In Spello, Wild Green Goodness

To welcome spring, a group of Spello’s ristoranti and trattorie feted wild greens, offered two days of tasting menus highlighted with the goodness growing on the slopes of Mt. Subasio and in the fields fanning out below.

The menus for the Spello festa were posted on the Net, each tasting menu just 20 Euro per person, including un calice di vino. But how to choose which of the enticements? I opted for the menu of Ristorante Il Molino – and what a feast.

We started off with a flan of mixed wild greens and millet, topped with a creamy pecorino (sheep’s milk cheese) fondue and slivered almonds.

[lcaption]…and friend, Judy, voted “buonissimo!”[/lcaption]

Our jocular waiter, Gianni, then served us the strangozzi al pesto di cassette e guanciale (thick spaghetti with a pesto of casselle – Mediterranean area wild green with yellow flowers – and pork cheek)

[lcaption]Casselle[/lcaption]

Another winning dish. By this time, we were sure we’d never be able to take on the final course – but how to resist that grilled Umbrian sausage on cheesebread with wild greens and tempting side sauces?

And the feast continued: Gianni brought us a taste of pasta non on the “tasters’ menu” as I had told him I loved all pastas with winter squash: lasagne with winter squash and broccoli:

Just another reason we’ll be sure to return to Ristorante Il Molino.

….and I wish that rural friends, Gina and Peppa – both appassioned foragers of wild greens – had shared in that erba campagnola feast.

[lcaption]..and thanks to Janet Eidem for her photo of Gina, “wild greens forager,” just back from the fields[/lcaption]

[lcaption]Peppa on the hunt for wild chicory[/lcaption]

Read about Peppa and wild greens
Read about the small village near Spello, Collepino, also celebrating the wild greens during this festival time
Read about Spello’s stunning festival
You can see the winning 2016 Infiorate on the official website here: http://infioratespello.it
For more on the Infiorate, see: http://www.italiannotebook.com/events/flowers-passione/
Read about – and see! – the floral passione of the spellani
Read about the origins of Le Infiorate
Read more on Spello floral passion
Read about the pre-Infiorate floral dinner
Read about Assisi’s floral passion
Read another note on Assisi’s infiorate
Read about Italian passione lived in the festivals
Read about the Infiorate created for Pope Francis’ visit to Assisi
To see all the photos of the 2016 Infiorate, click here
Read more about Gina here
Read about a family group’s “favorite day in Italy”
Click here to read about – and see!- the splendid restoration of Spello’s medieval tower