A Warm Winter at Peppa’s

It was an icy January day outside but warmth enveloped in Peppa’s house. And it wasn’t just the warmth of the wood stove where Pino toasted us la bruschetta

…nor the warmth of the steam rolling up out of the enormous pot where Peppa was making us spaghetti..

It was the warmth of Peppa herself. Perceptible. A huge portion of her embracing warmth served with whatever she cooks. Sprinkled on the spaghetti with the Parmesan, it seems.

And what a buonissimo sauce on the pasta she made for us yesterday: a meat sauce seasoned with rabbit she’d raised.

..and her red wine to accompany, logicamente:

Peppa also put on the table a bowl of her olives with wild fennel and orange peel, the Umbrian way of seasoning olives.

Steamed broccoli from her garden sautéed in olive oil and garlic was our tasty side dish:

Like Peppa (but not as expertly as her!), we used a bit of bread to wipe the sauce from the pasta dish, thus preparing it for the broccoli. Fare la scarpetta (“make the little slipper”) is the rural way to efficiently use for more than one course the single dish each in the farm family probably had.

We were too satiated for dessert so Peppa insisted on sending us home the frittelle she had made to see in Carnevale. Her pup, Ringo, looked wistfully at the bag of treats.