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Hello Italian Food Forever Friends!

We are now completely relaxed after being back from Umbria for almost a month already, but of course life always throws a few bumps in your way just to keep life interesting. I am enjoying the "easy life" here in North America, but am missing my Umbrian views, and my chickens!

One bump we just experienced is that my little 6 pound Yorkie Luca tore a ligament in his "wrist" and had to have surgery to have his joint fused and will be in a cast for a couple of months.

I'll be heading up to Canada the end of the week to help my Mother move and to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and will not have regular internet. I break out in a sweat just thinking about it, but some time away from the computer will probably be good for me.

If you do not here from me for a week or two, don't worry, I'll be back in full force in December with lots of recipes in time for Christmas!

Farrotto With Mushrooms
Farro is a very popular grain in Umbria and is often used in salads during warmer months, and in soups or as a side dish when the temperatures cool. It is a very healthy grain with a slightly nutty taste and chewy texture that can be used in many different recipes. Farro is cooked like rice and expands into a plump, chewy berry, which can then be used as a side dish, in place of rice in risotto as in this recipe, as a grain based salad, and in soups and stews. Cracked, it can be used as a polenta or porridge. Get The Recipe......

Olive Harvest Soup ~ Zuppa Frantoiana
We have over a hundred olive trees on our property in Umbria, and one of our greatest joys, is spending three long days every fall harvesting the olives and then taking them to the mill to be turned into our own extra virgin olive oil. Though the oil is delicious simply drizzled over slices of grilled bread, I also use the pungent flavored oil in a number of dishes such as this traditional soup. Get The Recipe......

Pasta With Roasted Red Peppers & Goat Cheese
The flavor combination of roasted sweet peppers and goat cheese is one that I will never get tired of, as the sweetness of the peppers is perfectly balanced by the tangy flavor of the goat cheese. In this recipe, the peppers are pureed along with a little cream to create a tasty sauce that the goat cheese is stirred into. Get The Recipe......

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes With Artichokes
On special occasions or holidays when I am planning my menu I often include a potato gratin, or what we call scalloped potatoes in my family. Thinly sliced peeled potatoes are layered with cheese and heavy cream and then cook until tender. The finished potato dish is golden brown and crisp on top and creamy and delicious underneath. Get The Recipe......

Slow Cooked Pork Shanks With Gremolata (Stinco)
In Umbria, pork is almost always the meat of choice, and pork shanks, or stinco, are found on many restaurant menus during the cooler moths of the year. Pork shanks are cooked slow and long until the meat is so tender it literally falls off the bone. This inexpensive cut of meat is easily found in Umbria although is not as typical here in North America. I have to go to a specialty butcher store to find pork shanks here in the US, although they can be found. Get The Recipe......

Grouper Puttanesca
After living in landlocked Umbria for 6 months, when we are in Florida we love to buy fresh seafood a couple of times a week for dinner. It isn't that you can't buy fresh fish in Umbria, but with the coast 2 hours away it isn't as widely available as it is here in Florida. One of my favorite varieties of fish has to be grouper, black grouper in particular. It is a mild tasting fish that is quite meaty so it holds up to a number of cooking techniques although our usual method of preparation is pan frying or oven roasting. Get The Recipe......