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Saturday, January 13, 2007

Republishing everything

In hopes of salvation!

posted by Judith in Umbria @ 1/13/2007 06:21:00 PM 0 comments  

Friday, August 25, 2006

Problems, I see

This is a right mess! I will see if republishing fixes it up. Click the link above to see the new location.

posted by Judith in Umbria @ 8/25/2006 08:21:00 PM 0 comments  

Thursday, July 20, 2006

test to fix errors

testing

posted by Judith in Umbria @ 7/20/2006 04:16:00 AM 0 comments  

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

I've Moved!

Come visit at my new blog

posted by Judith in Umbria @ 7/19/2006 02:50:00 PM 0 comments  

I've Moved!

Check me out at my new home www.expatsinitaly.com/judith

posted by Judith in Umbria @ 7/19/2006 02:18:00 PM 0 comments  

I've Moved!

Check me out at my new home www.expatsinitaly.com/judith

posted by Judith in Umbria @ 7/19/2006 02:18:00 PM 0 comments  

Friday, July 14, 2006

Things I Like

The other night I turned down a guest bed for myself. It took a while, because I wanted every comfort available at hand. That meant lugging books I am reading or might want to read up the stairs and into the other room. I have to have a bottle of water, lightly fizzy, at hand. The lamp must be the right height so I don’t cast a shadow on the book. All in all it’s a piece of work, and I didn’t pay much attention to the mousenest I was creating just for a few nights. When I returned ready to jump in, it looked so good to me I went and got the camera and photographed it. I’m not sure many would find it so appealing; when I’ve gathered all my necessities it is a right mess! And the bed, too, is smaller than my regular, real bed in which I sleep every night. But there was something about this ready bed that made me very happy. If only there were a pizza nearby, I would never leave it. (Well, at least until the World Cup came on television, because there is no television in that room.) I settled in happily, and then the phone rang. It was late, and I thought that it must be either an emergency or someone who had forgotten the difference in time zones, but it was only a super-cheerful Italian woman who’d dialed incorrectly. L’altra notte, ho preperato un letto degli ospiti per mi stessa. Ci voleva un pò do tempo, perché volevo tutti i conforti a mano. Significava portando i libri sto leggendo o possibilmente vorrei leggere su, alla nuova camera. Devo avere una botiglia d’acqua, leggermente frizzante, a mano. La lampada deve essere all’altezza giusta che non creo io un ombra sul libro. Tutto detto, e una fatica, e non facevo tanto attenzione al nido di topo che stavo facendo, proprio per pochi notti. Quando sono tornata, pronta per saltare sul letto, mi sembrava così delicioso che ho preso la macchina fotografia e ho scatato una foto. Non sono certa che tanti lo considerassi attraente, una volta sono collegati tutti i necessari è proprio un cassino! E anche quello letto è più piccolo del mio letto vero dove dormo ogni notte. Ma, invece, c’era qualcosa di quello letto pronto che mi ha fatto tanto felice. Se stia una pizza accanto, non lo lascierei mai. (Almeno fino alla FIFA World Cup, perché non c’è una TV.) Sono andata a letto contentissima, e poi squillava il telefono. Ho pensato sarebbe o un emergenza o qualcuno che ha dimenticato la differenza tra l’ora negli Stati Uniti e in Italia, ma è stata un’italiana allegrissima chi ha sbagliato il numero.

posted by Judith in Umbria @ 7/14/2006 05:33:00 AM 14 comments  

Friday, June 30, 2006

Insalatona fra diavolo

It begins here with a butterflied chicken rubbed with salt, mixed herbs and then hot paprika, all massaged in with your hands. This bird is then roasted at a high temperature-- about 425° F (215° C) for 30-40 minutes until an instant thermometer inserted into the thigh joint reads near 180° F. You can serve the legs and thighs hot or cool the whole chicken. Save the breasts with any juices there are in a tightly closed foil package in the fridge. And here it becomes a salad. The ingredients here are per person: one of the chicken breasts salad leaves, washed and dried and torn into pieces a handful of pitted cherries (or kiwi pieces or strawberries or whatever fresh fruit sounds appealing to you) a small spring onion cut into small pieces (you can use a scallion if you don't find spring onions) the juice of half a lemon salt olive oil to four times the amount of lemon juice about 1 teaspoon of honey freshly ground black pepper Take the chicken breast out of the fridge and carefully remove the bones and cartilege, then thinly slice it including the spicy skin. In a very big bowl, juice the lemon and add about 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of powdered chili pepper. With a fork, whip in the olive oil, then add the honey, bit by bit until it tastes just sweet enough to you and has a warmth from the chili. Add the green, the fruit and the onion and toss thoroughly so that all is coated. Taste again. I added a sprinkling of chili, because I felt that to be hot and sweet it needed it. I also wanted just a bit more salt. Pile the salad onto a plate and arrange the chicken slices, then drizzle the bit of dressing that is in the bottom of the bowl over the chicken slices. Grind black pepper over it all and eat it up! I had a couple of slices of good German brown bread with mine. Life was very tasty. In italiano: Inizia con il pollo. Spargete del sale, profumi misti e paprika forte sul pollo intero, massagiando bene con le mani. Infornatelo a 215° C per 30-40 minuti, fino a è proprio cotto. Guardate che non è troppo cotto. Si può mangiare subito le coscie calde. E poi mettete i petti con la pelle nel frigo, ben chiusi in un pacchetto di aluminio. Per fare l'insalata, togliete i petti dal frigo e disossarli con cura, ma lasciate la pelle piquante. Tagliateli a fette sottili. Gli ingredienti per l'inslata sono alla persona: un petto di pollo foglie d'insalata ben pulite e asciugate, a pezzetti delle ciliege snocciolate (o kiwi, or fragole o qualsiasi frutta volete) una cipolla di primavera tagliata a pezzi il succo di mezzo limone sale circa 1/4 cucchiaino un bel pizzico di peperoncino in polvere olio d'oliva in quantità 4 volte la misura del succo circa 1 cucchiaino di miele pepe nero In una ciottola grandissima, mettete il succo di limone con il sale e peperoncino in polvere. Con una forchetta, aggiungete l'olio, man mano, mescolando in continuo. Aggiungete il miele qb per fare una salsa agrodolce e un po' piccante. Aggiungete l'insalata, le ciliege o l'altra frutta e la cipolla e fa saltare bene bene. Assagiatela e aggiungete più sale e peperoncino al gusto. Volevo io un po' più sale e peperoncino. L'insalata deve essere agrodolce e un po' piquante. Togliete l'insalata a un piatto, mettete le fette di pollo in un bel disegno, e mettete la salsa che rimane nella ciottola sopra le fette di pollo. Spolverarla con pepe nero. Pronta!

posted by Judith in Umbria @ 6/30/2006 05:23:00 AM 20 comments  

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Something I've been missing

Italy is not perfect. They don’t have many salad meals like I’m used to in other places. The few I have had have been overworked and under-respected. To my mind there is no reason to make trails of little dots of balsamic vinegar across the plate. For that matter, what is that space doing on my plate? A meal salad should be big and boisterous and generous to a fault. It should also offer something mysterious in the flavor. The sum of the parts should add up to more than you expect. It should surprise you in some way and never leave you to say “boh!” I am undertaking to make and give instructions here for big salads I like in English and in Italian. You have to start somewhere, and right now with high summer temperatures looks like the place to me. Insalatona Cobb Cobb salad lovers will know instantly that this is not the real thing. This is, instead, what one can make here with easily found ingredients... more or less the essential magic flavor of Cobb. My salad has Boston lettuce and rucola as greens. Lettuces for two people, about 1.5 liters of washed and dried greens torn in bits 2 tomatoes, cut into 16 pieces each 1 small onion cut in smallish pieces—about 2 cm long 50 g (1.6 ounces) pancetta affumicata a dadini (little cubes of smoked pancetta which is our bacon) 50 g (1.6 ounces) Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled or diced juice of 1 lemon salt olive oil in twice the amount of the lemon juice Cook the pancetta or bacon until browned and remove to a paper towel to drain and crisp In a very large bowl, juice the lemon. Add about ¼ teaspoon of salt and stir in. Whisking with a fork, add the olive oil in a stream until it is incorporated and forms a nice dressing. Crumble or dice the cheese into the dressing. This is most important if using Gorganzola, because it is creamy and tries to go back to its original clumpy form immediately. The dressing keeps the pieces separate. Put in the greens, the onion, the tomato and the Pancetta/bacon. Using your clean hands, toss and turn the salad until it is well mixed. Done! Insalata Cobb è un piatto unico particularmente addata alle temperature alte tra l’estate. Con un bel fetta di pane e un gelato dopo, sarebbe una cena molto carina. Insalate per due persone, circa 1.5 litre, lavate, asciugate, pezzate, nella foto ci sono l’insalata gentile e la rucola 2 pomodori, tagliate a dadi circa 16 pezzi alluno una piccola cipolla tagliata a pezzi circa 2 cm di lunghezza 50 g pancetta affumicata a dadini 50 g Gorgonzola tagliata a dadi il succo di un limone olio extravergine doppio la quantità del succo di limone sale, circa ¼ cucchiaino Fa arrosolare la pancetta e poi toglietela alla carta di cucina In una ciottola molto grande, mettete il succo di limone e il sale, mescolando con una forchetta. Pian, piano, aggiungete l’olio, mescolado in continuo. Aggiungete il Gorgonzola. Aggiungete le insalate, i pomodori, la cipolla e la pancetta. Con le mani pulite, saltate tutto fino e ben mescolata. Finita! Non sbagliare la taglia della ciottola. Ci vuole una ciottola spazioza per fa saltare senza incidenti.

posted by Judith in Umbria @ 6/27/2006 04:05:00 PM 6 comments