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Deliciously unresistable however light Summer fayre...dining light
[Susan Glasspool]
When summer comes, even the Florentines, normally lovers of abundance on the table, tend to search for more simple and refreshing dishes. Take care however, they are often dangerously delicious, for it is hard to stop eating them!Starters: often just the Bruschetta, Tuscan toasted bread, usually rubbed with garlic and topped with a dribble of the best local olive oil and a pinch of salt, but also thickly spread with a chopping of the tasty Florentine tomatoes, garlic and plenty of fresh basil. A meal unto itself! Light vegetable pizzas and focaccias or melon and Tuscan ham are other delicious openers or simply lunchtime fillers...
First Courses: pasta is served with fresh tomato sauce with lashings of basil, or just with garlic and oil, hotted up with red chilli and finely chopped parsley, or delicately flavoured with asparagus. This of course is only a vague indication of the variety available.
Alternatively look out for the local Panzanella, a well seasoned bread, tomato and onion salad, which sounds like heavy going but, in actual fact, is very refreshing (and invented by the thrifty Florentines as a way of using up stale bread!). Cold pasta, rice or even spelt are served in an infinite number of ways, often as a simple one-course meal.
Main courses: from carpaccio (raw finely slice veal or fish) with various accompaniments to vegetable omelettes and barbecued meat, often a thick Florentine steak, though anything goes, from chicken to sausages! Fresh fish is always creatively served as Italians have a way with shellfoods and fish and visitors are often pleasantly surprised by the variety of dishes.
Vegetables: should always be seasonal. Salads and dips with crudities, are light but don’t miss out on such specialities as vegetables fried in batter, like baby marrows or their delicious flowers, all fresh from the garden!
Summer desserts: usually based on fresh fruit (especially fresh strawberries) or home-made icecream, nowadays available in almost every flavour under the sun! Most foreign visitors adore the local tiramisù (a creamy coffee-flavoured dessert), otherwise try the so-called zuppa inglese (presumably based on the British trifle!). Chunks of juicy watermelon are wonderful on a hot day and served by most restaurants when in season.
Drinks: range from cool white wine (though chilled rosè is good too), beer, creative iced cocktails, cold tea, fruit drinks and of course plenty of water!
The restaurants advertising in Vivi Firenze all boast excellent summer menus, as well as air conditioning, and often have tables outside, either in small and pretty courtyards or in picturesque corners in the old city centre.
One delightful outside venue is at historic Chalet Fontana, in Via San Leonardo 8r (tel. 055.225805), between Port Romana and Piazzale Michelangelo. Its traditional Tuscan-based menus range from Florentine steaks to fish and wood oven cooked pizzas. Perfect for a romantic aperitif or a meal, either in the pretty garden or inside, accompanied by live music.
Acqua al 2 in Via Vigna Vecchia 40r (tel. 055.284170) is a cheery bistro where art, fashion and good food draw a mixed late-night crowd. Famous for the series of different pasta dishes served in platters and the various salads all served together in a creative style. Only inside dining.
More flavoursome Tuscan temptations can be found at Mamma Gina’s, a characteristic Tuscan trattoria in Borgo S. Jacopo, 37r, (tel. 055.2396009). Its menù includes a wide assortment of traditional soups, starters, pasta and mouthwatering grills, all served and matched with the excellent wines from its cellars.
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