Hello Italian Food Forever Subscribers!

Happy Memorial Day! It is difficult to believe that the month of May is almost over. It has been a very cool and rainy past couple of weeks since our arrival, but as you can see our lawn is as green as I have ever seen it due to all the rain. Unfortunately, the cooler weather is causing everyone to delay planting their vegetable gardens. Hopefully June will bring better weather for us! It certainly can't be worse than May!

This weekend is a special one across Italy as many of the wineries open their doors to the public. Cantine Aperte is on Sunday, and it is fun to visit local cantinas and taste their wines and is often a big outdoor party. Just hope the rain holds off for the festivities! Saturday night many wineries hold special dinners and we'll be heading to Villa Selva where our friend Filipo Peppucci will be showcasing his wines.

Golden Brown Artichokes Braised in White Wine
Although I do love everything about being back in Umbria, one of the things I was looking forward to most upon our return was our weekly (often daily) market visits so I could buy my favorite vegetable, the artichoke. The artichoke season is far too short, and everyone has been telling me to buy all the artichokes I want now because the season is ending in a week or two. Not only have I been buying artichokes right and left at every market we visit, but the artichoke plants we added a few years ago to our garden are really starting to yield some amazing artichokes as well. Read More......

Almond Berry Loaf
We have now been back in Umbria for almost two weeks and I realized yesterday that I have yet to bake anything sweet. I usually always have some baked treat that my husband can offer any of the Italian workmen or friends we might have stop by the house along with a cup of coffee, but just haven't managed to get to it until now. Baking here in Umbria has been a challenge at times, because my oven and I have a love/hate relationship. I cannot seem to find the right temperature to bake desserts as the oven temperature fluctuates whenever it wants. Read More.....

How To Make A Stromboli (on Serious Eats.com)
Stromboli can be a somewhat contentious term, and depending on who you ask, definitions vary somewhat drastically. We know what it's not, but while stromboli is neither calzone nor submarine sandwich, it's also a little bit of both. The calzone, essentially a pizza folded into a half moon, can be found in pizzerias across Italy; the stromboli was created in the United States and is about as Italian as Caesar Salad.

So, what is it?

Making stromboli begins with a dough—sometimes pizza, sometimes bread—that's stuffed with various cheeses and Italian cured meats. The fillings are encased in the dough—sometimes braided, sometimes rolled—then baked, and finally sliced to serve. Read More......