Today I became a truffle hunter. Well, not really. I did experience what it was like to be a truffle hunter, very briefly, and let me just say that it was so indistinguishable from anything else I had ever done before. My peers and I arrived at the casa of Alessandro, the head of our […]
L’Aperitif The bread was finally salted. In Umbria, they do not have salt in the bread. This bread, however, was different. Served before us, a plain wheat bread – salted to perfection. Its firm, yet textured crust was juxtaposed to the soft, bed like, interior. Accompanied with it were two types of focaccia: olive and […]
Whatever you think a truffle looks like, think again. I’d had a few assumptions myself: perhaps it resembles its chocolate counterpart? No, not quite. How about a standard, hearty, bell-capped mushroom? Not even close. Besides, I was a little busy wondering what’s so special about a fungus anyway? to worry about its appearance (on the […]
The soft, warm breeze blew across my face as I stood staring out at the woods that lay ahead of me. Bees and various other bugs swarmed the area, landing gracefully upon tan-colored weeds on the ground. The flowers that decorated nearby bushes diffused their sweet smell into the air, the draft making its way […]
The first sight I took note of upon entry to the kitchen, was the head of a single chicken who lay breathless beside his once feathered body. His rounded beak sprouted sharply out of his small face between a pair of shallow sockets where his eyes once peered out thoughtlessly at the vast Umbrian fields […]
When you think of Italy what comes to mind? Beautiful valleys, light colored houses with terracotta roofs, narrow cobblestone streets? Or is it thick red tomato sauce layered over thin lengthy noodles? I’d bet it was the latter. I have spent the past 2 weeks migrating between Tuscany, Umbria, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast. Of […]
After a long day of travel, our stomachs were eating at our insides, grumbling and screaming for a taste of the amazing Italian cuisine that lies all over Rome. As we walked down the same street that holds the beautiful Trevi Fountain, we came across a cute, little restaurant on the corner, Ristorante Quirino, and […]
I enter the robust kitchen, a chicken laid splayed out on the stained countertop– a cleaver sits beside the carcass. I have journeyed to Locanda Rovicciano, a beautiful countryside restaurant/ inn. Surrounded by vibrant flowers, the lushest, greenest grass, and an alluring charm as soon as you step foot on the grounds. Our chef, Andrea, […]
Eating was a chore for me as a kid. It was also a chore for everyone else involved. I was the stubborn parental nightmare that insisted on stopping by McDonald’s for a Happy Meal before everyone sits down to eat at the Mexican restaurant the family frequents. On the occasion that I did eat what […]
In Umbria and throughout the majority of the Italy, truffles have been a main staple, included in every dish. Truffles are used to top the olive oil coated pasta dishes, or mixing with the sheer coating of parmesan, they go on top of scrambled eggs, shredded like parmesan, mixing with the warmth of the fresh […]
