Category Archives: Foods

New Supermercato in Umbertide!!

Big days in Umbertide. We had heard rumors for years about a new super store coming to Umbertide. We waited, and waited. They had been repurposing the old Molino Popolare facility. It is a big piece of land on the main road south out of town. The old mill had been defunct for a long time. They tore down, and cleaned up all the small superfluous buildings but left the big four story old mill building. Rumors had it that would become loft space. Anyway, we had noticed them building a new road etc, but somehow, seemingly in the dead of night, someone snuck in a big, shiny, new supermarket! An EMI to be exact. Today we went over for a look see inside. It is open all day Sunday, not the usual here.

From the back, to show the old mill building.

We went inside and applied for the EMI membership card so we could get the discounts. Then we explored. For you Americans out there this will seem mundane for the most part. But much of it is very unusual, especially for our smallish town. Here we go, captions if needed.

Fresh squeeze-it- yourself orange juice. Yay!

Can you feel me rolling my eyes?! 🙄 puleeze.

Lots of fresh pasta both here and in the case.

Well it is almost Christmas after all…time for panetone!

Prepared seafood. Fries with eyes! The fresh seafood looked great as well.

Disappointed in the cheeses. Nothing interesting.

Here’s something you don’t see here…donuts!

In the US the biggest aisle is cereal. Here….it’s pasta of course!

Luther gave the wine selection a three🫤. I found a few nice things. I bought a rack of lamb from the butcher. I found pork tenderloins which I haven’t seen in a few years. I bought three! I bought fresh bread and a few other things. There was no international section which I had hoped to see. Overall, it is a nice store. More variety than the Coop. But not a great store.

Cinghiale stew

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The weather has gotten cold and damp. We had our first hard frost. The days are so short now. But the Christmas lights have been going up, which are cheery, and I saw pictures of the Christmas tree going up in the piazza. The big tree lighting day is December 8 on L’Immacolata Concezione, or the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Cinghiale! That well loved beast which runs wild here in Italy. Well they are well loved for their meat but little else. I don’t know any hunters, but I have a store here in town that carries the meat. Occasionally I buy it and make a warming stew or ragú. Yesterday it was a stew.

The meat can be tough. And it can have a strong taste. So it must be marinated a good long time. I used celery, carrots, onion, juniper berries, rosemary, bay leaf and red wine. When ready I drained it from the marinade. Meanwhile I chopped a carrot, celery, and onion which I sautéed until it softened. Then I added the meat and cooked until no longer pink. I added in more rosemary and bay leaves and then deglazed with a robust red wine. I used Primitivo which is said to be the grape from which Zinfandel evolved. Once the alcohol had evaporated I added some of the marinade and a little water. Then I covered and braised it in the oven for 2 hours, checking every so often to be sure there was still liquid. When it was done I thickened the sauce and checked for seasoning. It was meltingly tender and delicious. The recipe said serve over polenta but Luther isn’t a fan so I used mashed potatoes.

It was delicious. 😋

Thanksgiving 2024

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We had some wild weather last week with strong winds and rain. After the storms, all of a sudden all of the surrounding mountains changed to gold. I couldn’t get a good picture but this is our Monte Acuto. Doesn’t look so golden in this one but take my word for it, it is!

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We had nice weather, we got to see a lot of friends and we ate lots of food!

We were guests of Susan and Gary at a table with nine people. Luther and I treated everyone to the wine. We had four italiani and five americani. We are all old friends. I sat at the end of the table with the Americans who mostly don’t speak great Italian. Me, Roger, Gary. Luther was seated next to Antoinetta. She is mother to our old Geometra, Manuele who did our first renovation here. Manuele’s wife, Barbara came with her mother in law. Then there was Fabio, our most enthusiastic thanksgiving Italian friend. He wonders why we only do this once a year?! And his girlfriend Chiara.

As always, we went to Calagrana. They always have a Thanksgiving lunch every year. The dining room was full. Quite a few British friends also like the feast. Here is the food starting with a plate of four little bites.

Then a gamberi appetizer served chilled.

The main event. A Tom turkey who weighed in at 18 kilograms or about 40 pounds. The entire dining room was fed from this bird. They made a smaller one just in case, but it wasn’t needed.

The turkey was probably the best I have ever had. The entire thing was moist and delicious. There were many sides. A roll of sausage, dressing mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans. I provided the cranberry sauce. I used up my last cranberries on this one.

For dessert we had a delicious, and light, semifreddo.

After dinner we had a delicious coffee with cognac and whipped cream. I didn’t get a picture.

It was a really nice lunch. It was so good to see everyone. I am very Thankful for my life here in Italy and all the blessings we have. I miss family on this holiday where families are the most important part. I hope all of you folks who read this journal had a wonderful day as well.
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Baci e abbracci a tutti! 💕

Books for Dogs – Libri per i cani

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As an addendum to my last post about the appalling practice of catching, killing and/or eating songbirds in the north of Italy. This is practiced everywhere in Italy but the Brescia area is a natural place because of the north south valleys that are natural migration routes for the songbirds. I hope anyone who sees this in their area will turn them in. It is illegal. And cruel. A couple people asked for the name of the group so I thought I would publish the link. They take volunteers (but there is a rigorous fitness test). I will just donate some money. Committee Against Bird Slaughter. They also have a Facebook page.
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Yesterday I volunteered for the first time at Books for Dogs/Libri per i Cani. I helped them out years ago, before they had an actual store. It was time I try again. They sell donated items to support two Canili (dog rescues) here. They have all sorts of things. You never know what will come in the door. Could be an Armani designer blouse! Or a lawn mower! Right now it is all about Christmas. So I was just kind of learning the ropes yesterday. I was a bit worried I wouldn’t be able to stand up that long. My back complains usually. But I did fine so I will do it more regularly.
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Today, Sunday, I decided to use the things I bought yesterday at the market before going to volunteer. I got 2 pieces of zucca. That’s the word for most all types of winter squash and pumpkins. I also bought cavolo nero — black kale. I roasted the zucca until it was soft and cut into pieces. I sautéed an onion and garlic, then added the chunks of zucca, a chopped jalapeño and vegetable broth. I simmered for a while until the zucca was completely soft. I used the wand blender to purée. Next I added black beans, corn kernels and chopped green pepper. And finally the chopped kale and a rosemary sprig. I cooked it about half an hour and it was done.

Later tonight I will grill a whole orate on the fire which I built today. It was a good day for a fire. Gray and dreary and chilly. Very cheerful!

A trip to the wine country for lunch

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Today was a gorgeous autumn day. Crisp and brilliant sun with blue skies. We had planned another meet-up of the Gang o Six. A longstanding group which enjoys lunch together every so often. We wanted to see each other and have fun and this seemed like the time to do that.

We went to Osteria di Sagrantino at Doug’s suggestions since our first choice was closed for vacation. It turns out it was a great choice. It is just my favorite type of restaurant. Not pretentious at all and straight up, seasonal, good Umbrian food. Nice people. Great local wines. It is set among the famous Sagrantino vineyards which are all flaunting their autumnal colors. They are nearly past their peak but still very pretty.

Here is Osteria di Sagrantino. Nice outside space for summer. Inside cozy and an enoteca with a cheese and sausage display for sale.

My first course was Lonzino with Torta al Testo. I had not heard of Lonzino before. Lonzino is an air cured pork which is very thinly sliced. Not smoked like so much is here. It was served with the traditional flatbread of Umbria, torta al testo. I really enjoyed it.

Doug got the Vellutata di Verdura. It was a pretty puree soup of roasted seasonal vegetables.

For the next course most of us got the Tagliatelle con Funghi Porcini. Also called Cèpes in France, and Steinpilzen in Germany. A seasonal delicacy, the mushrooms are not cultivated but are foraged in the wild. Very meaty and delicious.

I forgot to take a picture of our desserts. They had three and we got one of each to share. A cheesecake with pears poached in sagrantino wine. Tiramisù. And a torta al cioccolato with Amaretto cream. All good.

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Today I had coffee with Joanne who brought our six liters of oil from the olives we helped harvest. Thanks Joanne and Mark!

And kindly Doug was nice to share a liter of his just harvested oil. Thanks Doug! We had some bruschetta with the two new oils. Both were delicious and both were quite different.

The distinctive green of the new oil on the bread. Yes, I took bites before I took the photo!

A la prossima…

Olive recap

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I just spoke with Joanne and she said they got 792 kilos of olives (1,746 pounds) in the two days of harvest. The yield was a bit more than 10%. So they got 88 liters of oil. I think they are pleased. They will share some with their helpers. I’m excited to try the new oil when it is truly brand new!

Tonight I had a hankering for something a little Texmex. I was in the store today and they had corn on the cob. This always confuses me here. In the U.S. the corn is a summertime vegetable. You sure won’t see it fresh in November! I have seen it a few times here, but only in the fall. I really don’t get how this could be.

Anywho, I made a marinated chicken with corn, sweet and spicy peppers, onions and black beans. It should hit the Mexican flavor buttons with cumin, chili powder, lime zest and juice for zing. Twas good.

Pictures up next of the new oil! As soon as I get it.

Election day

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I don’t know about you, but I’ll be glad with this thing is over. I am sure it is a LOT worse for those of you who are living in the U.S. what with all the robocalls and political ads. I am sure it is relentless. At least that part will be over after today! Here I watch the news, in the evening only, on Sky which has most of the U.S. non-network channels. It is scary. And stressful!

I am happy I will be distracted Wednesday because we are going to help friends with the raccolto — olive harvest. It is a huge deal in Umbria. Just about everyone has an olive grove of their own if they have any land. And they are happy to let their friends help them. The region is known for having some of the highest rated oil anywhere. It is bright green and grassy with a distinct peppery taste in the throat. The new oil is just incredible. Unlike anything I had ever had before moving here. Here is a picture from the mill where I watched the pressing process in 2018.

So today we harvested our tree! We too have an olive tree on the terrace! I think you all know this. And is loaded with olives this year. I don’t want them to go to waste so we harvested them today and will donate them to our friends tomorrow and their harvest. It will kind of be cool to know that a wee bit of our own olives are in the oil we will get. 🙂

Last night we had a delicious cannellini bean soup with cavolo nero (black kale). It was delicious.

Hang in there everyone. Try to distract yourselves. Meditate. Do yoga. Take a Xanax 😉

🩵💙🩵

Tartufi bianchi!

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Final thoughts on the kitchen. Then I’ll shut up. The only thing I cannot do on the present cooktop is sear food. I am afraid to get it that hot. They said I shouldn’t use my cast iron skillets either. They were my mom’s pans. As a work around I am thinking of buying a one burner portable induction unit for the counter. I can store it in the cabinet. I can get it very hot and use the cast iron on it. This will give me back the capacity to sear and brown food. I will also continue to use my own nice pots and pans. They still work on this cooktop and I see no need to replace them. I just need to start with a lower temperature and then raise it. These adaptations will make this cooktop work.

Induction is a great cooking method. My experience is out of the normal because of the thickness of the counter between the pan and the heat source. This is an unusual design. I still love the look and easy cleanup 🙂
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We went to Calagrana for a rare dinner out. We usually like to eat lunch out, not dinner. But this was a special dinner. White truffles. They are in season now. Umbria is known for it’s truffles. They are abundant. All year round there are truffles, in summer, black truffles, in winter, white truffles. They are expensive but not as expensive as the famous ones from the Piedmonte region up north. Ours are less famous, and slightly less expensive, but taste the same. You’ll notice cooks almost always pair the truffles with a mild flavored food. Favorites are risotto, tagliatelle or eggs.

I forgot to photograph the first course. It was incredible. A poached egg in a Parmesan “cappuccino” with pancetta, croutons and white truffles.

Next was the risotto. Creamy and generously topped with tartufi bianchi shaved right at our table. The aroma of the truffles was intoxicating.

Finally, the secondo was a mouth-wateringly tender veal filet sliced and served with button mushrooms, chestnuts and roasted winter squash (zucca in Italian). Topped, of course, with truffles. I loved this dish but the truffles on it were a waste. The dish had strong flavors which overpowered the truffles. Delizioso, how could it not be?!

Finally, a rare photo of mio marito! Luther, aka Luigi.

Enjoy your week. Our weather is perfetto right now!

We voted!

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I want to encourage everyone to vote in this significant and important election. We mailed our ballots in this week using DHL because we wanted to be sure they got there safely and on time.

We had a beautiful Sunday today. Upper 60s and sunny. So lovely. And the sunset was spectacular! October has not been normal. Wetter and cooler than normal.

Finally tonight for dinner I made an Italian recipe, ragù di coniglio. Rabbit ragu. Rabbit is not a meat much used in the U.S., but it is very common here. I used to source it before we moved here at a specialty market. Now it is available right near the chicken in the regular supermarket. It’s not the cute bunny you think of. These are farmed just like chicken. The ragu.