Tastes of Tuscany

Top Tuscan chefs Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi are passionate about their food. Try these simple recipes and bring a flavour of Italy to your home

Endive salad with Gorgonzola, Pinenuts and Honey Salad
Baked Red Peppers filled with Four-Cheese Souffle
Beef Ragu with Gabbiano Chianti DOCG
Pasta with Seafood and Cherry Tomatoes 'Al Cartoccio'
Pears poached in Gabbiano Chianti DOCG
Rose Wine Jelly

Endive salad with Gorgonzola, Pinenuts and Honey Salad

Katie Caldesi says:
This is great served as an appetiser or with drinks. Endives, also known as chicory, has boat-shaped leaves that are easy to pick up and provide the perfect vessel for the cheese and nuts. The sweetness of the honey matches perfectly with the bitterness of the endive.

I'm a bit of a black pepper nut so I like this with a twist of pepper to finish but having travelled a great deal in Italy recently they tend to leave it out of delicate salads like this; but I will leave it up to you to make the choice.

Serves 4

2 endives 100g Gorgonzola Dolcelatte 30g Pinenuts 1 1/2 tbsp good quality runny honey 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Cut the end of both the endives and gently break off all the leaves, one by one, arranging them on a serving dish so that they resemble little boats in which to carry the ingredients. Crumble over the Gorgonzola Dolcelatte making sure each leaf gets an equal helping. Take your honey and, raising the spoon high over the salad, drizzle over the salad creating a lovely cobweb effect over the leaves. Then pour over the olive oil in a similar way. Finally, toast the pinenuts lightly in a saucepan and when done scatter over the endives.

Serve with a chilled glass of Gabbiano Pinot Grigio IGT Delle Venezie