Hello IFF Newsletter Subscribers! June 19th 2013

I am getting this week's newsletter written up a little early this week as I am headed to Venice for three days and one can never be too sure about hotel internet connections! We recently celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary and decided a quick getaway to Venice was in order before we get too busy.

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day! We headed off to Gubbio for the monthly antique market and a wonderful black truffle lunch to celebrate though unfortunately our kids are back in the US so could not elebrate with us.

Summer has finally arrived, and they are calling for temperatures in the 90's all week here in central Italy. Hard to believe just a couple of weeks ago I was bundling up to stay warm but am really happy the weather is so nice now as we have family arriving for a three week stay next Sunday and the little ones will want to be in the pool. Hope everyone has a great week!

Drunken Spaghetti
Spaghetti Ubriachi, or Drunken Spaghetti, is a typical Tuscan dish that we also make here in Umbria. It is a very appealing dish to prepare, as the pasta cooked in the red wine takes on a gorgeous ruby red color. Do not worry about getting tipsy while eating this pasta as the alcohol burns off with the heat leaving just a lovely hint of sweetness to the pasta. Get The Recipe......

A Day At Lago di Trasimeno
We will be having lots of family visit us here in Umbria this summer which we really love as it gives us an opportunity to share Umbria, our adopted home with them all. When family visit, we enjoy taking them off for the day to explore the region which also gets us away from home more than usual. When you oversee two farmhouses on a large property, there is always work to be done, and we tend to stick close to home more than we probably should keeping on top of the chores. Having family and friends visit, gives us an excuse to leave the chores behind for a day or two and enjoy this amazing region we now call home. Read More......

Easy Pasta alla Carbonara @ SeriousEats.com
This is one of Italy's most famous pasta dishes and is extremely easy to prepare though it can be disastrous if you do not follow a few simple rules. Carbonara is one pasta dish that I have been making since I first married over 40 years ago and I have tweaked the recipe many times over the years until I now have the perfect recipe (for me) that I make almost on a weekly basis using up the fresh eggs I collect daily from our chickens here in Umbria. I decided to share my recipe on SeriousEats.com recently in my Italian Easy column as it is an Italian classic that I feel everyone would enjoy. Read More......

Balsamic Glazed Mortadella Bites
Here in Umbria, pork is king, and the region is famous for its cured pork products as well as its roasted pork, particularly porchetta, and its sausages. It is very typical to see an appetizer on almost ever restaurant menu that includes a selection of local cured meats and cheeses, and the cured salami are made both from farmed pigs as well as wild boar. These salami can also be flavored with everything from local Sagrantino wine to shaved black truffles. When we have guests, we often serve Umbrian specialties, and this easy dish using a good quality mortadella, balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil is frequently on my menu. I first was served this appetizer at Osteria del Matto, a cute little restaurant in the heart of Spoleto about 5 years ago and have been making it ever since. Get The Recipe......