To capture the soul of a place you must also
know and appreciate the cuisine.
Whether you are an experienced chef or just want to taste
the tradition we offer some typical dishes of Siena.
The culture of a people also passes through its cooking.
Siena, like the whole of Tuscany, is strongly tied to what the territory offers and to the times dictated by that same territory.
These are the times of agriculture and nature, necessary for the wheat to become golden, for the grapes to ripen and for the animals to grow in a healthy way.
Here there is no hurry, because flavors and quality must not suffer.
Staying in the historic residence of San Lorenzo a Linari, a village perched on top of a hill in Sovicille, in the Siena countryside, also means having the chance to directly experience the local cuisine.
Thanks to the structure composed of 18 apartments with kitchens, you can indulge in cooking, sourcing excellent raw materials found at kilometer zero.
Or you can simply stock up on delicacies that need no cooking and prepare to immerse yourself in a world of wholesome foods.
The classic menu opens with hors d’oeuvres of sliced meats and cheeses and with crostoni: bread is the basic element to which cheeses such as Pecorino di Pienza or cold cuts derived from Cinta Senese, an ancient breed of pig which is still reared in the wild. Capocollo, pancetta, lardo and the unmissable finocchiona are served alongside crostini with creamed spleen, livers and anchovies.
Among the first courses, the dish that cannot be missed is pici: large spaghetti, able to hold the sauce, to be tasted with cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) or with wild boar ragout or mushroom sauce.
To be tasted also the gnudi, naked ravioli (i.e. without the external covering of the pasta): the filling of spinach, ricotta cheese and parmesan cheese is composed in a sort of dumpling and boiled, to be then served with melted butter and sage or on a bed of tomato.
Also excellent is the Sienese ribollita, a vegetable soup which is served for three meals: at the first meal it is consumed only as vegetable soup; at the second meal stale bread and thin slices of onion are added and it is cooked; at the third meal it is boiled again and served. Every time the taste becomes more intense and tasty.
Like all poor dishes, the recipe varies from family to family, but what must absolutely not be missing is black cabbage.
The queen of second courses is the tagliata of beef, to be served with a side of potatoes. But pay attention to the cooking: the real tagliata must be crispy outside and soft inside.
It can be enjoyed with just a drizzle of excellent Tuscan extra virgin olive oil or with rocket and parmesan cheese.
In the barbecue area of San Lorenzo a Linari, guests have everything they need to prepare tagliata, to be eaten sitting at tables under the foliage of large trees.
For desserts it is good to rely on the many local pastry shops: panforte, ricciarelli and cavallucci are everywhere, together with cantucci.
Accompanied by a sip of Vinsanto, a sweet liqueur wine, they represent the seal of guarantee of a DOC Sienese menu.
