June 4th, 2013 - Hello IFF Friends!

The weeks are flying by here in Umbria and despite the inclement weather we are managing to get settled in. The highlight of this past week was a visit to Spello to see the L'infiorata, or flower festival on Sunday. This is certainly one of my favorite Umbrian festivals we try to attend every year. As you can see in the photo on the right, the festival involves "painting" works of art by laying down flowers petals onto canvas that are secured to the cobblestone streets. Truly amazing!

We have now had a couple of really gorgeous days, and the forecast shows a warming trend with more sun in store for us so perhaps our June will better than May. I am happy to see better weather ahead as we have family arriving this week and we're looking forward to doing some day trips with them!

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake With Sagrantino Wine
Every once in a while I crave chocolate, but it has to be dark chocolate, and I do not need much, just a taste. I rarely bake with chocolate because we do not eat many desserts in our house if it just my husband and myself at home. If I do bake anything, it is usually a rustic fruit or nut cake that can be assembled quickly without a lot of fuss that can be enjoyed both at breakfast or after dinner that I serve to guests. I came across this cake recipe in one of my antique Umbrian cookbooks that sounded intriguing, and decided I must try it. Read More......

Spello L'infiorata 2013
One of my favorite festivals that takes place in Spello each June is the L'infiorata, where large works of art are created by simply laying flower petals onto canvases. We've had such a cool, wet, and windy month, that I was worried the weather might hinder the festival, and although they did have some rain during the night, the more intricate designs were protected. The L'infiorata takes place every year, on the Sunday after Corpus Domini which falls on a Thursday. Corpus Domini or Corpus Christi is a festival in honor of the Eucharist, the body of Christ symbolized with bread. It has been celebrated 60 days after Easter Sunday on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday since the XIII century. Read More......

Easy Beef Carpaccio @ SeriousEats.com
I first tasted beef carpaccio in 1986 at Harry's Bar in Venice. It was my first trip to Italy, and we were told that anyone who went to Venice had to visit Harry's Bar for a Bellini and a plate of carpaccio. Before I moved to Italy in 1987, I ate my beef medium well done, so for me to try raw beef was a real adventure. The plate looked appetizing topped with a generous drizzle of special sauce, but I just wasn't sure I could eat an entire plate of raw beef. It turned out to be love at first bite—beef carpaccio has become one of my favorite foods since that very memorable experience at Harry's Bar so long ago. Read More......

Creamy Risotto With Wild Asparagus
Springtime in Umbria is wild asparagus time, and you can see the older women from the small town up the street from our farmhouse foraging in the fields and alongside the roads from late April until early June. Wild asparagus is thinner than regular asparagus, but has a more pronounced "asparagus" flavor. Here in Umbria it is most often used in risotto or fresh pasta dishes, although it can be used in just about any dish that regular asparagus might be used. Read More......