Pasta For Two

  Last spring when we were here in Umbria, I bought a pasta making board and a nice long pasta rolling pin, called a 'matterello' in Italian. I weenied out and never used them....

  This year, Johnny threatened to leave me FOREVER...if I didn't try them out, so  finally did, and the results were pretty damn awesome.

  My first try at tagliatelle here at The Nut with said instruments were a solid B+... Maybe even an A!

Just enough ingredients for two portions...2 eggs and 200 grams of flour.

Flour ready for eggs on my wooden pasta board.

Two farm fresh eggs from just down the way...

Mix it all up with fork...then start kneading by hand.

  I learned the hard way last year...don't knead the dough too long! I tried to make cavatelli, and it ended up like little rocks, once cooked. 

  This time, I just kneaded the dough for about five minutes, then let it rest for only another 5-10 minutes. Also, I didn't put it in the fridge to rest, just on the counter.

Good to let rest.

  I rolled the dough out really thin with my rolling pin. Thin enough to "flutter' when  lifted a corner and blew under it. This is a secret I learned watching a zillion episodes of 'Pasta Grannies' on You Tube...A must watch!

Me in my small but mighty Umbrian kitchen.
Pasta just about ready to cut. See my cool pasta board?

  Next, I floured the dough so it wouldn't stick, then I rolled one side towards the other side, then rolled the other side. 

  Get it?

  Next, I cut it in strips...

  Then you 'fluff' the strips out and dust them with more flour so they don't stick...

Pasta!!!

  I made four little pasta nests, and set them on a clean dish towel to dry out a bit.

Tagliatelle!

  Ta-Da! Perfect with a nice sauce. In this case, a store bought red pepper and parmesan sauce that was so perfect with this pasta.

  I have to say, the pasta took way less than an hour to make, start to finish, including clean-up. In fact, I made an even better second batch this evening. I'm thrilled to finally be doing this again!
  A perfect way to kill an hour while waiting for a storm to pass over! Plus, Johnny was so happy.
  Yay!

A Visit To Lago di Bolsena

  Last week we took an overnight road trip to south western Tuscany to visit some small villages I'd always wanted to see...

  My last post is about our first day in the area, and on day two we got up and out early to drive back home. We went a different route home in order to visit Lago di Bolsena, a large lake in the area...another place I've wanted to see for years.

  This gorgeous lake did not disappoint...On first view, I could tell it was very different from our nearby Lago Trasimeno...

First glimpse of Lago di Bolsena...

  This lake is very deep and clear, with black 'volcanic' sand along the bottom and shoreline.

  We stopped at several places along the shore. I imagine this place is a zoo when it's hot. During the summer I'm certain people are all around, swimming, soaking up the sun, etc.

  It's beautiful, blue and cold!

  There are two uninhabited, private islands on the lake, as well as some lovely little villages. We really enjoyed our slow drive around...

One of the islands...

...the other island.

  Of course we stopped for some late morning proseco!

  We took time to stroll into Marta, one of the villages right on the lake.

Really pretty town, with a nice harbor.

  We wound way up the hill, the best way to get back home, and enjoyed the view from the top.

Here, you can really see how far up we went. It was so cool to see the lake from this angle!

  The whole area is well known for hiking...

  Before heading on our way, I had to stop for this last photo...a few gnomes for my photo collection.

I just can't help myself sometimes...

  All in all, a wonderful trip. Perfect weather really made it special.

Pitigliano Side Trip

  A few days ago, we went to Pitigliano, a village in the southern part of Tuscany. I've always wanted to explore this area, and see this town in particular. I was intrigued by the fact that the village was built on the top of a 'tufa' hill...with caves that were dug out in the time of the Etruscans.

  AND...it has the remains of a Roman aqueduct! Who wouldn't want to visit?

Pretty impressive...

This is part of the aqueduct, with a beautifully blooming redbud below.

More aqueduct!

  The views from town were incredible...

I enjoyed seeing and hearing this waterfall below the village...

 There weren't many people around, so walking the streets was a treat...

  I really enjoyed the details around this lovely hill town. We lucked out with beautiful weather, too.

  There are three main streets with lots of shops. Some local artisans, markets with yummy food items, arts and crafts...also shops for the locals. It's a lively town, but I liked getting off the main drag and exploring the back streets and alleys.
  I especially liked these colorful doors and gardens...

  We spent the night, and I'm so glad we did. The evening light was stunning...

  We had a very simple dinner, which was tasty.

A wonderful mix of sheep and goat cheeses was a perfect first course.

House made 'pici' was perfect with a spicy red sauce.

  After dinner we took a last stroll before bed...

  I really wanted to see the view of town with the lights...

It was a perfect getaway!