Category Archives: cooking

Ferragosto

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Hi everyone! Yesterday was Ferragosto. 15 August which is also Assumption day. The Roman holiday celebrating the harvest was combined with the religious holiday. It originates from Feriae Augusti, the festival of Emperor Augustus who made 1 August a day of rest after weeks of hard work in the agricultural sector. As the festivity was created for political reasons, the Catholic Church decided to move it to 15 August, which is the Assumption of Mary allowing them to include this in the holiday.

In present day Italy it signals the beginning of the most popular vacation time. If people can afford it, they go to the beach or mountains or to their country house. Everything grinds to a halt. Many of the factories close from 1 August to 31 August. Most businesses will close for a week or two. Getting anything done is impossible so it’s best to go with the flow and take it easy!

On the first floor of our building we have a rosticceria called Girrarosto di Sara e Luciano. They are hugely popular. People buy entire family lunches on holidays like Ferragosto there. I awoke during the night and smelled them cooking, roasting meats, at one AM! They cooked all night. On Saturday morning the people lined up for their food. We often smell the cooking smells up in our apartment. They do a roaring business but work very hard.
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Mornings are cool. We always have a nice breeze on the terrazzo. I take advantage of that because by about 10 or 11 it becomes unbearable. Morning sun on the table. ☀️

We hadn’t planned anything for the holiday but friends, Roselyne and Steve, offered to bring up some ratatouille they made plus focaccia and delicious mini tarts from their town bakery. I made cookies and we had the warm vegetable dish with a steamed egg on the side. We also tried a Perticaia sparkling rose before lunch and with lunch a muscadet. Roselyne is Belgian/French and the muscadet reminded her of home. 🙂 We hadn’t seen them in a long time and is was nice to catch up. A perfect way to spend Feragosto.

Laundry Day
Sunday is my traditional laundry day. It is when the power is cheapest. They have structured rates. Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 7 PM is peak rates. Then intermediate rates are Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM; Saturday, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. The cheapest are Monday to Saturday, 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM, plus all day Sunday and public holidays. So Sundays have become my laundry day. Peak rates are usurious.

In summer the clothes dry so fast on the terrace in the sun. I take advantage of that to not use the drier. Most Italians don’t even have a drier. The act of hanging out clothes to dry is so integrated into Italian society it has become part of the fabric of life here. An added bonus is how fresh they smell, like sunshine!

Photo credit Sarah Bahous. – laundry in Napoli

Garden woes
I’m having problems with my tomatoes. They are literally cooking on the vine. Honestly. The sun is so incredibly hot and on the terrace the temperatures are over 40C or 104F. I have found out from on line friends and they say they are still edible and easy to de-skin, so I’ll use any more I get for sauce. Here are pictures.


What’s Cookin’ (besides us!)
I’m using my Orto Box vegetables. I made zucchini fritters last night to use in a salad. Not quite successful. I didn’t have a recipe so it could have been the wrong ratios. Or it could have been the thickness of what I dropped into the hot oil. I’ll try again, since I’ve got plenty zucchini 😁🙄

I also made a “Summer Tomato Tart” using a David Leibovitz recipe. Turned out ok. Served with a green salad. It had a flour and polenta crust which made it a bit crumbly. Take a look.

Then I decided to make a cold cucumber soup. Tangy with yogurt. Super easy to make. But I don’t think I would make this recipe again. It was still nice on a hot evening. I served with ravioli in butter sage.

Ciao a tutti! 👋

Orto Box

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Today Mr Luca the Orto Box man arrived with a new box of vegetables. It’s high season and everything is growing like crazy. These ones are beautiful. Pepperoni, pomodori, zucchini, lattuga, cetrioli, fagiolini e cipolle. There is the Italian lesson for today. 😁 This cost the princely sum of €25 or about $28. I am so lucky to be here where I can get such beautiful things that are biologically grown and just harvested this morning. Wow. This will keep us fed for the two weeks until another delivery. In fact, we may have trouble eating it all!

This reminds me of something some friends who were visiting did. They ordered pizza and one got a pepperoni pizza. Imagine his surprise when it had just red peppers on it. 🙂

I love those globe zucchini. I cut the top off and hollow them out, par boil til tender, then stuff with rice, peppers, onions, lots of grated cheese, herbs and sometimes hamburger. I par boil the zucchini early in the day. Last I top with more cheese and bake. Unfortunately it will heat up the kitchen but that’s ok. They are so delicious.



We are STILL in a mega heat wave. Not seeing any significant cooling for the next two weeks 🥵 Hope it is cooler where you are!

Orto box

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Orto box (vegetable garden box) is the name of the enterprise our entrepreneur farmer has created here in the upper Tiber valley, or Val Tiberino. I met him today. Luca, a young farmer. He brought my first delivery. It is very early in the season yet so I got two big heads of lettuce, some red spring onions, 5 big zucchini, and a few zucchini flowers. It cost 10€. Picture.

Since the lettuce was so big, I shared half, plus e a zucchini, with my cleaner, Linda. She was thrilled to get it.

Last night I used the zucchini flowers and one zucchini to make a pasta sauce. Chop small onion, two garlic cloves sauté in olive oil. Cube the zucchini and chop flowers and add. I added thyme and a few pepper flakes now. Then cook a few minutes until softened. I used orecchiette pasta. It was good. Didn’t take a photo! Oops.

New project!

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I unearthed my first new potatoes. So fun. We had a gigantico bistecca on the outside fire and I thought it was an appropriate time to dig a couple potato plants up and see what we got. Like a treasure hunt! Each plant produced 4 potatoes We had them for dinner and they were tender and creamy with melted butter on them.

The big project is my new composter! The beds outside and all the planters seem to “eat” soil. Every year they need additional. Where it goes, I have no idea! I have a lot of clippings from the gardens out there. Olive branches, weeds, trimming for the winter. Things perfect for composting. And I always have lots of biodegradable garbage. We have every sort of recycling container outside the building. Normally I go down five floors (thank god for the elevator!) and walk outside to dump it. My idea is to just use it as compost. Make my own soil. I ordered a nice looking composter from Amazon. Luther lugged the box up and I unpacked it. Whoa! It looked very complex. I hate assembling things. But I got started and then had to enlist Luther. One person just couldn’t do it. Progress so far.

And the finished product. I have started putting in my refuse already. It is called a noble art which goes back centuries. The first recycling as it were.

Today I heard from Luca at Orto Box, the farmer entrepreneur who is trying to organize farmers and consumers for bi-weekly veggie deliveries here in the Upper Tiber Valley. I wrote about him a while ago, Tomorrow I get my first delivery. I will write a post soon about the box and what I get. Ciao!

Spring days bring a few chores

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It is definitely primavera!. A perfect string of days. Sunny and in the 70s. What more can we ask? It made me want to plant my vegetables, herbs and flowers for this year. Here is one of my ferns. They aren’t called fiddleheads for nothing!

Last week we went to our local plant store — and well, just about everything else. But I had no luck finding what I wanted. I did buy bags of dirt so I wouldn’t go home empty-handed. Yesterday I decided to drive up to Città di Castello, about 20 minutes north. There is a viviao there called Mariottini. They have good quality plants and they usually have what I’m looking for. Yesterday it was especially tomatoes and Jalapeños. Also herbs and a few flowers.

Bingo, I found three pomodori and a pepper plant. The jalapeño was one of only three left. They had tons of habaneros and Carolina reapers and the like, but I wanted jalapeños this year. It is fun that they have these since, as a rule, Italians aren’t into hot food. I also got sage, rosemary, basil, mint and 3 daisy type flowers in different colors. The tomatoes I chose were a Buffalosteak, Fantasio and Honey Moon. No idea except from the pictures what they will be like. I knew I didn’t want Romas and I didn’t want cherry tomatoes.

This is Orto 2026. This bed has the basil, pepper and tomatoes. Check out the cool tomato cages I bought. I hope they will support the soon to be heavy vines.

I also, on a whim I decided to stick a few potatoes that I had that had sprouted into some unused planters. I’ve grown potatoes once before and it is fun to dig up your own new potatoes. Well, they started growing happily so we shall await the results. here are three.

I had ordered a new pump for the piccolo pond. This time I got what I wanted. I didn’t want a fountain, I wanted to create a little waterfall, which I did. I made a video, but for some reason it doesn’t work.
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For a treat for Luther I got a whole duck. He, for some reason, loves them. I cooked it a couple days ago. Sorry, I had to show you how they are sold here. A bit strange, but the good news is, I could use the extra “bits” to make a rich stock, which I did today, plus the carcass.

Tonight we had Left Over Roasted Duck Soup. I made the broth over six hours. Then I added cabbage and after it cooked I added ramen noodles. I rewarmed the duck and added it along with more slivered cabbage for crunch and some spring onions. It was pretty good for a left over type dinner.

I leave you with a pretty sunset we enjoyed tonight.

Buona domenica a tutti!

It’s quiz night! And it is March!

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I am celebrating spring. The cherry trees are blooming and the Mimosa. The Japanese magnolia, always first, is blooming everywhere. Most of the trees have obvious buds now. The weather is springlike with cool temperatures and showers interspersed with sun.

We had a meet up for Sunday pranzo with my friend Doug up in his amazing home. It was the gang of six. A perfect day and we welcomed primavera. It was the final day of the Olympics and he made the signature dish from the north of Italy which was served everywhere from the cafeterias at the Olympic village to 3 Star Michelin restaurants in Milan. It is called Pizzoccheri and is made with buckwheat pasta (homemade by Doug), potatoes, garlic cheese topped by butter. A real calorie bomb. But good! 😋 plus a refreshing salad to make up for it and a beautiful lemon tart. Thanks Doug for a fun time and it was lovely seeing the “gang”.

I have been out and about a bit. I went into centro last week and met up with the local cat carer, who is also a lawyer. She has 7 cats of her own but cares for the Umbertide registered feral cat colony which presently numbers about 40. She was sweet. I gave a donation for one of the ferals who is in the clinic and sick. No one knows if he will make it. We met at Bar Mary, where else? One of the houses erected for the colony. Photo by Marta.

And here is a pic of the Saturday action, along with a tree the likes of which I have never seen.

Tuesday night was the Quiz Night benefit for Books For Dogs. They have it in a local restaurant. The questions are in English. It always sells out. It is very fun and we have a team, this time it is all Americans. I think. Two people are new to me. We are at a disadvantage since the questions are compiled by a British person and they can be British centric. So best to have a Brit or two on the team. It is all for fun and a good cause so who really cares. The tickets get you a free wine and some snacks. Here are some pics of the action.

They had this amazing pot of pansies outside, so petty that I had to take a picture.
The players.
One part is id identifying pictures of famous people. Harder when they have masks.
You play the joker for double points on the round at which you feel the most competent.
The bar area. Grace is the restaurant that hosts us. It is a nice local restaurant.

Sadly our team, Perché, came in last. Next time we will have to try to find a few other nationalities to join up with.

Today I went to my first session of private PT. I came to the conclusion I need some help to strengthen my muscles. My therapista is Ricardo. He was quite nice and we communicated in mostly my poor Italian. The words used in this new activity are new to me so I did a lot of improvisation. I now have a program, and “compiti” — “homework”. I vow I will exercise everyday. Another appointment next week,

Happy primavera a tutti!

I giorni della merla – and food!

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I had a new experience this week. I placed an order with a group called Villagio del Cibo. I was turned onto this group by friends and got on their mailing list. Every two weeks I get an email with an attached order form with all the available products. It changes according to the season and who has what. The products are provided by a network of producers who sign up to sell their stuff. It is brilliant. They are all from here in the Upper Tiber valley. Local and certified organic. This gives the producers a market and we consumers get the benefit of good, safe, food. Win, win. So I do want to support this. This being winter the veggies are limited to what’s growing now. I got broccoli, cabbage, radicchio, and cavallo nero (Tuscan kale). I also got fresh eggs, roasted hazelnuts (nocciole), dried chickpeas (ceci) and a bottle of passata (tomato sauce). First picture veggies, second a soup I made.

We have a shop here called Giorgio al Mare. It is all frozen food. Mostly seafood focused but tons of other stuff. They have whole kits for pasta al mare, seafood risotto, etc. Frozen of course. Also every type of fish and shellfish imaginable. They even have vegetables and sweets. In fact this store is where I buy my cinghiale. Only place I have seen that stocks it. I buy quite a bit of seafood there. Many fish fillets which make a quick dinner. Also all my shrimp comes from there (it’s deveined and shelled but you can get it uncleaned). All kinds of whole fish which I roast or grill. I like their salmon. Last time I went I got two tuna steaks. I made them last night. They were a big hit with Luther and I even liked it. The marinade made it happen. It was much like a steak, very meaty. I also served it with a a pretty salad with chickpeas, clementine segments, and cherry tomatoes. The salad dressing was the same as the marinade. I just seared the tuna, here is a photo.

A weird experiment. Luther mail ordered a bunch of food. Don’t ask 😑 So now it is up to me to cook it all eventually. One thing was a Wagyu steak. It is apparently a famous thing. So I thawed it out and cooked it. I bet it was 75% fat. I think that’s why people like it. The first picture is the raw steak, note the fat. The second was after cooking. It was quite tasty, and interesting, but not worth the cost.


Finally something that cheered me. I learned a new thing about Italy. January 29-30-31 are i giorni della merla – the days of the blackbird. It is a little-known period which has several legends. The one I liked was that this is the coldest the winter will be and the blackbirds shelter from the cold in their nests or near chimneys. They say that if it is cold during these three days, spring will come early. My friend, who posted this, said it beats a giant rodent (sorry Phil). I have a special place in my heart for blackbirds. This morning I had a treat. Our resident blackbird was singing his heart out behind our building in the middle of the night. At least he thinks it will be spring soon anyway! Sing my little friend, sing! 💕

This guy I photoed a few years ago in Liguria. It was his special day. He found a cherry!

Epifania

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Today is Epifania, a holiday, the day the 3 magi came to visit the Christ child. It marks the official end of the Christmas season. Now we hunker down and try to struggle through the longest, coldest and darkest month.

We are in the very beginning of a frigid week. There is a polar vortex that’s covering most of Europe. France is the coldest since 2012 and I would wager it will be here as well. Predicted to have -5C (23F) tonight and -8C (17F) tomorrow. Coldest in the 11+ years we have been here. So cold that the cover covering he lemon and kumquats will not be adequate protection, so they now are inside upstairs.

I also looked up olive trees and how hardy they are. Seems mature trees can tolerate to -9C but young trees only to -4C. I’m wondering if this will damage these around here. I hope not. They say the cold is good to kill the fly larvae, but this is pushing it.

For a treat, it began snowing here about 1pm. Is is very pretty. Slowed down now (4:30) but with that cold coming it could make for treacherous roads, Video I took, I hope it is visible.

I have been making cold weather food the last couple of days. I made a big pot of potato leek soup for lunches, and a big pot of chili last night. Sticks to the ribs and warms you up.

Stay warm if it’s cold where you are. If it’s warm, enjoy it! Ciao!

Buon anno a tutti!

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I decided to make Hoppin John soup instead of traditional Hoppin John. I made this last year and really liked it. It is also a one pot meal and I was not up for making multiple things. I had left over rice so that made it doubly easy.

I was tired last night because we decided to move from the top floor to the bottom floor in our apartment. It was quite a lot of work. Just emptying the refrigerator and freezer was a lot! I am trying this out this year but I am not sure I will do it again. Part of the reason is the stufa is on the main floor. We have a pallet of pellets in the garage. We wanted to use them and augment the heat. I also wanted to just test it out. It seemed a waste to never use anything but a bedroom and the bathrooms on this floor. The upstairs will now not be heated to save money. We will move back up in the spring. Anyway, we concluded a hard days work would kill us 😁 We moved Luther’s desk and chair down, that was a pain, and then there were all the spices and some food. Multiple trips. But it’s done now and the experiment begins.

We are going out for lunch in a bit with good friends from Montone. That will be a nice treat!

Happy New Year to all.

Christmas Eve, Christmas day

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Hi everyone! I hope you’re enjoying your holiday. I wandered into town on Christmas Eve to take my biscotti Americani (chocolate chip cookies 🙂) to Angelo and Bar Mary. I also stopped by books for dogs for a drop off of some things I thought they could sell, it was busy. But the market was already breaking down because it was Christmas Eve. I sat and had a glass of vino bianco at Bar Mary. It was nice outside in their enclosed seating area. No one there but me.

Cheese stand still open.
Market closing.
On the way home. This is Piazza Carlo Marx, in front of our house.

Luther shared the biscotti I made with all our neighbors in the building and I dropped a bag at the girarrosto downstairs. Nice people, Sarah and Luciano. They work so hard. It is amazing how popular they are. People were waiting in line outside. People come from all around to pickup their orders for Christmas Eve or day lunches or dinners. Super popular but that means they are open on all the holidays. Hard workers those two.

For Christmas Eve dinner I made Cinghiale in Umido. Wild boar stew. Braised in the oven for 4 hours. Turned out very good and tender. You never know with wild boar.

For Christmas dinner I found a small turkey. Only 6.6 pounds, 3 kilos. So I made that with mashed potatoes, broccoli, gravy and cranberry sauce. I like to make a turkey once a year and the stores have started to stock them for the holidays. The turkey was tender and juicy. Now we have left overs for dinner and best of all…turkey sandwiches!

I went out into the hall and saw the offerings from the little girls who live across from us. Their sign says, “welcome and eat well baby Jesus and the donkey”. I thought it was cute. There were bowl and cups with a bit of food left behind. 🥰

We caught up with the families. I spoke to my sister and her husband. I emailed all of the Hamptons on Christmas Eve. I heard back from Luther’s youngest brother, in California. And from my niece in Southern California, who may be paying us a visit in the summer. We had a video call with Luther’s middle brother and some of their family. They have small grandchildren who spent the night and woke at 5:30am so everyone was exhausted. Anyway, everyone is doing pretty good, all things considered.

So, another Christmas has come and gone. I hope you all had a nice holiday. Friday was a holiday here as well, San Stefano. Fino alla prossima volta! 💕