June 2008
Kathryn
Italy
Italy was a blast. It is always a joy to go, but this time I had 2 weeks of restful lounging in the hills near Sorbello Castle at a working organic farm. In the evening you could hear the bells on the sheep as they ambled down the hillside for feeding. And in the morning, we were greeted with a basket of fresh eggs, or a bag of fresh picked plums or heads of lettuce the size of small cars. My companions were long time friends from San Francisco who share the whole slow food/slow travel ethos. So, we were simpatico.
Our hosts -- Alfredo Anitory and Cristine Coudray -- have been working the land for 30 years. After meeting in Rome at university, they packed up and bought 100+ hectares in the hills and over time have created La Capannine Sommavilla, a farm that supports an agritourismo (vacation home), an organic restaurant and a small gourmet shop offering local organic products like honey, wine, lentils, pasta, jams, cheese, etc. What an auspicious hook up to start a foodie's vacation.
There are so many food festivals and events during the summer. We had just missed the Sagra di Pesce (Fish Festival) in Calzolaro. As luck would have it, the day I arrived there was an International Food Market being held in Perugia. Melchiorre and Dana picked me up at the airport, and we toodled off. Vendors were set up in huge field on the outskirts of town. Cheese makers, salami makers, candy makers, Pasta vendors, mustard and marmalade makers... all mixed in with hand made soaps, wood and copper work, and the standard market products like silly t-shirts and kitchen gear. Dana found homemade licorice. Not the gummy kind we know, but a shiny black block the size of pony keg. The woman manning the booth used a small hammer to chip off bits to fill a small bag. It looked like coal and tastes as bitter as oil. This is the real deal licorice - not for the faint of heart.
There were a number of cheesemakers from the north. Since my friends were arriving late from Rome, I promised to do a little grocery shopping to stock the house. With so much to choose from it was a tough choice but we ended up with a fresh gorgonzola (for figs) and a few very nice pecorino cheeses -- a pecorino stagionato (aged), a pecorino fresco, and a pecorino rubbed with sage. Melchiorre got to chatting with one of the cheesemakers from the north. He was also selling a lovely homemade salami. I added that to the larder.
For lunch we chose a German stand and a selection of grilled sausages, with wine, of course. Melchiorre, Dana and I sat under the umbrellas munching and sharing from our plates until it was time to meander home.
Norcia - Home of the Pig
In the two years I lived in Umbria, I never made it into the Sybilline Mountains to Norcia nor Castelluccio. Known for its beauty... the craggy Sybilline cup small towns in its valleys and plains, offering sweeping views of wildflower-covered plains and snowy ridges. Norcia, one of its largest towns, is known for a number of local craft and farm products. Chief among them are black truffles and the wares of the norcerini, makers of salamis and cured pork products. Castelluccio, a nearby town, is the home of the eponymous lentils.
Steve, being a parishioner of great enthusiasm at the altar of pork, was enthused to say the least about a trip South to Norcia. Umbria is not huge, but since there are no direct routes through the mountains, we packed some snacks and headed south to Spoleto then east into the Vallo di Nera. At first we road along narrow gorges and valleys with steep, treed slopes but as we approached Norcia, the valleys opened up and we were treated to a paintbox of colors... stripes of red, yellow, white and blue in the fields and the easy slopes. Norcia itself is an ancient pre-Roman settlement. Devastated a few times by earthquakes, they no longer build anything over two stories. Sprung from the car after a long drive, we were thrilled to wander in the old walled town.
Norcia was full of salumi vendors. Cartoons of pigs danced merrily outside while hairy, stuffed wild boar were mounted (whole and head alone) on the doorsteps. To sate ourselves, we stopped in the first shop inside the gate to get an eyeful of salamis and cheeses, pastas, lentils and other forest goods. After much sniffing and considering, we bought 4 types of salumi (including culoni di mulo arranged in 2 large sacks), a nice pecorino cheese, lentils, and a shrink wrapped packet of black truffles. The truffles were a bit past their prime, but still, with a fresh pasta, we anticipated a good meal.
Pasta Fresca, Pasta Festa
Thomas has been adamant that we needed to make fresh pasta. He is an old hand… a few years back when he was visiting me here, we went to a Melchiorre extravaganza and Thomas transported by the idea of making his own pasta. Once back home in Germany, he started experimenting. On this trip, he really wanted to make pasta with Melchiorre and refine his technique. There are always questions... "did I remember this properly, how long do I knead, is my texture right, do you add salt?" Unfortunately, the Amore Sapore team was so busy they could not come and play. But knowing the chef has its perks. We borrowed Melchiorre’s pasta machine and set about making our own tagliatelle. Thomas, resident expert, dove right in... to the elbows. (To see the 23 step process and check out the short video, go to my flickr site.)
The mixing was a delicate operation. You needed to whittle away at the well wall without breaking through. While Thomas mixed, I shored up the walls. Once everything was combined and he could begin kneading, we were on a roll. Literally.
Thomas was very comfortable with the old crank machine. Its exactly what he bought in Germany. He split the dough into three balls, held 2 under a slightly damp cloth while he worked with the other... feed, crank, fold, feed, crank, fold until the texture was consistently smooth, no cracks, no tears. As he fed the pasta through the machine to be cut, we arranged the handfuls of cut pasta into little nests under a damp cloth. A lobster pot full of water was coming to a boil. Steve, Stef and Mina were setting the table outside on the veranda overlooking the meadow and the valley. Sally sliced tomatoes and mozzarella for a gorgeous insalata caprese – fresh tomatoes and basil, buffalo mozzarella, fresh pepper, a touch of salt and a drizzle of deep green Umbrian olive oil. Meravigliosa!
The cooked pasta was tossed with a light touch of olive oil. At the table we grated the truffles and freshly grated parmesan cheese over each bowl. What an aroma…
We sat outside and ate fresh pasta while the sun set. Sipping wine and eating fresh pasta with your amici... what more is there?
Go to www.umbrianadventure.com for more Italian adventures and information as to how you can have your own food and wine tour in Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio.
