Foodlore Library

Morellino Artichoke

Recently, while attending a wedding in Chicago, I was chatting with my two female cousins during the cocktail hour portion of the event. We teetered in our high heels while trying to gracefully balance champagne glasses, various passed hour d’oeuvres and cocktail napkins in our hands.

So, I'm sitting at my desk chomping on the last of my Cadbury's Crème Eggs from Easter and I'm wondering to myself, how come I haven't seen any huge hollow chocolate eggs around these parts?

The arrival of fava beans in Tuscany says Spring is here. In late February, many of the vineyards near my house begin planting fava between rows of grapevines, and by early April, the plants have grown full. Long, lush, green rivers sprawl across the countryside fixing the nitrates in the soil and, more importantly, providing a tasty treat.

I handed the sheet to my girlfriend, Sienna.  She squinted, scrutinizing the faded menu closely.  It was a standard, letter-size, tri-fold brochure, printed on both sides of gray card stock that was becoming limp with age. 

“Wow!  Where did you get this?”

“My mother found it in the barn the other day,” I said.

“These food prices are absolutely amazing.”