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Sun dried Tomatoes

Tomato Passata sauce, part 1

Tomato Passata sauce, part 2

Come and join us.

Risotto grape and gorgonzola cheese

 

Everywhere you go these days you’ll  see tractor  after tractor full of white grapes on the roads  and if you walk past a winery the fragrance of grape juices will fill your lungs, I love it. All around everybody talks about one thing ,THE harvest, yes  it’s that time of year again! “How are your grapes this year ?”they ask “ Did you have problems with the wild boar this year?” (Boars eat the lower grapes and sometimes they  can ruin an entire  vineyard )or ” Have you have finished the harvest yet?”  (meaning…..I have …eh eh eh eh ) Everywhere there is  continuous chatting about it. If you go to the small bar in Allerona from coffee to grappa time  the arguments will always be about the same thing: THE  HARVEST
 Walking in the village you will see 50-litre demijohns  placed outside the houses, old wooden wine presses  dusted and cleaned, ready to be used … … ..it is the time for the new wine.
AND WHAT ABOUT US? YES ,we are no different, we will begin this Saturday and continue on Sunday morning. The grapes are beautiful this year and fortunately we have not had any damage by the wild boar.  I am wondering  is it perhaps because they are afraid of our super hunting dog LUI ??????? NO, I don’t think so, but whatever the  reason the grapes are not damaged, we are so very pleased  and ready to start.
Yes we also have a wooden wine press ,but we gave up making our own wine years ago, it was such hard work, squeezing the grapes, filtering the wine 4 or 5 times a year, making  sure the fermentation had been carried out properly …and then at the end of all that our wine  was  always  …. TERRIBILE !!!!! Sweet, not very clear … … what can I  say ,I think  BAD  is the right word to describe it! So we decided that selling the grapes to a good local winery was the best thing to do. There  is more fun in drinking  a good wine than making a  bad one!
Anyway I am sure it will be a happy  and busy  weekend. Some old friends and some new friends  will be here to help us pick the grapes  in our vineyard, laughing  and chatting on a nice Sunday morning. I really hope it is going to be a good sunny day as always.

 As every year Nick and I will thank our hard  working  guests with a  rich and delicious lunch. Many different dishes and good wine (not our  wine of course ). So these days I have been experimenting  with new recipes. Yesterday I prepared: Risotto with gorgonzola cheese and fresh grape juice , served with toasted almonds and a pinch of black pepper. The crunchy almond give a nice kick plus I thought it was a shame to not use some of the remaining almonds from our tree.

almond from our tree

 

 We thought the result was amazing. So I’m hoping  our guests will also enjoy my risotto on Sunday. But if not ,there will be plenty of other food to chose from.

However, if you’re around , and want to join us on Sunday morning , you’re more than  welcome. But remember: No work, no risotto! So if you’re still interested send me an email and  we’ll keep a pair of scissors, a  plate and a fork just for you! 

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Each to their own..

almond and hazelnut gluten free chocolate cake

 

In ten days time we start to harvest our grapes ,we hope we will be helped by many of our friends  and family who will also bring their children, so I thought I’d do a little  practice and make this chocolate cake.
I need practice because … if you look on the left part of the website, under categories, you will see that out of  a total of 197 recipes, only 9 are cakes …. unfortunately, I’m not very good at making them.
But anyway, to avoid a disaster on the day of the harvest I thought now  is a good time to do the test  of this almond and hazelnut gluten free chocolate cake because,  Nicks mum Jackie and her friend Ida are here for a late relaxing  summer holiday (or so they thought) . BUT I thought  while they are sitting in the shade on the porch sipping a large Gin and tonic  it would be very helpful if they shelled a BIG bag of nuts picked from our almond and hazelnut trees (the main ingredients  of this cake) also I just happened to have 2 pairs of nut crackers….unfortunately Ida  managed to pinch her skin a few times but  she was very brave and only moaned a little .Although chocolate cake may not seem suitable when it could be  35 degrees outside it will give our helpers energy and they will need it…..there are 4 tons of grapes to pick!

The hard work didn’t finish there because I kept reading the weighing scales wrong saying we need more and more ,finally after a couple of hours I got it right and we had the 400 grams needed and just had to remove the skins from the almonds which also was not an easy job to do.

Maybe I should have chosen a Ciambellone ( sponge cake) , I think even a wedding cake would have been easier but of course the real answer is to buy the prepared nuts from the supermarket…….but still we did it.

My worse critic Nick , and Jackie and Ida did the tasting and all agreed it was good but they would prefer it served with ice-cream , but I’m not sure if this was because the texture was more like biscuit or was it because the English I know seem to prefer cream or ice-cream with their cake .

Each to their own is I believe the answer to that.    Continue reading Each to their own.. »

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Everything’s peachy.

peach jam

 

At long last our little peach tree has produced some fruit, fine, large, ripe peaches with lovely red pulp,  how amazing is that? For the next week Nick and I were eating four or five peaches a day sometimes  sipping a little white wine with the peaches sliced in the glass( very nice it was too!!.), it was when we started offering them to Hilda the goat we realized we had had enough of peaches (she loved them but  of course it was without the wine!) … .. any way in the end we had  had more than  enough and couldn’t eat any more . 

 But unfortunately on the tree there were still a couple of kilos to pick! So I said to Nick: What do you think if I make some peach jam?  he said: Simona we rarely eat jam at breakfast? You are right I said, but we could  use it in  the cake I’ll make .. and Nick said: Simona you rarely make cakes. That’s what I love about my husband he is always so positive! 

 Damn I thought, what are we going to do when the tree is fully grown and producing even more fruit if we have had enough after one week. 

Anyway I decided to carry on and make peach jam which was so easy I got carried away and made a few jars of fig jam as well. 

fig jam

 

And you know what, just between us, the last five or six mornings when it has been Nicks turn to prepare our cappuccino, I swear the smell of toast is coming from the kitchen and when I checked ,the levels of both of the jars of jam are definitely  going down.. .. …so who knows maybe we can always change our habits of a life time…. can’t we?! Continue reading Everything’s peachy. »

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Two for the price of one!

Bruschetta figs, pecorino cheese, hazelunts and prosciutto.

 

With  the great success of the ravioli dish I made the other day , I thought it would be a terrible shame not to  use the same ingredients: figs, hazelnuts and Pecorino cheese for another recipe and came up with the idea of a  FAST appetizer  ,because frankly … making home-made ravioli  is not something you can do in two minutes … even if you only need two minutes to eat the dish once  served! So here’s a quick alternative : a nice and easy Bruschetta with the addition of Prosciutto ham , to be complimented, of course, with a good glass of red wine.  Ciao for now,  I’m going to pick more figs from the tree to make a fig jam … … .. Continue reading Two for the price of one! »

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Goat Lovers Blog!!

Ravioli stuffed with figs, pecorino cheese and chopped hazelnuts.

Before anything else, I have an important announcement to make .  Hilda our goat is back home after the terrible drama of last week .We had brought her to our garden eight years ago with the idea that she would solve the problem of keeping the grass under control………. however we didn`t realize her tastes would be so much more sophisticated … …. and over the years she  has happily munched her way through my geraniums, vines and olives leaves, fruit trees   … .. in short, EVERYTHING with only the grass when there was nothing better !!!! . But for all that we grew very fond of her and to be without her this last week has been terrible and just didn`t seem right. So Nick went to check  the situation at the new place where Hilda had been taken, and all I can say is it was obviously better for her to be here with us because she has been brought up as a family pet not a working farm animal. So now she`s back with a new door on her little brick house so we can lock her in at night to keep her safe from the wolves, Lui the dog is fussing around her and I don`t care how many times she jumps the fence and eats my flowers and vegetables…. I AM JUST SO VERY VERY HAPPY SHE`S BACK.

Now let’s get down to the real business, after all this is supposed to be a food blog and not a GOAT LOVERS BLOG!

So here we go , back to the cooking. September is such a generous month with hazelnuts, almonds, figs, peaches, pears … .. nature still producing baskets full of fresh products.

hazelnut from my tree

fresh figs

My nephew Zeno helping out picking the hazelnuts

 So a few days ago, an idea jumped into my head how to combine some of this harvest… … … …yes I thought… why not …. let’s give it try. So here it is ,hand-made ravioli stuffed with figs, pecorino cheese and chopped hazelnuts, served with butter, thyme and white pepper. MAMMA MIA BUONISSIMI. Yummy !! It was fantastic and even my most critical food critic Nick  agreed with me. So, try it yourself and let me know what you think. Continue reading Goat Lovers Blog!! »

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Hilda & Bea

 

With great sorrow I have to tell you that one of our goats Bea has been fatally attacked by a wolf. It ‘happened during the night and the  next morning when I found her  it was horrible. Unfortunately Nick was away  and I had to decide on a quick solution, whether to call someone to bury her or leave her until Nick  comes back in few days ? … In the last case the problem would be that the smell would attract  other animals and that would put  our second goat in danger too … …. So in the end the answer was to drag poor Bea out of the pen for the night and then close the second goat Hilda in a safer place. The next day, Bea was buried, but the horror story does not end there. Hilda ,terrified to stay inside the fence by herself,  did everything to escape. Somehow she found the energy to jump the fence five times. So now  the dilemma was (1) should we buy a new pet goat for Hilda, and thus continue a cycle that goes on for 7 years? Or (2) find a new home for Hilda? With great pain we have chosen the second option .Although we haven’t been to see her yet we hope she’ll be very happy with her eight new friends.

So it is all very sad , and although I know when you live in the countryside these things are a way of life, unfortunately I cannot get used to it and the loss of my two goats makes me feel very very unhappy. So I hope that for today you will understand why there is no picture or recipe on the blog, just a request that you all  please raise a glass of wine to bless both Bea and Hilda.

Ciao 

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This house is not a hotel!!

Red chilies from my vegetable garden

 Ciao everyone, no I haven`t won the lottery and escaped to exotic horizons (I wish ) or been the typical Italian and when August came  closed everything down to go on vacation for a month !!!!! Yes, yes if only…..although  the second option is closer to reality….. I didn`t go anywhere and I was not on vacation!  I have been working hard here in my house in the country. The truth is that what with ovens, pans, cooking classes, guests and friends from England coming to spend the holidays with us … well … this month has been VERY active to say the least.

So now I`m back to tell you about a couple of things that have been happening. Let’s start with my dog , remember LUI ??  

Lui

  14 years old, a former hunting dog ( specializes in wild boar) a lovely laidback creature that for some years been in retirement in our house after collapsing  on the doorstep… ….Ok got the picture, the old, poor Lui…….. well for 10 days he used this house as a hotel! He was In love , with a beautiful German Shepherd dog . He was completely out of his mind and routine, sometimes he`d sleep and eat out and when he felt like it he would come  home ,very smelly, for more food .I think he was popping in just to tell us that everything was ok, he was just busy !!!!! However, for whatever reason the love story came to an  end and he came back home for good ….completely shattered!  

 In the meantime…..waiting for him back here was another dog Birillo , my nephew’s dog who had come for a holiday with my nephew, my brother Pierpaolo and sister-in law Lara . And this is where the story gets interesting.

 During their stay in the country, considering that THIS HOUSE IS NOT A HOTEL (“questa casa non è un albergo” very nice expression frequently used by my father during the days of my youth) Nick and I  decided to introduce  our guests to the workings of the country side. With our good luck and their misfortune 8 tons of wood had just been deposited in our garden. So perfect ….. a small job  for two city people ,shifting it to the right place during a hot day in August!     

Pierpaolo and Zeno working hard

  As good country girls Lara and I got busy collecting the ripe products from the vegetable garden. Tomatoes, aubergine … …. straight from the garden  to the kitchen … …. tomato sauce in jars, aubergine Parmigiana … …. everything ready for the winter months. A bit of good work from everyone.  

My self and Lara in the vegetable garden basket full of vegetable

basket full of vegetable

But we had an even  bigger challenge in store for our guests. In the late May I had planted  in the vegetable garden  several varieties of chilies: Red chilies from Calabria, Little devil , and a few Mexican types. And of course HIM “the hottest chili in the world” … Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to BHUT JOLOKIA CHILI PEPPER.     

Mix Chilies

When we had collected all the mature chilies ,  Nick thought that someone really should check the validity of this Super Dangerous chili. The guinea pig was chosen: unfortunately for him, Pierpaolo  seemed to be best suited to the experiment, what more can I say…. he just had the right face!

Pierpaolo checking part 1

testing part 2

Pierpaolo first reaction !

Second reaction....IN PAIN!!

Mamma mia poor him, it was not a easy one!

Anyway, Pierpaolo bravely got on with it and tested the chili and despite the pain ….he managed to survive so Nick was able to get out the knife and garlic and prepare the Super Hot Chili Oil.

Super Hot Chili oil preparation

Unfortunately we have to wait at least a month before we can try it, but never mind the Super Hot Chili Oil will be ready just in time for the harvest … … so unfortunately for poor old  Pierpaolo  the game is not yet over and yes THIS HOUSE IS NOT A HOTEL ,to eat and sleep here  … … you must work for it !!!!! eh eh eh eh. 

Super Hot Chili Oil !!

Continue reading This house is not a hotel!! »

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Normal service will be resumed…

White onion filled with fresh anchovies , cod fish , garlic and parsley

 

A lot of things have happened in the last few days   so I just haven`t had time to put pen to paper …..but   I thought it`s only fair to keep you up to date with what’s been going on up in the middle of the Umbrian mountains………First I burnt my wrist on an oven made of ALL steel (very painful), then I had several cooking classes which were great fun as I met some lovely people . I tasted some fantastic goats cheese from a local farm combined with a very good wine (tasty). Then while having  a short break …. I managed   to  prepare 25 jars of tomato sauce and decided to dig up the onions from the vegetable garden (back   breaking).

After all that I just didn`t have the energy to come up  with  a recipe……especially surrounded with all those onions I`d  just pulled out. But now at last I`ve come back to life so here we go– White onions filled with fresh anchovies , cod fish , garlic and parsley . How does that sound ?

Anyway in the meantime while I carry on recovering greetings to you all and normal service will be resumed shortly…….. (if not sooner). Continue reading Normal service will be resumed… »

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Organized Chaos !

Mackerel and Mussels Spaghetti

 

And now….. here is a brief outline of the holiday . With the event of a 48 hours national strike in Greece, we made a decision and into the car went the bicycles ,a mini-bbq, a wooden table ( a little broken ) two chairs,( also not in good condition) 2 wine glasses( for a touch of class )  plates, a small tent, 2 pillows and camping  mattresses ….. we are no longer so young ….. and off we went to SARDINIA !

The first days were bliss, we rented a small fridge which was put  under a pine tree next to our tent  …. perfect! Peace and quiet were the key words.

La Caletta

 

Capo Comino

 

Santa Lucia

 

Capo Comino

 

Then surprise who arrived, my brother Pierpaolo, Lara my sister-in-law, my nephew Zeno and his school friend Yuri  !!!!!  It can only be described as organized CHAOS  from then on …… the evenings started at 6.30 pm with an Aperitivo , from there  the preparation of dinner was shared by all. We each had a task and even the children enjoyed taking part in the fun  We cooked some fantastic things with only a small bbq or a camping stove. We had to use the  stove  every time THE RED FLAG WAS UP because that was the warning it was too windy to use the bbq.  Even so,  we were not discouraged and we made some delicious dishes. The only problem ,as always, was the washing up so every evening,  we played cards and the losing couple had to get on with it …… in two weeks, I only washed the dishes  twice !!!!!! what a fantastic holiday.

Me in Santa Lucia

 

Back home Nick and I decided to recapture the moment with this fish and tomatoes sauce which was voted  as one of our best camping dishes. So why don`t you give it a go, you don`t even have to sleep in a tent to enjoy it! Continue reading Organized Chaos ! »

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Oh! Susanna...

Supper Club

Here I am, I’m back. The holiday in Sardinia was SUPER  fun but I will speak about  this in the next post. 

Now there’s no time. Yes, because since I came back I have not stopped cooking! This is a good thing for me, of course, but there is nothing more beautiful than cooking in your kitchen, especially when you have  new ovens! 

So yesterday was Supper Club time . The table was set up beautifully  and the sunflowers just give  a perfect summer look. 

 

We had some local guests happy to come back and others who have just flown from Indiana and Florida. A fantastic mix of people united by the same passion for food and wish to spend a relaxing day in the country side.
We started with a cold glass of Chardonnay followed by three type of finger food. Under the porch was a beautiful fresh breeze  and in the distance …. I could see my two goats looking very intrigued. 

chatting with my guests during Aperitivo

 

 

 

  We served six different course and with  every course I quickly explained to my guests the dish before them.  Everything seemed to flowing nicely . 

  

 

  

 

  

Five minutes after bringing out the chicken dish, Nick called  into the kitchen to say to me: Simona, YOU MUST GO OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW. 

 My heart stopped and I went out with my head down, ready for complaints ……but luckily  a big round of applause was there for me! It was amazing and embarrassing at the same time. I was very happy, plus the couple from Indiana have  been so nice to bring me a gift!!!!! 

Me very very embarassed!

They produce handmade PAPER on their farm ! BELLISSIMA, please go and  have a look to this web site  http://www.twinrocker.com/ . Anyway , I was very happy with this gift, so thanks again Kathryn and Howard. 

 

  

 Then after lunch, Howard decided to play some music for us and ….from a small bag he took out a BANJO!!!  This was for me the first time I had seen a Banjo and everybody started to sing … I felt  like I was in an old American movie. It was great! 

  

 
 

Howard

  So, ciao for now and be ready for the next adventure  on the  7th of August  Supper Club. 

   

  

 

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Sun,sea and....Pecorino cheese!

zucchini balls

Good morning, finally the big day has arrived .. we are  going on summer holiday !!!!!! Yes I know…we do  live in a place where people love to come on holiday…. but you know? .. once in a while ( 2 years !!) a little break from all these green Umbrian hills, is needed. So now I can put away the hoe and the pans , and take out the sun cream and swimming costume because we`re going to the sea side. But before that ..I  want to give you a few clues as to where we are going for our vacation : Caffe frappè, tzatzichi,  Moussaka, tomatoes and cucumber salad with feta cheese,  delicious zucchini balls , Rezzina wine (hoping to find a good one.!!!).

You’ve guessed it. We’re going to Greece, actually to a  small island in the Cyclades, and our mission is clear and simple: empty beaches, lots of books to read and plenty of food …………. STOP…… STOP……WAIT A MINUTE ……That was the story I had hoped to post this morning ,but ………………unfortunately the Greek austerity strikes have put a stop to that.

So , in a last minute panic we realized that are flight might be grounded at Rome’s Fiumicino airport for hours ,if not for good , no public transport when and if we arrived ,plus a ferry strike , leaving us trapped in hot sticky Athens for maybe two days. Worst of all , according to Nick was the promised 48hr electricity strikes , almost certain to make finding a cold beer impossible.  All that on the way out ,not to mention what could happen on the way back.

Luckily for us, all was not lost, a quick check on line and we found a cheap ferry ticket to an old favorite… Sardinia….. home to  beautiful  beaches ,crystal blue waters and great pecorino cheese….

Greece will have to wait till next year. It’s a fantastic place and we really love going there . But the thought of lying on a beach ,whilst the rest of the country is up in arms seemed a bit strange.

 Today ,as my last recipe before the holidays, I thought I`d make these fantastic Greek zucchini balls. Thank goodness I have lots of zucchini in the vegetable garden because it took three attempts before I was finally able to make the recipe taste exactly like the original…yes.. the very same ones, that we would have been eating in a few days…..

While I am away why not check out all the recipes in the archives. Also I would like to remind you that there are still some seats available for the August Supper Club   … .. so who knows, maybe  we`ll see some of you in August.

Greetings and happy days to all who are  going on holiday and also  those who are staying at home.

Ciao a tutti e buone vacanze. Continue reading Sun,sea and….Pecorino cheese! »

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It pays to go local.

Squid in orange and lemon dressing

 

No matter where we live, we all have our favorite store: be it a baker, butcher or  ice cream palour. Even in my little world in the middle of Umbria, I also have my preferred shops. And today I ‘d like to tell you about a small store in Allerona  where  every so often I go to buy my plants and seeds . It’s  a wonderful family business , real experts in their field….. but there is also much more about them…they all love food! Emanuele, the owner’s son has a real passion for cooking. He grew up with a true expert in the kitchen ,his MAMMA, and she has passed  onto him all her passion and knowledge for good food. So on one of my last visits to the shop standing between the turnips and eggplants Emanuele and I discussed different types of recipes and just as I was leaving he said to me …Devi provare questa è fresca e veloce ( you must try this one, it is fresh and quick to do). So here I am, I`ve done it and it`s so good I’d like to pass it onto you. I think I`ve got the right proportions between the lemon  and orange juice but anyway I can tell you the dish was delicious!

In conclusion, in life you never know … … you go out to buy a turnip plant and you come back with a great recipe for squid… what a service, not bad at all !! Continue reading It pays to go local. »

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Quality Time

Pancetta parcels with aspargus and goat cheese

 

This morning I woke up feeling full of energy and thought today I must  spend some “quality time” in my beloved vegetable garden! The tomato and cucumber plants have grown so much they need to be staked for support. Clearly, the soil needed be dug to clear all the weeds that are choking the plants … …. even my poor chilies are almost submerged in weeds … … .. so I got out the spade and gloves and set to. While working and admiring my big beautiful green  tomatoes ready to ripen, leeks growing , eggplant  flowers nearly ready to became  fruit and all the different green salad…..I was inspired, how nice it would be to create the menu for the July Supper Club, using as much as possible from my vegetable garden, so I have set down a few ideas which are available for all those who are interested and who will be around in Umbria on July 17 the menu is decided, have a look!!

At the end of the day my back was in pieces, my arms and shoulders in agony I am definitely getting older! I was exhausted but  super happy with all the work I had done. Nick fresh and relaxed returned from his trip to Orvieto, and with a big smile on his face he presented me with a bouquet …. of asparagus (flowers would  have been most appreciated) and he said to me: These were on offer and I thought you would want to cook something special for the evening  with the last asparagus of the season!! POVERA ME (poor me) just the very idea of ​​picking up a frying pan made ​​me tremble. So I quickly steamed asparagus, took the first two ingredients that I found in the fridge,  tied them all together with chives and  put them under the grill. Nick picked and washed the salad  and dinner was done. Delicious.

In my vegetable garden

 

So sadly it`s good bye for this year to the asparagus …. and a big hello and welcome to our own homegrown products. As for the flowers….I’ll keep hoping and be grateful after all it could have been the end of the Brussels sprout season. Continue reading Quality Time »

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Where there’s a will there’s a way.

Our house outside the village of Allerona

 

Sunday morning the sky was blue with a couple of small white clouds floating by, it was a  beautiful sunny day, just perfect for a lunch under the porch. My day started early in the kitchen, I was very excited, a 6 course menu to prepare for 12 guests for the Sagraincasa Supper Club  . The new oven was ready in position  and it seemed to say to me: come on don`t worry, everything will be great.

At around 12 noon my friend Eva arrived to give me a hand in the kitchen and with the table service,  her Swiss friend Susan ,here on holiday, came with her and kindly offered  to help out for the day. All this must be too good to be true … .. something had to happen, right??. Indeed it did! The drains of both the kitchen sinks were suddenly  blocked, so the dishwasher could not be used. MAMMA MIA why do bad things always happen at the wrong time ????!!!!  “Do not panic,” I thought , “it’s just a question of organization”. Susan immediately offered to wash all the dishes and pots by hand  on the top floor of the house, a true angel, so that meant Eva could still help me in the kitchen and with the table service. Problem solved!

  So ,the Supper Club began. The table looked beautiful and the guests were collected by Nick from the village at 1.0 p.m

Table set and ready for guests.

 

Glasses waiting to be filled

 

A glass of Spumante and three different starters were the perfect way to start a Sunday lunch. A relaxed, happy family atmosphere with good food and good wine is what we wanted to offer.

Guests enjoying a glass of Spumante

 

zucchini and ricotta rolls

 

caprese in solid form

 

zucchini flowers in the Roman way

 

In the kitchen, things were great, the aroma of fresh handmade basil pesto was awesome, and the linguine pasta was al dente and ready to be served. The baked potatoes were golden and crispy.  Green salad  just picked fresh from the vegetable garden was washed and ready to be dressed with our own extra virgin olive oil. Susan , doing an amazing impersonation of Speedy Gonzales, come back with the washed pans ready for me to start to cook pistachios and lemon zest meatballs in a delicious white wine sauce… … …. absolutely perfect!

Me and Eva in the kitchen

 

Pasta with pesto and grilled cherry tomatoes

 

pistachios and lemon zest meatballs

 

tiramisu

My guests? people of all different nationalities with the same passion for good food and good wine,all friendly and happy.

Chatting with my guests after the meal

 

relaxing at the and of the day

 

What more can I say …. it doesn`t get any better than this, blocked drains or not. I loved it!

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Double trouble

Clams and Asparagus risotto

 

Earlier this week we finally  decided to make an important investment, a new oven. It would seem an easy thing to do, but  believe me after days of researching on sizes, different techniques of cooking and of course … .. the cost ..for two nights I  even dreamt about ovens! However in the end … we had this brilliant idea ,because the number of people I cook for can vary from 1 to 10+  Instead of buying one large oven  (very useful when the number of guests is 10 and up) we decided to be clever and buy two medium size ovens  Cool … ..  we thought ..in this way we save energy .When we cook for a few guests (or just for us) I’ll use one or alternatively two  for large numbers of people. Whaoo  very clever don’t you think??? Eventually the ovens arrived yesterday morning. I was super excited, so once these two beautiful pieces of kitchen equipment were setup in the right places we couldn`t wait to turn them on to test … and when we did——— BANG  ———- the electricity of the whole house fused  !!!!!!!!!!!! Why do we always seem to take one step forward and two back ? now we have to wait for the electricity company to come and change the voltage of the house. Bloody Nora !! 

Obviously we were really fed up, so decided to remedy the situation with a good old risotto cooked on the gas stove. Clams and Asparagus risotto , sometimes  it’s better to keep things simple…….

Now the question is: will just one oven work for the roast potato pears and rosemary that I will serve for 12 people on the Supper Club on Sunday?????  Please keep your fingers crossed for me and I’ll let you know the outcome next week.

Good week end to all ( buon fine settimana a tutti )

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