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Author Frances Mayes on fast pasta, slow life under the still-beguiling Tuscan sun

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:57:51 GMT

Give credit to Frances Mayes for igniting Americans’ long-held love affair with Tuscany.In 1996, she wrote a memoir about how she famously took charge of her future, abandoning her life as a Bay Area writer and San Francisco State University professor, and moved to Italy to renovate an aging house and, in the process, find herself. “Under the Tuscan Sun” spent more than two years on the New York Times’ bestseller list, increased travel to the region and spurred others to trade their lives for an Italian fixer-upper. And would we have quite so many Tuscan-style housing developments and color palettes in Northern California without her story? Likely not.She followed that up with more than 20 books — travel memoirs, home decor, poetry, a novel and so much more.Now, 20 years after Diane Lane portrayed Mayes in the film version of “Under the Tuscan Sun,” Mayes, now 83, has published “Pasta Veloce,” a cookbook brimming with what she ca...

Recipe: Frances Mayes’ Sicilian Citrus Pesto

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:57:51 GMT

Frances Mayes was catapulted to fame when her book, “Under the Tuscan Sun,” landed on bookstore shelves two decades ago. Now she has a new cookbook out — “Pasta Veloce: Irresistibly Fast Recipes from Under the Tuscan Sun” (Abrams Books, $35) — that highlights some of Italy’s tastiest pasta dishes.If you’re making a seafood dish, try this citrus pesto which marries well with simple seafood pastas such as crab, sauteed halibut, sole and shrimp, Frances Mayes writes in “Pasta Veloce.” The tangy citrus wakes up grilled chicken too.“The recipe doubles easily but it’s assertive, so this small amount is usually sufficient,” she says. For a great dip, mix this pesto with half a cup of cream cheese, she says.Sicilian Citrus PestoMakes about 1 cup, enough to dress 12 to 14 ounces of pastaINGREDIENTS2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves2 cloves garlic, quartered¼ teaspoon coarse salt3 tablespoons fresh orange juice2 tab...

Map: California’s first 1,000-acre wildfire of 2023 closes trails, camping areas

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:57:51 GMT

The Geology Fire, California’s first 1,000-acre wildfire of the year, has closed hiking and camping areas in Joshua Tree National Park.The fire started around 4 p.m. Saturday, June 10, along Geology Tour Road south of the Pleasant Valley trailhead. Its cause has not been determined.As of Sunday, it was at 1,088 acres (1.7 square miles) with 30% containment, the park service said.Closed to the public were Geology Tour Road and Berdoo Canyon Road;  hiking in Pinkham Canyon and Fried Liver Wash; and backcountry camping in the Lost Horse, Pleasant Valley, Twin Tanks and Hexie Mountain zones.The state’s previous largest wildfire this year was the 348-acre Ramona Fire, last month in Riverside County. The eight fires over 25 acres have been in the southern half of the state, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.At this time last year, California had recorded eight fires greater than 500 acres, including the 5,856-acre Lost Lake Fire, on the California-...

Recipe: Frances Mayes’ Penne with Pepperoni, Kale, Chickpeas and Sweet Peppers

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:57:51 GMT

Popular author Frances Mayes has just penned a new cookbook that offers up some of Italy’s tastiest and speediest pasta recipes — “Pasta Veloce: Irresistibly Fast Recipes from Under the Tuscan Sun” (Abrams Books, $35). Among them, this penne recipe.Mayes writes in “Pasta Veloce”: “The spicy salami really tweaks this hearty pasta that’s as perfect on a cold night as it is for a summer picnic. In Italy, what we know as lacinato, or dinosaur, kale is called cavolo nero (black cabbage). It’s one of the most nutritious of vegetables, and when not overcooked, is surprisingly delicate and delicious. Serve with a generous sprinkling of pecorino Romano. Medium-size conchiglie (shells) are also a good pasta option.”Penne with Pepperoni, Kale, Chickpeas and Sweet PeppersServes 4INGREDIENTS8 ounces penne rigate (or other pasta)¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced1 red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced, or use ½ red and ½ y...

Recipe: Frances Mayes’ Lemon Pistachio Linguine

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:57:51 GMT

Frances Mayes, of “Under the Tuscan Sun” fame, has a new cookbook out — “Pasta Veloce: Irresistibly Fast Recipes from Under the Tuscan Sun” (Abrams Books, $35) — that showcases some of Italy’s tastiest and quickest pasta dishes.About this one, she writes, “Fresh lemon and Parmigiano Reggiano are a match made in, well, the Italian kitchen. Blend these into a shallot-cream sauce, along with pistachios and chives, and the result is an absolutely riveting dish. Because it’s so rich, it is best served as a first course. To save time and effort, chop the pistachios and parsley together by pulsing them in a food processor or a mini processor.”Lemon Pistachio LinguineServes 4 to 6INGREDIENTS12 ounces linguine2 medium or 1 large shallot, minced2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1/3 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine¾ cup heavy cream½ teaspoon sea salt¼ teaspoon coarsely crushed black pepper1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmegDash cayenne p...

Recipe: Frances Mayes’ Baked Gigli with Four Cheeses and Ten-Minute Tomato Sauce

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:57:51 GMT

Best-selling author Frances Mayes has followed up her famous book, “Under the Tuscan Sun,” with more than 20 other books, including a new cookbook. Dubbed “Pasta Veloce: Irresistibly Fast Recipes from Under the Tuscan Sun” (Abrams Books, $35), the just-published book highlights some of Italy’s tastiest and speediest pasta dishes.This one is a crowd pleaser, Mayes writes: “A subtler and more complex mac and cheese, this baked pasta is scrumptious on its own, but really sings with a drizzle of intense Ten-Minute Tomato Sauce. Use traditional elbow macaroni, if you like, instead of the gigli. This is a pasta dish that does well prepared in advance and baked off shortly before serving, if that’s more convenient. Italian provolone has a more pronounced flavor than the domestic.”Baked Gigli with Four Cheeses and Ten-Minute Tomato SauceServes 4 to 6INGREDIENTS8 ounces gigli (or elbow macaroni or another pasta)3½ ounces imported or aged provolone, c...

California-bound Delta aircraft slide accidentally deploys after plane diverted to Salt Lake City

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:57:51 GMT

By Tina Burnside | CNNAn inflatable emergency slide accidentally deployed inside of a Delta Air Lines plane while on the ground at Salt Lake International Airport on Saturday.A slide inside of a Delta Airlines plane accidentally deployed while on the ground at Salt Lake International Airport on Saturday.(Dan Moreno via CNN) “Delta flight 520, operating from New York-JFK to Los Angeles-LAX, diverted to Salt Lake City due to a maintenance issue,” said an airline spokesperson in a statement issued to CNN on Sunday.“While on the ground, the same aircraft’s slide was deployed by accident.”No emergency landing was declared, nor did the plane divert due to the slide, according to the statement.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Remembering Anthony Bourdain: Best lines from his San Jose show Crashes and Disasters | Replacement plane for Air India flight lands in San Francisco after being diverted to Russia Crashes and Disasters | Spirit A...

Person with gunshot wound found on steps of California Capitol

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:57:51 GMT

SACRAMENTO — A person with a gunshot wound was found on the steps of the California Capitol early Monday, Sacramento police said.Officer Cody Tapley told The Sacramento Bee that officers responded to a report of a shooting on a street near the Capitol shortly after 4 a.m. and found the victim two blocks away on the Capitol’s west steps.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Why one of the most dangerous hours in America is now 11 o’clock on Sunday morning Crime and Public Safety | Police identify person of interest in mass shooting that wounded 9 during San Francisco block party Crime and Public Safety | Fatal Sunday morning shooting in Vallejo under investigation Crime and Public Safety | One dead, six injured after gunfire breaks out at teen birthday party in East Bay Crime and Public Safety | School shootings are a real threat — so these Bay Area students invented a technology to fight back T...

SF’s Lorraine Hansberry Theatre’s new play is about … Lorraine Hanbserry

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:57:51 GMT

San Francisco’s storied African American stage company the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre has been a mainstay of the Bay Area arts scene since 1981. Now at last the company is debuting a play about its namesake, the influential playwright Lorraine Hansberry.Hansberry’s best-known work, “A Raisin in the Sun,” in 1959 made her the first African American woman playwright to have a play on Broadway. It wouldn’t be her last: her play “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window” was running on Broadway in 1965 (starring Berkeley’s own Rita Moreno) when Hansberry died of pancreatic cancer at age 34.Still, many know little about Hansberry beyond “Raisin” — her life, her other writings and her civil rights activism are all too seldom explored today.Writer-performer Traci Tolmaire aims to rectify that with her new play “In the Evening by the Moonlight,” directed and co-created by Lorraine Hansberry Theatre artistic director Margo Hall.The play imagines a long, alcohol-fueled conversation between ...

CHP issues Silver Alert for missing at-risk San Jose man

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:57:51 GMT

(BCN) -- A missing at-risk San Jose man was last seen leaving a residence in the 1300-block of Little Orchard Street, San Jose police said Monday morning. California Highway Patrol issued a Silver Alert for Matthew Lewis, 69, late Sunday.Lewis is 6 feet tall and weighs about 100 pounds. He was last seen leaving the San Jose residence at 10:45 a.m. Sunday wearing a black hoodie, black jeans and black shoes.Lewis is Black, has grey hair and brown eyes. Authorities believe he is on foot. Anyone who sees Lewis is asked to call 911.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.