Paolo, what is the dish that:

  1. inspired your love of food:

    Everything was coming out of the wood burning oven of Badia a Coltibuono when I was a kid. Just baked bread and focaccia. I use to cut the still warm focaccia in half and fill it with sliced tomatoes from the garden, our farm olive oil and basil. At Easter we used to cook a whole lamb with potatoes in the wood oven and some special little cakes “africani” made with whipped egg yolks and sugar and baked in small hand made paper recipients.

  2. is your signature:

    I don’t know if I can say that I have a dish which is my signature but one of my favorite is Budino di latte alla vaniglia con fragole fresche e cialda al miele (Vanilla milk pudding with fresh strawberries and honey waffle). I like it for its simplicity and freshness.

  3. you cook on your night off:

    Very often but simple food.

Can you share a recipe for one of these dishes?

Budino di latte alla vaniglia con fragole fresche e cialda al miele (Vanilla milk pudding with fresh strawberries and honey waffle)

For the pudding

Fresh milk 4 dl
Fresh double cream 1 dl
Fish glue 3 leaflets
Vanilla beans 1
For the topping
Grated rind of half lemon
Fresh strawberries 400 g.

For the waffle

Butter 30 g.
Honey 30 g.
Flour 30 g.

Take to a boiling point the milk, the sugar, the double cream, the vanilla bean. When it comes to the boiling point take it off the stove and add the fish glue and the lemon rind. Stir for some minutes and let it cool. Put half of the strawberries in the blender with juice of ¼ lemon, 1 tablespoon of powder sugar and cut the other half in quarters.

For the waffle
Mix all the ingredients together. Spread a thin layer for every waffle on a piece of baking paper and cook in the oven for 10 minutes at 160°. Let cool.

Serve the pudding with the strawberry sauce and the strawberries on top, Decorate with the waffle.