Hello Italian Food Forever Newsletter Subscribers!

The summer is now moving along very quickly and the sunflower fields all around our region are finally in full bloom. Just seeing these golden blooms always makes me smile.

So far it has been a lovely summer here in Umbria, with day temperatures in the 80's and then the nights cooling off nicely which makes sleeping very comfortable since almost no one here has air conditioning.

I have a new double oven iLve range which is making my life in the kitchen much easier than it used to be and I am enjoying working on new baked treats for our farmhouse guests.

For the rest of the summer I will be sending out this newsletter biweekly as I will be very busy over the next month with more family visiting us here in Umbria, and farmhouse guests to take care of. Hope your summer is going well and that you are able to enjoy lots of family time!

Barbazza con Sagrantino & Salvia
One of our favorite restaurants here in Umbria is Enoteca L'Alchimista in Montefalco. At l'Alchimista, they use traditional Umbrian products, but in very interesting and different ways, and keep the menu very seasonal but always true to Umbria. One of our favorite appetizers we order when we dine here is called Barbazza con Sagrantino & Salvia , which basically uses strips of bacon-like meat that they fry in Sagrantino wine with sage. Get The Recipe......

Spaghetti with Clams, Mussels, and Tomatoes @ SeriousEats.com

We eat a lot of pasta in our house. Luckily, it's so versatile that the options are truly endless. With all the fresh and dried varieties available in stores these days, you could probably combine a different type of pasta with a different sauce every day for years and never get bored.

But while I cook pasta quite frequently, it's rare that I get to incorporate my favorite ingredients: fresh, locally caught seafood. The only exception is this spaghetti dish, topped with fresh clams and mussels—even in landlocked Umbria, it's usually possible to find both bivalves at the market. Get The Recipe......

Farro Pasta With Guanciale & Cherry Tomatoes
La Casella is an agriturismo, or working country farm just minutes from our farmhouse where we dine from time to time. Many of these country farms have rooms to rent as well as restaurants where they serve delicious honest food at remarkably reasonable prices. On one visit to La Casella, we enjoyed a simple plate of farro pasta tossed with cherry tomatoes and salty guanciale, and I enjoyed it so much I had to replicate this dish myself at home. Get The Recipe......

Potato Focaccia With Caramelized Onions, Olives & Rosemary
Focaccia is hands down my favorite type of bread to make because it is so easy, and it's also my favorite bread to eat. If I have fresh baked focaccia in my kitchen, I must force myself to leave the room, or else I would keep nibbling at it until I ended up eating the whole tray myself. I also love making focaccia because the flavor options are endless, and you can top it with just about anything, creating an entirely new bread each time you bake. I first tasted focaccia made with potato dough when we were in Puglia and it was love at first bite. Get The Recipe......