OUR FAVORITE UMBRIAN RESTAURANTS UPDATE: SUMMER 2013

 

Siro's (Torgiano) roasted tomato caprese

     It’s time for an update: Umbrian restaurants that we know and love. This is by no means a complete list and we welcome suggestions. (Don’t forget to look on a previous post for some of our favorite outdoor eating spots).

      NOTE: We’ve included the closing day when we know it. We’ve also included a phone number. As for website links, the problem is that some places don’t have webpages and those that do often don’t translate into English. We hope we've given you enough info so that you can google.

       San Terenziano

    We have a new arrival on the piazza in ST, Buongustaio, which means “gourmet” in Italian. There are about twelve tables. The food is traditional and good. The location is convenient and easy to find for visitors to the area. Tel. 347-366-1689

      Nash and Cash still have their pizzeria, which is on the road between San Terenziano and Grutti. Since the bright lights inside are rather blinding, you might prefer to order take out or sit outside if weather permits. There are menus for pizzas with tomato sauce (rosso) and pizzas without (bianco). Pizzas here are expected to be shared with the whole table, so groups of four often order at least three. There are several sizes.

Closed Monday. Tel. 0742-932191

        Grutti

    

La chef at Le Noci

Le Noci is always a local favorite and has been ours for fifteen years. Their pastas are wonderful, their local wines excellent, and their meats are well cooked. Avoid Sunday lunch or you will learn the real meaning of Slowww Food. Try to arrive for dinner a few minutes before eight to place your order before the locals wander in. Closed Friday. Tel. 0742-98371

     Frontignano

         Casale dei Frontini is a typical agriturismo located on the road between San Terenziano and Todi at the village of Frontinano. You will see a big olive pressing stone at the entrance. The menu is what's cooking today, always good and always local. Call to book. Tel 075-8852174.

     Collesecco/Saragano

    The Dinosauro pizzeria has enjoyed a resurgence since the Oste lost their lease in ST and moved to Bastardo. Dino has good thin crust and lots of choices of toppings. Vegetarians will find lots to eat, as well as lovers of salumeria (cured meats) and salciccia (sausage). Closed Monday. [You would think the local pizza parlors would realize that if they both close on the same day somebody is missing out on selling pizza to the starving masses who now have to drive to Bastardo (6 km)].  Tel. 0742-98771

Bisteca at La Vecchia Cucina

      La Vecchia Cucina has been a favorite of ours since we arrived in 1997. Giovanni, the owner, and his son fly private aircraft and ride horses, in addition to serving the best Chianina bisteca fiorentina this side of Florence (see our earlier post about that succulent dish). They also serve good pasta (eggplant with sausage is terrific) and local wines. They used to close on Wednesdays, but now they close on Monday. Tel. 0742-97237

      Locanda del Prete in Saragano is the restored section of the medieval town. The views are beautiful and the setting is lovely. It’s a nice restaurant, so dress smart casual. Call in advance. Tel. 0742-98636

       Montefalco

Coccorone

      This is a town to savor, from the wines to the oils to the restaurants. We enjoy two sister restaurants, the informal Federico II (Tel. 0742-378902) on the square and the charming Coccorone hidden away (follow the signs or ask at Federico II). Federico II offers both light fare and full traditional meals inside and out. Since they also sell wine, they have a wide selection of the best wines along the Sagrantino Wine Route, as well as throughout Umbria. Coccorone has a small terrace, as well as a lovely dining room. Dress is smart casual. Coccorone (Tel. 0742-379535) is closed Wednesdays.

      For a wonderful holiday dinner, we love Villa Pambuffetti. Housed in an Italianate villa, the hotel and restaurant offer old style elegance. The food is excellent, overseen by Alessandra Pambuffetti, and the sommelier is Mauro, her husband. Alessandra’s cousins produce the well-respected Scacciadiavoli wines. Her cooking classes are wonderful interactive experiences followed by lunch with wine in the dining room. Closed Monday.

Tel. 0742-379417

      Olevm (Oleum--the Romans did not have a "u") is a tiny place with big flavor. There are only a few tables inside and even fewer outside. In the back is a little deli. There is a wide variety of oils to taste and the soups are very good. Find it on Corso Mameli about halfway down. Call first if you want an outside table or have a large group at 0742-379057.

      Also on the piazza is the more sophisticated Aurum in the boutique hotel/spa, Buonadosi. In summer, there is a terrace in the back with beautiful views as well as tables in the piazza. The inside space is sleek and more upmarket. Closed Wednesday. Tel. 0742-379357

      A lot of people really like Alchimista across the main piazza from Federico II and in summer when the tables are outside, it is very pleasant. In the colder months, the dining room is in the cellar. There is a shop for wines and oils on the ground floor. Closed Tuesday. 0742-378558

       We tried Spiritodivino and it must have been a bad day.  The food and service did not live up to the décor and location, not to mention the hype. We had to beg for attention, though the inside of the restaurant was empty. The terrace was almost full and there was only the manager and one bus person working. The manager stood off to the side and chatted with a friend while we waited almost half an hour for our wine. Perhaps you will have better luck. Closed all day Monday, Tuesday lunch. Tel. 0742-379048

      There are some attractive ristoranti on the street leading down to the big arch, Corso Mameli. We haven’t tried them all, so please let us know what you discover.

     Trevi

     We’ve written about Taverna del Sette  before – it’s a hidden treasure in the historic center of Trevi. It’s on the tiny Del Sette street off the Piazza Mazzini. Tel. 0742-780741.

      Clitunno/Pissignano

    We discovered Zenzero one Sunday after shopping the monthly outdoor market at Pissignano. Located right on the lazy Clitunno River near Fonti del Clitunno, the outside tables offer a shady respite from hot summer days. The food is good, too. Tel. 0742-780241. The address is actually Via Chiesa Tonda 50, Fonte Pigge.

        Deruta

    If you’re going there to buy ceramics, you just might get hungry. On the E45 just before Deruta, there is Antico Forziere (075-9724314), an upmarket restaurant in a rustic setting. In the historic center of Deruta there is Taverna del Gusto (075-9724120), which is a good restaurant with a few outdoor tables. It’s right around the corner from the excellent ceramics museum.

         Ripabianca/Collepepe

     Hungry for lunch, but not time to spare from sightseeing or shopping? Try Fiaschetto, which offers a flat price antipasto buffet on weekdays. Other times, enjoy their lengthy menu of Umbrian specialities, pizzas and more. Get off the E45 at Ripabianca, go to the crossroads at the Due Torre shopping center, go under the highway, follow the road south and the restaurant will be on your right. Closed Wednesdays. The restaurant is officially in Collepepe. Tel. 075-8789347.

     

      Alberata is a little place with a different menu every week. Closed on Wednesday. Call to book at 075-8789345.

     

       Collazzone

    Al Leone (075-8788020) offers a good menu of tasty local dishes, as well as pizza. There is outside dining in summer. Park in the lot behind the church – the restaurant is just across the street.

      

     Todi

    For a long time, there weren’t many good places to eat in Todi. That has changed. Here are a few of better ones. The town isn’t big, so you’ll find these pretty easily.

Mercataccio

     Osteria delle Valle is a very small place with a big reputation, well deserved. John, a Scotsman, is the chef and the food is really good. Tel. 075-8944848.

     Oberdan is also very small and started out as an enoteca. The menu is limited, changed daily. There is very nice outside dining in the summer. The waiters can be a bit dogmatic about your wine choice, which can be a bit frustrating. 075-8945409

     Mercataccio is one we really like. Really good food in a historic setting. Go down Via Cavour and turn down the staircase at Via Mercato Vecchio. Tel. 075-8944799

     La Scalette is down the staircase at Via Scalette not far from S. Fortunato church. Their terrace is nice and shady. We like the meat dishes. Tel. 075-8944422

     La Mulinella has very good food in a location outside the town, at Ponte Naia. Turn down the road to the swimming pool. Tel.  075-8944779 

     Roccofiore is an upmarket place to have lunch in the summer. The terrace is lovely, with a view of Todi. They make their own wines. Go to Localita’ Collina, Chioana di Todi. Tel. 075-8942416.

     Pane & Vino is casual and relaxed. The antipasto keep on coming. Tel.  075-8945448

     Umbria is a traditional trattoria with a view. Tel.  075-8942737

Lake Corbara

Titignano

       Along and above the lake are restaurants appealing to both those coming from Todi and those from Orvieto.

     Titignano is one of those places you don’t forget. How marvelous that they are able to serve an endless array of dishes to more than two hundred people and it is all delicious. It is also a great price: 25 Euros for a dozen courses with water, coffee and wine. The setting is spectacular, too: a medieval town on a hill overlooking the Tiber river, with the duomo of Orvieto silhouetted on the distant horizon. You’ll need to book here for Saturday and Sunday lunches. Lunch begins at 12:30 and ends after 4 pm. You can always stay in one of the rooms if you don’t feel like driving home. Titignano is located on the north side of the Tiber, about half an hour from Todi or Orvieto. Tel. 0763-308000

Pasta with fave and beets at Trippini

       Trippini is one of our newest finds. A tiny restaurant in the hilltop village of Civitello del Lago, it is home to one of Italy’s hottest young chefs.

Be sure to book as there are only six tables. The view here equals that of Titignano, though it is on the south side of the lake. We’ll be back with more on this one. Fixed price four course lunch 35 Euros.  Sophisticated cuisine, good service. Closed Monday. Tel. 074-4950316

Osteria del Belvedere

       Osteria del Belvedere is on the moderate end of the price scale, but it definitely holds its own on taste. There are both seafood and meat choices. Seafood is brought in fresh from the Mediterranean port of Civitavecchia. Pasta with vongole (clams) or scoglie (mixed seafood) is very as good as on the coast and costs less. Located about halfway between Todi and Orvieto on the south side of the lake. Tel. 0744-950140.

     Collevalenza/Acquasparta

Il Re Beve at Castello Casigliano is great for Sunday lunch, on the terrace in summer or in front of the blazing fire in winter. They have good meats and the location is lovely. Get off the E45 at the Collevalenza exit.  Closed Wednesday.  Tel. 0744-943428

      Spoleto  

       Tric Trac, which is on the piazza near the duomo, is a good place to stop for lunch or an aperitivo when you’re sightseeing in Spoleto. Tel. 0743-44592.

       Spello

       Spello is a beautiful little town, which is a good place to go after the crowds in Assisi. We’ve been to La Bastiglia (Tel. 0742-651277), which is upmarket and sophisticated with one Michelin star, as well as the more trattoria-style Il Mulino (Tel. 0742-651305) and Il Pinturicchio (Tel.0742-301784).

      Assisi

      We love Assisi, but don’t often stay there for a big meal. We’ve been to the Ristorante San Francesco, which was nice and had a good view of the valley. Tel. 0758-12329.

     Orvieto

     Vinosus, a small restaurant on the left side of the duomo, is our choice for lunch in Orvieto. There is a lovely small terrace and a good wine list. Closed Sunday evening and Mondays. Tel. 0763-34107. 

     San Francesco, around the corner from the cathedral, is a good place for a quick buffet lunch – it’s open every day.

    Norcia, Preci, Casteluccio

     Vespasia in Palazzo Seneca, Norcia, is a beautifully restored cardinal’s palace with an excellent restaurant. It's pricey, but the atmosphere is lovely. Tel. 0743-817434.

     Grotta Azzurra is owned by the same family as Palazzo Seneca. It’s a big trattoria with traditional food near the main piazza in Norcia. Tel. 0743-816513.

       People travel from all around to Il Castoro in Preci, a town a few miles from Norcia. The food is really good. The location is near the national park and various hiking trails. Tel. 0743-939248.

 

Castelluccio

        Castelluccio is about 25 km from Norcia up in the mountains. It’s a spectacular location, worth the drive. The town overlooks the vast fields of lentil and other legumes, so it’s great place to buy beans and grains to take home. The farro and lentil soups in any of the small restaurants are always good.

       

         Torgiano

        Siro is a little hotel with really good food. It’s worth the trip to Torgiano. For a large group the house antipasto is impressive and delicious. Tel. 075-982010. Book on Sunday for lunch or if you are a large group.

         Corciano

       Il Convento is a good restaurant in a beautifully restored convent. The town of Corciano is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Italy. 075-6978946.

         Bastardo

     4 Piedi & 8.5 Pollici is a tiny ristorante behind the EMI supermarket in Bastardo. Chef Laura will make homemade pasta at your table on request. The menu changes daily. Book at Tel. 333-997-9958.

      Pizzeria d' Oste was located in San Terenziano for about ten years. When they lost their lease they moved to Bastardo. Same good pizza.  Closed Monday. Tel. 0742-960287.

         Monti Martani
   Standing high on the mountain above the valley that runs from Todi to Perugia and Assisi, Trevi to Spoleto is Il Rifugio, aka Rifugio San Gaspare, a rustic restaurant with a stunning view. Follow the signs from Bastardo to Giano dell' Umbria to Monti Martani. Giano is a lovely little village which you will drive through until you reach the road that goes up (ever up) the mountain. Il Rifugio is near the antennae that you can see from the bottom. Inside is a large fireplace where the meats are grilled. There is also seating outside. Tel 0742-90189.

Montecastello di Vibio

     Home the world's tinest theatre, Montecastello di Vibio is also home to Il Grottino di Zio Toto', a small restaurant with very good food. You can eat outside in summer. Tel. 075-8780652
 

Sharri Whiting, 2013

   

 

    

Pane: From Wheat Field to Baker to Table

Wheat growing in central Umbria

Pane sciapo

        On my walks in the countryside I keep passing wheat fields so green I want to roll around in them. Eventually those grains will ripen, be harvested and milled, and metamorphosize into the piece of saltless local bread on the table next to my plate. The lack of taste discourages mindless nibbles while we wait for the antipasto, but it's terrific for a scarpetta ("little shoe" of bread) to soak up the not-to-be-abandoned olive oil or juices from my dish or for bruschetta with new olive oil.


      To be honest, I really adore the thickly crusted and divinely chewy casareccio in Rome more than the sciapo (saltless) bread they make in Umbria, at least for nibbling. Sometimes, though, history trumps taste, and in the case of this traditional Umbrian bread, I respect the history. This particular bread has been baked here without salt since the mid-16th century, invented in rebellious response to the Pope's blockade of salt to this landlocked region. While it's not the best to eat on its own, it serves very well as a delivery system for olive oil or gravy. 


     The most famous of the saltless breads comes from Strettura, a tiny village on the Via Flaminia between Spoleto and Terni. We went over there the other morning in time to see the raised loaves slid into the fiery wood-burning ovens at Forno Vantaggi. It's said their combination of local spring water, mixed grains and no salt is the best in Umbria. 

Raking out the coals

     The bakers had been working since before dawn and the risen loaves were ready for the oven. But, first, the forno had to be made ready for them. Behind three openings, about twelve feet of smoldering coals burned like Dante's Sixth Circle of Hell (the one reserved for Epicureans). The baker first raked the red embers into an iron barrel, leaving the oven ready for baking at 300 degrees Centigrade. Then the loaves were slid in and the doors closed. 

The risen loaves

The old recipes

In the workroom, various flours, eggs, and other ingredients awaited their turn to become cookies, sweet breads, or tozzetti (aka, cantucci or biscotti). Forget the Inferno, this place was obviously Paradise. On the counter was the recipe book, its pages marked by the fingers of bakers from previous generations. We nibbled warm slices of pizza bread, the tasty flat pane made by Italian bakers to test the heat of the ovens.

Torta al Testa

       Pane di Strettura is only one of many breads made in Umbria. There is torta al testa from the Province of Perugia, historically made on a flat stone in the fireplace or oven. This flat round bread, often served warm from the oven and cut into triangles, is called crescia in Gubbio and pizza sotto il fuoco (cooked under the ashes) in Terni. Today it is often cooked on top of the stove like a pancake in a pan called a panaro.  


    At Easter, Umbrians eat pane formaggio (cheese bread). There is also pan nociato, bread with nuts, and pan caciato, bread made with olive oil, pepper, nuts and Umbrian pecorino (sheep cheese). We are not suffering from lack of choice here in central Italy.


    Note: We visited Strettura as part of the annual Beecoming Festival, which offers events of all kinds in Umbria in late April/early May.


Copyright Sharri Whiting 2012


       


        
     




         

THE OLIVE OIL TSUNAMI

Olives waiting to be pressed at a frantoio, Umbria

      In the aftermath of the current olive oil scandal sweeping across Europe, four or five multi-nationals will be chastised for blending oils from several Mediterranean countries and selling them as 100% Italian, or, as Extra Virgin when they aren’t.  This European network of inter-locking corporations, defined by La Repubblica, the Italian newspaper (Dec. 26, 2011) as a cartel and an agro-mafia, will probably be fined. 

     Consumers across the globe will be left with a bad taste in their mouths, determined never again to buy Italian extra virgin olive oil, which has always been thought by many to be the best.

Old olive trees, Puglia

     As a result, thousands of small independent producers, often with families dependent on the annual harvest to put the next year’s food on the table, will be unfairly tainted, tarred with the same brush as the mass market suppliers. They may be producing DOP oil (Protected Designation of Origin, an EU designation), recognized as the best regional extra virgin olive oil, but they might as well be making the same sorry swill stocked on the shelves of supermarket chains around the world.

      Whose job is it to police the industry? There are regulations in place in the European Union and fraud units assigned to the daunting task of finding the cheats in the olive oil trade.  The U.S. passed regulations about olive oil categories in 2010, but they are voluntary. Nobody has enough inspectors. It’s the perfect situation for fraud.

       So, what is the consumer who loves olive oil to do? 

TTPPT:  Taste Trust Price Producer Travel  

Taste.  Educate your palate, just as you would if you were buying wine. There are plenty of alternatives to mass-market olive oil. Specialized olive oil stores have opened around the world and many offer customers the opportunity to taste the oil before they buy it.  Look for the freshest oil. Don’t go for the clear bottles, which don’t protect the oil from spoilage as well as dark glass or tins. Use your oil in a few months and store it in a dark, cool spot.

Trust.   Find a specialty shop that sells oil and develop a relationship with the owner or buyer.  Ask them to set up a tasting of several oils or set one up yourself. (See how the professionals do it by downloading Olive Oil IQ to your smartphone or tablet).

Price.  You get what you pay for, just like when buying wine. You may come upon a jug wine or a mass produced olive oil that’s pretty good, but if you want DOP extra virgin olive oil, or a bottle of DOCG vino, you will have to pay more than 5 Euros or 5 pounds or 5 dollars for it if you want a product that has been picked and pressed by a local producer in the traditional way.

Producer.   Find the producers whose oil you like and ask your local shop to let you know when the new oil arrives. Every year will be slightly different, dependent on the harvest, but eventually you will recognize a group of labels that offer the oil you want.

Travel.   If you’ve followed the wine routes, think about traveling the olive oil routes. All across the Mediterranean, from Italy to Spain to France to Greece, as well as in the New World, there are places to taste and buy local extra virgin olive oil.  Often wineries will also produce oil, so check the websites of the wines you like. Make the experience a part of a culinary vacation, as way of educating yourself to know what good oil tastes like, as well as to experience the ambience that is an essential part of a local olive oil culture. 

    This blog post was originally posted on http://oliveoiliq.blogspot.com.

copyright Sharri Whiting 2012

So said Pliny and he was probably right

The good green stuff

          "Sip the wine and splash the oil." Pliny the Elder (Rome, 1st C AD). Good old Pliny, always there with a pithy comment. 


           The third week of November is the highlight of our year, when ten friends from four countries arrive on Via Palombaro to spend a week picking our olives, drinking the local garage wine, and catching up on what has happened in the U.S., the Netherlands, Namibia, England and Italy over the last year. 


           What is it about olive picking that is so engaging, so refreshing to mind and body? Is it the fresh air? Is it the respite from ongoing (and often tiresome) responsibilities? A chance to get back to basics, to the relationship between humans and the land? A moment to be with friends, without cell phones ringing or texting, appointments waiting, chores to do?

Pickin' and grinnin'

    There is nothing more satisfying than standing with your upper half hidden within a net of olive branches, filling the basket across your chest with the fruit that has emerged after another flinty Umbrian winter, drenched spring, and bone dry summer. Looking from the house, it seems that the olive trees have each grown a set of denimed legs. 


            The aimless chatter of familiar voices emits from the trees like birdsong, spiced with laughter, hoots and hollers, and sometimes a song (our Swedish friend comes from Todi to pick with us and amuses himself by singing Scandinavian folk tunes). Occasionally, a mild expletive that soars across the field, when a basket full of olives is dropped, if the olives begin to roll off the net and down the hill, or if a ladder shifts, throwing its occupant to the ground. 

The end of the day

           With regard to our friend, Pliny the Elder, we can't say that the Olivistas exactly sip the wine during Olive Picking Week. We probably splash both the vino and the olio, if truth be known. We work hard, we have fun, and we end up with something tangible and delicious: nuovo olio, the new oil, fresh, green, something we contributed to producing with our own hands. It's not digital, it's simply delicious. 
    


   

Hungry?

Steak tagliata at Lo Scoiattolo

       Never let it be said that we fail to meet our responsibility to report on the ristoranti around Umbria. It may require a lifetime of eating, but our mission and our focus are unwavering. How else would we justify those extra 5 kilos?


      Here's the latest list of favorites:

Taverna Sette

Taverna Sette in Trevi
    Run by a group of energetic ragazzi (young people), this place is sophisticated, charming and downright good. Partners in the business are the charming Sara Damiani and Gherardo Mugnoz, who are responsible for the ambience, beginning with the intriguing torches that draw diners from the piazza up a narrow stone vicolo to the ristorante. Chef Alfredo Santovito is inventive, turning local ingredients into tasty dishes with a twist. My favorite antipasto is the Ricottina, which is light, fresh and fluffy, served with toasted walnuts and a drizzle of honey.

Tomino cheese antipasto at Taverna Sette

    Find more details at www.tavernadelsette.it. The address is Vicolo del Sette 8, Trevi. Take the road up to the top of Trevi and come down to Piazza Mazzini to find it. They're closed on Wednesdays. Call 0742 78071 to ask for a table in the secluded atrium.

Lake Trasimeno from Lo Scoiattolo

Lo Scoiattolo is on the road up the mountain about 4 km above Tuoro on the right.
    We were feeling peckish while driving over the mountain on our way to Cortona from Gubbio. We passed this place, with its plastic tables and chairs out front, and thought it was a bar. What we needed was lunch. Rounding the curve, we came upon an astounding view of Lake Trasimeno, an unmissable photo opportunity. Since we were there, since we were hungry. . . . We walked in and saw the ristorante in the back. This is a great find for lunch on a gorgeous day. We ordered the succulent local white beans and delicious steak tagliata.

How to Get There  Lo Scoiattolo is directly on SS416, between Lisciano Niccone and Tuoro. Tel (+39) 075844119 Call if you want to reserve a veranda table overlooking the lake.



Taverna del Gusto in Deruta

Deruta

    Our friend, Grazia Ranocchia, a Deruta city councilwoman, turned us to this one, which is right across the street from the comune building in the old part of Deruta. The official address is Via MastroGiorgio, 5. Ask Luciano to bring out an array of the ristorante's  antipastos, which are really delicious. Then perhaps share two or three pastas -- the fava bean and pecorino pasta is wonderful.
Tel: 075/9724120  Parking tip: park outside the gates to Deruta, as parking spaces can be sparse inside.

Roccofiore near Todi
     We wrote about Roccofiore several years ago for Luxury Travel Advisor magazine and then happened to go back recently with friends. We had forgotten the wonderful view of Todi from the terrace, not to mention the wonderful carpaccio Chianina. The atmosphere is quintessential upscale Umbria, with postcard landscapes to see in every direction.

Roccofiore 

Go to Roccofiore for details and directions.
    
Residenze l'Alberata in Collepepe
     For years, we've driven to Collepepe when we've needed foodstuffs on a Sunday morning. The deli/grocery there has prepared goodies, as well as staples to make Sunday lunch. Eventually the Andreani family built a few rooms upstairs; now they have opened a restaurant in their Sala del Gusto. They serve on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only. The location is unexpected and charming, though you will have to climb three flights of stairs to get there (think of it as penance before you dig into the menu). There are different menus every weekend, with fixed price meals available, as well as ala carte.

Pasta with zucchini at l'Alberata

Go to Home Cooking for details.


   I suppose now you are wondering when I will recommend gyms in the area to work off all this eating, but no. Take to the countryside, where walking is a pleasure for the senses and always justifies the caffe and cornetto in the village bar afterwards.
Buon appetito!


copyright Sharri Whiting 2011


      
      

Life is Just an Ocean of Cherries; What to Do About It

    Somewhere around 1998 we planted a cherry tree at La Casetta Rosa, our house down the road. We just love cherries. For years, we had a few cherries here and there, most of which were enjoyed by the birds and the wasps before we ever got to them. This year, though, things were a bit different. Our cherry tree went on a growth spurt never seen by the likes of humans and 2011 will be a harvest for the ages. We picked cherries and gave them to friends, we picked cherries and ate them and ate them and ate them and gave more to friends.
    Finally, we recognized a problem: we needed to do something about the cherries filling up our kitchen and quick. Otherwise, they would all be ruined. Last Sunday morning I got up early and consulted my recipe books. I went into storeroom #2 and found a dusty box of empty canning jars, left over from the summer Jim and Carolyn stayed and went crazy making fig preserves. 

    I decided to start with Ciliegie sotto Spirito, a tasty concoction of 1) cherries 2) sugar and 3) pure grain alcohol. I found a bottle of the spirits in the back of the pantry, where it had lain since the year we made plum wine. (That's a whole 'nother story; suffice it to say that one of the bottles was left in the sun by some workers painting the living room and it blew up, scattering broken glass and plum wine all over the terrace, where every bee within flying distance arrived within thirty seconds to drown in sweet delight. A real mess).
     So, I started with the white lightning recipe, filling several liter jars. Next, I moved on to pickled cherries with white wine, white vinegar and fresh tarragon (called dragoncello in Italian, such a wonderful name). After that, I still had a few empty jars, so we tried pickled cherries in red wine, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Then we were out of jars and, as it was Sunday, the stores were closed. There were still a lot of cherries, even counting what we would eat with our lunch guests, with our dinner, and for breakfast the next day.
     Back to the computer. There is no cherry pitting implement in our kitchen, so I needed a recipe for how to freeze cherries with the stones in. Found out you wash them, dry them, spread them out in single layers to freeze separately and then put them together in Ziplock bags in the freezer. This was all well and good, but my freezer, which isn't the largest, was full of figs and plums from last year, along with a variety of things including a bag of Parmesan rinds for winter soups, half a frozen polenta cake from Christmas, and half a bottle of sorbetto limone with pro secco. The cake and some other over-aged packages (Il Magnifico calls them left-evers) got tossed, the sorbetto was consumed and we were in business freezing cherries. Supposedly, they will last a year and will taste like fresh fruit when defrosted. I will report back.

Giovanni and the Chianina

Chianina in central Italy (photo from Wikipedia Commons)

    This is the story of Giovanni, who owns La Vecchia Cucina, a ristorante in Collesecco, and the Chianina beef that comes from a farm in Ponte di Ferro, about 5 km away. It is the tale of a marriage made in paradise, where a side of beef passes from pasture to kitchen to table, preferably to our table.

Giovanni's arm is a twig next to this steak

     Since 1997 we have been going to Giovanni's ristorante in the little village 3 km from home. We've always ordered something like pasta con melanzane or pasta primavera, or perhaps the tender veal tagliata, cooked rare with rosmarino and salvia and sprinkled with local olive oil.
     We needed nothing else. We were happy.
      But, then, we began to hear the unmistakable sound of a meat cleaver in the kitchen, followed by the glimpse and trailing aroma of huge pieces of succulent grilled beef passing us by, going to other people at other tables. Where had we been? Why hadn't we realized?
     Last week we decided to make a break with habit and ordered the bistecca alla fiorentina, a 1-1.5 kg (2.2 - 3.3 lb) T-bone, usually served to two or more people. We heard those familiar sounds emanating from the kitchen and we knew those noises were for us.

Giovanni slices our fiorentina

     The Chianina breed originated as work animals during the Roman Empire; because of their white hides, they were chosen to pull the wagons at important parades and were offered as sacrifices to the gods. The largest breed of cattle in the world, Chianina come from the Val di Chiana, which is an area near the border between Tuscany and Umbria. They are protected as a brand by the European Union. Usually grass fed, every Chianina is given a number, which follows it from birth to slaughter and all the way to the table. The fiorentina is steak Florence-style, a cut that dates back to the Medicis.
    As we waited for our steak, other hungry people began to pour into the ristorante. All of them, it seemed, came for the fiorentina. We tried to look nonchalant, chatting and sipping Montefalco Rosso, as if this weren't our first time. In truth, we were ravenous and, every few seconds, Piero cut his eyes toward the kitchen door. Finally, the gate to heaven opened and Giovanni emerged carrying a steaming platter of grilled meat. Alas! He passed us by and took it to the next table. How was it that for all these years we ate our pasta peacefully and never noticed that everyone else was digging into a significant portion of a side of beef?
      Our turn came at last and the fiorentina was placed before us. While we had been sitting there in anticipation, we'd observed that protocol was to wait patiently for Giovanni to come to the table, slice the meat and personally serve us from the platter. We watched reverently as he sharpened his knife and began his surgeon's cut, juices spilling gloriously from the steak. If waiting had been difficult the first time; it was almost impossible after we had tasted this tenderest of meats and wanted a second serving. What a brutta figura it would have been if we had helped ourselves.
       We are already planning a dinner in November when our olive picking friends are here. We think three bistecche alla fiorentina might be enough for twelve people, but, then again, we may have to order four. Plus, the pasta con melanzane. Fortunately, it is only February and we have the time and the will to investigate. This may take repeated visits to La Vecchia Cucina.
Copyright Sharri Whiting 2011


  

Will Work for Food, Provided it's Zero Kilometer Cuisine

    Anyone who's willing to come to Italy to spend a week picking olives the old fashioned way is a someone who appreciates biological, organic, fresh, local food and wine. Taking that step back in the process, from consumption to the actual harvest of something they are eventually going to eat, allows us all to reflect on what we do to our bodies when we hit the fast food counter. Fortunately, here in Umbria, our friends can enjoy what the Italians call "zero kilometer cuisine" -- just about everything they eat while here will have been produced in the region.

No olive left behind

    Yesterday, our ten pickers produced six full crates of olives from about ten trees, 10% of what we need to accomplish this week. Today, after a good dinner and solid night's sleep, we expect to fill many more of those green, red and yellow plastic boxes. We still have  the old wooden olive crates used in the old days, but have turned them into kitchen cabinets -- they are so heavy empty it's hard to imagine moving them full of olives.

La Signora picks the leave from her family's olive harvest

     Since food is an integral part of any Italian experience, especially a culinary trip, we offered a "workers'" lunch of fresh minestrone with parmesan and olive oil, salumeria from Norcia (prosciutto, salami), Stilton cheese brought by a friend from England, mozzarella, and a variety of fresh baked breads. There was the endless flow of Omero's garage wine, of course, and a polenta torta, citrus crostata and mandarini for dessert. After a cup of coffee we hit the trees again to work off lunch; we have to begin thinking of dinner.

      Standing amid the olives at La Casetta Rosa, we could hear our neighbors picking their trees further down in the valley. The rythmic cadence of Umbrian-style Italian conversation drifted up our way on the breeze -- they must have listened to us speaking English with accents tinged with Italian, Dutch, American Southern, English, and Namibian origins. We were all doing the same thing: picking olives while talking about our lives, our children and grandchildren, our gardens. In our group there was also talk of test driving Ferraris, future trips, and the anticipation of eating tonight at Le Noci, our favorite restaurant in Grutti.

     At Le Noci, Il Magnifico wrote down the orders ad La Principessa recited the menu. This is not required of all diners, of course, but since we have the fare memorized, we can cut out minutes from the process by presenting the server with a fait accompli -- in Italian. This ensures appreciation from Danielle and the ladies in the kitchen, who send out food out in some kind of reasonable order.

     Old favorites on the table last night included were fazzoletti (triangular ravioli stuffed with ricotta and topped with panna (cream) and fresh shaven truffles, strongozzi with truffles, gnocchi stuffed with porcini, tagliata (sliced grilled beef steak) topped with fresh arugula and balsamic vinegar, stewed cinghiale (wild boar), capriolo (venison), and veal prime rib. All this was followed by tiramisu, bavarese, creme Portuguese, and fresh baked cookies with Sagrantino Passito.

     It's 6:30 a.m. on Monday now and still dark outside. There is some stirring upstairs, so the pickers must be awake. After a quick cup of coffee, we will be back out in the piantoni (big plants -- local name for olive trees). Their picking sessions will be bookended with a coffee break in the field, a farmer's lunch in the kitchen, and tonight's dinner at Frontini, an agriturismo which, by law, serves a menu made up almost entirely of their own or nearby production.

     Olivistas Arise! Day Two has begun.

Copyright 2010 Sharri Whiting

Olivistas to the Table! Soup's On

If you look closely, you can see the olives silhouetted against the sky

6 am. CET, Via Palombaro, Umbria
      The countdown started 364 days ago when the last pickers left to go home to England, Germany, the US, Namibia and the Netherlands. Tomorrow ten friends from around the world will come for our fourth olive picking house party. We call them the Olivistas.

     We've spent this week in preparation. Since I am dealing with a demonic case of jetlag, having arrived from the States three days ago, I have been in the kitchen by five every morning, chopping onions for a soffritto that will form the base of one of the five soups we will have for lunch during the harvest. I am partially cooking each one before freezing it; mixed aromas emanate from various pots, wafting warm jetstreams of onions, rosemary, sage, and porcini throughout the house. There is also the scent of fig bread baking in the oven, making for a confusing cinnamon/onion olfactory experience.
    The Olivistas provide the manual labor to pick our 120 trees and we want them to be glad they came.  Even if it's a chance to get away from the daily routine of office/patients/computers/grocery store, picking olives is hard work. When the sun shines across the valleys, highlighting the autumn red Sagrantino vines stretching across the fields, it can be glorious. If it's damp and misty, it can be romantic (sort of), provided one is dressed for it. But, if it rains, it's just awful.
     This is when a steaming boil of farro, lentil, ceci (chickpea) or minestrone soup can provide the inspiration to get us back in the trees. We sit around the kitchen table, warmed by the fireplace, the soup, Omero's wine (sold by the liter from a kind of gas pump), and the conversation of friends who come back year after year to help us get in the harvest.
     Il Magnifico's job as host is to be the supreme organizer. He makes sure there are enough crates, baskets, nets, and hand rakes -- we pick our olives the old fashioned way. He books the restaurants for dinner (the promise of a traditional Umbrian meal gets us all through the day), makes the grocery runs and the emergency trips to Omero to replenish the vital red liquid. Of course, he has reserved our slot at the frantoio, where we will gather next Friday morning to turn our harvest into "Olivista Olive Oil," extra virgin, first cold press.
     But, now we are watching the stove and the sky. We try to organize everything, but are powerless to affect the weather. Yesterday started with sun, then turned to rain and hail, then recovered itself with a spectacular rainbow. The meteorologists say it will be sunny through Monday and then will rain Tuesday and Wednesday. We need at least three full days to pick, so rain on those two days will be a problem. I keep checking the iPhone weather app for those little sunny yellow symbols. Our guests are here for the week, so if necessary they will pick on Thursday and we will go wine tasting, sightseeing or shopping if it rains on a picking day. Or, we might even enjoy the delights of dolce far niente, the "sweet doing nothing," in the Umbrian countryside.

A wide angle wasn't wide enough

     The last pot of soup is on the boil and the slowly dissolving stars promise a sunny day. The birds are singing as the sky starts to lighten. The olives hang dark on the trees, waiting for tomorrow.
Copyright 2010 Sharri Whiting