Live Pronto!: Cooking At Home In Umbria

Well, I have really been making up for lost time with the cooking at home, now that we are all settled, and feeling great. My biggest thrill is going to the weekly market to see whats looking good, and also what's available that I will never get at home. There seems to be something new every week as the weather gets warmer and a little more stable.

I have had a massive craving for eggs, which I guess is from the lack of eating while having the flu. My system is ticking right along, and it wants protein! I love the eggs here...the color of the yolks is unreal, as the chickens are almost all pasture fed. A recent dinner was a warm salad of cannellini beans, celery, spring onion and cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes were tossed in at the last minute, so they maintained a nice texture. I served it with boiled eggs on the side. Simple and perfect.

A little salt & pepper, a drizzle of olive oil.....mmmmmm.

While having a glass of wine at Bar Gallo recently, Aldo brought us a plate of fresh fava beans and young pecorino cheese. We loved this treat so much, that when we left for home, we had to stop and buy more fava beans to have with the pecorino from Fontemanna we already had at the apartment. Again, salt, pepper and olive oil to make a perfect starter.

Pecorino cheese from our favorite cheese shop, fava from the local market.

It's all the buzz now...the wild asparagus from the woods and fields in the area. We tried some last year, and the taste is like what we get in the States, but on steroids. The flavor is huge. Perfect to have with eggs, and a classic combo for Spring. I tried to come up with something different this time.

First, I cleaned and chopped the slim fellows...

Super thin, super flavorful. The texture can be a little rough, depending on size.

Next, into a pot with a little olive oil and just a touch of garlic...some water to "steam" them....

While the asparagus cooked up, I put on water for some penne pasta.

Next, I took day old bread, now "crunchy", and smashed it into bread crumbs. I tossed a good amount of olive oil into a pan with a mess of diced garlic, and added the bread crumbs. As soon as they browned, I took them off the heat and set them aside in a bowl.

As the pasta and asparagus continued to cook, I grated parmesan and added it to the bread crumbs. A lot of parmesan. Salt and pepper, toss until well mixed. This was set aside.

Good, no matter what you do with it.
I should package this stuff.

Okey dokey... Now to the eggs. Just fry those babies up to order. For us, medium. Yolks not too runny.

Of course I use good European unsalted butter here.

Put it all together.... Penne pasta tossed with wild asparagus, topped with a fried egg and parmesan bread crumbs.

A wonderful Spring supper.

Don't scrimp on the bread crumbs!!!! Important texture component!

One day, after another stop at Fontemanna, we had a sweet lunch.

Soft, fresh pecorino...almost like a fresh mozzarella, only saltier, served with this huge heirloom tomato from the market, chopped, and a wonderful whole grain bread we bought at a food festival in Paciano. It's hard to find whole grain breads here, and I wish I had bought more, even just to freeze for later in the month.

We hear that the German woman that makes this bread is planning to open a shop soon, in nearby Colgiordano. We will look for it next year. She will do a boom business with all the expats craving these types of breads.

So..... I had been seeing this one vegetable at the markets that sort of looks like broccoli rabe, but way more wild and "from the field". All the grandmas are buying this stuff by the bunches, so I had to try it.

I asked the guy at the stand selling it...how do you prepare? He gave me the basics on cleaning and cooking, and I was good to go.

Super simple with a touch of olive oil, onion, red pepper flakes and garlic, of course....

My one big mistake here...I threw so much away in the cleaning. It just seemed like it would be too rough and tough...had I known it would cook down into a soft and almost creamy texture after only a few minutes....ah, well. I will buy this again, because the flavor is awesome!
I knew I wanted to do a frittata with this veg, and that's the direction I took...Remember, I'm craving those eggs!

Lovely organic eggies.

A slam dunk, super easy dish... just cook down the veggies, toss in the whisked eggs and let set on top of the stove before adding parmesan to top it off and broil in the oven until browned a little bit.