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In a large pot brown onion and butter. Put floured ossobuchi, browning them on both sides and turning without pricking. Pour consommé, tomato, salt and cover. Cooking time at low fire: 1 hour 30 minutes. Five minutes before serving, make the “gremolada” obtained by mixing grated lemon skin, minced parsley, garlicon and anchovie. Ingredients for 4 people 4 pieces of shank of veal 4 cm high cutted in the low part, where the bone is little and stuffed of bone marrow only white flour; 50 gr of butter; minced onion; a ladle of consommé; 1 little minced tomato; grated lemon skin; a perfum of garlicon; 1 anchovie without fishbone; minced parsley; salt

Tuscan Tomato, Cucumber & Bread Salad

“Panzanella, little swamp, is another tomato favorite, a salad of oil, vinegar, tomatoes, basil, cucumber, minced onion, and stale bread soaked in water and squeezed dry - a true invention from necessity. Since bread must be bought every day, Tuscan cooking makes good use of leftovers.” Nothing could be easier. I used 3 small tomatoes cut up in small bites, half a cucumber also cut up into small bites, minced onion, fresh local basil, 8 slices of leftover hard baguette seasoned with salt and pepper. Like many Tuscan cooks, I added the olive oil and vinegar by eye but you should know the typical ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. The bread was soaked in water and squeezed as dry as possible. At first I didn’t think it would taste very good but after dressing the salad and letting it sit for a while, the bread gave the salad a wonderful texture and absorbed some of the seasoning with the juices from the vegetables. It was amazing.  And it went great with a chilled bottle of Prosecco!

Choose fresh wild mushrooms porcini. Clean and cut into slices and plunge in water and lemon juice. Put mushrooms in a pot with 1 l. of boiling water, lemon juice, salt and let cook for 4 minutes. Dry on a sloping surface. Clean and peel tomatos, eliminate seeds and mix. Put mushrooms in a large pot with extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup of white wine and evaporate. Dry mushrooms. In the same pot brown garlic and onion. Add tomatos and cook to low fire since sauce has been reduced of half. Add mushrooms (with their juice) and season with salt, pepper or minced chilli pepper and minced pircely. Use sauce to season durum-wheat pasta (like spaghetti) or fresh home made pasta like tagliatelle. Ingredients for 4 people 4 wild mushrooms porcini; 8 ripe tomatos; extravirgin olive oil; garlic; onion; salt; pepper or chilli pepper; ½ cup of dry white wine; lemon juice; parsley

Moules au champagne et au safran (ou pas) - one pinch saffron threads (optional) - 1.8 kilograms (4 pounds) fresh, live mussels, about 2.5 liters (see note) - 15 grams (1 tablespoon) butter - 4 small yellow onions, about 250 grams (9 ounces), finely minced - 1 clove garlic, finely chopped - 240 ml (1 cup) dry champagne, or other dry white wine, sparkling or not - freshly ground black pepper - 2 handfuls flat-leaf parsley, snipped - 2 to 4 rounded teaspoons crème fraîche, or sour cream

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large orange 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes 5 large tomatoes or 15 plum tomatoes, skinned and chopped 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 2 pounds sea scallops, trimmed and washed 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1/3 cup heavy cream

1. In a large, deep, heavy skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 1 minute. 2. Add the orange zest, fennel seed, crushed red pepper and cook another 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and cook until sauce simmers. Add the tomato paste, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, basil and garlic and simmer another 2 minutes. 3. While the sauce is simmering, cut the scallops in half or quarters, depending on the size of the scallops. Add the scallops to the simmering sauce and cook until the scallops are barely firm, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the cooked scallops with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl. 4. Bring the sauce in the pan to a boil and boil vigorously for 2 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, whisk the starch with the cream until smooth. Whisk into the boiling sauce and return to a simmer. Pour this sauce over the scallops.

1 1/2-ounce bunch fresh mint 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced 4 to 6 (depending on size) perfectly ripe tomatoes

1. Pick the leaves from the branches of mint, wash thoroughly and chop finely. 2. In a non-metallic serving bowl, mix the mint leaves with the olive oil, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. 3. Slice the tomatoes and place in the dressing, turning the slices so that they are evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Carottes et Betteraves Râpées - 450 grams (1 pound) carrots - 450 grams (1 pound) uncooked beetroots (get small, young ones, with smooth skin and firm flesh) - 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic paste - 1 tablespoon hazelnut oil (or walnut, or squash seed, or olive oil) - 1 tablespoon honey vinegar (or cider or balsamic vinegar) - 1 teaspoon strong Dijon mustard - Tabasco sauce or poblano pepper flakes, to taste - Smoked salt (or regular sea salt, or gomasio, or zaatar) - Freshly ground black pepper Optional add-ins: - Leafy fresh herbs (cilantro, chervil, flat-leaf parsley), chopped - Toasted nuts (almonds, pine nuts, cashews, peanuts) or seeds (sesame, sunflower seeds), or better yet, my new friend the dukkah - Shaved parmesan or cubed feta cheese or crumbled blue cheese - Mâche or baby spinach leaves - A grated apple or shallot - Any dried herb, spice, or spice mix you think might work (and you know there's only one way to find out) Serves 4 to 6. Trim, peel, and grate the carrots and beets. (If you own a food processor with a grater attachment, yay for you!) Place the rest of the main ingredients, from garlic to black pepper, in a large salad bowl, add the grated carrots and beets, and toss until well combined. Add any desired add-ins and toss again. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and let stand for 30 minutes, if you can, before serving: the beets and carrots will render juices that will make the salad moister. If you don't have that kind of time and the salad does not feel quite moist enough, add a dash of citrus juice, tomato juice, or any sort of juice that may currently reside in the refrigerator door.

Peacamole - 300 grams (10 1/2 ounces, 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon) shelled green peas, frozen or fresh but not canned - 1 drop cilantro essential oil for cooking, or a small bunch fresh cilantro - 2 tablespoons whole almond butter (like peanut butter but made with unblanched almonds; look for it at natural foods stores) - 1 clove garlic, minced (optional) - 1 dash Tabasco sauce - Salt, black pepper Makes enough for an appetizer for 4.

Steam the peas for 14 minutes, or until tender, and let cool to just above room temperature. If you're using fresh cilantro, pluck the leaves and set aside. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the peas, almond butter, cilantro (essential oil or fresh leaves), garlic if using, Tabasco sauce, a little salt and some pepper. Process until smooth. If the mixture is a bit too thick for the blade of the food processor to mix properly, add just a little bit of water, a teaspoon at a time, until soft enough to mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Spread on pieces of multigrain crispbread and serve. The peacamole can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge in an airtight container; it will keep for 2 to 3 days. Recipe originally developed for ELLE à table, issue #63, March/April 2009.