Umbria: Italy's Green Heartland. One of Italy’s smallest regions, Umbria tends to get short shrift, overshadowed by its illustrious neighbor, Tuscany. But in Italy it is known as its “cuore verde”, green heart, where it maintains long-standing traditions of agriculture, art, and spirituality. Umbrians believe that because it is in the center of the Italian peninsula, it is the center of the world! It has been muse to writers, poets, and painters throughout the ages with an inherent mystical link noted as far back as the Etruscans.The cooking is simple in Umbria. It has a relaxed approach and serves whatever happens to be in season. The menu this week highlights its plethora of vegetables, freshwater trout and of course the...
Carnevale - When Anything Goes. “A Carnevale ogni scherzo vale!” Have you ever wondered why we wear masks for Mardi Gras / Carnevale? Throughout history, this time of year was known as a time of abandon and excess. Disguised behind masks, one could banish imposed restraints and give in to the human foibles of sexual and gastronomic orgies. Traditionally, at this time, rules and customs went out the window, social divisions were eliminated, and it allowed people to poke fun at the aristocracy. The word “Carnevale” comes from the Latin, “carrum levare” meaning “take away meat”. Throughout the centuries, it was shortened to “carne vale” / good-bye, meat! For Christians, it represented the last moments of indulgences, the last great party, before the strict restrictions of Lent....
Sicily in Bloom.
Beautiful almond trees adorn the Sicilian countryside and are the first to blossom in late February filling the air with an overwhelming scent and promise of Spring. The Valley of the Temples, just outside the southern town of Agrigento is the site of the annual Almond Blossom Festival celebrating Spring’s arrival and the miracle of life.
This week we taste our way through the rustic but ever beautiful (and flavorful!) Sicily all the while paying homage to the fruit of everlasting love and eternal hope - the almond.
LOVE LETTER TO ITALY – Let me count the ways… For the last 151 weeks of our Food Club, we have visited 19 of Italy’s 20 regions. From the industrial and fashionable North to the warm and rustic South, it is a delightful mélange of contrasting energy. It is slightly smaller than the state of California, but it delivers a range of landscapes, cuisines, customs, and cultural heritage that is hard to match anywhere else in the world. If I had to use one word to describe her, it would be "bellezza", beauty. Italians are surrounded by beauty everywhere - in nature, in their cities, in their relationships, in art, and in their food. To celebrate Italy's culinary diversity, this week our...
At our little Trattoria in Tuscany we were famous for our "Pollo Fritto," - fried chicken. The Florentines would drive out to visit us in the country on the weekends and we would always sell out.
I am proud to say that my American friends and customers (even those from the South!) seem to have also fallen in love with my recipe so I am starting a new tradition. On Sundays I will be frying up my recipe -- this time for the Washingtonians -- and for Super Bowl Sunday you can buy it in buckets!
If you don't want a bucket or you are not serving 4 people, you might consider ordering our individual fried chicken meal here.
