The Fuzzy Chef & Friends

When FT Marinetti and "Fillia" opened the Holy Palate Tavern in Turin in 1931, they shocked and disgusted the diners with their culinary innovations. Even Marinetti's friendship with Mussolini wasn't enough to save the restaurant; after a flurry of articles about the absence of pasta on the menu, it folded quietly.

Yet, some of these "shocking and repulsive" innovations introduced by the Futurist Food Manifesto were merely 70 years ahead of their time, and have become not only known but sought after in modern America. One, in particular, pretty much dominates haute cuisine in this early 21st century.

Stacking.

If you're like me or Barbara Fisher, you're currently rollicking in the bounty of late-season tomatoes.   In San Francisco, at my local market (Haight Street Market), we can buy vine-ripened heirlooms for $2/lbs.  Since my wife loves tomatoes, I've been coming up with creative things to do with them.  The above picture is one such: a recipe my wife calls "The Boccontini".