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 Fattoria del Colle -
The History
The era of skills and trades inherited from the Etruscans and the Romans, along with the castles and abbeys from the Middle Ages is still alive today and represents the primary tourist attraction here in Tuscany, where time seems to have been standing still for hundreds of years.
The Fattoria del Colle "recipe book", is a collection of typical Trequanda dishes as they were once prepared, along with some modern recipes, which are prepared and served in the Osteria di Donatella.
Most recipes carry a brief historic and folkloristic introduction regarding their preparation.
These precious stories are about the housewives, the farmers, and the food experts in Trequanda, Montisi, Bettolle and Sinalunga.
Special thanks go to Egisto Bertoncini, Manfreda Casini, Margherita Ciolfi, Orietta Fabi, Franca Gragnoli, Bruno Guazzini, Arianna Ranocchia, Aroldo Rosini, Helle and Alfredo Tesio for the recipes, for providing the entertaining anecdotes and for sharing all they know with us. | |
Donatella Cinelli Colombini
and her daughter Violante
In 1592 Donatella's ancestors already owned the Casato farm in Montalcino and of the Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda.
La Fattoria del Colle is a working farm that also offers vacation rentals and a restaurant. However, it was not until 1998 that the two properties became known as one estate
Donatella's mother, Francesca, known as the "Lady of Brunello" is the soul of the Fattoria, and she placed Donatella in charge of farming the Casato and later her father, Fausto, appointed Donatella to manage the Fattoria del Colle.
The forty acres of prime vineyards at Casato produce Brunello and Rosso Di Montalcino along with a special project "Prime Donne" with its emphasis on women of the wine world. The "Prime Donne" Brunello is selected and managed by a panel of four expert ladies from Italy, Great Britain, Germany and the United Sates. The Casato Farm in Montalcino is the first all female run winery in Italy, proving the production of great wines does not depend on gender, but on intelligence and spirit. |
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Fattoria del Colle -
The Starters Picchio Pacchio - This recipe originates from Sicily. Brought to Trequanda and the Val d’Orcia half way through the 18th century by Lorena Asburgo, who, after having reigned in Sicily was knighted with the Grand duchy of Tuscany, where many farmers from the isle followed them as they were experts of arid land.
The original Sicilian recipe does not have bread in it, but... “when there is little bread on the table put plenty in the plate” so says a Tuscan proverb.
Preparation time: 30 min.
Ingredients for 6 - 8 people:
20cl of extra virgin olive oil, an onion, a stick of celery, a carrot, one peperoncino, 800 g of thinned tomatoes, salt to taste, 4 fresh eggs and 6 - 8 slices of fresh bread.
Method: sauteée the chili pepper, the onion, the carrot and the roughly chopped celery.
Pour the white wine in the pan, and leave it to evaporate, then add the tinned tomatoes and a pinch of salt. In each dish place a slice of fresh bread. When the sauce gets dense, sieve it and then put it back on the cooker. When the sauce is well dry, beat the eggs and add them to the sauce. Pour over the bread and serve hot.
------ Baccalà alla fratina- Codfish
A long time ago there were nuns and monks who went begging. They came from far away, on foot and always in pairs. Their baskets were filled by the farmers with tomatoes and onions, flour and plaits of garlic, oil and wine. In the evenings they often stopped to sleep on farms. But, among the beggars unfortunately there were also pretending to be monks and nuns, dressed up as such to get into the kitchens and polish off the food. The use of this trick did not go unnoticed by the farmers, housewives and landowners: for this reason, at Fattoria del Colle the only room with railing at the windows is called “Monache-which means nuns.
Preparation time: (1 day) + 30 min.
Ingredients for 6-8 people:
1 baccala/codfish with bones, 100g of flour, 20 cl of extra virgin olive oil, 3 onions, 1 glass of dry white wine, 750g of fresh tomatoes or tinned, salt.
Method: Keep a baccala/codfish soaking in water for a whole day, changing the water often so as to get rid of the saltiness. The second day clean it, cut it into rectangles of about 10 cm in length and cover in flour. In a wide pan heat the extra virgin olive oil and cook the codfish for a few minutes. Once golden remove from the pan and use the oil to fry the finely chopped onion, carrot and celery. When these are golden add the white wine, and when this has evaporated add the tomatoes. When the sauce is ready add the codfish and cook over a low flame for a few more minutes. Add salt and serve hot.
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