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 fish and apricot During these month’s I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy eating 100% seasonally . In addition to using what my vegetable garden generously gave me, I also had the good fortune to have neighbors who were super happy to give me, fruits and vegetables from their gardens and trees. So, as in every town or village in the world ,when you go to see someone for a visit or a simple pop in, what do you do? You bring with you a small gift, don’t you? Here in the country we bring what our gardens are producing , zucchini flowers, tomatoes and jam … .. So one day my neighbor Alessandra came with a basket of beautiful apricots. They were sweet and soft. She had already consumed a large part of her big tree to make jars and jars of apricot jam and she was exhausted. So then ,she tells me that if I’m interested, the rest of the tree is for me, ALL FOR ME … … .. ok sincerely I COULD NOT DO IT! Start to make the jam …. no, it was too much for me! But of course I could not resist to try those fantastic apricots. The jam no, cake no ,I was not in the mood, in fact I wanted to do something that had an apricot hart but otherwise a salty taste. Here’s what came out: A fillet of red mullet in crispy sesame and thyme with an apricot hart !We loved it. Continue reading Apricot Harts . »
 farfalle pasta with prawns and zucchini Ladies and gentlemen, today is my last recipe for the summer! I feel that for me it is time to take a break, recharge my batteries, to be ready by early September with many new recipes. In the middle time you can check the Sagraincasa archive , where you will find 109 nice recipes . So you can’t say that I’m leaving you with an empty plate! As I wrote a little time ago, I intend to spend the summer here in my farm house, amongst the golden hills of Umbria, experimenting with new recipes, using fresh ingredients straight from my vegetable garden and of course enjoying the sunsets with a glass of good local wine.
 sunflower  sunflowers  in my vegetable garden During August, the cooking classes will continue as usual. So if you are on vacation around Orvieto and you want to do some cooking lessons here in my kitchen or in the villa where you are on holiday , do not hesitate to contact me.
 me in the kitchen Finally, I’ll say goodbye for now with this very tasty dish and a few pictures of the sunflowers that at the moment are everywhere! I thank all of you who have been following my blog and wish a happy holiday to you all. See you in September .
 view from Allerona
By the way, remember in September it’s grape picking time….so be ready! Continue reading Ciao ciao for now! »
 cucumber and mozzarella salad
For the first time this year, I decided to plant in my vegetable garden, a couple of different varieties of tomatoes, two kinds that I haven’t eaten before, YELLOW cherry tomatoes (even if they look orange) and BLACK tomatoes . I had the inspiration when I was watching an old Jamie Oliver program, he created a fantastic salad combining many varieties of tomatoes. Anyway, all this is to tell you that finally my new tomatoes are ready. In this salad I thought to use the yellow cherry tomatoes, then I add another new entry from my vegetable garden. … a WHITE cucumber. So I continued to make this salad, basing my decision only on the colors! In fact I believe that a good combination of colors can be very important for the success of a dish. Finally I added 4 walnuts. In fact , I’d like to be more precise about this and tell you that actually ,the walnuts are those from our tree ,last year. They had been left in an old basket in the garden, defenseless against attack from sun ,rain and wild boars. To be honest , I was very surprised they were still good. Indeed , 4 out of four of the nuts were excellent! I close this weeks blog with this fresh cucumber and mozzarella salad and wish everyone a cool and good weekend. Ciao Continue reading Sun , rain and wild boars »
 aubergine with mozzarella and prune
Sorry, but I cannot do anything about this. All the things that i have wanted to eat lately are small snacks and more importantly, they must be quick to prepare. I therefore apologize to those who live in Australia or elsewhere where it is not summer time, but here in Italy with this heat , the only thing I want to do is lie down on the sun bed under the shade of our big walnut tree, with a cool drink and my book. The real Siesta time! Ok, then by 6 p.m. and hunger begins to bite … .. then, I grill an aubergine cut in slices, combine these with a few tasty ingredients, roll them up and put back into the grill for 5 minutes more. … and happily with my yummy appetizers and a cold Gin and tonic (it’s 6.30 p.m. by now) I walk back to the sun bed! Tough life! Continue reading It’s a tough life! »
 beef fillet to up with green beans and pistachios pesto
Do you remember my famous freezer? It’s the big investment we made during the spring and it’s also the reason why this summer, my mission will not be to go on holiday , but to fill it up with all the wonderful vegetables our garden will give us! Well , this piece of technology saved me a few days ago. The story is a classic: four of our friends who were holidaying in the area, phoned to say they would like to pop in that evening for an aperitivo. Great I thought, but then looking in the fridge a little question came to mind: Mamma mia , what can I give them as an appetizer ? The drinks situation was good, but the appetizer needed to be done. Ok, honestly to do something with zucchini. NOOOOOOOO, actually, I was not in the mode. Then a little bell rang in my head! A slice of beef fillet in the freezer. A single, small and lonely fillet. So I thought that during the time my small fillet defrosted: I could take the green beans from the vegetable garden ,steam and mix them with pistachios to make a fresh pesto to put on top of my fillet. I could finish my country girl tasks : water the vegetable garden , feed the goats and walk the dog. There would even be time for a shower! The preparation of this finger food was fast. The Grechetto wine was delicious and worked very well with the fillet. I could never be disappointed with this freezer ,even if my friends are on vacation … .. and me … not! Continue reading Saved by the bell ! »
 chicken and green beans roll in crispy sesame seeds
Yesterday I went with my basket to shop in my vegetable garden!! I got what I needed for dinner then I closed the little gate and went straight to the kitchen. The reason why we decided to put the net around the vegetables was to prevent the wild boar from shopping there at night too! … You will excuse me if I continue to use the word shopping, but at the moment my vegetable garden is in full production, so to enter and stroll down each aisle carefully choosing what to take, I find it a little bit like going shopping. But unfortunately without the possibility of buying myself a little treat! However ,back to my basket , i chose: lettuce, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and green beans . So with the first four ingredients I prepared a simple and fresh salad. I used green beans combine with chicken, fresh herbs and sesame seeds to make a main dish. This chicken and green beans roll is very good when eaten cold. So I think it could be a great solution if you are experiencing a hot summer with a 40 degree temperature too! Continue reading The fourth ingredient »
I know you were worried ,I know you thought …well, what’s happened this week ,there are no zucchini in the blog????? I do not want to disappoint anyone so here they are. What’s more it’s a double version! WAHOOO. Considering also that my garden is at the moment in full production with Aubergines. … I thought to cook both on the bbq (actually, you know who has to do it as I don’t bbq!) Part of them we ate right away with a simple dressing and some I put aside in a jar with plenty of evo oil .
 grilled vegetable in the jar
I used parsley, garlic ,evo oil ,chili and a pinch of salt. For those in the jar I also added a dash of wine vinegar (for better preservation). Grilled vegetables in a jar are an excellent side dish to use during the winter and are mostly a great way to get rid of the excessive production during summer. I recommend however to be very careful that the jar is well sterilized. As regards to the vegetables we ate immediately ,what can I say……….. they were great!!!! Continue reading A double yummy! »
 caprese Nothing is faster to prepare, fresh and tasty to eat as a good CAPRESE, especially for a summer lunch. Also at this time of year tomatoes are delicious and the basil is abundant. I started to collect the first cherry tomatoes from my vegetable garden and feel the taste of a freshly picked tomato, still warm from the sun, believe me, is a fantastic feeling. Anyway probably all of you know what a Caprese is : sliced tomato and mozzarella (di bufala if possible) , topped off with basil, salt, pepper and EVO oil . So today I propose a little variation. I think the classic version is wonderful, especially when the quality of ingredients is very high. But if you want to try this version, you need only 8 minutes more to prepare it, but those eight minutes are not wasted, I promise. Continue reading 8 minute more. »
 watermelon and feta cheese salad Just over a year ago, I saw a recipe for a salad made with watermelon and feta. I remember very well thinking …., MAMMA MIA strange mix. Then last week , this recipe came back in my mind and I thought to do a little research on the internet, to see exactly what else was used in this salad. I’m shocked, if you look on You Tube, there are many people and almost all from the USA, offering this recipe. And they all say the same thing: -the combination is very strange, but this salad is fresh and delicious, once you try it there’s no turning back … … ..- There are some who use olive oil and vinegar for the dressing and others who use only oil … .. Ok at this point, I couldn’t not try. For the dressing I thought of using only a pinch of pepper and a twist of lime , then I added chopped basil and mint as everyone on the web suggests. It was a real discovery!! Well done, I do not know where and how this idea of watermelon and feta salad came from (although the ingredients are Greek ,I’ve never seen it there), but really well done USA! I like it. I like it a lot. Continue reading No turning back »
 bbq squid
It’s 36 degrees, ok I will not complain, because when it’s winter is too cold and when it’s summer. … So let’s just say that here in Umbria near Orvieto, at 15 minutes walk from the happy village of Allerona , in short in my garden, it’s 36 degrees and is bloody hot! When you arrive at these temperatures, it’s not very nice to spend hours in the kitchen near the stove. It is certainly no time to fry! So I am sure that you will understand my joy when Nick has offered to do the bbq. In our house there isn’t a real division of jobs, but for the bbq …. you know, man loves to play with fire. Then I found this fantastic bbq idea , bbq squid to be precise. So once I cleaned and coated squid with fresh herbs, I prepared the dressing. For the rest, holding a cold Spritz, I enjoyed the show, Nick surrounded by clouds of smoke, very very hot. It was a very enjoy evening and a great meal. I hope to have another bbq soon. Continue reading If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! »
 mortadella and prunes finger food
Here it is a finger food, quick to make and incredibly good. The idea was to put at the base a slice of prune and to use a glazed balsamic vinegar as a final drop on top. I know you think I’m crazy, and maybe you’re right, maybe all this sun that I took at the pool has melted my brain. Maybe I should start taking a sandwich to the pool and stop missing lunch, so all this dreaming about food and flavors will be off my mind. However this idea was really easy, plus as I said before it’s fast to prepare. The only thing to do is warm the bread and prepare the glaze of balsamic vinegar. The rest is just assembling the ingredients. I wish a good weekend to everyone and remember to use sunscreen. Continue reading Easy,fast and good. »
 crispy fried vegetable
Clearly all this time my zucchini continue to grow. I’ve already had enough to freeze a couple of bags , simply cut into cubes. With the others i made a new version of Parmigiana, in which I substituted eggplants for zucchini and have frozen these too. But, to my delight, in the meantime the first eggplants are coming through in my vegetable garden and so I decided to make crispy fried vegetables. Ok maybe the word vegetables suggests lots of vegetables. … I honestly used only the zucchini and eggplants, but if you want, you can also use carrots or onions .. in short, whatever you like. The important thing is just to make a good batter. Light, crisp and not greasy. Once this is done well, you will not need to buy any more industrial salty snacks in a bag! Unless, like me ,sometimes you really cant resiste. Continue reading A crispy snack not out of a bag. »
 prosecco with strawberries
Yesterday was a great day, Nick and I celebrated our 13 years of marriage … …. My god 13 years! At that time I was a young girl living in London and randomly decided to rent a room in a house near Chalk Farm. The beautiful landlord of the house was Nick! So in short ,after a few months we became friends and six months after we got married in Rome! Our marriage was unconventional, no written invitations, no photographer, no dinner served sitting for hours at tables, no expensive clothes. Indeed, I remember my grandmother was not sure if we were really married , because Nick did not have a jacket or tie and I wore leather sandals ! It was great, lots of sunflowers, fresh buffalo mozzarella from Naples, local dishes and plenty of good wine and music. Friends and relatives who, despite the language problem, could communicate through the joy and fun. After the church ceremony we left for the festa on my old motorino.
 1997 leaving the church
The crowd cheered as Nick spent 15 minutes trying to kick start my old scooter. All this was 13 years ago. So yesterday, after a fantastic prosecco with strawberries ice in the garden as an aperitif , we had a lovely dinner . Auguri . Continue reading Auguri »
 mini frittatas with ham and sesame seeds In these days we’ve been swimming at the Allerona village pool. The pool is not bad at all, it’s big enough to do serious swimming and the beauty is that it’s surrounded by vineyards. The only problem is that if we want to swim and have a little relax ,the only time to go is lunch time. During that hour all the children from the village go home for lunch! So for us is perfect, but obviously we don’t get to eat. So what happens is that after a long swim, taking a bit of sun and reading a few pages of a book, Nick and I start talking about what we could make for dinner. My mind began to wander about flavors, colors, cooking times and presentation of the dish … I imagined myself under the porch with a cold glass of white wine eating something delicious. This is what came out after 10 minutes of intense thinking, while sunbathing on the grass. Nick ,always skeptical ( even when it’s baking hot ,he thinks it’s going to rain, later) didn’t think much about my idea. The point is that it was very clear in my mind, an hallucination from a genuine hungry person ! But in the end it was good ,very good, and Nick agreed so much that he took the picture! Continue reading Paradise is an empty swimming pool »
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