The Mercato Centrale (Central Market) in Florence is filled with a seemingly endless array of vinegars, cheeses, meats, fruits, vegetables, all stunningly gorgeous, fresh and wonderful, in surroundings a bit prettier and a little more self-conscious that I’d expected.
Vinegar tasting bar
These were the best sun dried tomatoes I have ever had.
Here’s what we made with what we bought.
Ricotta, arugula and sundried tomato sandwiches
Ricotta cheese
Sundried tomatoes
Arugula
Salt (only if tomatoes are not salted)
Good bread
Olive oil
Cut bread into clices. Spread ricotta on bread. Top with tomatoes and arugula. Drizzle olive oil. Salt only if tomatoes are not salted already.
Figs wrapped with Proscuitto
Fresh figs
Prosciutto Crudo
Cut figs in half. Wrap with Prosciutto. Eat.
Cooked Scamorza Cheese
Cut the scamorza cheese in half lengthwise. Place in a preheated pan for a few minutes till soft, warm and bubbly. Eat immediately.
When do you eat scamorza? Well, it could be a second course at dinner. Or, according to Wanja, you keep it around at all times, “And when you get home late on Sunday night and you’re hungry and too tired to cook anything, then you make yourself a scamorza.”
I can’t believe you have a photo of Scamorza on your blog today. I visited Sicily Scene blog as I do every day and she had a photo of provola ragusana which looked identical to this. They are both pasta filata, which means pulled cheese so they have that characteristic shape and for all intents and purposes are identical. You might be interested in her blog which is . She’s a Welsh lady, former Italian teacher who retired to Sicily and posts often about Italian food.
I loved your photos of the Mercato Centrale which I visited often when I spent two weeks in Firenze . We used to go especially for the fresh Buffalo mozzarella.
Looking forward to more wonderful photos of your trip.
regards
jmb
Oh sorry, I seem to have linked almost the whole of my post to Welshcakes.
I don’t know how that happened.
Good eye TBTAM. As the daughter of a grocer, I would argue that you can tell everything about a culture by strolling through their mercados. Is it fresh, is it local, is the light natural, is the farmer’s name attached to it, does one interact with the vender, does the vender smile? In America, sounds like another planet, I know, unless you mosey over to the Union Square Farmers Market. Course, they ain’t got world class dried tomatoes, Scamorza, and a vinegar bar, but apples, corn, maple syrup, and fresh cheddar..that’s a start. Ah, walking the mercados in Fierenze…Quello realmente sta vivendo!
TMTAM,
Your photos are amazing, I can almost taste the fresh fruit. Thanks for sharing your fabulous trip!
I’m a little embarassed, but what are those green things in the shot before the vinegars?
Dr Smak-
They are zucchini flowers. Aren’t they gorgeous? The Italians stuff them with cheese, then bread them and fry them in olive oil. I had one while out to eat at a restaurant in ROme – delish!
Love the Scarmoza…reminds me of eating Raclette in Switzerland. I never realized how easy it was to make a meal out of cheese!
Great photos as usual…only you could make us feel that we are there!
Hugs, OBS Housekeeper
LOVE the photo of the zucchini flowers…reminds me of eating them breaded in my grandmothers kitchen when I was a child…