Country Bumpkin

A sweet and sour beetroot risotto served with shrimp and almonds

SURPRISE SURPRISE yes it’s me coming out of myself imposed hibernation , It ‘s been almost a month since my last story and I thought it’s about time I made contact and let our friends know we are all still alive and well.

It’s been a very long,  very cold winter and it’s not over yet . We have had a few sunny days (but still cold) when we have heard the first brave little birds singing in the morning and the hills around our house have started to look beautifully green. But as I said ,it’s not over yet and we have already burnt  our eight tons of winter fuel and have had to order a further one and a half tons of logs. Plus Nick has been very busy  with his chainsaw in the last four days and like a real woodsman, he has chopped yet more firewood from our old dead trees located on our three hectare of land. Two wheelbarrows full of wood a day is what is needed to heat the house to make it bearable. We stink from  head to toe of burning wood ,  clothes, hair  skin….. and the amazing thing is  we don`t even notice it anymore.
Our animals are all dealing with the winter situation in their own ways. Lui our lovely old dog is fine , sleeping and snoring all day ( whatever the season ) and despite being almost completely deaf , he still manage to  get up and get to the fridge every time we open the door. It must be built in radar.

Hilda the goat is well and happy with her roommates, 5 hens and a rooster , and they seem happy freely strutting around ,pecking at everything .In fact  every day they  lay three lovely fresh eggs for us. Fresh pasta, cakes, fried eggs, boiled eggs …we have eggs coming out of our ears!! In fact, at the moment I have 18 eggs on the kitchen worktop watching me, help!
So a couple of days ago, when  I went to Rome to buy a couple of things I needed  for a cooking class  I am holding on 8^th March at the Palazzo del Gusto in Orvieto. I decided to take a little box of fresh eggs for my parents.  A lady sitting next to me in the train compartment suddenly started to make conversation. After about 10 minutes of sociable chat the friendly  lady from Milan  said to me: “ My dear, are you  from the country side ?” “ Yes, I am, how did you know ? “ I responded. “My dear “, she said” a box of fresh eggs and the smell of firewood is a clear sign!” I could feel my face getting redder and redder which I`m sure completed the picture of  “ the country bumpkin up from the sticks “ as they say.
Any way after shopping in the big capital, loading two huge bags of equipment for my finger food cooking class and very aware of the unique smell of my BURNT WOOD N 5, I left Rome and returned to the welcoming Umbrian hills.

The fires are on again , it’s raining outside and by this evening I know we will have a few more eggs…. so I am wondering….if  perhaps anyone  of my readers will like to have some???

If so, all you have to do is send me an email and if you would like to join  me on the 8^th of March at the Finger Food Cooking Course in Orvieto at 6pm I will bring an egg just for YOU. 10 eggs are up for grabs, so you`ll have to be  quick and book your EGG now !  in this way you will  be helping a smelly family!

Ciao and looking forward to meeting some of you , if possible.