IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FOOD
Some may claim that Italy's famous for the rich history it holds. For the innumerable works of art. For it's religious signifigance, or the might of the Roman army. But really, it's all about the food.
You can't visit Italy without experiencing some amazing meals. Wine that defies decription. Delicate pasta adorned with the simplest of sauces. Gelato that explodes with flavor. Roasted pork, grilled steak, chinghiale sasuages. Seasonal fruits and vegetables so flavorful it's hard to go back to the bland stuff we've become used to in the states.
Weekly markets are a tradition that survive despite the appearance of 'modern' supermarkets and the increased availability of foods. One of the reasons they survive is because market day is one big social event. The women shop while the men gather to discuss the weather, politics, whatever it is that men discuss.
At these weekly markets, held in small towns all over Umbria, whatever is in season will be piled high. Staples are always available, but the seasonal stuff always takes center stage. Right now the blood oranges from Sicily are here,
as well as artichokes.
Artichokes are something I'd never eaten before I move to Italy, but honestly, aren't these just the most beautiful things you've ever seen? How could you NOT buy some?
 
 
 
 Labels: artichokes
PINK BLOSSOMS IN FEBRUARY
I can't wait to see what this tree (cherry?) looks like in a day or two! Of course everyone's scared to death that we'll have a sudden freeze and everything will be lost. Let's hope the weird weather continues!
HIGH SPEED INTERNET IN SMALL TOWN UMBRIA!
We get a small 'alternative' newsletter here in San Venanzo, written by those who disagree with the current leadership of San Venanzo. It's fun to read, even though we don't know the 'rest of the story'. We've read accusations that private roads were paved using city money, and general concerns about the running of the city.
Today the latest issue arrive, and for once there was news we could use: ADSL, high speed internet, is now available in San Venanzo! Everyone's been talking about this for quite a while, but I never had any idea when it would arrive.
Our friends Belinda and Giacomo, who live just outside of San Venanzo proper, have ADSL, but for some reason, the service didn't extend into the city. It was soooo frustrating, especially with the increased popularity of YouTube and other similiar sites. Now we'll just have to compare the offers and see who has the best deal!
MULCH AND CHOCOLATE
We live about 45 minutes away from Collestrada, home of the only mall I know of in Umbria. Collestrada is home to the IperCoop, the big brother of the Coop, our regular grocery store. The IperCoop is like a Sam’s…on one side is food, on the other side a discount store with everything from clothes to appliances, housewares to hardware.
We usually visit the IperCoop once very four to six weeks to stock up on things our smaller Coop doesn’t carry, and to have a big day out, often including a stop at McDonalds for a fountain diet Coke!
Quite a while back we stopped at the service desk to ask if we could start receiving their sale flyers. Months went by and nothing happened. Sometimes we lucked into a great sale, other times ignorance was bliss.
And then one day, all of San Venanzo started receiving ads from the IperCoop! I don’t know if they simply expanded their advertising, or if our request had anything to do with it, but now we’re able to plan our shopping trips a little better. Last summer we found an outdoor umbrella on sale that was perfect for our patio.
So, if you’ve been following along, you know how surprised and delighted I was to find pine bark mulch last summer. And if you’ll remember, after finding it at one nursery, I found it as several others. Apparently someone must realize the benefits of mulching besides me. You may also remember how happy I was when I was able to negotiate the price for a bag of mulch down from €7.90 to €7.40! I saved 50¢ on every bag I bought!
Imagine how excited I was when I read the latest IperCoop ad with pine bark mulch on sale for €3.60 per bag starting today!!! Not wanting to risk losing out on this deal, we headed off this morning to the IperCoop.
It’s not as if I expected there to big a stampede for the mulch, but perhaps they’d only have a few bags, who knows? Anyway, I wanted to make sure that I got some mulch…I could use four, maybe five bags this year, just to fill in the bare spots and refresh the old mulch.
And once we arrived at Collestrada we debated whether or not to get two grocery carts instead of one, thinking that the mulch would fill one, leaving no room for groceries. Art thought maybe the mulch would be available for pick-up at the warehouse door, so we decided to start with just one cart.
As we walked towards the back of the store where the plants are, we noticed a large display in the middle of the store. There were small trees for sale, rosebushes, bags of potting soil and all kinds of things for the garden….except the mulch.
I went to the service counter to ask a clerk. Maybe you just paid for it and picked it up outside, but with the large bags of potting soil sitting there, I didn’t think so. And yes, you’ve guessed by now…they didn’t have the mulch! The girl said it would be there on Wednesday, but I’m wondering if a phone call in advance might not be a good idea.
Although we didn’t need much from the grocery, I did want to pick up a few things. As luck would have it, where last week there had only been a large display of Perugina chocolate, today there were samples!! At least the trip was now worthwhile!
 A young woman was offering samples of the new Sottile con le Sfoglie, wafer thin pieces of dark chocolate, plain or orange-flavored. Additionally, a chef from the Perugina School of Chocolate (http://www.perugina.it/) was melting chocolate in the microwave.
At first I thought he was going to fill molds with the melted chocolate…there were  several plastic molds sitting on the table, but that wasn’t the plan. I shopped for some pecorino cheese and returned a few minutes later to see that the chef was filling cups with the melted chocolate.
Now I remember reading on someone else’s blog that they didn’t like the thick, Italian-style hot chocolate. It’s WAY thicker than anything I’ve ever had in the states, and it really is like my favorite Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, where Calvin tells Hobbes “…I don’t use milk. I just heat the syrup.” What’s not to like? Well, you DO have to use your finger to wipe the last bits of chocolate off the sides of the cup, but that’s not too bad. Somehow people forgive you for forgetting your manners when it comes to chocolate.
 As an added treat I also got to see the (apparent) Guinness record-holding Mortadella. Although we’d say the equivalent in the states is bologna, that’s just not true…mortadella is so much better than anything Oscar Mayer ever thought about! Anyway, I hope you can get an idea of how large this mortadella is.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES COME TO ITALY!
 I wrote about seeing these slice and bake cookies a few weeks back, and last week I bought a package at the IperCoop. Our regualr size Coop in Marsciano doesn't carry them, which is probably for the best. In the states, the invention of slice and bake cookie dough made being bad so easy...I mean, does anyone really ever bake the dough? I didn't think so.
In keeping with the idea of cookie dough as snack food, of course I had to try the cookie dough. (Good thing I've started walking every day, although I can't expect to see much progress when I'm eating cooke dough!) So, my opinion? Pretty damn good! Even better news is that the package is smaller than the cookie dough in the states, so if you DO decide to make a meal out of the dough, and find that it's all gone before you know it, this package will offer portion control of sorts. It's designed to make 24 (small) cookies, so you can eat half the dough and still have a dozen cookies to bake!
Now the real test....how will they taste baked??? Well, according to both Art and me....they're really pretty close to American style chocolate chip cookies!! I was careful not to overbake them so they'd still be soft and gooey, just the way we like them and really.....if you need a chocolate chip cookie fix, these just might do the trick!
PREPARING FOR CARNIVALE
If you’re an American you’re probably familiar with the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, and maybe the Carnivale celebrations in Venice and Rio too. What you may not realize is what a big deal Carnivale is all over Italy. Carnivale is in Italy what Halloween is in the United States.
Just to refresh your memory, Carnivale is the last big celebration before the beginning of Lent and the time of fasting and repentance. “Fat Tuesday” (Mardi Gras) is the culmination of weeks of celebrations for the Italians. This year, Fat Tuesday is on February 20th. Wednesday, February 21st will be Ash Wednesday, and the official beginning of Lent.
For many, many towns of all sizes throughout Italy there have been parties and parades and feasting scheduled for the three Sundays preceding Ash Wednesday. Not surprisingly, this coming Sunday, February 18th will be the biggest celebration of them all. Although there’s a parade scheduled in Marsciano, and even something going on here in San Venanzo, I think we’re going to drive to Ponte Rio, just down the hill from Todi, to check out their festivities.
 All the stores are filled with costumes and decorations for Carnivale. Bags and bags of confetti will fill the streets of every town for weeks to come. Aerosol cans of string (or spray snot as I like to call it, thinking of Tom Hanks use of it in “Big”) will leave their mark too. For now, everything is still orderly, with all the cute costumes just waiting for someone to bring them to life.
 
  
AN INTERVIEW WITH......ME
While searcing the internet for expat sites where I might market our house, I came across the EXPAT INTERVIEWS website. As you might guess, the site features interviews with expats from all over the world who have left their native countries for various reasons. Some, like us, simply retired to the land of their dreams. Others moved because of a job, or a family member.
I thought I'd answer their questionaire, and you can read MY INTERVIEW HERE.
For anyone considering a move, the interviews on this site just might prove helpful! Labels: expat
A SIMPLE LUNCH
Last week I made some pasta. Yes, from scratch. Do you realize how ridiculously easy it is to make pasta? And now much better it tastes? 100 grams of flour, one egg, and a pinch of salt for each serving. Mix well, knead 'til smooth, then run it through the pasta machine.
Starting with a small ball of dough, maybe golf ball size, run it through the pasta machine 5,6,7 times at the widest setting, then once at each progressive setting until the dough is thin as a sheet of paper. Cut into the desired shape, using cornstarch, not flour!, to keep it from sticking at this point. Pop into a pot of boiling water and within a few minutes you'll have pasta so wonderful you'll want to eat every last bite!
I made the pasta last week so that I could make a batch of lasagna, and I wasn't sure how much I'd need. Better safe than sorry is always my motto, so of course I ended up with more pasta than I needed. No problem! I cut the pasta into ribbons of tagliatelle, put them into a zip lock bag and popped it into the freezer.
 Today when I wondered what to fix to go with the last bit of the tomato basil soup, I decided to use the pasta and experiment just a little.
I ALWAYS have pesto in the refrigerator! I make gobs of it in the summer, then freeze it in convenient 8 ounce rounds. We LOVE pesto!!! We love it on bruschetta, on tomatoes, on salmon or chicken, or simply on pasta.
When I make pesto pasta I always keep a ladleful of the pasta water and add it to the pasta along with the pesto. The pasta water helps the pesto to stick to the pasta, and makes a wonderfully creamy coating. Today I decided to take that creaminess to another level by adding just a touch of real cream!
I had maybe 300-400 grams of pasta, which I threw into the boiling water and swirled around a bit to make sure none of the strands stuck together. Knowing that it would only take a few minutes to cook, I'd already heated up a pan with a little olive oil. I added about 3/4-1 cup of pesto, and warmed it up, then added a few tablespoons of cream.
 As soon as the pasta was ready I dumped it into the skillet along with maybe 1/4 cup of the pasta water. I lifted and mixed the pasta, then threw in a handful of pine nuts. I dished this out into bowls and we garnished it at the table with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
This, along with the tomato-basil soup made such a simple and delicious lunch! Wonder what I'll make for dinner? Labels: pasta, pesto
MOTHER'S LITTLE HELPER
With thanks to Joanna!
SWEET GIFTS
I didn’t bake as much over the holidays as I did last year. Last year was our first Christmas in Italy, and I was excited about it. When I’m excited, I cook. I also cook when I’m sad, depressed, nervous, or bored. Anyway, my baking frenzy last Christmas was the result of being excited, of trying to bring a bit of my familiar holiday traditions to Italy.
This past Christmas wasn’t quite as happy for me, since I kept thinking about how eight of us had gathered last year for what we declared would be the first annual Christmas dinner. Sadly, it was the first and last. The loss of friends, both literally and figuratively, was on my mind a lot.
I did bake cookies though….cut-out sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies, and I made bourbon balls because they’d been such a hit last year. I also tried a new recipe for microwave caramel that was amazingly simply and amazingly good. I probably ate as much caramel as I gave away!
The main reason for making the treats was so I could give them as gifts. “Nothin’ says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven”….remember that phrase from years ago? For me it still rings true, and I wanted to make cookie trays for several friends.
I also wanted to give my friends who don’t bake the opportunity to have something home-baked quickly and simply. For this reason I searched out recipes for cookies mixes.
If you’ve ever been to a church bazaar you’ve seen these mixes. They’re usually sold in a quart jar with a patch of gingham fabric on top, secured with a bit of twine or raffia.
Chocolate chip cookies were first on my list, since several ingredients aren’t found in Italy, therefore real, American-style chocolate chip cookies are a treat! I also decided to search for a recipe using the dried blueberries I’d been given, figuring I’d never use the blueberries myself.
I’m going to give the chocolate chip cookie recipe as written, but I’ll tell you about one variation I made. Because vanilla extract isn’t found in Italy, I used a powdered vanilla that I’d found in the states. It’s measured the same as the liquid vanilla extract, and seems to work fine. My friend Cristina says that one bustina of vanillina here in Italy will be the equivalent of one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Here’s the recipe:
Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar
INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
dash baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Mix salt, baking powder and soda with flour. Layer ingredients in a 1 quart jar in any order. Cover lid with a fabric circle and tie with a ribbon, if desired. To the ribbon attach a card with the following recipe and instructions:
Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 Cookie mix in a jar
1 cup butter (225 grams)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat butter in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg. With a wooden spoon, stir cookie mix into creamed mixture until well blended.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350°F (175ºC) oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies.
With the dried blueberries I decided to make this blueberry scone recipe:
Blueberry Scones Mix in a Jar
These are delicious warm from the oven with butter and jam; a perfect breakfast food.
2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp dried lemon peel
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup dried blueberries
Stir together flour, sugar, milk, baking powder, lemon peel, and salt. Cut in shortening using a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in berries.
Layer into a 1 quart canning jar, tapping gently on the counter between layers to settle before adding the next. Add additional dried blueberries to fill in small gaps if necessary. Stores at room temp for up to 6 weeks, or freeze for up to 6 months.
GIFT TAG DIRECTIONS:
Place jar contents in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 beaten egg, 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1/4 cup water; stir just until moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quickly knead gently for 12 to 15 strokes or until nearly smooth.
Pat to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into desired shape and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with milk. Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly and serve warm.
NOTE!!!! I've changed the recipe from "1/2 cup vanilla sugar" to now read: "1/2 cup sugar". To make the scones I've changed the directions, adding 1/4 tsp vanilla to the other ingredients. I'd never heard of vanilla sugar before this recipe, and when a friend emailed me to ask about it, I decided to simplify things.
 The friend, Marguerite, also asked about substituting raisins for the blueberries. Why not?! Personally I'd love to try this recipe with craisins! Marguerite was also kind enough to send a picture of the scones as the came out of the oven....
Of course you don’t have to give these mixes away! You could make them for yourself, either all at once, or you could prepare the mixes ahead of time and just pull them out of the pantry instead of grabbing a boxed mix. One nice advantage of these mixes, in addition to the convenience, is that they’re also great to use with kids, since much of the preparation has already been done.
WHAT’S COOKIN’?
Since we bought the freezer I’ve been able to buy things in bulk, or when they’re on sale. Since I can’t seem to find chicken breasts with the bone in, and since pre-made chicken broth doesn’t exist here, I like to buy whole chickens and cut them up myself. I package up the breasts, usually 2 in a package, then legs and thighs get packaged up, and the backs and wings are saved to make chicken broth.
Zip lock bags, also not found in Italy, are one of my special treats from the states. These, along with Press ‘n’ Seal, make freezing everything so much easier. I had a one gallon zip lock bag with two sets of legs and thighs in it. Last week I got that bag of legs and thighs out of the freezer and used half of them to make the bourbon chicken that I was less than pleased with.
Today I decided to use the rest of the legs and thighs to make the dish we call “Belinda’s Chicken”. This dish, like so many other Italian recipes, is cooked on the stove top. Years ago the average Italian kitchen had a cooktop and a fireplace, but not an oven. People used communal ovens for their bread, and I guess a lucky few had their own outdoor oven.
This dish has prunes in it. I had NEVER eaten prunes before I move to Italy. They just looked yucky, and they were for OLD PEOPLE! Prunes were, as far as I was concerned, something old people ate to help with their regularity, and quite frankly I had no use for them.
Fast forward to now….when I eat so many things that I never dreamed of eating before! Zucchini! Artichokes! And now, PRUNES! They’re actually sweet, and more like giant raisins (which I love), than something medicinal.
This recipe is so easily thrown together, and since it takes just over an hour to cook, you really can make it on very short notice.
BELINDA’S CHICKEN WITH PRUNES
6 chicken thighs
1/3 cup EVOO
4 cloves garlic
1 sm can green olives, pitted
1 sm jar capers
1 pack pitted prunes (12-15)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
3 small red onions, thinly sliced
2 TBSP brown sugar
Brown chicken in oil with garlic. Add everything else on top. Rotate occasionally. Cook for 1¼ hours on low heat on stove top.
What else to make for lunch? Well, I had one good sized eggplant (another new food for me!), and when I’d taken the chicken out of the freezer I’d also grabbed a bag of frozen tomatoes.
Of course you have to have a freezer with enough space, but popping the tomatoes into zip lock bags is sooo much easier than canning them! I freeze the tomatoes whole and with the skin on. When they thaw the skins just slip right off.
And so I had a bag of thawed tomatoes in the frig, and one large eggplant. I decided to make a simple tomato sauce and put it on slices of eggplant. A scattering of breadcrumbs would go on the top, a drizzle of olive oil, then I’d bake them in the oven
I put the thawed, skinned tomatoes into a sieve to drain off most of the water, and after sitting for a while I had a nice thick paste. I added a bit of olive oil, a dash of oregano and some salt and pepper.
After cutting the eggplant into thick slices I set them into a WELL OILED baking tray and topped them with the tomato sauce. Breadcrumbs, oil, then into the oven at 350ºF for about 25 minutes. 
Speaking of breadcrumbs…..the other day while watching an old Jamie Oliver cooking show (the Naked Chef I think), Jamie was making a dish that required fresh breadcrumbs. The other person in the kitchen, the person behind the camera I guess, asked if it would be okay to use breadcrumbs that had been frozen.
Jamie really got a laugh out of that!!! “Frozen breadcrumbs? Never heard of that!”, he told her. She explained that when she had bread left over, or bread that was about to go bad, she’d just put it into the freezer. Well of course she did! I do the same thing! It’s a great way to use bread before it goes bad! I have seen breadcrumbs in the grocery here, but it just seems silly to waste bread, so I make my own croutons and breadcrumbs. Guess Jamie lives in a different world (ya think???)
Well, that was lunch for today. Quick, definitely low carb, and VERY tasty. Art enjoyed it so much that we had the rest of it for dinner tonight! The chicken makes a wonderful light sauce, and Art suggested that rice, or even mashed potatoes would be a great way to make full use of this sauce. Labels: chicken
ORO dell'UMBRIA....OLIVE OIL AND CERAMICS IN DERUTA
Yesterday we checked out an olive oil exhibition that I’d read about on the UMBRIA ONLINE website. We’re not too far from Deruta, and the blurb on the site made it sound interesting:
“The 5th edition of the Oro dell'Umbria competition, which comprises olive oil producers, ceramics and other traditional Umbrian crafts, will run from January 26th to February 4th. Last year's edition of the event attracted no less than 60 olive oil producers. The public is welcome to visit the exhibition that will be organised on February 3rd and 4th at the Centro Espositivo Ex-Maioliche in Via Tiberina.”
Olive oil, ceramics and traditional crafts sounded like an interesting afternoon to us, and even nicer since Deruta’s not too far from us. Suspecting that things wouldn’t start until at least 3 o’clock, maybe even four, we called the phone number listed to confirm. Yep, three o’clock was the starting time, but as we’d later discover, that was still only a general time.
Of course we had no idea where the Centro Expostivo was, but we hoped that we‘d see a poster, a crowd, or maybe even directional signs. We didn’t see anything hopeful as we drove through the lower part of the city, so we decided to drive through the centro.
Although we still didn’t see any signs, we were able to ask some men walking in the centro, and they told us to go down to the main drag, then turn right. Once again we figured that with these directions we’d be able to find the show without much trouble.
There wasn’t a lot of traffic on Saturday afternoon, so we were able to drive slowly. As we approached a new roundabout (these seem to be popping up everywhere lately!!!), we noticed a large building that looked like a possibility. As we drove past……..YES! I could see posters for “Oro dell'Umbria” on the doors!
We’re continually surprised that so many of these events are so localized, and so unadvertised. We really have a hard time finding out what’s going on, but somehow the Italians seem to know just when and where to show up.
As we walked in to the hall it must have been around four o’clock. I’d talked with my daughter, who’d called just after three, and we’d probably talked about thirty minutes. Not surprisingly the hall was all but deserted. Near the door was some olive pressing paraphanalia, some brochures, and a young lady behind a desk.
The young woman, who spoke English, told us that there was a talk beginning in just a few minutes. Although we still didn’t know what to expect, we walked in and started to look at the exhibits.
In dozens of cases were displays of olive oils from all of Umbria combined with various pieces of ceramics from the area. Since Deruta is world famous for ceramics, this seemed like a great way to showcase both the oil and the local crafts.
The oils had been judged, and the winners in various categories were featured in the first few cases. Other cases held oil from all over Umbria….we even found four oils from people in San Venanzo. There were no large, commercial frantoi represented, only individuals, and there was also no oil for sale.
Although I don’t know for sure, I’m guessing that this ‘competition’ was something like a state fair competition where individuals bring their oil to be tasted and judged.
In the back of the hall two long tables were set up. Placemats marked each place to sit, plastic cups, napkins and bottles of water were placed in the center at regular intervals, and plates with apples and paring knives were also waiting. Art and I took seats at the far end of one of the tables just before the lights dimmed and a young woman began telling us about olive oil….everything you ever wanted to know about how olives are grown, harvested and pressed for oil. She told us about the health benefits of olive oil, and then she told us about the proper way to taste olive oil.
While the lecture was going on, another woman came around to ask us to write our name and address, and she also gave us a sheet to help us ‘score’ the oil we were about to taste! I didn’t quite understand the form, but used it to take notes as we sampled seven different oils. The slight acidity of the apple helped to cut the oil in between tastings.
Our leader told us to warm the cup in our hands, and to cover the top with our other hand as we warmed it. This enabled us to get a really good whiff of the oil once it was uncovered.
The first oil didn’t have a strong scent nor a strong taste, but it seemed to be quite heavy. The second oil had a slightly fruity taste. The third oil, my personal favorite, was intensely fragrant and intensely flavored, strong with lots of pepper in both the initial taste and in the finish. The fourth oil was very grassy, and reminded me of a salad. And on and on, until we’d sampled seven oils, all different.
Gourmets, and those more knowledgeable about olive oil would select different oils for different uses I’m sure. I usually use a less expensive oil for frying, and the more expensive oil for drizzling on bruschetta or whatever food I’m serving. We both like a strong, peppery oil, and for me, this works no matter what the dish!
After the tasting, bruschetta was served, and I took a few more pictures. Unfortunately I’d taken the polarizer off the camera since I was expecting that we might be outside. I did the best I could, trying to shoot through the glass at an angle.
Honestly, I just LOVE these ceramics…..the detail! The intensity of the colors! The beautiful and intricate designs! I’ll post some of the pictures here, and if you want to see them all you can see them at my Kodak Gallery HERE
WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, AND WHAT WILL THEY BRING?
It’s sometimes hard for me to make comparisons between our life in the states and our life here. Of course the biggest difference is that we weren’t retired when we lived in the states!
I was lucky because I always worked part time at the Post Office, and this gave me lots of extra time. I usually worked early morning hours, meaning that after 10 a.m. I had the rest of the day for myself! Since Art worked two jobs, this was good because I had time to do all the shopping, laundry, cooking, and whatever running around needed to be done.
Now that we’re both retired in Italy, we’ve sort of fallen into a division of work, more or less. Normally I do all the cooking, just because I enjoy it so much, but then of course there are days when it’s just too much to think of something to fix! On these days Art just steps in and throws something together, although surprisingly I don’t think he cooks as much, or as elaborately as he did in the states!
Of course as a man he’s ‘king of the grill”, but in the states the stir-fry dishes always seemed to be ‘his’ thing, but then we don’t really do much stir-frying here in Italy!
Anyway, what got me thinking about all this was that in the states we were just as likely to meet friends at a restaurant as we were to have dinner at their house or our house. Maybe this was because we were all still working, but I certainly had time to prepare dinner, so why does it seem that we usually went out? Maybe Art’s crazy schedule at Churchill Downs just made it easier to meet at a restaurant, I don’t know.
Had we stayed in the states, and as more and more of our friends joined us in retirement, would things have changed? Would we have cooked more at home? Of course I can’t really answer that question, but I do know that here in Italy we’re much more likely to have friends here for a meal than we are to meet at a restaurant.
With other expats we usually have lunch, just because we all have the time. No one has to worry about driving home in the dark, and believe me, that CAN be an issue. We’ve had friends drive two hours for lunch, driving on winding, twisting and hilly two-lane roads. Driving these roads during the day is tough enough, especially when you factor in the Italian drivers who like to use BOTH lanes when going around a curve! Driving them in the dark just isn’t any fun at all, and really, at this point, it’s all about having fun!!!
So this brings us to something we never experienced in the states….bringing a gift to dinner. I’m sure there are some social circles where this is the normal practice, but for us, if someone invited us for dinner we always asked “Is there anything we can bring?” We sincerely meant it, but often as not the reply would be “No, just bring yourselves!”
This is what I usually told people we invited to our house for dinner….I enjoy cooking, and because of Art’s schedules I didn’t really get to cook that much. Having company was a good excuse to try something fancy, something I’d been wanting to make, but didn’t, for one reason or another.
This especially applied to desserts! I NEVER made desserts for just the two of us because eventually, we’d eat the whole thing!!! I mean, even if we spaced the chocolate cake out over a period of several days, neither one of us really NEEDED chocolate cake in the first place, much less several days in a row! Company was our excuse to splurge!
Going to dinner at someone’s house here in Italy, things are quite different. Now if the guests are other expats, then yes, bringing a dish might be acceptable, especially if they have ingredients for things that you don’t, like chocolate chips for cookies!
In general, Americans seem to be much more comfortable with the idea of a ‘pitch-in’ than the Italians do, and I don’t think any Italians would ever say yes to the offer to bring something. Now maybe this is just my impression, and maybe they’d let another Italian bring something but wouldn’t trust me as an American cook!
The one constant about going to someone’s house for a meal in Italy is that you ALWAYS MUST bring a gift! A bottle of wine (or two), cut flowers, a potted plant, a box of chocolates, but something. I’ve also never received anything homemade as a ‘hostess gift’, although I’ve taken things that I’ve made, especially if I know my hosts have a weakness for one of my special American treats.
If wine is brought, it doesn’t necessarily have to be served with dinner, since only the cook knows what wine goes best with the food being served. (or then there’s us, we just grab a bottle of our favorite red and open it, knowing that it will ‘go’!) Sometimes our guests bring vin santo, a sweet dessert wine, and maybe they’ll also bring the cantucci to dip in the vin santo to complete the dessert. Usually most of our guests know to expect a dessert so that’s a rare occurrence.
A few weeks ago we had two expats couples for lunch. We wanted Jane and Ken, expats who’re living in Tuscany for a year, to meet Jack and Suzy, expats who moved to Italy after they retired. Jack and Suzy had previously lived for several years in Naples when Jack worked for a government contractor.
Because Jane and Ken are raising their eight year old grandson, most of the people they’re meeting here in Italy are the parents of Casey’s classmates. We thought it might be nice to introduce Jane and Ken to some fellow expats closer to their own age, and to have a chance to discuss subjects not involving kids, school, or the other topics that normally occur when parents get together.
Jane and Ken, who’re living in the heart of Chianti, and actually right in the middle of a vineyard, brought us the traditional and most welcome gift of wine. Jack and Suzy opted for a more colorful gift, and brought us a beautiful cyclamen. I was LOADED with flowers and was just about the healthiest, lushest plant you could imagine.
I sat the plant on the small wine barrel that sits next to the kitchen window, and it was fine for a few days. Then the leaves started to turn yellow. I knew I wasn’t over-watering it, since that’s how I killed my previous cyclamen, so I cut off the yellow leaves and moved the plant to the upstairs hall window where it could get more light, maybe even a bit of sun.
In my efforts to NOT over-water it, I think I may have let it get a little droopy, and I struggled to keep the right balance. I pulled the curtain back during the day so that the plant got light,  but always made sure to close the curtain so that the plant didn’t get too cold at night. Still, the leaves continue to turn yellow, and I’m afraid that cyclamens might just not be the plant for me.
I think in the future if someone asks “Can I bring something?”, I think my answer will be “Anything but a plant!”
YES, THE HOUSE IS STILL FOR SALE!
Someone recently contacted us to ask if the house was still for sale, and I thought the best way to answer was to post here.
YES! THE HOUSE IS STILL FOR SALE. As long as you see the clickable picture in the right-hand column, and as long as the blog is subtitled (House for Sale in Umbria!), then the house is still available. Once we complete the sale we'll remove the link and the subtitle.
We're having an unusually mild winter here in Umbria, so if you'd like to see the house, find a bargain airfare and come on over! Labels: house, house for sale, Italy, sale, San Venanzo, Umbria
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Spina Bifida
