Tomato Passata sauce, part 1
Tomato Passata sauce, part 2
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 Lasagna shape pasta with tin sardines and fresh fennel
After almost ten days I am finally feeling better. I’ve had a bad dose of flu, but for this year ,at least, it’s over. That’s because ( fingers crossed), I happen to be sick only once a year and when it happens it is always such a nightmare for Nick,( so he says). Poor man, he has to do everything (so he says) …… anyway, I’m ready for action now.
I have a thousand ideas flying through my head, I want to try new recipes, I have seeds and seedlings to put in my vegetable garden, I want to test a couple of new wines from the area and create a couple of nice menus for my next customer … Definitely … ready for action, Infact, I feel so positive that yesterday when I realized that the fridge was completely empty (WHY), I decided to create this lasagna shape pasta using tin sardines, fresh fennel (collected in the garden) and the juice of half a lemon (I found at the bottom of the vegetable box under lots of garlic and onions). The result was superb, a few ingredients are enough to create a good dish, the important thing is to put love and enjoyment into creating it!
Outside the garden is really beautiful, poppies and flowers are everywhere ( although the grass hasn’t been cut….it must be so happy I’ve been ill), the hills are deep green and the air is fresh and clean. Today I have finished taking the antibiotics so I think by tomorrow I can enjoy my first glass of wine at sunset…… I love it all, spring is here and I’m ready for it! Ciao from Umbria.
 Bruschetta Ricotta Scante and chopped tomato
Exercising and playing a sport gives you a wonderful healthy feeling, taking time off to take care of yourself works wonders and also, if like me ,you love food, it can help burn off those extra calories. But it doesn’t end there.
Twice a week I try to attend a spinning class held at the local gym which is under a food store about 20 km away from my house .After a while I began to notice that the main topic of conversation in the female changing room was FOOD , not just exchanging recipes but also keeping up to date with what and where the new local food event will be !!
But then it got even better …..just before Easter , the conversation moved onto cheese …. I was talking to a nice lady called Pamela and it turned out she was originally from Puglia. The first thing that came to my mind was…………RICOTTA SCANTE CHEESE (a lovely strong cheese that you can only get in Puglia) Yes, said Pamela, I love it too, would you like me to bring some back for you the next time I go? YES, please, I said. So as good as her word a couple of weeks later Pamela arrived at the gym with a big jar of Ricotta Scante cheese, which she said came from a local dairy in her home village .
As soon as I got home the first thing Nick and I did was to prepare the ricotta in one of the traditional ways they eat Ricotta Scante in Puglia .This is to spread it over toasted bread ( bruschetta) with chopped tomato and Evo oil . ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THIS WORLD
I couldn’t wait to thank Pamela, so the next day I returned to the gym with a jar of pure truffles (made by a small family business in Abruzzo, near the small village where my father was born). She and her husband set to and made some tagliatelle with them, she said it was really lovely.
Last week Pamela and I met up again at the spinning class ,and she said the next time she returns from Puglia she will bring me some of her Mammas hand-made Orecchiette pasta,” it’s amazing” she said. I have had to think long and hard about what I can barter for this Orecchiette and have decided on my very good (so I’m told ) homemade peach jam this time………………… MY GOD, what can I say …..except I love going to the gym, wouldn’t you?
 chocolate ice cream with a cappuccino cream
So , let’s talk about the weather again . After the spring coming in like a Lion ,it’s definitely going out like a Lamb. I was so ready for the summer that I decided to make some ice-cream. Always the optimist…. Because of the unusual warmth before , we decided to not order any more wood to keep our fires going and I started to put all my winter cloths in the attic . Big mistake.
Even tonight , we are trying to decide whether to put the heating on or climb back into the attic and get some jumpers down. Sounds easy , but climbing into our attic is a death defying act . pitched high above the staircase we need a ladder and a piece of rope tied around my waist . I say my waist because Nick refuses to go up there. Like a trapeze artist I climb the ladder saying “ have you got me “ , only to look down and see he’s texting a friend!!
Anyway , with all the rain we’ve been having , I have to say that these green hills of Umbria are looking more beautiful than ever. Thankfully , the vegetable garden is already starting to grow and the vineyards are flourishing.
 Allerona village
Tomorrow is a bank holiday in Italy and the forecast is a little bit of sun . So , rain or shine , we will be eating ice-cream in the garden… After all , a holiday is always a holiday !!
 Risotto with Oysters and Spumante wine
Yes, it`s the sort of dish you dream of, Risotto with Oysters and Spumante wine (Italian version of Champagne)!! Mamma mia What Bliss!!!!!!!! And what , I can hear you say,were you and Nick celebrating ,well the answer is NIENTE !(NOTHING!) We were just making the most of a wonderful opportunity
So let’s explain how things went …Nick was recently taking pictures for a winery where they had found and are still finding the shells of marine oysters in the soil where the vineyards now grow ….. Well he had the wonderful idea of using some fresh oysters in the photos. So once the job was done …… with great sadness (hehe….) in the name of waste not want not and helping out we made a supreme effort, and we ate the oysters! Some we had straight from the shell, as an aperitif (divine), and the rest I used in the risotto. Honestly, if you ever have oysters at home YOU MUST match them with a bottle of good Spumante …. Well my dear friends ,what a fantastic evening that was, very yummy!
So if anyone needs to have pictures taken of things such as: lobsters, black truffles, caviar etc etc please let us know ….. I’m sure Nick will help you out and find the time to take some very good pictures, but I`m afraid I `m unable to guarantee that the produce will be returned to you!
 Tomato jelly with parmesan mousse and pumpkin seeds.
Unfortunately Sunday was not particularly warm, so although the Supper Club started with an aperitif in the garden we decided to continue on the large table in the house. As a surprise for my guests I planned to greet them on their arrival with a small glass of tomato jelly with parmesan mousse and pumpkin seeds ,a finger food to be tasted while sipping a glass of Spumante wine. I am happy to say that they really enjoyed it.
There were 10 people, a mixture of old and new guests who had decided to join with me in the spirit of our little Supper Club project ,which is intended to share my passion for food with other people . The Supper Club is not a restaurant and for this reason the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. On Sunday there was yet further evidence of the beauty of this idea. The morning had gotten off to a bad start when i realized that the dish washer wasn’t working ( i don’t mean Nick ) . As a result of this i was running behind schedule. Whilst I was preparing and placing the pork tenderloin in the oven, some of my guests relaxed in the kitchen drinking a glass of wine. Despite my concerns that all would not be cooked and ready to serve on time , my happy visitors gave me great encouragement and helped me to not worry so much. Any tensions I had felt vanished because I realized the beauty of a Sunday lunch is to be in good company, eat good food and for me, to also enjoy the cooking . So thanks again to everyone, especially Brian, Antonella, Susan and Alan, it’s always a BIG pleasure for me to have you here.
 cooked wild garlic
As I have said before, Italians love to use two topics to start a conversation: the weather and food. To prove this point I want you to know that, first, here in Umbria, it`s finally pouring with rain and second , just before the start of this storm Nick and I were able to recognize and pick one of the many natural culinary ingredients that grow in these beautiful hills of Umbria . Wild garlic!
Every year, as you already know, in the spring one of my many tasks is to arm myself with the strimmer and ,as my husband says ,KILL (behead by accident ) all the flowers and cut the grass. Well every time I attack this back breaking job there is always a strange smell of garlic. Initially I thought it was my breath (eh eh ), but luckily this year I discovered that our house is surrounded by wild garlic. Believe me it was a relief to know that I am not guilty, the smell does not come from me!
So after consulting with a couple of knowledgeable old local farmers, we were able to gather a wonderful unexpected rich harvest.
 raw garlic
I decided to cook the garlic in a simple way, so as to allow us to test its natural flavor. which was Absolutely divine. And even though we spent the whole evening sniffing around each other (this got us a few strange looks from Lui the dog) after eating a large portion, it can be reported that there were no unpleasant side effects, breath remained fresh and fragrant (apart from the wine)!!! Continue reading Not guilty. »
 Parmigiana
“We are a group of girls” she said ,” do you think we could come to you for a cooking class?” Victoria was the girl I meet first by email ,her job was to organize this BIG cooking class for 24 girls from the UK,Hong Kong, New York, Austrailia, Dubai and Sweden!! “We are not very much in to cooking but we would love to have fun and learn a little bit about Italian food”, she said. “P.s. I forgot to mention that we are a HEN PARTY and will be dressed in 1950’s cloths!”
O MAMMA MIA!, look out Orvieto!!!! I was very looking forward to meet them and finally on Monday afternoon, I left home carrying all the ingredients we needed , plus a large quantity of wine, as suggested by Nick. Here they were at the Palazzo del Gusto looking beautiful and ready for action. Different ages, all dressed up and wearing aprons that they had drawn on themselves, assolutamente bellissime.
Nick very kindly offered to come and take some pictures (surprise surprise) .And an hour into the lesson he arrived – “oh , it’s the stripper gram” someone shouted- at which point I’d never seen him look so scared .
 Auguri!!!! Terry
Top of our menu to prepare was a classic Italian dish “la Parmigiana” and for a group of ladies who professed , not be particularly into cooking they were amazingly good.
The bride , Terry was very good fun , not to mention extremely pretty. All in all , we had a wonderful evening and it proved to me again that cooking can be a great way to meet people and have a good time!!
Congratulation to Terry, we wish you all the best.
 Essence
Two months ago I was asked by my friend Velia if I would like to enter the Risate e Risotti cooking competition for food bloggers . The idea of the competition was to create a dish using rice as the main ingredient and to send in a photo of your creation.
The event is sponsored by Pila Vecia Ferron , a rice company from Verona in northern Italy and the town of Orvieto , amongst others.…. and has been running for five years in Orvieto. Well, I thought, there’s no harm in giving it ago. After searching through my blog ,I found a little finger food I hadn’t made for a while. Squid ink risotto with gelatin parsley , topped with cod cooked in milk .
So , I sent in my idea with the photo of course and waited. Time passed by and nothing happened . After a while I completely forgot about the event , until last Thursday when I got an e-mail telling me I had made it through to the finals.
I couldn’t believe it . My first cooking competition and I was a finalist ! I was so pleased. Anyway, the results were announced on Sunday and much to my delight I came second. The winner was Lorella Fabris a very good food blogger from Venice , who I had the pleasure to meet yesterday.
 From the right Velia De Angelis, me , Lorella Fabris and the judges
 Me and Lorella Fabris It just goes to show, as my father always says ,”nothing ventured ,nothing gained “.
Ciao
 pork tenderloin baked in a salt crust
Hello, yes I am alive! To give you an idea of what has been happening here over the last few weeks, I’ve made a short list :
1. Preparing the soil for this summer’s vegetable garden ( very hard work with a rotovator , best left to Nick) 2. Straightening all the vines in the vineyard so they don’t fall down ( another heavy job best left to Nick ) 3. Taking down all the old wire fencing, we no longer need in the garden ( yes you guessed it . Best left to Nick ) 4. (This is where i come in ).Planting salad and herbs in the vegetable garden 5. Starting our yearly grass cutting marathon and 6. Painting all the garden furniture ,ready for this year’s guests. In short…..tanto lavoro (lot’s of work!)
All this has been made much easier by the amazingly hot spring we seem to be having. After a long day , the sun setting , birds singing and the scent of flowers in the air, it’s finally time for a glass of wine on the back porch. Sitting contentedly sipping our drinks, we compare the calluses on our hands and talk about the pain in our backs.
 A rare cloud passing by
Then it’s time for me to go inside and try to cook correctly a pork tenderloin . I say to try, because it’s taken me three attempts to get it right. Nick no longer asks what’s for dinner in fear of what the answer will be. But now that I’ve got it , I’m happy to say that I will definitely be putting it on the next menu for the Supper Club .
So, if you would like to join us, have a look at the available dates. If the weather continues like this, you’ll be able sit outside and relax , watching Nick do all the hard work. Continue reading All work and no play….. »
 Mazzafegato and Lentils soup
Encouraged by the enthusiasm ,curiosity and the desire to test and learn everything ,shown by the new group of students from the Culinary Institute of America ,I decided to introduce them to some of the typical produce of areas protected by THE SLOW FOOD ASSOCIATION. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem.
I then started my lesson with the history of ingredients used by the Etruscans to the Romans to present days in recipes still used by local farmers in Orvieto … in short, a kind of FUSION FOOD !eh eh eh .
One of the ingredients I presented to them was a sausage called Mazzafegato, it is made by butchers and local farmers from all that is left in their chopping trays after they have taken what they use from the pig for pork joints, ham, chops, pancetta etc .etc .so at the end of the day nothing is thrown away, the liver, tongue, lips etc. etc .are all used to make the Mazzafegato. The flavor is very strong so farmers blend in natural flavors such as orange, garlic, rosemary, etc. … Mazzafegato, black celery, spelt, these are just some products protected by the Slow Food here in Umbria. You know ,I`ve just realized I`m giving you a lecture too, sorry.
Anyway, after explaining the ingredients I then gave the group a couple of tasks , let the action begin. Chopping, assembling and cooking …. fantastic!
When the soup was cooking it was time for them to taste the wine typical of these areas. Graziella explained to them how to perceive the wine through an sensory examination and evaluation.
Wine was drunk and food eaten, just perfect! I felt very happy at the end of the day, the young chefs left for a new Italian destination ready to learn more about Italian food and wine.
Who knows, maybe one day you’ll find ,on a menu in a NY restaurant, this soup made from Lentils from Castelluccio and Mazzafegato from Orvieto and maybe it will be accompanied by an Orvieto Classico DOC wine!! If so please let me know and tell me what you think. In the meantime you could just give it a go using everyday lentils and a good sausage!!!
Ciao for now. Continue reading Let’s take it Slow. »
 Crispy fillet of bass cooked with almonds and crunchy walnuts , black olives and raisins. Served with escarole
Imagine my surprise when yesterday, strolling in my vegetable garden I found a couple of vegetables that had survived all the winter snow and frost that we had had less then a month ago, roman cauliflowers a couple of broccoli heads and a large head of escarole salad. Unbelievable—-I was amazed—ok maybe the cauliflower and broccoli were protected by their large thick leaves, but the escarole salad, how did she manage to survive??? Full of enthusiasm I gave the news to Nick, who, after having heard my exciting story of the day, said-Yes, ok it is all very interesting, but I don`t like escarole salad anyway!
This poor salad after enduring the cold and the frost she shouldn`t be treated like that, I must find a way to enhance its flavor and combine it with a right ingredient, so my big ungrateful husband will appreciate it ….. So I decide the best solution would be to cook the escarole as my mother , my grandmother , my great grandmother used to do it , in short, if generations of Neapolitans have enjoyed this dish surely Nick will be impressed!
To be safe I then thought to combine the escarole with a crispy fillet of sea bass filled with a Mediterranean pesto.
Mamma mia, the dish was fantastic, Nick was super happy and I thought to myself: well done Simona, you only had to dig into your family tree to save the reputation of this brave escarole salad and she was able to make a glorious dignified exit in the end! Continue reading What a survivor! »
 Vertical Bitto cheeses
A couple of days ago my friend Rita sent an email asking if I wanted to attend a wine tasting near Terni. Wines from Valtellina in northern Italy combined with a Vertical Cheese tasting. Si grazie , of course, I said to her!!
What is a vertical cheese tasting , you might ask? Well, apparently it’s the opportunity to taste the same cheese but from different vintages. The expression is normally used for wines. We were going to be tasting Bitto alpine cheese. Bitto is produced in the Valli del Bitto in Lombardy, northern Italy at an altitude ranging from 1400 to 2300 meters . The main Characteristics are that the makers must start making the cheese no longer than 20 minutes after milking the animals ! Because of this time limit the cheese is made in the field. Bitto can also be left to age longer than any other cheese, even longer than the famous Parmigiano Reggiano . A blend of 70% cow’s milk and 30% goat’s . The animals graze only on the grass in the valleys .No additives, preservatives or yeast are allowed in the cheese production . The method has been handed down from the Celts and the same rules for making the cheese are strictly followed today.
But back to my vertical tasting. One type of cheese , 5 different years: 2011/2010/2009/2003 , plus the very rare and very expensive 2001. Definitely a unique experience! If you consider that there are just 20 whole wheels of Bitto cheese from 2001 in the world !!!
Mamma mia , when I tasted that one, I swear, I had goose bumps! The wine chosen to pair the Bitto 2001 was a 5 Star Sfursat Valtellina 2007. In short , a very sophisticated evening !!
But what is the point of the story and how come you can see the picture of the 5 pieces of cheese? The reason is that I have been so good . I wanted Nick to also participate in this experience. So under the astonished eyes of the people who were close to me during the tasting, I only ate half of each piece of cheese and stuck the other half in my pocket. It was very hard to do ,believe me and even harder to not waver from my decision on the way home. I’ll tell you what…..the boy owes me BIG TIME, even a month of cappuccino’s in bed is not going to be enough !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 Green Tagliatelle made with parsley served with a aubergine pesto
While on my morning run today I met Salvatore , a very fit 80 year old ,he was busy pruning his olive trees. Ciao -I said- would you mind if I bring my car later and load up with some of your cut olive branches for my goat , she loves them. SI , SI -Salvatore says- take all you want ,you will be doing me a favor, after all this, it is very tiring for me to have to burn the branches . – ( even Salvatore has a limit !!)
So there I was before lunch loading my car to the brim with olive branches! Why you may ask ?Well, I am doing this in the hope that Hilda the cheeky goat, will stop eating the chicken feed and give her greedy attention to the olive branches! My theory is that ,if the chickens can eat in peace, they will be more inclined to lay some BLOODY EGGS!! Yes, because my dear readers, after almost one months since our new guests arrived to live here, in luxury, they have repaid us with only ONE single egg .So yet again I have had to buy some from a local farmer for my homemade green pasta with parsley, very embarrassing. No, something is wrong here and needs to be sorted out, perhaps a really serious talk to these damn chickens will do the trick, or even a guided tour of the kitchen and the ovens.
However, apart from this little problem, we are having some fantastic sunny days in Allerona (Umbria), the first mint, oregano and thyme are growing back. The birds are chirping and the first daisies are blooming, it’s absolutely fantastic. I cannot believe how the colors of the hills all around us have changed. A couple of weeks ago they were covered in snow, amazing. Anyway, this is all part of the beauty of living in the countryside….apart from the non productive chickens problem of course! Continue reading Ungrateful guests »
 Spelt and Chickpeas spicy soup
After spending three days researching the history of the use of spelt, chickpeas and lentils, Sunday, the day I was to hold a class for twenty eight American students finely arrived .All young ,enthusiastic ,and full of interest in the food and wine connected to Umbrian history. My lesson was about the use, by the Etruscans ,of some ingredients grown in these lands, old recipes and even country recipes handed down through generations. This was the second time that I had had the pleasure of working with students from the school of “ Culinary Institute of America”. On the first occasion I demonstrated an old Etruscan recipe ,soup with chickpeas and chestnuts, but as I told the students, the Etruscans didn`t always eat the same soup ! So this time the ingredients were Spelt and Chickpeas and then in addition to this soup ,the students and I prepared a few dishes using only local ingredients , such as Mazzafegato (a type of sausage), ricotta cheese made by Danilo and his son, pancetta. The end result was fantastic.
The location for this course could not have been better. The cellars of the former convent of S. Giovanni in Orvieto are excavated in the volcanic rock and date back to Etruscan times. After the cooking class the students were then given the opportunity to do some wine tasting . This was organized by Graziella an extremely nice lady and a professional sommelier ,she also runs the Itinera cooperative in Orvieto with her business partner Lucia.
It was, all in all, a beautiful, successful day, and not only a pleasure but also an honor for me to be a part of it ,so I would just like to say a special thank you to Professor Charles Garibaldi for thinking of me and bringing me a beautiful T-shirt from the C.I.A chef school as a gift. I shall wear it with pride. Continue reading Etruscans didn`t always eat the same soup ! »
 red pepper sorbet
This last week has been really tough. More and more snow has meant we have been unable to interact with the outside world. It’s been 14 days where the snow has completely ruled our daily activities. But we`ve done very well and survived without killing each other ! (Happy S. Valentine’s day!)
We do live isolated from the small village of Allerona and in the last few weeks its been impossible to use the car to reach the main road . Most of the time we have had to walk back and forth from the village to our house (20 minute walk each way) carrying shopping bags, pet food, feed for chickens ….. yes, three or four times I slipped on the ice, but fortunately I haven`t broken any bones yet! Shoveling snow and bringing in the wood for the fire has also been my daily exercise. I’ve had more then enough of it all !!
Even Nick, after trying my new recipe said: Simona how can you cook a pepper sorbet, when out there it is less than three degrees??? I know ,probably not the right time for it, all this snow must have gone to my brain but believe me this pepper sorbet served with a pork tenderloin is absolutely delicious whatever the weather!
Anyway today, finally, the SUN! I am really happy and in a good mood , yes I must be honest, I’ve had enough of all this white landscape, it’s the middle of February and I am dreaming about hot days, flowers and wearing my flip flops. So welcome back to the sun , please keep shining, and I`ll keep hoping …..could this be spring arriving ?????? Continue reading Whatever the weather! »
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