A taste of Italy: Florence 3

It came as a surprise to learn that Florence has a tapas tradition. Though of course, this being Tuscany, they are not called tapas but rather aperitivo and (best of all) they come free with your evening drink.

During the day we passed a number of restaurants that had come recommended. Instead of going somewhere in the guidebook, I had browsed a few websites, travel forums, etc to find word-of-mouth type places. I mapped these with Google, printed that off and took photos of the menus as we passed by so I could compare prices and do a translatation with my phrasebook. How 2009 can you get?!

First stop of the evening was an enotecha, or wine bar. Unlike wine bars in Britain, in Italy you'll find these are shops (delis, almost) which sell wine by day and become nightspots after dark. Our pick was Note di Vino, which was about the size of our wardrobe, its walls lined with fine wine, olive oil and vinegar (some going for €100 a bottle - the vinegar even, not the wine).

There were about three tables to choose from and we settled down in the corner and asked for 2 glasses of Vino Nobile. At €6.50 a pop, each glass cost more than most bottles we buy back home, but it was delicious and we were promised free nibbles.

Sure enough they had some crostini (ciabatta bread with various toppings) on the bar. One was straightforward: olive oil, tomato, garlic and basil in the best simple Italian tradition. Another was smeared with something that looked like dog food...smelt like dog food...and turned out to be a mild pâté. I steered clear of the one prickly with fish bones, but Christian had a go. It turned out to be salted cod, but it was so salty he necked back most of his wine: 'My lips are burning!'

Aside from the singed extremities, it was a classy start to the evening, with smooth jazz and smoother wine. It did occur to me though as we left that we had just spent 13 quid on two half-empty glasses of wine and a couple slices of toast.

Next stop was Pizzeria I Tarocchi across the river in a residential district, down a back street and a long way away from the Ponte Vecchio and other tourist landmarks. It was a simple restaurant with benches instead of chairs and no tablecloths or candles. At the back someone was rolling out pizza dough, though I didn't spot them flinging it into the air. It felt like a family operation with Mama on the till reading her paper and gossiping with the diners, almost all of whom were locals.

Florence is famous for its ribollita, a bean and cabbage stew thickened with bread that went down a treat on this cold winter's evening. This was Christian's choice for a starter, while I had pear ravioli in a gorgonzola sauce. It sounds odd putting fruit in a pasta parcel, but the sweetness of the pear cut through the bitterness of the cheese in a delicious combination. We both had roast pork and potatoes for the main course (a bit salty but filling), plus a half litre of the house red. At first we resisted dessert, until Christian was talked into a tiramisu and I had panna cotta with a burnt sugar glaze.

Full-scre Altogether it cost €48, which was great value for three courses of fresh food with wine and attentive service in a place buzzing with locals. The address if you're interested was 12/14 Via de Renai, 50125 Firenze.

Coming back we walked back into town via the Ponte Vecchio and gaped at some of the aperitivo offerings in some of the bars in town. Some looked like full buffets with salad, couscous, boiled eggs and all sorts piled high.

As you will have gathered by now, I had not taken any photos during the evening, so I've sprinkled in some photos from around Florence instead.

Oh, and would you like my panna cotta recipe? It's one of the nicest things you can do with slivers of boiled horse hoof, pig ears and cowhide!

To make the panna cotta you'll need...

3 gelatine leaves (mmm, animal collagen)
250ml milk
250ml double cream
25g sugar
50ml limoncello liqueur

First, soften the gelatine leaves in cold water. In the meantime, simmer the milk on the hob or in the microwave until it's nice and hot (but not boiling). Drain the gelatine leaves and squeeze out the excess water, then pop these into the milk so they melt down.

Next, pour the cream, sugar and liqueur into a pan and bring slowly to a boil. As soon as it starts to bubble, take off the heat and pour in the milk. Prepare a suitable serving dish (or individual pots) by rinsing in ice-cold water and drying off. Pour the milk and cream mixture into your molds and put in the fridge for at least 4 hours (you're best doing all this the day before).

Now you'll want a sauce. What I do is take a knob of butter and 50g of sugar and melt these on a low heat. I add 150g chopped strawberries or raspberries, the juice of half a lemon and a few grinds of the pepper mill. Break the berries down into a syrup, then pass through a sieve to remove any lumps. This can be poured onto the panna cotta after you dish it up the next day, or you can do what I do and pour this into the panna cotta while it's still warm. Stir a bit and the syrup will give the panna cotta a marbled effect.

Buon appetito!