out of Florence. Yes, you got it, our Olive Oil Beauty Line is almost ready to go, and we are planning for a Spring 2010 launch; stay tuned, as things will get very interesting.
Last but not least: I received an email from a grandmother on the East Coast. She has been using The Tuscan Gun to recreate dishes that her family used to make when she was younger...she wanted to share all this with her grandchildren, but... She asked me why I had to use graphics on the background of our articles: "They get me tired, impatient and frustrated, as my eyes are not what they used to be!"
Therefore, from now on, no more design is layered underneath the content of the website, hope this helps!
Ciao
Gabriele

Tags: still tasty, tasting table

In the past few weeks hundreds of cookies have been baked in our house, we hope it's over, at least for a little while.
I always wanted to feature this traditional Tuscan cookie from Prato on our show, it is a crunchy treat, it is very traditional and it can be found in any grocery store, on every restaurant menu, and almost every household has it in the kitchen pantry.
Many friends stopped by to pick up paper bags loaded with warm cookies, did not bother to hear my complaints about the missing "perfect" ingredient...no cookie got tossed, a success overall.
Now finally, I can say I mastered this recipe, and it's time to share!

Along with the "Cantuccini di Prato" we also wanted to offer you a simple idea for a quick pasta sauce, something easy and fresh, to be enjoyed during this upcoming warm season.
Welcome back,
enjoy our new episode.

Gabriele and Debi

Tags: pasta, cookies

These days is all about saving...and The Kitchen is adapting pretty well, which at least gives us a reason to smile at the end of the day. Comfort Food, Peasant Food, Stale Breads and Canned Beans are finally living a moment of well deserved glory. Here Today, another meal to fill four souls with less than 10$, Polenta Pasticciata.
We personally graduated to the 1.5 liter jug of wine, as opposed to featuring some shelf picked "usually affordable" more traditional bottle; but pay attention, at least it was not a twist cap!

Come in and enjoy, than grab your coin-jar and go grocery shopping!!!
Debi and Gabriele

Tags: polenta

I am in Fiesole.
I came to check out my crumbling little Pink House, trying to get it ready for my girls to come spend the summer.
It has been raining heavily for the past month, and I have water puddles appearing in every room: the roof has never been renovated, and it has finally started giving up...completely. Wood beams are cracked, cotto tiles are sliding down, and it got to the point where it has finally become a dangerous living.
But, the food is good, there is plenty of wine, and my 500 years old fireplace would make anybody forget of the existence of flat lcd televisions...I could spend hours just staring at it.
Something happened that I felt I had to share...now that Depression Cooking is Hip...such a strange trend this one; the wife told me that Rachel Ray was last night on Letterman presenting some super cheap recipes herself.
Well, my mom is doing the same. There is no need to show you the preparation for this dish; if you follow the Tuscan Gun, this recipe is a breeze...if you're new to Poor Farmer's cooking, just scoop a bit around our episodes and you'll get it together in a snap. Ribollita and Pappa al Pomodoro are the core of this philosophy.

Insalata Cotta (Cooked Salad)

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:
1 bag of old salad, or 2 half bags, or whatever wet leftover you have avail...catch it before it hits the garbage!
1/2 Onion

Read More...

Tags: salad

Life sometimes throws at you the unexpected; when it comes to the kitchen, you'd better be ready.
In these times of general financial crisis, every aspect of our life gets affected, and simple things that we usually take for granted, like going to the market and shop for food, need to be economically strategized.
This is our Depression Tip: start saving your bread.

Ribollita is a Traditional Tuscan Stale Bread Soup, very similar in concept to Pappa Al Pomodoro.
The basic idea is simple: recycle. Do not throw anything away, and always get the best of what you might have in the kitchen...and in the garden.
Ribollita is a winter dish: "Cavolo Nero", the special Black Cabbage that we use in this recipe, grows between mid November to the end of February, and it is the main vegetable used during the tastings of the freshly pressed Olive Oil in the month of December, all around Tuscany.
When in Florence you mention Bruschetta, people immediately think of the big winter feasts with a crackling fire place, tons of bread, the New Oil, and the boiling pots with the black cabbage. Eventually there is always a good quantity of leftover, already sliced bread, and in this episode we will tell you what happens, to that good old dry-hard-as-a-rock-bread.

Welcome back in our Kitchen,
Enjoy!
Debi and Gabriele

I thought of writing a big speech for this post. I ended up spending a few minutes staring at the computer instead.
Let me introduce you to this video: her name is Clara and she is 91 years old. Her show on Youtube is called Depression Cooking, and it is a fun and touching experience.
This morning, after waking up with our first coffee, Debi and I talked about how hard it has become to grocery shop "Italian Style"...being too particular is a luxury these days. Depression Cooking is extremely relatable in these times of hardship, there is no need to digress on how bad the situation is all across the World.
Let's cook instead!

Debi and I have been saving old stale bread for a few days now, and will be taping early next week a long overdue recipe: Ribollita. In the meantime, if you happen to have some old stale bread yourself, warm up your chops with another Tuscan Farmer's Classic, Pappa al Pomodoro.
Enjoy and Share!!!

A New Year has started, and a new era has finally begun!
Much congratulations to all of you that are embracing the change, might this moment in history become the pillar for a new and renewed commitment to make our World a better place for ourselves, our families, our neighbors and for whoever we are compassionate about.
Debi and I are extremely proud and happy that our children are witnessing this incredible change; history is theirs, and it is one of the most humbling feelings we could ever hope for, while raising a family.
We decided to celebrate this past glorious week (and our first episode for 2009) with a very special recipe: Pasta alla Gricia.
The main ingredient for this very old recipe is Guanciale, Cured Pork Cheeks, a very special cut of meat that is not the easiest to come across when you grocery shop.

Our friend Nancy Silverton at Mozza, here in Los Angeles, was kind enough to gift us for Christmas with two wonderful pieces of Guanciale prepared and aged in her restaurant kitchen...Thank You Nancy!
Put a pot of water on the stove, pick your favorite pasta, open the wine, and join us in the kitchen for a true Shepard's Delicatessen.
Debi and Gabriele

Tags: guanciale, mozza