Now onto the bells and balls. Those, unfortunately are missing. Last October the bells started getting erratic, and apparently over the winter, the music died. The official rumor is that there isn’t enough money in the town coffers to fix the bells. The unofficial rumor is that someone with clout thought the bells were annoying and they won’t be repaired. Continue reading

When we landed back in Montone, the party was already in full swing. It was a kick to catch up with our Italian friends: the winter was long and wet, the spring has been cold and wet. A few of our transient comrades were already here, a few more arrived as we touched down. Of cocktails and comrades we have plenty! Continue reading

Woo Hoo! We’re back in the blog world. Back in Aroma Cucina land. Back in Italy. Back in Montone! Continue reading

Congratulations to Borgo del Monte on winning this year's Palio! Maybe we didn't win...but we sure had a good time! Being a part of the community of our del Verziere rione is a precious honor. Being the Castellana of our rione will be a memory I cherish forever. OK, and now it's time to start planning for next year! Viva del Verziere!! Continue reading

And so, in the words of Julius Ceasar, crossing the Rubicon, “Iacta alea est”. The die has been cast. Each rione has given its all, its best effort. A year’s worth of plotting, planning, scheming, writing, painting sets, and rehearsing lines is over. The plays have played, and tonight, with much drumming and fanfare, the winner of the Palio will be announced. Continue reading

Raise your glasses today, and salute the Commune di Montone, who really know how to throw a Festa..and may the best rione (Del Verziere!) win! Continue reading

All the summer things I miss and All the summer things I have right here in Italy! Happy4th! Continue reading

We’ve slid off the spatula of our searing African weather, into the low boil of Italian summer heat. After the abrupt shift to summer, we’re now getting the chance to become adjusted to our new life style. Which means we barely want to eat anything more than prosciutto and melon, or gazpacho. Gazpacho with caviar. Cucumber & pistachio gazpacho. Continue reading

Fried fish tastes goooood. Fried flowers taste goooood. I know fried food has a bad rap, but it tastes so good. Would it be alright in moderation? Would it be alright when there are sparkling fresh little tiny fishes in the market and the zucchini flowers are prepubescently perfect? Continue reading

As part of the “Italian Cuisine in the World Forum”, Academia Barilla hosted a World Pasta Championship at their beautiful campus in Parma. You have to love a town where the directions to the Academia are, “Follow along the Strada del Parmigiano...” Continue reading

I’ve been thinking about recipes. And I’ve been wondering, how do you use a cookbook? Do you use it like a bible? Do you read it like a detective novel? Are you a voyeur? Continue reading

I swear I’m not trying to rub it in, but unless you are in central Italy, right now, and unless it rains again, you probably won’t be able to taste the elusive prugnolo mushroom. There is a prugnolo cult in Umbria. Small signs pop up on restaurant windows simply announcing ‘prugnolo’. Nothing more. No dish is mentioned, no hint that it’s a spring mushroom; it’s an insider thing. That would be an insider who is willing to pay for her pleasure. Continue reading

Like a marriage between a nobleman and a peasant, elegant saffron marries with the humble celery leaf, creating a bit of risotto magic. Shall we yank back the misty veils of history, and get real? I’m standing in our orto where most of the celery had wintered over and is now very robust. Which meant, I better chop some of this down and start using it! Continue reading

Just to confuse you, what’s the difference between: Pork Belly * Bacon * Ham Pancetta * Prosciutto * Porchetta * Guanciale Here's your quick-guide Pig Primer. Continue reading

We had a week of firsts. First rites of the spring season, first flowers, first adventures in Umbria. Italy is literally bursting with flowers right now and it's a marvelous time to be here. Here's a week in photos from our week of spring in Italy. Continue reading

Carpe Diem! Sometimes you have to seize the moment, and when the local EuroSpin had a suckling pig leg on sale, it just had to come home with me. And you can’t eat pig leg all by yourself, because wouldn’t that just make you a little piggy? Which meant we had to invite some friends over, which suits us just fine on a Sunday afternoon. See how one little impulse buy has so many pleasant consequences! Continue reading

Asparagus are everywhere. Wild, cultivated, in the market and in grocery stores; there is no escaping asparagus at this time of year.Let bygones by bygones, and let’s get on with the soup recipe! This is a soup you can have as long as you have fresh asparagus. Continue reading

This bowl of soup is why people get on a plane and travel. It can only be served in one place on earth and it tastes of that unique place and time. You can’t make this soup at home. You can make a variation, but never this soup. In fact, this soup only exists for one day, one batch at a time. Continue reading

We were going to need a culinary event producer to help us make this conference a reality. What does it take to produce a Conference? Think of a series of interlocking gears, and each piece needs the other piece in order to turn. The producer provides the means to keep the gears turning. Continue reading

News Flash: Until fruits and vegetables taste good, and are affordable people won’t eat them. How do we create the desire in people to eat more vegetables? How do we make vegetables sexy and in demand? Who does PR for the artichoke? Who speaks for the carrot? And silly, childish, cartoon vegetables are not the answer. And neither are shrill spokespeople who intone the wisdom of plant eating from a pillar of self-congratulation. Continue reading

In all the chaos of the past few months, I was struck with by a lightening bolt moment of clarity. And, gee, no surprise, it was at the dinner table. With all the intriguing restaurant dinners, hastily grabbed meals, take out and delivery, we were losing our personal social mooring. Gobbling food in front of a computer does not a dinner make. Shared meals matter and it wasn’t until I was making this dinner that I realized how much they matter to us. What’s that silly pop song? “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?” Continue reading

Like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, I’ve been living in a parallel world for the past seven months. Jeff tumbled in a few months ago and as we are emerging and returning to our old world, we are much richer for friendships forged in foxholes, much wiser for hard lessons learned, and excited about what the future holds. Continue reading

Both are simple in concept, do very simple tasks using reliable technology, and yet, why is it neither one ever seems to work quite right? Continue reading