Tuscan Personal Chef Recipe Ideas by Ruth Paget
As part of my 2026 summer reading project to learn more about Italian culture, I read Brutto: A (Simple) Florentine Cookbook by Russel Norman (available on Amazon Kindle) and found several good recipes for beginning personal chefs as well.
The following recipes would probably appeal to many lovers of Italian food:
*white cannellini bean crostini – this dish is a grilled baguette slices topped with a cooked purée of tomatoes, sage leaves, garlic, white cannellini beans, oregano, sea salt, and olive oil. Rosemary and bay leaf also flavor the beans, but are taken out before puréeing. I like these crostini with white wine and lager beers.
*spinach and ricotta cheese dumplings made with baby spinach, flour, ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg. Melted butter flavored with sage leaves is the sauce for these nutritious and delicious bites.
*tuna, white cannellini bean, and sliced shallot salad in an oil and vinegar dressing
*bitter leaves with lemon and oil dressing – this dish is preferably made with radicchio Treviso lettuce
*raw white cabbage slaw made with lemon and oil dressing
The Florentines are famous as bean eaters and steak eaters for festive occasions. The recipes above also show that they make extensive use of home gardens.
For new personal chefs, mastering Tuscan recipes like the ones in Brutto by Russell Norman is a way to offer dishes that have pretty wide popularity for flavor and health benefits to new and existing clients.
Happy Cooking!
By Ruth Paget
-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe’s Lesson written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books
-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games
-developer of food and beverage knowledge games
-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center
-creator of French travel and culture games
-writer of 1800+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
