Elizabeth Minchilli's Blog, page 12

Lockdown Menu Ideas

I’ve been getting a lot of messages on Facebook and Instagram from people looking for ideas of what to cook as you enter into the bizarre world of lockdown. Over on Instagram a lot of people shared photos of their pantries stocked with everything from beans and pasta to Doritos and Cheerios. But even if you have 400 pounds of pasta and enough toilet paper to last you until 2026, that still doesn’t answer the question: what’s for dinner?

In this world where we seemingly have less control hour by hour, the one thing that we can try to control is what we are eating. But with kids (and spouses!) home, and no fixed schedule, the idea of planning meals can be daunting and make for even more stress.

Since we here in Italy are now on Week 2 of the lockdown, I thought I could share a few tips for how we are dealing with meal planning (since that is kind of my thing) , as well as some recipes that might inspire (also my thing.)

First of all: have a plan. I know that might be hard, but bear with me. In these endless days, with little structure, having a fixed schedule or plan to stick to provides comfort and a framework. I’m not saying you have to stick to it all the time. I’m realistic. But at least having one is a starting point.

Here at Casa Minchilli we have always gathered for meals at the table. There is never any thought of each member of the family eating whenever and whatever they wanted (this is partly because I”m a control freak, but also because Italy) . And we are certainly sticking to this. I set the table and we sit down to both lunch and dinner. And at dinner I make the effort to make it look as nice as possible. Tablecloth, cloth napkins, candles, centerpiece: the works.

But the biggest part of our lockdown survival meal plan is an actual meal plan. After a few days of fumbling around, Sophie decided we needed a real, honest-to-goodness meal plan that she could tape to the wall. You know. Like the kind they used to send home with the kids every week to let us know what was being served in the school cafeteria.

Making our meal plan wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. First we went through our favorite cookbooks and websites picking out recipes we thought sounded good. Then we chose the ones we knew we could make with the ingredients we either had already, or could  easily get. The next step was filling out the week, trying for variety from day to day , and also leaving room for improvisation, should it hit.

Once we got that down, Sophie took out her prized set of felt markers and make a pretty plan to tape to the wall.

Can I tell you how completely comforting it is to have this? I know it’s a little thing, but we all stop by to have a look at it several times a day. I have to add that while we do stick to the plan, we also are open to changing it. For instance today for lunch we had scheduled Pasta with Zucchini. But since we have leftovers from the last few days, we’re improvising with those. Also? Yesterday was St. Joseph’s day when Italians traditionally eat cream filled pastries called Bigne’ di San Giusseppe. So Sophie has decided to spend the morning making these.

FYI: here in Italy we are allowed out to go grocery shopping. We have limited this to one outing a week or less if we can. Our grocery stores are fully stocked.

Below I’ve included our meal plan. We didn’t have a set meal plan the first week, but did manage to eat quite well anyway! I’m including links to the things we made the first week. Although things definitely got much more interesting (less soup) once we planned things out.

I’m providing links where ever possible.

Before we got going on the meal plan thing, here are some of the things I made the first week. We were heavy on soups for some reason:

Mixed grain and Bean Soup with Swiss Chard

Pasta with Zucchini and Tuna

Cabbage and Potato Soup

Quiche/ Torta Rustica (eggs, gouda/parmigiano, pancetta and Swish chard (I used a premade crust and winged it, but here is a great recipe from David Lebovitz)

Raddichio Salad

Sauteed greens

Spaghetti with bottarga (thank god Sophie brought her bottarga with her when she came up, but if you don’t have bottarga here is a recipe for spaghetti with anchovies)

Alison Roman Crispy  lentils with a chili fried egg

Roasted zucchini

Braised Fennel

I’ve got tons of recipes on my website, most of which you can make with thing you have in your pantry. Here are some collections:

Soup

Pasta

Beans

 

Meal Plan March 16-22

Market day! And the start of our Meal Plan!!

Monday :

Lunch: Farro Grain Bowl with Tahini Dressing & Egg

(We used farro, but you can use any grain, including rice. On top: chopped carrots, marinated red onions, thinly    sliced   onions, avocado, hard boiled egg, Tahini Yogurt Sauce)

Dinner: Mixed grilled meat, bruschetta , steamed broccoletti

Tuesday

Lunch: Focaccia Barese, mozzarella, green salad

There is a reason that everyone you know is making Focaccia. It’s easy, it’s comforting, and if you have leftovers, it’s great heated up the next day. Sophie followed this recipe on YouTube, but she also wrote it up and it’s saved on my Instagram Story Highlights

Dinner: Alison Roman’s Spicy Pork Soup : We followed the recipe, but substituted agretti for the greens.

Wednesday

Lunch: Pasta with Artichokes and Goat Cheese, Salad – yes, you can make this with frozen artichokes or even peas.

Dinner: Chicken Shawarma, Chopped Salad, Cumin Roasted Cauliflower, Easy Roti, Yogurt Sauce

Thursday

Lunch: Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce. Sophie followed this recipe on YouTube, but here is one from my website.

Dinner: Vegetarian Dinner: Black Eyed Peas, Sauteed Greens from the Garden.

Leftover focaccia and home made crackers from a bread recipe that didn’t work out.

Friday:

Lunch: Pasta with Zucchini and Tuna (Saved on my Instagram Story Highlights.)

Dinner: Roast leg of Lamb, Hummus, Broccoli Salad, Flatbread

Saturday:

Lunch: Pizza, Fennel Salad

Dinner: Swiss Chard and Bean soup; Broccoli Salad

Sunday:

Lunch & Dinner: Improvise!!!!

Cocktails:

As you know, I’m a big believer in cocktails every evening. Since wine tends to keep me up at night, we have a cocktail before dinner, and then that’s that. While in normal life I do have wine on the weekends at lunch, these days we’ve eliminated any day-drinking because that seems like it would just lead to more day-napping.

During these days I’ve been keeping the cocktails to these four (although after seeing David Lebovitz’s post just now, I think that Gimlets might make it onto rotation if I can pick up some limes next week).

Negroni

1 oz gin

1 oz campari

1 oz red vermouth

Pour in rocks glass, add ice and stir. Garnish with a slice of orange if you have it. But don’t feel you have to cut open a precious piece of fruit just for this.

Martini

I’m a big dirty martini fan. Usually gin, but when it’s been a particularly rough day I tend towards vodka (not sure why). For the dirty part I alternate between olives and pickles. Although I’ve also fallen in love with Melissa Clark’s idea of using an anchovy (put one in the shaker, and then another as garnish along with an olive)

3 oz Gin or Vodka

Splash of dry white vermouth

1 teaspoon of olive or pickle brine.

Place ingredients in a shaker, add ice, and stir or shake till chilled. Strain into chilled martini glass and garnish with olive or pickle (or anchovy)

Manhattan

3 oz of Bourbon (or Rye)

Splash of red vermouth

1 tsp of maple syrup of cherry syrup

bitters

If you can get your hand on great quality cherries in syrup this is your chance to use them. But in a pinch I also just buy a jar of regular maraschino cherries.

Place bourbon , vermouth and syrup in shaker. Add ice and stir or shake to chill. Strain into glass , garnish with cherry and add a few drops of bitters of choice.

Sweets:

I know a lot of your are stress baking. That’s a good thing. I’m sure we all need a little sweetness in our life now. Sophie even went so far as to add a special bakery section to our menu plan. Here’s what we’ve made so far:

Apple Cake: this is a great cake to make if you have stocked up on apples (it works equally well with pears and even bananas). Also, it doesn’t use a lot of butter, which I know is sometimes hard to get.

Ricotta Chocolate Crostata: During out last foray out to shop, I was able to get a pint of fresh ricotta. This recipe also calls for raspberries, but if you don’t have that you can just use an extra cup of chocolate chips. Alternatively here is a similar recipe that uses ricotta and jam, and one that uses just jam.

Chocolate chip cookies: Alison Roman’s chocolate chip cookie recipe is great, since you can divide it in two and keep half the dough to bake the next day. And yes, this is helpful for not eating ALL the cookies right when you make them.

Campari Olive Oil Cake: This is from Melissa Clark’s newest book Dinner in French and is as easy as it is delicious.

If you write up your  own meal plan, I’m happy to share it on Instagram.

Tag me, and use the hashtag : #lockdownmealplan Please don’t send me the photos directly. Just tag me on Instagram @eminchilli and I’ll see them!

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: I realize that we are extremely lucky to have food on our table to cook. The dire consequences of this crisis has meant that many of the most vulnerable members of our communities have lost their jobs, and may not be able to get food on the table. If you can help, and are looking for a place to start, I can point you towards this fund, started by Together Rising, which will help support public school children , and their families who depend on schools to provide their main meal of the day.

If you know of any other causes where people can donate, please leave them below in the comments.

Thank you.

(And to see more of what we’re cooking, eating and of course drinking, make sure you are following both @sminchilli and @eminchilli on Instagram)

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Coronavirus Lockdown – Italy

I’m currently sitting here writing this blog post from my kitchen table in Umbria. While I often move up here for weeks at a time, it’s different this time around. On Monday March 9 (was it only 6 days ago?!) the president of Italy declared a national lockdown to stop the Coronavirus.

Although it’s a long and complicated decree, it basically means that until  April 3 everyone must stay in their homes as much as possible. (there’s even a hashtag for it: #iorestoacasa ‘i stay home’ ) We all must not travel between regions unless there is a urgent need (like work or health).  Domenico, Sophie and I  are currently at our home in Umbria, and are lucky that we were can stay here to ride it out.

Although we were all sort of expecting something, this still came as a shock. It also took us, and a lot of people, a day or so to not only understand the rules and regulations, but also the motives behind this seemingly drastic, but necessary move.

Since the regulations keep changing this blog post may be a bit outdated by the time you read it. But for now almost everything in Italy is shut down: schools , museums, public buildings, offices, etc. They’ve even closed the bars and restaurants. We are all expecting other restrictions to be declared but not sure what. 

But there is no panic regarding basic services. Food stores are all open and well stocked. (this is Italy remember!) Pharmacies, banks and post offices remain open. Other non-essential stores and services (like hairdressers and – oh god!- nail salons) are closed for the duration. (By the way, there has been no run on toilet paper here. What is that about?)

This is a very big deal and everyone is taking it VERY seriously. Although there are fines, including jail time in some instances, I feel as if they are not needed. Everyone is following every rule and no one is complaining. Basically this means do not leave your house unless absolutely necessary. For instance even though we are allowed to go to town to the supermarket (and that certainly would be a much needed distraction!) we are limiting our visits to only once a week, and then only one of us goes. And even though I’d like to walk down the road to visit with my neighbours, I am absolutely not doing that. We are staying far away from others, and that’s that.

Financially of course, Italy is a disaster. The tourism sector is pretty much  destroyed. 

Yet somehow even through this suffering we realise that for our own sakes, as well as for that of the world, this was necessary. And the country has very much come together on this.  If you’ve been following anything at all I’m sure that by now you’ve seen the moving videos (I’m not crying, you’re crying) of Italians leaning out their windows and standing on their balconies every evening at 6pm, to sing and dance together. And yesterday, at noon, in what was one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen, the entire country leaned out of their windows and gave a round of applause to all the tireless medical workers who are risking their lives to see us through this crisis. 

Since most of you reading this are located in the USA you may be looking to us as you prepare to hunker down. I have been chatting with friends in the States non-stop and even most of my friends who know what is going on in the world are still in denial that this type of forced lockdown could happen there. My advice to you is that we too didn’t think it could happen here until it did. So be prepared. This post is brilliant to explain how our thinking changed, and how yours probably will too. It’s easy to this won’t effect you personally. Or that it is somehow not serious.  Please be responsible . 

I do believe that our current sacrifices will help to stop the spread. 

In the meantime we are lucky to be here in Umbria. Our days are somehow incredibly busy. (keeping the house clean takes up a LOT of time!) I’m also still running my business from my kitchen table. While the spring season is basically shot, I’m forging ahead to the fall and am going to be adding tours to make up for lost income this season.

While it’s easy during this kind of situation to kind of let go, I’ve been making an effort to keep our life on track. I get dressed in the mornings and go to my ‘office.’ All three of us meet for a coffee in the kitchen at 10:30. We even stand at the counter and pretend it’s the local bar.  I make sure we all get a long walk outside each day. And of course Sophie and I are making sure our pantry is stocked and are planning delicious meals. Even Domenico is talking about baking bread! 

It goes without saying that cocktails every night are a big part of our routine because the one thing everyone can agree upon is that alcohol is a great disinfectant. 

One thing that I’ve decided to do, which may seem silly, is to use a different set of dishes at each meal. You know I’ve got a thing for Italian ceramics, but somehow setting the table differently each night makes things better. Candles, flowers…the whole thing. If we can’t go out to dinner (all restaurants and bars are closed) then at least I can make our meals at home as special as possible. Sophie is busy making a meal plan for next week, so we keep things interesting and don’t fall into a rut. I’ll be posting my menus later this week, in case anyone is looking for inspiration.

While this all looks and sounds rosy, of course there is the flip side to life on lockdown.  No one enjoys having their freedom of movement taken away. And as I mentioned above the financial situation is devastating. Not just in the tourism industry, but across the board. Many of you have asked how you can help out a country that you all love. Here are some concrete ways to lend a hand:

Tourism: If you have booked a tour or other services as part of a trip that you can’t take due to travel restrictions please be aware of the strains this is putting on the tourism industry here in Italy. While big airlines and hotel chains have built in mechanisms to cope with this, smaller tour operators and family run hotels do not. Accepting a partial refund and/or a chance to rebook will help these businesses to survive to the next season. Even though I have lost an enormous amount of income, I am trying my very best to support those who depend on me and my business. As you know, I am a huge supporter of small businesses throughout Italy: the corner trattoria where we have meals; the families that rent out their apartments to us,  the artisans who make our plates; the nonna making pasta in Umbria ; the guide who takes us around his hometown. All of these businesses have been shattered overnight. I am happy that at least I can pay them part of the amount I would have owed them, since my clients’ original deposit covers that. It is not much, but means the world to them since they too, have lost their livelihood. 

And if you are thinking of booking a tour for the future, do it now. Please. I have been thrilled to receive bookings for fall of 2020 and into  2021, not just because the thought of leading tours in the future brings hope, but because the deposits paid now help me, and all the people I employ, go forward. 

The same goes for any events you may have booked. Rather than ask for a refund for museum tickets you bought ages ago, just consider the price a donation to the arts.

Artisans: Italy’s artisans are among the most vulnerable economically. They barely make a living as it is. This period may push some over the edge completely. If you already know of some then shop away!

Here are some of my favourite ceramic producers in Italy where you can finally order that set of dishes you had your eye on:

Sberna

Fima

Sbigoli

Italian Food and Wine Producers: This is  the easiest and most delicious way to support the Italian economy! You can order Italian food (including olive oil) from these importers 

And if you can’t make it to Italy for now, you can still read about it, right?

Sophie’s new book The Sweet Art of Doing Nothing will certainly help you get through this period! Pre-order here.

My books The Italian Table, Eating My Way Through Italy and Eating Rome will bring you back to Italy virtually.

To get a glimpse of what life is like under lockdown, see this post by my friend and colleague Amanda Ruggieri.

Amanda, who has a site called Revealed Rome,  also did an exhaustive round up of other great ways to help, which she continues to update. Please visit, read and act on this post. There are LOTS of links that I have a feeling you’ll have plenty of time to read in the next few weeks.

Finally here are some great websites from friends  and colleagues, with lots of information about what is going on, but also ways you can help.

Gillians List

Girl in Florence

Romewise

If you’re curious about how we are filling our days here during lockdown make sure you’re following me and Sophie on Instagram. There are a few hashtags as well to follow, including #iorestoacasa . I began a new one, #coronapantry to see how people are stocking up. @ItalySegreta started another beautiful hashtag to follow: #Italyfromawindow. The most hopeful one is #tuttoandràbene , which translates as  “Everything will be ok”. Which it will.

Stay safe, be smart, but most importantly, be compassionate and helpful. 

The only way we can get through this is together.

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Chocolate in Sicily {Modica}

When people ask me for advice about traveling to Sicily, there is no easy answer. You would think that since Sicily is an island,  and I’ve been coming here since I was a child, that it would be easy for me to hand out advice. But for me, Sicily is like an entirely separate country, and within that country each corner is different from the next. Do you want some of the most gorgeous coastline in Italy? Or maybe endless wheat fields?  I once found myself watching tomatoes dry in the sun, and that pretty much sums up Sicily to me.  And of course there is always wine. There obviously is no easy answer about which direction to head when in Sicily.

But if your taste runs on the sweet side, then the answer becomes a no-brainer. The southwestern corner of Sicily is like one big sugary extravaganza.

The towns of Noto, Ragusa, Modica, and Scicli are some of the most spectacularly, breathtakingly beautiful architectural confections in Italy. And I do not use the word confection lightly. The style and decorations of these Baroque palazzi and churches are like iced wedding cakes gone wild.

While you are probably familiar with the ricotta and almond pastries from this part of the world (cannoli, cassate and cookies from the now famous Caffe Sicilia in Noto) you may not have heard of the exotic traditions surrounding chocolate.

Chocolate first came to Sicily from the New World via the Spaniard conquistadors in the sixteenth century. One of the traditions to survive the earthquake, which leveled the this part of the world in 1693, was the tradition of using chocolate in both sweet and savory dishes. But it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, located in the town of Modica, brought this unique form of chocolate to international fame. While much of the world was turning to chocolate emulsified with sugar and milk fats, adopting the processes known as conching and tempering (think Cadbury), the Modica style of chocolate-making remained closer to the original Aztec xocolatl, a cold process of turning bean into bar that resulted in a fruitier, somewhat bitter and decidedly granular bar. Another holdover from Mexico is the addition of spices from the New World, including vanilla and hot red pepper.

Today Bonajuto is the oldest chocolate maker in Italy, and continues this cold process not only producing chunky dark bars but also producing pastries that preserve the tradition of mixing sweet and savory.

Bonajuto is located just off the main Corso and its wood-paneled shop is a virtual museum to the carefully preserved way of making chocolate. The cabinets are also filled with actual chocolate, but you might not realize that it’s also a pastry shop, unless you watch the locals stop by to either pick up their neatly wrapped packets of preordered pastries or to ask for a cannolo, which comes from the back workshop, freshly filled with creamy ricotta to order.

Even though I’ve been coming to Modica for intense chocolate fixes for years, I still love watching the sensual and physical process of making the bars of chocolate. Each tin mold is carefully filled with a perfectly measured amount of the grainy chocolate paste, then placed in a thick wooden tray. Once all of the molds are filled, the chocolatier grabs the tray by both hands and begins beating it in a rhythmic manner against the cold, hard marble counter. Five minutes of this cacophony forces the air bubbles up and out of the chocolate to make sure that each bar is smooth and glistening. Once rested, the paste solidifies, is popped out of its mould, and neatly wrapped by hand in thick sheets of paper emblazoned with the store’s turn-of-the-century logo.

During a recent trip I was happy to discover a pastry I’d never had before: mpanatigghi. And don’t worry, I can’t pronounce it correctly either. These small dry pastries are actually based upon empanadas and the filling mixes both chocolate (not surprising) with ground meat (extremely surprising). The sweet was devised as a way to preserve meat, especially when traveling for long distances. Although I saw the actual process, and can assure you there is meat in those cookies, the final taste is overwhelmingly chocolate, although maybe a bit richer and fuller than usual.

And in case you were wondering, I did end up buying a few to take on my travels. And yes, they were the perfect snack for my ‘long’ trip back to Rome.

L’Antica Dolceria Bonajuto

Corso Umberto I

Modica

This blog post is an excerpt from my book Eating My Way Through Italy.

If you’d like to join me the next time I am eating my way through Sicily, you can! You can read all about my Week in Sicily Tours for 2021 here.

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Pasta Grannies Food Tour

In Italy everyone believes that that their Nonna is the best cook in the world. And one of the things that Nonnas are especially good at in Italy is making pasta by hand. The only problem is that these cooking skills – taking flour and water, mixing them, and rolling them out into shapes –  is a skill that is in danger of dying out. Yes, a lot of people know how to make pasta, but it’s that indefinable something, that is passed on from one generation to the next, that is in the well worn hands of the grannies.

Luckily there are still grannies, you just have to know how to find them. And my friend Vicki has not only been able to find them, she has spent the last 5 years documenting these amazing women on video. She has shared their skills charmingly on her YouTube channel, Pasta Grannies, and has also published a glorious cookbook documenting not just the women, but the recipes that have been passed down for generations.

I would like to invite you to join Vicki and me in Parma for an entire week exploring the culture surrounding these grannies. We will of course be meeting some of these woman, as well as learning how to make pasta. But we will also be digging deeply into some of the ingredients that this part of the world is best known for: Parmigiano Reggiano, Aceto Balscamico Tradizionale di Modena, Prosciutto di Parma and Culatello. And of course wine!

While pasta is made all over the country, the region of Emilia Romagna is particularly famous for some of the most delicious and unique pastas made in Italy. In fact, when most non-Italians think of pasta it is the dishes of this region – Lasagna, Ravioli, Tortellini and Tagliatelle – that they think of. And all have their roots in Emilia Romagna.

We will spend six nights and five full days diving deeply into this theme, through the eyes of the women who continue the traditions: the grannies. Each day we will be visiting markets and food producers as well as eating and cooking our way through as many types of pasta as possible.

What makes this week so special, of course, is the time we will be spending with the nonnas. In this part of the world the tradition of a woman firmly running the household from her kitchen is deeply entrenched and very much still alive. Often called cesarine or rezdore, the skill by which any of these women is judged is her ability to roll out a sheet of pasta dough as thinly as possible. We will be invited into the private homes of several of these women, where they will share their knowledge with us. While we will certainly come away with insight into pasta making skills, it is just as important to listen to the stories they have to tell.

Details of the Pasta Grannies Week in Emilia Romagna Food Tour

When: November 8 – November 14

Who: This trip is limited to 12 guests.

Where: We will be based in Parma, in the region of Emilia Romagana

Nearest airport & Train Station: The nearest international airport is Milan. There are many ways to get to Parma from Milan.

Some of the things we’ll be doing:

Pasta classes with Grannies
Visits to Grannies (and Grandpas) homes
Visit to Culatello producer
Visit to Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale producer
Visit to several historic castles
Wine Tasting
Pasta-filled dinners and lunches
Visits to Modena and Bologna
And much more….

There is lots more of course! If you think you’d like to join us, and would   to hear about the details, just send me an email. I’ll send you the brochure which has the detailed itinerary and price.

To learn  more about this trip, including all the details, just send me an email.

For more about using your appetite as a guide to traveling around Italy, see my book:

Eating My Way Through Italy

And if you’d like to prepare your own Italian feast (including a complete menu from one of the pasta grannies I met) see my book:

The Italian Table: Creating Festive Meals for Family and Friends.

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sausage + olives {ariccia}

One of the most frequent questions  Sophie and I get is the porchetta question. As in “How and where can I get great porchetta in Rome.” Sophie has her favorite spots that she shares during her Trastevere and Testaccio tours. But when we want really great porchetta? We head a bit further afield.

The epicenter of porchetta is generally considered to be Ariccia, about 30 minutes south of Rome, in the Frascati hills. This town is known for its glistening, roasted and massive Porchetta. The animals are deboned, but the legs and head are left attached. The meat is then seasoned with rosemary, sage, garlic, salt and pepper. Once cooked by the family-owned businesses around town, the finished roast can weigh anywhere from 30 to 90 pounds. They are then shipped out to both truck stands as well as alimentari (delis) and other vendors throughout Italy.

But of course, the best place to indulge is in Ariccia itself, where there are several distinct and traditional ways to enjoy it. The easiest is to stop by one of the stands or small shops, where the vendor will slice open a crusty roll and fill your sandwich according to your personal taste. Because within that huge hunk-o-meat you might prefer fatty over lean (well, relatively lean) or extra bits of the crisp skin. And there are sure to be nonne or housewives lining up as well, ready to bring home a tray of freshly cut slices for lunch or dinner.

But the all time funnest, bestest and most delicious way to enjoy porchetta in Ariccia is when  it is part of a multi-course meal that takes place in a type of local restaurant known as a fraschetta.

The word fraschetta comes from the word ‘frasca’ which means leafy branch. For centuries small wine shops selling the local wine from the surrounding Frascati Hills would set up rough wooden tables outside their doorways, where pitchers of inexpensive vino would flow freely. To provide shade during the heat of the day, makeshift pergolas were constructed out of frasche, or branches. Since there was only wine, people would bring along their own food, to consume along with the vino. Eventually, though, some of the wine shops began to serve simple food: baskets of bread, sheep’s milk cheese, prosciutto and sausage and, of course, porchetta. At the beginning there were no real menus, but over the years many began to serve cooked food as well, including beans, pasta and grilled meat, eventually turning into real restaurants known today as fraschette.

Today in Ariccia there are countless fraschette, located both in the town and the surrounding countryside. Romans make the short drive south to have lunch or dinner there where rough wooden tables groan under the weight of multi course meals for a very low price. One thing that still holds over from the original : huge pitchers of local wine called Romanella.

Whether you come in the day or the evening, the routine is always the same. As soon as you are seated, the waiter will come over, hastily top the table with a sheet of paper, scatter a handful of forks and knives in the center of the table, and ask 2 very important questions. Red or white? And: “Cominciamo con antipasti?” Shall we start with antipasti?

While there may be discussion between the red and the white, 100% of the diners start – and never go beyond – antipasti. Because once you say yes, the plates start flying out of the kitchen and seemingly don’t stop until you’ve long since unbuttoned your jeans.

While each fraschetta has their own speciality, some things are givens. There is always cured meats: prosciutto, sausages and a type of dried pork jerky known as coppiette. Cheese is also ever present: mozzarella of course, but also two or three types of sheep’s milk pecorino. Bread comes sliced in a basket, but more is also toasted, rubbed with garlic and doused with olive oil as bruschetta. And the main event: a massive plate of thickly sliced porchetta.

Every fraschetta has a few dishes that only they serve. While this stand out mixture of sausage and olives is one of my favorites, I can’t remember exactly where I enjoyed it. (Too much of that Romanella wine?) In any case, it’s a great part of the antipasto buffet, but also can stand on its own as a main dish. If you are serving it as part of the buffet, cut the sausages into smaller, bite sized pieces once they are cooked. If you’re serving it as a main course, it pairs perfectly with bruschetta and sautéed greens on the side.

Print
Sausages and Olives

Yield 4-6

This dish is all about the simplicity of the ingredients. Please use regular Italian style sausage. You don’t want spicy, since it will overwhelm the delicacy of the olives. And since the only other ingredient is olives you want to make sure you get the big, green sweet ones from Puglia. They are called Bella di Cerignola and if you can’t find them in your local market, have a look online. 

Ingredients

1 pound Italian style sausages (about 8)
1 1/2 cup  big green olives
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 cup white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaaspoon fennel seeds
salt



Instructions

Pour the olive oil into a 10 to 12 inch diameter frying pan. Heat over medium heat.

Using a fork or a sharp knife, poke holes all over the sausages (this will let the fat drain out, and make sure the sausages don’t burst while cooking), and place them in the pan with the oil. Brown well on all sides, turning to make sure you get all the sides.

Once browned, remove the sausages to a plate.

If the sausages have given up a lot of oil, remove all but 1 tablespoon, but be carful to leave the browned bits in the pan. Add the chopped onions to the pan, turning the heat down to medium low. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and using a wooden spoon, stir the onions,scraping up the bits of browned sausage at the bottom of the pan, to deglaze. Cook the onions until tender, but do not let brown, about 8 minutes.

Add the fennel seeds and cook a few more minutes. Add back the sausages and the olives, and the wine. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.

Take the cover off, and cook off any left over wine.

This is meant to be part of an antipasto buffet, so cut the sausages in half or into thirds (bite sized pieces). This dish can be served warm or at room temperature.

This blog post and recipe are an excerpt from my book The Italian Table: Creating Festive Meals for Family and Friends.

Some of my favorite places to eat in Ariccia:

La Selvotta

Via Selvotta 43

+39.932.4521

We love this place since it’s a bit outside of town, and the tables are scattered beneath the shade of trees. It’s great on a spring day or a summer’s evening. Many of the photos in this post were taken there.

Bernabei

Corso Vitttoria Colonna 13

Marino

+39.06.938.7897

This is a butcher, not a restaurant. And it’s in nearby Marino, not Ariccia. But if you are on the hunt for the best porchetta in Italy, then this is where you should go.

Porchetta Diana

Piazza di Corte 1

Ariccia

A small place in Ariccia that is perfect for take out porchetta or a quick panino.

Frashetta De Mi Zia

Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi 6

Ariccia

+39.347.439.6147

A cute and cozy fraschetta on the main street in town.

For more on eating in Italy download my app, EAT ITALY available for iPhone and Android.

If you are coming to Rome please buy my book Eating Rome, and if you are heading further afield Eating My Way Through Italy is the book you need.

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packing lightly – away

I don’t usually do non-food related blog posts. So while this post has no recipes or ingredients it is about travel and since I know many of you travel to eat, I figure it’s all part of the same topic. And if I don’t often encorage you to eat lightly, I can, however, give you advice about packing lightly. So consider this a public service announcement.

Actually, what prompted me to write this up was an article I read and shared last week. It was all about whether you are one of those people who live out of a suitcase in your hotel room or whether you are one of those people who unpack immediately, no matter how many nights you are staying. I loved reading all the comments from people 

I’m definitely on ‘team unpack.’ I spend the first 10 minutes of any hotel stay unpacking my bag because really folks, it doesn’t take more than 10 minutes max. I do this for a lot of reasons, but mostly I want to create a sense of my own space no matter where I am. Also, I try my best to stay in hotels that look nice to begin with. And the idea of a half open suitcase with messy clothes falling out of it is the opposite of my idea of attractive and/or homey.

I not only have strong opinions about unpacking. I have even stronger views on packing.

As many of you know in addition to writing about food in my books and apps, I also lead food tours in Italy. We also have a couple of apartments in Rome that we rent out. And I myself am on the road a good portion of the year, so I definitely, at this point, have very strong opinions about packing for a trip. 

One of the biggest mistakes I see from both our tour guests, as well as renters, is when they travel with WAY too much luggage.  Arriving in Italy with a large piece of luggage that you will need help lifting into a taxi or getting on to a train is just not worth it. Ever.

My rule of thumb when traveling anywhere is that I want to be independent. Too many things can go wrong along the way, and worrying about a huge piece of luggage is just not something I want to deal with. What if there is a taxi strike and I have to walk or take a bus? What if the elevator is broken and I have to walk up 3 flights of stairs? These things happen people. And I guarantee you that having 3 extra pair of shoes and multiple changes of outfits are not going to be making you very happy by the time you reach the third floor of that walk up.

During my last two book tours, when I was hopping on and off a plane every 2 or 3 days for three weeks I came up with the perfect solution. I wanted to avoid checking luggage for the entire trip. Yes. You read that right. I managed both book tours, with multiple public appearances and tv shows, with only a carry on. So, if I can do a 3 week book tour, you can certainly manage 10 days in Italy, right?

My system is based on using Away brand luggage (and no this is not a sponsored post, I just love this brand). The suitcases are shell type, and come in various colors and sizes. They aren’t cheap, but they are very high quality, look great and have a lifetime warranty.

I own both The Carry-On as well as The Bigger Carry-On Why? Because in the USA they let you carry on the bigger one, and in Europe the airlines often restrict the size to the smaller one. That said, I’ve managed to carry on the bigger on on European flights as well.

I also own The Everywhere Bag. This slips neatly on to the top of either Carry Ons.

Most airlines allow you to take one carry on and one personal item (purse). I pack my every day purse, and then use  The Everywhere Bag as my flying purse.  I put my computer here, as well other electronics. It has a nifty little compartment on the bottom that holds my umbrella and an extra pair of flats. And this is also where I pack my make up and toiletries.

Now to the packing part. If you don’t use packing cubes you don’t know what you’re missing. Away has sets that are very well made, but you can pretty much buy them anywhere. The beauty of the cubes is that you can fit a LOT into them (I roll up my clothes) since they stretch and compress. It also makes unpacking in hotels and remaining organized so much easier. You just take the cubes out, place them on shelves or drawers in your hotel, and you’re good to go.

Each Away bag also comes with it’s own little laundry bag which I love.

When I do have to bring more than can fit in just a carry-on I bring BOTH carry-ons, checking at least one. The Away bags are so easy to handle (with wheels that work very well) that I can handle 2 of them, no problem. The four wheels on each suitcase, which rotate a full 360 degrees, make them super easy to drive.

The biggest change for me with Away was that they are clamshell suitcases. In other words they are hard sided and open up like a clam. So you really have to think before opening up your suitcase to stuff in one more thing. It was a learning curve, but one I tackled pretty fast.

The only thing I regret about my Away bags is that I have them in black and navy. I really wish I had been more adventurous and gotten one of their other colors. Not only because they are pretty, but because when I do check them they are more distinguishable on the luggage wheel. And I desperately covet the Aluminum edition, but that seems crazy expensive to me. Add to this that I get their newsletter and so am exposed directly to all their fabulous limited edition collaborations. I particularly fell in love with this stylish version.

I bought my first Away bag in one of their stores, and it was only available with the built in battery that you can use to charge your phone. I have to say that I’ve never ever used it. These days you usually have to pop  it out of your suitcase before you board anyway, so what’s the use? Also, when inserted it does take up precious space in the suitcase. So my advice would be to not get the battery.

PS: I usually only use my own photos on this blog, but in this case I pulled images off the Away website since who takes photos of their own luggage? (I guess some people do, but my camera is usually focussed on what I’m eating).

For more information on dining in Italy make sure you download my app EAT ITALY. The app is free, and contains guides to Rome, Venice, Florence as in-app purchases, and completely free guides to regions like Amalfi Coast, Umbria, Puglia and more. Available for iPhone and Android.

And if you’d like to pack up your suitcase and join me in Italy  visit this page to find out more and make sure you are signed up for my monthly newsletter.

 

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hot springs : saturnia

I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s parties. I just don’t see the point of going out on a night that is just so crazy. If we happen to be in Rome then I usually invite a few friends over for dinner and frankly? It’s already an accomplishment if we manage to stay up till midnight. Last year I cooked up a few Russian dishes, which was fun. This year, since most of my friends were out of town, I thought that maybe we should go somewhere too.

The problem was that I came up with this grand idea about 2 weeks before New Year’s. Also? I absolutely didn’t want to get on a plane or drive very far. I also kind of liked the idea of staying in my pyjamas for most of the time. Some place really relaxing. Is that too much to ask for?

Luckily for us one of the great thermal springs in Italy is not that far away. And extra lucky for us, they had room! Although, in typically Italian fashion reserving was not so easy. When I first called the Hotel Terme di Saturnia I was told they had a one week minimum stay requirement this time of year. Not one to give up easily, I wrote an email and was then told they had a 3 night minimum stay. That was more like it. Perfect in fact. I was so happy that I even signed up for the ‘Gala’ dinner on the 31st.

Domenico and I drove up on a crisp clear day from Rome. It’s an easy 2 hour drive and for much of the way we never even saw another car. Saturnia is located in the southern part of Tuscany that much further way from the more touristed areas of Chianti. Soft rolling hills with barely a house to break up the landscape. And every so often a town on a hilltop.

Saturnia is known for its hot springs which date back to Roman times. The hotel where we stayed, Hotel Terme di Saturnia, is located directly over the source of the water, where it bubbles up the hottest, at 37.5 C. The main draw for staying in this hotel is the you get full access to the huge thermal pool, and can basically just wander around in your bathrobe, going in and out of the pool all day long.

I can’t even begin to describe how great this feels. If you are looking for a way to completely soak away your stress, this is it. The hotel provides pool noodles, so you literally can just hang out and soak. The pool is massive and 2 meters deep, so feels very luxuriously empty. And warm. The days we spent there were sunny, but cold. So perfect soaking weather. The part of the day I loved the best was during our last swims, as the sun was setting and the last rays of light were reflected by the steam rising up from the water.

Between soaks we took a few long walks. One day we happened upon the famous outdoor waterfall, located just down the road from our hotel. Here the thermal water runs through a canal and then tumbles down a series of natural pools. It’s a magical place, and on New Year’s Day was full of families soaking in the new year. The waterfall is located in the middle of a field and is completely free to the public. But since it is located quite a bit away from the source, it isn’t as hot as the pool at the hotel. Also? You have to be pretty agile to get in and out. Just saying.

We also took full advantage of the spa at the hotel, where I even convinced Domenico to get massages and a facial and a pedicure!! I think he’s a convert. The spa is one of the best I’ve been to, the staff all very talented and professional. I had various scrubs, facials and some of the best massages I’ve had in Italy. Also, the thermal plankton from the springs is in many of the treatments and I have to say my skin feels great.

As I mentioned we had New Year’s at the ‘gala’ dinner, which was mostly about having fun. They even had circus performers wandering around and the people watching was pretty amusing. The food was fine, and slightly better than I expected from a hotel on New Year’s Eve. The best part was the completely AMAZING fireworks display over the thermal pool at midnight. Although many of the guests watched the display from the pool itself, I chickened out and was bundled up in my winter coat. Still, it was incredible.

Our best meal though,  was in town one night at Ristorante Da Mario. It was freezing cold out, and luckily our table was located right near the open grill in this cozy family run place. Known for it grilled meat, we went for it and ordered a bistecca Fiorentina. Although we knew it was too much, we somehow managed to eat the entire thing.

If you decide to go to Saturnia there are a few ways to do it. We definitely went the luxurious route, by staying in the hotel. By staying here you get full access to the pool all day long.

You can also stay in one of the many agriturismi in the area, and visit the thermal park which is part of the hotel. There are various entrance fees, and the most expensive level  (Club) also grants you access to the upper pool. You can also book treatments in the spa. While we were there I ran into my friend Dana who came for the day from the coast, where she has a house.

Domenico and I stayed in one of the new rooms that had recently been redone, and loved it. But in general, the rest of the hotel is definitely dated and probably needs a redo. Don’t get me wrong, we loved it! But it’s definitely old fashioned. The hotel has been family owned for years, and I think updates were haphazard and quirky. Starhotels ( a small Italian hotel chain) has recently bought it, so I believe more general updates are planned.

But in the meantime, I’m already trying to figure out my next visit there. While it was great being with Domenico, I’m thinking a girls trip next time? Who’s in?

Where we stayed:

Hotel Terme di Saturnia

Terme di Saturnia

58014 Saturnia (GR) Maremma

tel: +39.0564.600111

prenotazioni@termedisaturnia.it

Where we ate:

Ristorante da Mario

Via Giuseppe Mazzzini 18

58014 Saturnia GR

tel: +39.0564.601309

It’s tiny so definitely reserve. They have an outdoor terrace in the summer.

To visit the Thermal Springs at the Terme for the day see this page. It explains all of the various entry ticket prices.

For more information on dining in Italy make sure you download my app EAT ITALY. The app is free, and contains guides to Rome, Venice, Florence as in-app purchases, and completely free guides to regions like Amalfi Coast, Umbria, Puglia and more. Available for iPhone and Android.

And if this trip looks like fun, and you’d like to join me,  visit this page to find out more and make sure you are signed up for my monthly newsletter.

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green minstrone

If you follow me on Instagram, and If it sometimes seems like I am eating a lot, it’s usually because I am. Between food tours and checking out restaurants for my app, there is – more often than not – a big plate of pasta in front of my face. And the holidays? While it’s a delicious time of year, it’s also the perfect storm of too much all day long.

So after a December filled with dinners and parties with friends and family, followed by 48 hours of non stop Christmas meals in Bari, I turned to green minestrone yesterday. This bright green soup filled with winter vegetables was just what my body was craving. Warm, filling and nourishing it in no way feels like the somewhat ‘diet’ food that it is.

I make minestrone all year long, and people are always asking me for a recipe. But minestrone – which literally means ‘big soup’ in Italian – is never really the same from one pot to the next. It not only has to do with what’s in season, but also (at least in my book) how you are feeling. In Rome, the vegetable vendors prepare and sell bags of pre-cut vegetables ready to go. It’s always a mix of exactly what is in season. In the summer you’ll see chunks of peppers and zucchini. In the winter cabbage and carrots show up. Other items that can’t really be diced ahead, like potatoes and onions, are left to the discretion of the cook.

There are always some sort of greens. Swiss chard in the summer, cabbage or kale in the winter. And tomatoes are usually a component as well, either fresh if you can get good ones, or even a can of pelati if you can’t. The tomatoes add acidity but also a certain sweetness.

But my favourite time of year for making minestrone is now. And I go for the green. I don’t really have a recipe in terms of what to include, but I do have things I definitely leave out. No tomatoes or carrots (too sweet). Definitely no bell peppers or zucchini (not anyway near in season).

And for my more ‘healthy’ version of this soup, I tend to leave out starchy additions like potatoes or beans. But as you can see from my plate full of soup above and below, I did end up adding a few pieces of stale bread. While soups like ribolita and pappa al pomodoro add bread to the soup as one of the ingredients, and cook until it completely thickens the broth, a much easier way to use of stale bread is to simply break it directly into your bowl. This way everyone can control how much they add, and it also retains some of it’s breadiness, which I like. Don’t confuse these with fried or baked croutons. These breads bits are meant to thicken the soup and add body.

Here is my list of ingredients that was basically what looked best at my market yesterday: fennel , broccoli, cavolo romano, parsley, celery, onion, garlic, spinach.

And really, that’s it. You basically chop it all up, cover with water (no broth) and salt. It couldn’t be easier. I also added a parmigiano rind because I had it. At the end, I puree about half. Then, when it’s in the bowl, you should definitely add a generous swirl of your best olive oil, some grated parmigiano

Print
Green Minestrone

Prep 15 mins

Cook 45 mins

Total 60 mins

Yield 8

This minestrone is all about green. Yes, you can add other veggies, but then it won’t taste like this version. 

Ingredients

1 large fennel bulb
1 medium head of broccoli
1 medium head of cavolo Romano (if you can’t find you can substitute regular cauliflower)
A handful of parsley
1 stalk celery
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced finely
Salt
1 parmigiano rind
juice of 1/2 lemon
Grated parmigiano for serving
Extra virgin olive oil for serving
Stale bread, torn up in pieces



Instructions

Roughly chop all the vegetables into bite sized pieces (about half inch). Add to large pot and cover with water by about 1 inch. Add about 2 tsp of salt and parmigiano rind.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 45 minutes.

Right before serving, remove the cheese rind and add the spinach. Adding the spinach at the very last minute increases the green hue of the soup. Let simmer about 4 minutes more, until the spinach is wilted.

Turn off heat, and add the lemon juice. Using an immersible blender, puree about half of the soup. You want to thicken the broth, but still have chunks. Taste and adjust for seasoning. But keep in mind you’ll add grated cheese in the plate, so that will add salt. Add more lemon juice if you’d like.

Ladle into bowls and top with a swirl of your best olive oil, and grated parmigiano. If you’d like, you can also add torn stale bread. (I like!)

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Holiday Biscotti

Much to the disappointment of my family, I am not a baker by nature. I am not a precise person when it comes to cooking, and so following a recipe down to the last 1/4 teaspoon is not usually my idea of fun. A simple crostata is my go to kind of dessert. Easy to make and hard to screw up, it’s immensely forgiving to the forgetful cook (although there was that one time I grabbed salt instead of sugar…)

Which means that this time of year I am mostly an observer of the holiday cooking baking frenzy that seems to take over people’s lives. I just step back and watch. Sadly, I don’t really have any of these frenzied cooking baking friends in my immediate vicinity, so no one is giving me any either.

But this article from my friend Susan made me want to push myself. Talk about aspirational baking. I mean really, no wonder they gave her the centerfold of the cooking section of the NYTimes. Susan’s cookies are like little works of art. And I’m sure they taste as good as they look. While I may fantasize about marbling dark and light tahini, or mixing icing to hues that rival Ellsworth Kelly, I am realistic in knowing I will probably frantically bake off a few dozen of my much easier biscotti the night day before our holiday party.

If you are as talented as Susan, then go for it! But if you are more like me, then here are a few of my favorite biscotti recipes. None are specifically Christmas cookies, but they are mostly combinations of nuts, sugar, butter and flour. And so perfectly acceptable holiday time cookie fare. None of them are difficult. All of them are delicious.

These Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti from my most recent book are crunchy, chocolatey and darkly elegant.

The cookie version of my crostata is here.

I love both of these hazelnut biscotti recipes from my friend Mona’s classic book Biscotti.

Although these almond cookies make me think more Easter than Christmas, they are easy, delicious and if you put a candied cherry on top, very festive.

And if are looking for more cookie inspiration, then do what I do and visit David or Dorrie‘s websites. Or better yet, buy their books.

If you are looking for more entertaining inspiration and recipes make sure you have my book The Italian Table: Creating Festive Meals for Family and Friends.

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Trusted Sources for Olive Oil

This is the time of year when I get a lot of questions asking about where people can find olive oil to buy. I’ve written about olive oil a lot in the past, including lots of blog posts including this one from 2016 which lists many of my most trusted resources for buying olive oil in the states. There is also an entire chapter on olive oil, and my own history growing our own, in my book Eating My Way Through Italy.

One of the things that has changed over the last few years is that it is getting easier and easier to buy olive oil directly from producers here in Italy. This is due to the fact that a new generation of farmers is now more familiar with concepts like ‘computers’ and ‘websites’ (!) Also? Rather than depend on the vagaries of the Italian postal system (no comment) a lot of producers have worked out shipping deals with companies that allow fast, secure and not exorbitantly expensive shipping to the states.

Today being Cyber Monday, it seemed like a good time to update my olive oil cheat sheet list to include some of these local Italian companies as well as the importers I know and trust. (Actually, I only just realised that this was Cyber Monday after having written this post! But whatever!) One word of warning: be patient with some of the Italian websites. Remember that these are mostly farmers so the website order thing is new and a bit clunky.

Olive Oil Sources in the USA

Formaggio Kitchen

Gustiamo (you can also find the Italian Table Gift Basket here) Also: I just got an email that Gustiamo is offering free shipping for today only! Use this code: Cyberissimo )

Zingermans

Market Hall Foods (for some reason the website is down, but will add it when it’s back up)

Manicaretti (Wholesale)

Olio2Go

Frantoi

Order direct from these olive oil producers in Italy

Montioni (also wine) from Umbria

Madonna del Latte (also wine) from Umbria

Agricola Due Leone from Lazio

Exau Olive Oil from Calabria

Michel’Angelo from Campania

And just for fun, here’s a short video which should get you in the mood.

And for even more fun, another video (one of the first I ever made!) from 2012. You can see how much the process has changed in such a short time.

If you’d like to learn more about olive oil join us for one of our Week in Italy tours. We always dedicate one day to learning about olive oil whether we are in Umbria, Puglia or Sicily. See this page to find out more.

And if you’d like to see more of my food videos, please visit my YouTube Channel and hit ‘SUBSCRIBE’.

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