A little update from our neck of the woods in these very difficult times, we are experiencing all over the world.
The whole of Italy, has now been in total lock down for the past 8 days - we are at least looking at 7 more - but more likely all the way until the 3rd of April...Hopefully by then, we will have cracked the code and see the numbers going down.
Being in lock down basically means, you are to stay in your home at all times. You are only allowed to leave your house for medical reasons, to go to the pharmacy or to buy food. When leaving your home, you need a document, that clearly specifies who you are and where you are going. You are not to leave the town you are living in.
We are fine here in Todi - so far only one case has been reported - luckily Umbria is a very big region with very few people living here.
So after day 8 you kind of get into a routine. We wake up in the morning, still quite early, have a cup of tea in bed, then we still make an effort to have a shower and get dressed. Then we go downstairs and have our breakfast and watch the news.
Then we start with all our little projects in the house or in the garden....right now we're washing down all the outside tiles on the terrace, pruning all the olive trees, planting pea and fava beans in the orto and today we started on our new little herb garden....so plenty to do so far...these days with plenty of time on our hands we try to test new recipes for lunch or just try out new dishes....have a look at Instagram @ilghiottoneumbro - for a daily fix of delicious food from bella Italia.
In the evening we answer emails, talk to family and friends, catch up on our italian lessons and watch a good movie or an episode of our favorite serie - The Sopranos....

These last couple of days, we have had a little craze - the focaccia from Puglia - called Focaccia Barese, as it originates from the town of Bari....this type of Focaccia is quite different to the Genovese style focaccia, that you normally see....it's more dense and almost cake like in consistency - the little secret is, that they add some riced boiled potatoes to the dough adding extra moisture to the finished bread.....we eat it all day - for a snack in the morning, for lunch with some mozzarella and a salad or as a little something for your evening drink before dinner...if you have any leftovers, slice the bread really thinly and dry them out in a low oven - for the most tasty little crisp...

This recipe can proof overnight in the fridge, so you have fresh bread early the next day, or just leave it out in a warm place to proof during the day, for delicious bread with your dinner.
You can add any type of topping, just make sure, it's not too weet...the classic is of couse tomatoes and olives, you could just do rosemary and sea salt, walnuts and goat's cheese would be nice or some sauteed sweet onions and sage....whatever you fancy and have in you pantry.

This recipe makes 2 round focacce:

100 g potatoe, no skin
350 g water
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp sugar
5 g active dry yeast
50 g olive oil + extra for the tins
350 g flour Tipo 0
200 g semolina rimacinata

your choosen topping


Start by boiling the potatoe. Once cooked, drain and use a fork or a ricer to mash. Place in the bowl of your stand mixer and pour in water. Add salt, sugar and yeast, give it a stir and leave to activate for a few minutes.
Pour in olive oil and add the 2 types of flour. With the dough hook mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Scrabe down the sides and mix for a further 5 minutes on medium speed. Your dough should be smooth and a little sticky.
Dust your bench with a little flour and pour out the dough. Cut the dough in 2. Working with one piece of dough at the time. Pull the sides into the middle all around, to build up a little elasticity in the dough. Place the dough in the oiled baking tins and push the dough out a little
If you want to proof overnight in the fridge - leave the tins out on the bench for an hour, then transfer covered to the fridge. Otherwise leave them to proof on the bench covered until double in size and you can see bubbles in the dough starting to form.

If you have proof the dough overnight in the fridge - take the breads out of the fridge 1 hour before baking.

Preheat your oven to 240c degrees and bake the breads for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Winter is upon us - even though this winter has been one of the mildest so far her in Umbria - it almost feels like spring - lunch has even been enjoyed outside a few times on a sunny bench.
This time of year is also we when we do some of the heavy lifting in the garden. So right now we are giving our olive trees a little much needed love and care - it's been a few years since we last gave them a serious pruning.

Normally it's a little bit early, as you don't want really cold and frosty weather, when you do the pruning - but with these spring like temperatures - we thought we would get a head start.
When spending most of the day in the garden, we like to stock the fridge with lots of easy to go lunches - and what is more filling, warming and delicious, than a big bowl of soup.

One of our favorite soups is the classic tuscan Ribollita - basically a minetrone with plenty of  cavolo nero - the black kale of Tuscany, that has been reheated and thickened with lots of bread and served with a generous dose of spicy olive oil.
The story goes, that the family had minestrone one night and there were some leftovers. Not enough for the next day - so lots of stale bread were added to the soup, to thicken the soup and to feed the family. These days it's a classic served all over Tuscany - sometimes it's soupy, other times it's so thick, you eat it with a fork. If you like the traditional condiment, besides the oil, is lots of raw red onions on top.

La Ribollita - serves 6 as primo piatto

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + extra to serve
1 celery, just the pale tender parts, chopped and leaves set aside
1/2 celeriac, chopped
3 red onions, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 handful parsley, chopped
800 g tinned tomatoes
750 g cavolo nero, steams removes and leaves roughly chopped
200 g dried bolotti beans, soaked overnight and cooked, save the cooking water
1 small day old loaf of sour dough, crust removed and teared into small pieces
sea salt and black pepper

In a large pan heat the olive oil and saute celery, celeriac, onions, carrots, garlic, pasley and celery leaves on medium to low heat for 30 minutes without taking any colour.
Add the tinned tomatoes and break them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook for a further 30 minutes. Add cavolo nero and let it wilt down for a few minutes.
Pour in the preserved cooking water from the beans. It should just cover - if you need more liquid, pour in water to cover. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile pure half the beans.
Once the soup is done, add the whole beans and the pure together with the bread. Give it a good stir - if too thick, you can add a little water.
Season with salt and pepper - and maybe a touch of lemon juice.

This is one of those soups, that just keeps getting better - so a great dish to cook the night before and have ready to feed a crowd.

When serving be generous with the olive oil on each plate.

The last cooking guests checked out last week - so now we're entering a more quite time of the year. Just a few B&B guests here and there - yes we are open all year for B&B - and Umbria is also great in autumn and winter.
So with no guests in the house - it's time to tackle the vegetable garden - has been a bit neglected over a very busy fall - so in good need of a little love and care.
So one of the first things to do - is to clear the beds from tomato plants and a lot of weeds. Hidden among those weeds, the cchili plants were still alive and producing like mad. So according to tradition, you pull them out, with the roots and hang them upside down in a dry place. Once all dried out you can use them for months to come - we often just leave them on the dried out plant - looks good in the kitchen.
So with all these chilis - why not do one of the most classic dishes in the italian kitchen - the one and only - Spaghetto aglio, olio e peperoncino - the perfect dish, when you face an empty fridge or if you come home late after a night on the town - and just a little hungry. This dish can basically be done in more or less 10 minutes. Being such a simple dish - you really have to rely on the best of ingredients - so look for great garlic - the red one are the best, this is the time to use your best extra virgin olive oil and get some good quality dried pasta - if you can get a thick spaghetto extruded from a bronze disc and slowly dried - go for that one. Favorite brand for this dish is Faella - but other will work as well. Normally this dish is made with dried chili - but if you have fresh, you can use this as well - we did. Use as much or as little as you like - but remember it has to be on the hot side.

This time we cook it in a slightly more modern way - creating a creamy sauce with the cooked garlic and not heating the olive oil - so we keep all the great flavours of the oil - this time we even used the new oil adding yet another spicy layer of flavours to the dish.

So for 2 persons you need:

4 cloves of garlic, cut in half lenghtwise
250 g spaghetti
80 g extra virgin olive oil
80 g natural mineral water
sea salt
a drop of lemon juice
chili, fresh or dried, chopped
fresh parsley, chopped

Place garlic in a small sauce pan and cover just with water from the tap. Bring to the boil. Once boiling, drain and return to the pan. Recover with water and bring to the boil. Repeat this 4 times, to remove some of the harsh notes from the garlic.
Meanwhile bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook your pasta al dente.
When the garlic is cooked the last time, place in a small bowl and add olive oil, water and season with salt and lemon. Use an handheld stick blender and blend into a creamy sauce and pass through a sieve.
Place in a large bowl and add chili and parsley. Once your pasta is cooked, drain and transfer right away to the sauce. Cooling the pasta slightly in the sauce with help to make the sauce even creamier - so give it a good stir.
Plate up - and enjoy......

If you are feeling real festive add some grilled calamari or flaky fish to the dish when you serve.

We have just added a new feature to our Instagram called " Ask for a recipe". We add a post to our Instagram feed more or less every day - and very often - as in almost always it's food related. We post pictures of what we will be having for lunch or what we are serving to our guests in the B&B. When you follow us on @ilghiottoneumbro - you can now ask for recipe for any of the posted dishes and we will  publish it here on the blog.

As a little extra - we will put all the requests into a big bag and draw some great gifts at the end of the year for christmas - so what's to loose.

The first request is from Tone from Norway, who would like to know how to make Arancini di Riso.

These fried rice balls has been on our menu for almost 20 years - first in the restaurant in Copenhagen and now here in the Umbrian country side, where a lot of guests cook them during their cooking course.

Basically it's a great way to use leftover risotto from the day before - you can use any type of risotto. Arancini is the number 1 street food in Sicilia - and if you come to Rome we call then Suppli - slightly different shape, but they are more or less the same.

The arancini we posted on Instagram was made with left over Risi e Bisi - the classical Venetian risotto with peas and mint - so we will add the recipe for this as well.

Happy cooking and join us on Instagram - @ilghiottoneumbro

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Risi e Bisi - classical Venetian risotto with peas and mint

Serves 6

50 g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
300 g risotto rice
250 ml white wine
1 litre chicken stock
350 g fresh podded peas
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 handfull fresh mint
50 g parmesan, grated
lemon to taste
sea salt and black pepper

Melt half the butter in a large pan and saute the onion on medium to low heat for 15 minutes without taking any colour. In a seperate pan heat the stock and adjust the seasoning.

Mean while bring a small sauce pan with salted water to the boil. Blanch half the peas for a minute or so. Drain and transfer to the bowl of a small food processor, process with the olive oil and 3/4 of the mint to a paste. Season with salt and pepper. Set a side.

Once the onion is done, add the rice and stir to coat the rice in the buttery onion. Turn up the heat and pour in the wine. When the rice has absorbed most of the wine, you can start to add the warm stock a laddle at the time. You might not need all the stock.

It takes around 18 minutes to cook a risotto, when there is 3 minutes left, add the rest of the peas. The risotto is ready when the rice is creamy and al dente.

Chop the rest of the mint. Once the risotto is ready, remove the pan for the heat and stir in the butter, parmesan, pure and the chopped mint. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and a little lemon.

Your Risi e Bisi is now ready.

When you want to make arancini - then leave the risotto to cool completely - even overnight is great.

Then you need:

flour
a few eggs
bread crumbs
sun flower oil

Now take you cold risotto and shape into small balls - if you like you can even adda cube of mozzarella in the middle. Once all the risotto is used - set up the breading station. You need a bowl with flour, one with the eggs whisked together and one bowl with bread crumbs. Take each ball and turn in the flour, the in eggs before coating in the bread crumbs.  Once all balls ae coated, you can cook them right away or even keep them in the fridge for a few hours.

When you are ready to fry them - heat some oil in a pan - we prefer to use a low sided pan - once the oil reaches 180c degrees fry the arancini until golden and crispy - you might wat to fry them in batches, so you don't overcrowd the pan.

Fried arancini can be keept warm in a 100c degrees hot oven until all are cooked and ready to serve.

Happy cooking and see you soon with yet another Insta recipe - it might just be your request.

Many of you know this - but there might be some unaware of our cooking courses, that we do here in Umbria. They range for 3 to 6 days with lots of hands-on cooking in the kitchen, visits to farms and vine yards, lots of tastings, good amount of vino, laughter and good talks around the kitchen and table. 
Each year we try to change things a little - adding a new course to the cooking calendar, adding new elements to the exciting courses - well in general - shake the bag a little once in a while.

Each course is very seasonal - we cook what's in season and try to keep things as simple as possible - in our kitchen, you will not find shelves packed with crazy equipment - a pasta machine an and ice cream churner are the most advanced gadgets we have around. We do this on purpose - food should be simple, easy, tasty and straight forward. In Italy we are blessed with great products so why spend time and effort to cover up the taste of a great produce.
The cooking course are spaced out through the whole year - on our web site - www.ilghiottoneumbro.com - we have the cooking calendar with all the dates and availabilities for the year to come. 
​Most of the courses takes place at the house in Todi, where you will stay during the course.

Cooking in Rome.

This is our new cooking course for 2019. 
A whole new concept at Il Ghiottone Umbro - we will relocate to bella Roma for a long weekend both in the spring and autumn.
For 3 days we will be eating and cooking our way through the delicious roman food and other regional delicacies. We have borrowed the charming kitchen from our friend Alice at Latteria Studio - a cooking studio on the border between Trastevere and Monteverde.
The 2 cooking lessons will be "market to table" cooking - nothing is planned - we will go to the market together in the morning and see what's available - and together we will walk back to the kitchen to cook up a nice lunch. We will be making lots of delicious antipasti, different homemade pastas, gnocchi, sauces, pestos and tasty desserts. 
You will also enjoy aperitivi at local enotecas, welcome dinner at the one and only Armando al Pantheon and pizza night at Emma pizzeria.

The dates are:
4th to 7th of April 2019 - just 1 spot left - grab the last spot for €525
10th to 13th of October 2019 - 4 spots left

The price is € 600 per person and include: welcome aperitivo, dinner, 2 market to table cooking lessons, aperitivo and pizza dinner. The price does NOT include accommodation in Rome.

Italian Summer Cooking

This course will celebrate all the sun ripened veggies of the summer - not strictly vegetarian - but vegetables will be the main player. During the 3 cooking lesson, we will concentrate on all the delicious anti pasti and primi dishes of the summer - fill the table each night with simple dishes, that you can easily recreate back home. 
We will also visit a local organic farm, that makes some of the best goat's cheese around. We will go for a walk in the stables and talk to Anne-Line about life in the Umbrian country side, see the animals, then of the dairy for a talk about how to make cheese and finally a tasting of the different cheeses produced on the farm.
Wine will also be part of the course - one day we will visit a local biodynamic vine yard - that more or less makes wine, like in the old days - everything is concentrated around the concept, that you should always give more back to the earth than you take. We will go for a walk in the vine yards, talk about this biodynamic way of making wine, then of the the cellar for more info before we sit down for a tasting of the wines.

The dates are:
24th to 28th of July 2019

The price is € 850 per person. This include 4 night stay in a double room, breakfast, welcome dinner, 3 cooking lessons and visits to organic farm and vinery.
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Tuttomato

The summer is still full on and hopefully the garden and the fields are full of sweet tomatoes - this course is all about tomatoes. A part of the course will be all about preserving and canning the tomatoes for the winter to come. Peeled tomatoes and passata for the larder. We will also be making the sicilian sun dried tomato paste - Strattu. Each cooking lesson will be filled with red and sweet tomatoes in various anti pasti, primi, secondi and even sweets.
We will also visit a local vinery for a great tasting of biodynamic wines.

The dates are :
21st to 25th August 2019

The price is € 750 per person and include a 4 night stay in double room, breakfast, welcome dinner, visit to local vinery and 3 cooking lessons.

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Nostra bella Umbria

Here we pay special focus on our beautiful region of Umbria and all it has to offer - a week long cooking course emerged in Umbria and all its glory. During the 3 cooking lessons we will cook all seasonal food, packed with flavour but still easy to do. Expect lots anti pasti, home made pasta, gnocchi, rich soups a hearty stew, breads and sweets.
One of the mornings we will be spending time with a local guide from Assisi - getting to know this amazing town and all its history and about the legend Francesco of Assisi. This is followed by a rustic country lunch full of grilled meats.
We are also going truffle hunting one morning - we will spend a few hours together with Bruno and his dogs looking for this priced mushroom. All the walking and hunting will have left us hungry - so we will walk to the restaurant for a truffle lunch.
We will also be visiting a vine yard and have a tasting as well as making a visit to a farm with production of organic goat's cheeses.
A busy week - but still time to relax and absorb all the experiences of bella Umbria.

The dates are:

16th until 22nd of September 2019

The price is € 1500 per person - this include a 6 night stay with breakfast, 3 cooking lessons, guided city walk in Assisi with lunch, truffle hunt with lunch, visits to vine yard and farm with tastings.

Happy sunday to you all - sundays are made for sleeping in long, a good book and a cup of milky tea in bed before a good and long breakfast with the sunday paper - well that is the dream - we know it rarely looks like this - but you can always dream.
What we always try to do is go for a long walk - get some fresh air and go for a coffee in the piazza. These days the word "sunny Umbria" isn't really true - this time of year can be freezing cold, foggy, humid and windy - so when we get back from a long walk - a bit cup of tea and some freshly baked cookies are really needed.
Are you a fan of cookies and brownies - well then these crinkle cookies are going to do the trick - they have and almost brownie texture and are so easy to make. You can even make the dough beforehand and just keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days - pure magic. Just perfect for a lazy sunday or when unexpected guests shows up at your door step.

Makes about 20 cookies

175 g dark chocolate, chopped
60 g unsalted butter
175 g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 fine salt
2 eggs
150 g caster sugar
60 g icing sugar

Melt the chocolate and the butter in a bowl over a small pan of simmering water. Cool slightly. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat the eggs and sugar until pale, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the chocolate mixture. Add the four mixture until blended together. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 90 minutes or up to 2 days.
When ready to bake preheat your oven to 150c degrees.
Put the icing sugar in a small bowl. Shape the dough into 4 cm balls and roll in the sugar. Place them on baking sheets lined with baking paper and press down lightly with your hand to flatten. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Onions can do wonders to all types of cooking - and very often they are the corner stone and base for a lot of great tasting dishes. They provide back ground, sweetness, structure and umani. What would classic sugo be without a serious sofritto or a creamy risotto without the sweetness of the slow cooked onions.
Yes - you wont be without this little cheap fellow in your kitchen.

But today we are going to give this little fellow the lead role....Use these crispy onions as a snack with aperitivo, as a garnish on soups, salads, carpaccio - or as little extra touch on your maincourse - and they are dead easy to cook.

All you need is:

white onions
milk
fine polenta flour
regular flour
sea salt and black pepper
you could add herbs as well
sunflower oil for frying

Cut the onions in thin slices. Bring some milk to the boil and blanch the onions in the milk. Once back to the boil, remove from heat and leave to cool in the milk and until you are ready to fry. This can easily be done well in advance.
In a tray mix half polenta and regular flour. Season and add finely chopped herbs, if using.
In a medium pan with low sides, heat about 5 cm of sunflower oil.
Lift out some of the onions from the milk and turn in the polenta mix. Coat well and shake of excess. Now fry until golden and crispy - do this in batches, so the temperature of the oil doesn't drop.
Once cooked lift out of the onions and place on kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Season with salt and EAT right away......

Brutti ma Buoni
A typical cookie from Rome - not so much a christmas sweet, but with the abundance of hazelnuts, we feel it deserves it place among our favorites for the season to come. As the name suggests - Ugly but good - this little cookie/meringue really shows what roman cooking is all about - few ingredients, great taste - and maybe not so much consideration for the appearence. Bake them at home or try them next time you're in Rome - our favorites are from Roscioli, Antico Forno in Campo di Fiori or from Biscottificio Artigiano Innocenti in Trastevere.
We always make these little beauties when making pasta or ice cream - a great use for left over egg whites.


About 20 cookies:


250 g hazelnuts
250 g sugar
100 g egg whites, from about 3-4 eggs
pinch of fine sea salt


Preheat your oven to 200c degrees.
Place hazelnuts on an oven tray and roast them in the hot oven for about 10 minutes. Give them a toss after 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place them in a kitchen towel. Rub the hazelnuts against each other to remove some of the skins. Leave to cool. Place hazelnuts in a food processor and process until fairly fine - you still want some chunks. Add ground hazelnuts to a bowl together with the sugar and mix.
Lower your oven to 150c degrees.
Whisk egg whites together with salt until soft peaks. Add hazelnuts to the egg whites and mix with a spoon. Pour mixture into a thick bottom pan and place over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes stirring with a spatula. The mixture is ready when it starts to go stringy and doesn't really feel sticky.
Use 2 table spoons to place dollops of the mixture on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden. They should rise a little and they shouldn't be really firm, as they firm up during cooling. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Store in an airtight container.

Yes - we did it again.......planted way to many zucchini plants - and now we are once again harvesting way to many for us and our guests to eat. When will we ever learn....
So you can be use to have a few zucchini for breakfast, lunch and dinner at the moment....maybe spiced up with the occasional tomato - they have also started to produce like crazy....

So this is a really easy antipasto or contorno to be cooked over the next couple of months....The name of the dish is Zucchini Trifolati - some says it comes from the idea, that they zucchini are sliced thin like truffles - but we always cut them on the thick side, so they get really creamy during cooking. As always rule number one, when it comes to zucchini - get them while they are still on the small side....

Again we have skipped the measurements, as this is really just about getting your surplus of zucchini used - so make a big portion.

 For "Zucchini trifolati" - you need:

Extra virgin olive oil
Zucchini, sliced in thick slices, about 1 cm
Garlic, finely sliced
Fresh chili, chopped
We used thyme, because the mint was suffering in the heat.
Sea salt and black pepper
Lemon juice
Toasted hazelnut, roughly chopped

Take a large frying pan or pan with low sides. Pour in a thin layer of olive oil and heat. Add the zucchini and fry on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, until they start to brown a little and soften a bit. Add garlic, chili and thyme if using and continue to cook for 5 minutes. If using mint - the original version - add this at the end. Now pour in a little water, so you just cover the base of the pan. Continue to cook, scraping any brown bits of the base. Once the water has evaporated and your zucchini has gone really soft and creamy, remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

When serving - these are really tasty at room temperature, sprinkle over the hazelnuts.
We like these on a bruschetta, with mozzarella or burrata or as a side for fish or chicken....