Italy is art, history, stunning landscape, warm and welcoming people – and food. An integral part of lifestyles here, as varied as the terrain and the hill towns, the culinary wonders of Italy vary region to region – and even town to town.
Ingredients (for 4 – 5 persons): about 1/4 cup each of four cheeses: gorgonzola, groviera (gruyère – or Emmenthal, Swiss cheese), pecorino romano, a mild cheese milk, q. b. (“quanto basta” or “ as much as you need”) – roughly a glassful salt, pepper, q. b. penne or rigatoni pasta (1 lb for every 5 persons) Put pasta water on to boil…
Ingredients (for 4 – 5 persons): spaghetti (1 lb for every 5 persons) Parmesan, grated (q. b. ie, “quanto basta” – or “as much as you need”) salt, pepper, q. b. Extra-vigin olive oil, q. b. eggs, organic if possible – 1 for every 2 persons (if small, one per person) prosciutto – 2 or 3 slices, diced…
Bucatini is very thick spaghetti – with a hole or buco – in the middle. Here in Umbria, we would use the strangozzi – thick spaghetti, made with just flour and water – also called in Umbrian dialect strozzapreti or “priest-chokers” – well, as Cardinal Ugo Poletti once lamented, “The Italians are Catholic but anti-clerical at…
for about 4-6 persons Ingredients: 1 lb maccheroni (or penne or rigatoni) 1 lb very ripe Roma tomatoes 4-5 leaves of fresh basil 1 bell pepper oregano grated pecorino cheese olive oil salt Cook whole tomatoes in pan with basil leaves, a small pugno of salt, about 1 T of olive oil – covered pan…
In the years we worked the land in Umbria, the stamina of the farm women astounded me. Not only did they work the land with the men, before heading to the fields they rapidly prepared abundant multi-course meals for lunchtime for the farmhands. “Il sugo del contadino” (“the farmer’s sauce”, though it should be called “the farmwoman’s…
for about 4 persons, abundant portions! Ingredients: 1 lb bucatini pasta (thick spaghettini with a tiny hole – “buco”) … or use penne or rigatoni 3 small bell peppers, one red, one yellow, one green olive oil 2 garlic cloves 2 anchovies under oil white wine 2 T of tomato sauce broth (fine to use…
Ingredients (for 4 persons): fava beans – about 3 c 1 white onion 2 slices of Italian pancetta or guanciale (pork cheek) olive oil , q. b. (“quanto pasta” or “as much as you need”) salt, q. b. tomato sauce – about 2 liters pecorino cheese, q. b. pasta, penne or rigatoni (Hint: use 1 lb of pasta for every 5 persons) Cook fava beans til…
(NB Norcia, in the mountains of southeastern Umbria, is noted for its sausages – as well as for prosciutto, capocollo and other pork derivatives, see article.) Ingredients: (for 4) 1 lb penne or rigatoni pasta 3-4 Umbrian (and ONLY Umbrian!) sausages – (and if not attainable, use about 1/2 lb ground pork meat, adding to…
Ingredients (for 5-6 persons): about 1 lb of rigatoni (or penne) pasta a head of broccoli 2 – 3 garlic cloves olive oil (1/2 c – or more) pecorino cheese (sharper than Parmesan) salt (q.b. i.e., “quanto basta” or “as much as you need”) chili pepper (optional: anchovies) Cut the broccoli into flowerets and wash. Cook…
for about 6 persons Another one of our favorite Umbrian pasta recipes made with peas. Note: bacon is a poor substitue for pancetta, the Italian “bacon” which is salt-cured, not smoked (as is bacon)… so… for best flavor, splurge on pancetta. Ingredients: 1lb-12 oz. can of whole tomatoes 2 c. peas (fresh if possible… otherwise,…