Dreaming Of Meals To Come...Soon!

  In just a few days, we'll be packing our bags and heading to Umbria. As usual, Mr. J and I have been  doing our pre-Italy dieting, getting ourselves ready to chow down with gusto after we arrive.

  I'm looking forward to the simple fare I'll fix at home...

Tomatoes with beans and pecorino.
Wonderful in front of the fire.

Typical lunch on the terrace.

Yolanda's market has the best little tomatoes!

Grilled veg for a potluck with our landlord, Carlo.

We eat lots, lots, lots of tomatoes with pecorino.
Here, paired with onion and sage 'pizza' from the town bakery.

Another tasty salad on the terrace.

I'm not kidding...it never gets old!

I can whip out a pretty damn good risotto, too.

Charred shishito peppers were great with parmesan in the summer.
And a surprise to find at the Chiusi weekly market!

  As nice as it is to fix meals at home, we always look for somewhere new to try at lunch time. In July, we heard about this place that we didn't get to until November. It's another of the 'working man' lunch spots that are often only open on weekdays, and are outstanding.
  Again, except for the staff, I was the only woman in the place. That's how these rough and ready places are. See lots of cars and working vehicles parked outside? That's a good sign.
  Fine with me...I can't wait to go back.

  I knew we were in for a treat when I took a peek at a side dining room, and saw tables covered in fresh pasta set out to dry a bit before cutting.

No kidding.

It was beautiful sight to behold, my friends.

Wine and water, of course...

  

The fellow who told us about this place said we had to try the 'pici alla briciole', a speciality of the house. Hand made pasta with breadcrumbs...wow. Not for the light eater, I'll tell you that. 

  But, damn...it was good.

Yes, those breadcrumbs were toasted in lots...LOTS..of olive oil and garlic.
Fantastic.

Really good grilled veg.

Perfectly fine ceci beans, but not for this meal.
We couldn't finish them. They would be great with grilled meat.

  Don't even try to ask me where this place is. It goes in our little black book of places we want to keep hidden away. 

  There are lots of tasty treats I'm dying to get back to....

Piadini at Bar Gallo....

Suppli at Supplizio in Rome....

Fried porcini at Dardano in Cortona....

Tagliatelle with truffles...here at Da Suaro on Isola Maggiore...

More truffles with ravioli... somewhere?
I can't remember, honest.

Pappa al pomodoro...a summer treat at Masolino's.
Tomato and bread soup. Yummy.

My favorite salad of buffalo mozzarella and zucchini.
Bar Gallo.

  Lastly, because you just can't get it like this anywhere else...
  Pizza at Remo, in Rome. We will actually stay over night, at any cost, to delight in this 4.50 euro pizza.

Yep, it's that good.

  Counting the days/hours.....

Il Tempo...A Favorite In Tavernelle

  There are so many options when it comes to having a meal "out" here in Umbria. We love to have a nice lunch out, and then a very light, if any, dinner. To tell the truth, dinner is often a few small treats at Bar Gallo... bruschetta, chips, olives.... whatever is on offer with a glass or two of wine. 

  

  What we have come to love over the years are the "tavola calda", or hot table restaurants. I have written about these places before, here, and we are still big fans.

  A favorite has become Il Tempo, just outside of Tavernelle, a town about 15 minutes away from Panicale, in the valley.

  We ate here once last year, at the end of our stay...but this year we have become regulars for lunch. Il Tempo is located on the SS220, just a few kilometers east of Tavernelle on the way to Perugia. Look for it on the right hand side of the road on your way out of town.

Il Tempo, located on the SS220,east of Tavernelle. Well worth a visit! 

  Since I'm always on the lookout for another tavola calda, I noticed this one by the sign above the door. When we went the first time, we were so happy to see the many vegetarian choices available.

  The lovely Olympia, who I believe owns the place, and does the cooking, is such a delightful young woman. She speaks English very well, which is always nice, and has a very good way with her customers.

  When we have stopped for lunch, there seems to be a nice group of regulars. Lots of working folks stopping in for a hot lunch...suits and ties as well as dirty jeans and workbooks. Very much a local place. 

A typical plate of vegetarian treats from Olympia's kitchen.
Johnny is in love with the "suppli", little fried rice balls stuffed with cheese.
 How can this be bad? Oh, It's not...

  There is always something new I want to try, and we let Olympia just fix plates for us...it's always yummy....

The balsamic roasted little onions have been my favorite lately.
We both love the stuffed eggplant and squash....it's all good!

  Right after I got over my stomach flu, early in the trip, I wanted to go to Il Tempo and really eat up. We hardly ever have dessert, but I was feeling brave, and we went for it. I had the warm, home made and utterly awesome apple strudel......with cream, of course...

  

Johnny had tiramisu, which was also very fine. Always. I have grown most fond of tiramisu, I have to say.

  So, we usually just get a mixed plate of what ever Olympia brings to us, but I recently was in the mood for pasta, and she recommended the pasta rosa, or pasta in a pink sauce. 

  Olympia let me know that the sauce was home made, and it is wonderful. Sweet, creamy and just enough spice to give it that little kick of heat. I will crave this sauce in the coming months, and look forward to coming back for it next year.

The unassuming looking, yet incredibly tasty pink sauce.

  This same visit, Johnny branched out a bit, too, by ordering the faro salad. It had lots of fresh veggies and some nice little chunks of local cheese. I would try to make this at home, for sure.

  

I know we will return again and again to Il Tempo....the atmosphere is local, comfortable, and friendly to the extreme. We feel at home here now, and that's so nice. The entire staff is easy, attentive and so welcoming.

  And the food is always so good. We just know that everything is made fresh and with care. There are many veggie things to try, and I have a good idea that the meat eaters out there will be happy, too.

  For me, a plate like the one here, is a little taste of heaven.

This day featured an amazingly great ceci bean salad. Lots of rosemary, and so good.

  We both give thumbs held high up for Il Tempo...If you find yourself in the area, just go for it. You will not regret it.

  Thanks,Olympia! We'll be back soon!!

More Tasty Memories

  It's no big secret, I love the food in Italy. Every time I get into a conversation about our trips, it's only a matter of moments before the inevitable "What about the food?" question comes up. Before weather, before lodging, before flights...it always comes down to the food experiences. 

  Hey, I get it. I'm pretty much all about the food. Thank god I have a good walking regime while there....if not, I would be rolling myself back home, no doubt about it. Hmmm...not a bad idea, since I do hate flying...? Think on it, Janelle.....

  Anyway-

  I enjoy cooking wherever we are stay, for sure, but I also love going on our little day trips, eye always out for some little spot to stop for lunch. Umbria is full of little towns, which always have one or more cafe, osteria, trattoria or ristorante. The bigger cities have lots of options. We never strike out, it seems.

  Just down the road in Paciano, we had our second lunch at La Loggetta, an osteria we tried on our last trip in 2011, which I wrote about here. We knew there was a festa going on, so we walked over with the plan of another nice meal. We found out that La Loggetta has changed hands a few times in the last several years, and has mixed reviews from the locals, but we enjoyed both of our visits. We were thrilled to see they had a special of artichokes served five ways. We were in!

  We started with a nice cheese platter, including some decadent fried cheeses..really, who could resist? Don't answer that.

Cheeses to have with a nice crisp Umbrian white wine, and crunchy bread...

  So after luscious bites and sips, we moved onto the artichokes...

From the left, creamy artichoke soup, artichoke stuffed with cheese & breadcrumbs, artichoke braised and served
with balsamic reduction, artichoke frittata, and  crunchy fried artichokes....

  We shared these two starters, so of course we needed a little pasta for energy to walk home. We both had the house special that day, house made umbricelli with rape, sort of like broccoli rabe, a nice bitter green sautéed with lemon and lots of garlic. A generous sprinkle of pecorino, and done.

Sitting on the terrace, so fine!

  I have also written about my love of the Tavola Calda, a sort of buffet style place to have lunch, or take away, only so much better. And inexpensive, which is always a plus. This year we had our eyes peeled for any sign of these, wanting to try some place new. We did, and also we went back to the places we tried last year. I would love to open a place like this somewhere close to home. Walking distance would be sweet.

  The place below is just outside of Tavernelle, down the hill from Panicale. This is the sign you are looking for, my friends. Don't be put off if it looks like a bar, or cafeteria, just give it a go, and head on in. Most likely you will be the only non-local there, as these places are usually filled with workers of all types on lunch break.

Nothing too fancy,  but full of good, home cooked yumminess.

  We can always count on good vegetarian options, and usually quite a few of them. The veg dishes are considered sides to the main event, which is a pasta or meat dish. But we'll just ask for a plate of "verdure miste", mixed vegetables, and see what we get. Or, there will be certain casserole type dishes we can point to and ask if they are vegetarian. It's a great way to push through the language "comfort zone", and try to use new vocabulary.

  

A typical mix of warm veggies..served with a basket of bread on the side.

  We decided to try the rice and zucchini dish they had here, too. Not risotto, but really good. We shared the veggies, and each had a little of the rice. It was warm and just rich enough. Love the glistening olive oil.....

We love that these are the "fast food" lunch stops of the town. 

Grilled and marinated veggies along with a stuffed tomato. Another day, another lunch.

This place had a super nice mix of casserole dishes, and we tried several of them. This was in Arezzo.

A favorite place in Tavernelle, Il Capriccio, that we have been to several times...we like the young man behind the counter, Lorenzo. This was a first stop this year!

At Il Capriccio, we also tried this baked pasta with baby artichokes.

The place below, which I am afraid I do not know the name of, was tucked down a side street in Citta di Castello. It was a nice day, and we were able to sit outside.
   It seemed very popular, and had a lot of office type workers in for lunch. I am always astounded at the big plates of pasta, followed by a meat course that the locals put away during lunch. I would want nothing but a nice long nap afterwards. I suppose that is exactly the purpose of the quick shot of espresso at the end....

A fabulous find in Citta di Castello. A place known for it's massive steaks, we had a wonderful veg meal here.

At "Faliero", now a favorite stop for us near the lake. Always too much food! We share, at least....
The "sandwich" is Johnny's idea of heaven.."Torta al Testo" is a traditional Umbrian dish.

  This year we made it to Pellicano. We had driven by this spot between Panicale and Castiglione del Lago many, many times, but never tried it. Our friend, Katia had told us it was good. Now that we know, we'll be regulars, too!
  It is a wacky scene, long communal tables everywhere, really great and helpful wait staff, and fantastic pizzas at great prices. The pastas look good, too, but we come for the pizza. This place rocks, literally, after the dinner crowd moves along. There is the pizzeria/birreria that seats more people than you can count, and then there is the bar upstairs. We hear Mario Batali has been known to party all hours here, but it could be a rumor...Live music until 3am.
  We go for the pizza. Thin, toasted crusts with every type of topping you can imagine. I love the simplicity of the onion and sage, but would be happy to have an arugula, potato and asiago right now, please. The weather on our 3rd and final visit this year was warm, and there were tons of people inside, as well as outside. Families, groups of young people, and couples like us, all crowded together and enjoying every moment.
  We love it. We have promised ourselves that it will be a first stop next time! And no fooling around, I am going at least once a week. It is that good, and that affordable. I can't wait. Plus, it's just so fun to "people watch" into the wee hours.
  Pellicano, I love thee.

MUST. HAVE. MORE.

  So, knowing it's only a matter of a few months, we are once again watching our calories and exercising regularly, preparing for the inevitable chowdown to come. Is that so wrong?

Tavola Calda

   Tavola Calda.
   These two words start my stomach growling. They translate to "hot table" in Italian. This refers to a type of eating establishment that is kind of like our "buffet" restaurants. Only the tavola calda has warm dishes of freshly made, awesomely good, incredibly inexpensive choices. They will have everything from grilled veggies to braised meats, amazing pastas, casseroles to die for, fried goodies that are light and crispy, all hot from the kitchen. The dishes are made fresh, with new things coming out every few minutes, it seems. The difficult part is deciding what to indulge in.
  We always order too much, are shocked at the minimal price, and gorge ourselves. It goes without saying that there will be decent, inexpensive wine to be had, as well as bread and desserts, if you aren't little piggies and have room left. We are little piggies. We've never had room for desserts.
  I love these places, and will search them out in every area we visit. I have noticed that you don't find them in smaller towns, but most bigger towns and all the cities have them. They aren't fancy, and cater to the working population of a neighborhood.  It's like fast food, only fast food that a fabulous Italian Grandma just pulled out of her oven. You will see men in suits, truck drivers, families, women dressed to the nines, city street cleaners... everyone in these places. Often you sit at long communal tables, sharing water carafes and condiments. It's GREAT!
  The drill goes like this: Grab a tray, plate, glass and silverware. Get in line. Start checking out what's available, as your turn comes up. You will be asked what you want by one of many people working behind the glass counter. Point, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Once it's your turn, you get the full attention of your server, and they have always been nice to me. Order this , that and that, and oh, some of that.... some wine, bottled water, maybe... and off you go to find a spot to sit. The turnover is pretty fast, so there is always a place available.

For we vegetarians, this is heaven.  Baked tomato,  steamed potato-zucchini&carrots with amazing herbs,
steamed spinach with evoo and lemon, cauliflower baked with marinara and a touch of parmesan, roasted fennel with cheese, and in the middle, an unusual bitter green that looks like grass in the market. I can't remember it's name... but I really like it.

This place is near Lake Trasimeno. We over ordered, over ate, loved it and took a long walk around the lake after lunch. They have a large outdoor eating area that has lake views, which was great.
 (this was for 2 people... just in case you were wondering...)

Waiting for my turn to order, checking out all the options.

This place is so popular, you take a number!

The best roasted potatoes EVER, wonderful veggies, and "torta al testo", an Umbrian  traditional bread, hot from the open fire oven.

  The tavola calda may not be the most romantic or atmospheric place to eat in Italy, but for me, they are a taste of the true day to day Italian life, and that's what keeps me on the lookout.