spaswinefood: Pappa al Pomodoro at Badia a Coltibuono

Prior to Spaswinefood's October visit to Italy I started to think about Tuscany. Chianti Classico wine and the whole landscape of Tuscany is so inviting. Not just for the wine, which is fabulous but Tuscany also has great cuisine. Tuscan cuisine is all about simplicity. Tuscan foods are best characterized by their freshness. During the European Wine Bloggers Chianti Classico trip we got to experience food being prepared Tuscan style. Our visit to Badia a Coltibuono Wine Estate was an excellent example.

Badia a Coltibuono Wine Estate was once an abbey built by the Vallombrosa monks. The original name for the abbey “Cultus Boni” exemplifies what today’s owners envision as a “Culture of the earth, of the spirit, and of good taste”. Badia a Coltibuono is now a successful agritourism business operated by the Strucchi Prinetti family. The family honors past traditions while creating a special place where food, wine and sustainable practices are also honored.

At Badia a Coltibuono we explored the secrets of preparing Pappa al Pomodoro with Chef Andrea Gagnesi. This was a royal treat.

Chef Andrea Gagnesi making Pappa al Pomodoro © Spaswinefood

It was fascinating to watch the chef demonstrate how to make Pappa al Pomodoro using Lorenza De Medici's recipe. Fellow wine blogger, Magnus Reuterdahl filmed the cooking demonstration (part one and two). This experience was a great introduction to the uniqueness of Tuscan cuisine. Wine Country GETAWAYS article on Pappa al Pomodoro also recaptured some of this experience.

Later I discovered Mario Batali's recipe for Pappa al Pomodoro at Food Network. Joe Sponzo, private chef to Sting and Trudie Styler also shared his recipe at Food & Wine. If you are thinking about making Pappa al Pomodoro here are some of the ingredients Chef Andrea Gagnesi used:

Badia a Coltibuono Olive Oil © Spaswinefood

Tuscan vine-ripe tomatoes © Spaswinefood

Tomatoes ready for other ingredients to be added © Spaswinefood

Chopped vegetables © Spaswinefood

Basil © Spaswinefood

Bread © Spaswinefood

Pappa al Pomodoro © Spaswinefood

Later Pappa al Pomodoro was one of the courses served for dinner the evening we visited Badia a Coltibuono Wine Estate. Of course we also had Badia a Coltibuono organic wines paired with each of the dishes.