August is a time when foodies want for nothing.
From sweet stone fruits and vibrant vegetables, to incredibly fresh seafood and amazing desserts, the Maremman palate comes alive in summer.
So with my thoughts consumed by delicious treats and my mouth drooling, I thought I would share 5 of the best seasonal eats and where to get them.
We all scream for… gelato
The difference between gelato and ice cream is subtle on paper, but significant on the palate. Gelato is denser, contains more whole milk and cream and is served at a slighter warmer temperature. The end result is a richer, more satisfying scoop than your traditional ice cream.
You can get gelato all year round and all round Italy. But in summer, you can get artisan peach, apricot and plum gelato that’s so fresh you can see the little flecks of fruit through it.
There are plenty of tricks to tell if your gelato is homemade or not. Can you see the pips of the raspberry? Is the peach a fake orange colour? Does the cherry in the amarena look like syrup?
Or you could just go to my favourite gelateria in the Maremma, Creola in Porto Ercole.
Two scoops for €1.50 – the right price for a gelato – and their signature flavour: dark, dark chocolate or creola, is heaven!
Alfresco pesce
When it’s too hot for a steak, head down to Giglio Island for a plate of freshly caught seafood.
I was on the island recently dodging the tourists who came to gawk at the sunken Costa Concordia cruise ship when I watched an elderly fisherman sell his day’s catch to the locals and local chefs. It was perfectly cliche and perfectly fantastic – just the sort of experience you dream about on holiday.
Summer is when the Maremma’s two greatest catches are at their most plentiful – orata or sea bream and calamari.
The number of restaurants along the port is terrifying, but I sat down at Trattoria Doria and enjoyed an overflowing plate of incredible scampi pasta for €8 with a fantastic view over the water. No complaints here!
A plateful of panzanella
Panzanella is the Maremma’s go to summer dish.
The traditional version has tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, roasted peppers and thick slices of Tuscan bread doused in olive oil and lightly dressed with salt. You can also find versions with pecorino cheese shaved over the top or handfuls of basil mixed through.
You can try your hand at panzanella at home with my easy recipe or head to Capalbio, where the best and most faithful renditions are to be had. I particularly love Ristorante Vivo’s version.
Bouquets of fried zucchini flowers.
Usually served as an aperitif, fiori di zucca fritto or fried zucchini flowers are coated in a light batter made from mineral water and flour and fried until they’re deliciously crunchy.
In some parts of the Maremma, the flowers are stuffed with a zesty mixture of lemon, ricotta and pine nuts. But my favourites are the unfilled and fried until golden morsels served at Enoteca dei Mille in Scansano.
Wash it down with Vermentino
The Maremma makes a plethora of world class wines, but in the summer, I reach for Vermentino. Made famous by Sardinian wine makers, it’s a late-ripening white grape wine that’s perfect for hot days and nights.
Its robust, ultra clean flavour and floral and citrus notes goes well with pretty much everything, but you really can’t go past it when you’re having fish or seafood.
The Maremma makes a mean glass of Vermentino, especially if you happen to get your hands on a bottle by Mancianese wine maker Riccardo Lepri from Vino Montauto.