News from Eizabeth Minchilli in Rome, December 2017

december 2017 newsletter

We went to New York last month and for the first time in about 30 years I spent Thanksgiving in the States. When the girls were younger we used to alternate years spending Christmas there, but mostly because of school schedules we never made it for Thanksgiving. I would cobble together an expat Thanksgiving in either Umbria or Rome. And while I loved hosting friends, the one ingredient that was always missing was family.

And that was the best part of being home. Mostly because I got to hang out with my family all day long, cooking, eating and just having fun. Our big meal was out at my sister’s house in Westchester (that’s her clever centerpiece idea above.) I could go on and on about how good the food was, but really, it was more about being with family.

The rest of my time in the city was divided between just having fun and being a tourist in New York, and then getting down to business meeting editors and publishers. For the fun touristy part we signed up for a couple of food tours, which we loved! You can read all about them here. I also got a chance to see some of big art exhibits in town, including the Michelangelo Drawing and David Hockney shows at the Metropolitan as well as the small, but very well curated exhibition on the Weiner Werkstatte at the Neue Galerie. I saw a couple of movies (Ladybird and Three Billboards) (complete with huge buckets of very non-Italian popcorn) and ate my weight in things like sushi, bagels, Chinese food and other things I can’t get back in Rome. I’ll be writing up a list of all the places I went next week on the blog. Promise

what's new

My biggest news is that I have a beautiful cover for my new book! It wasn’t easy coming up with a design (or title even) that could sum up an entire book that covers Italy. But I’m happy to say that I love both the title - Eating My Way Through Italy - as well as the artichoke-centric design! Even though the book won’t be published until May 22, it’s already available for pre-order here.

Sophie and had a great time in November with our Week in Rome group! You can see what we did on my facebook posts here, here, here and here. Some people ask what the weather is like in November. My honest response: unpredictable. We had mostly sun-filled great weather. And even when it drizzled, it only did so for a few minutes and was actually kind of romantic. But every day was filled with food and fun and artichokes and wine. We still have a few more openings left for next year’s trip to Rome.

But if bright and shiny spring weather is more your thing, I hope you’ll join us in May in Umbria. We just finished our first Week in Umbria tour in October (you can see what we did here , here and here). But our May trip will be…predictably springy! I’ve been busy planning a morning foraging for wild greens with my friend Salvatore, and I’m already planning a cooking class all about eating flowers. If you’d like to learn more, just send me an email.

One thing I realized during our past tour was that I love cooking for people in our space Monti Kitchen. If you’re coming to Rome and would like to join me for lunch or dinner, send me an email and I’ll send you the details. I’ve just launched this project and it’s so new I don’t really even have a page for it on my website yet. You’re the first to know! Also? If you suspect this is just an excuse for me to continue collecting ceramics to ‘use for work’ your right!

events

During my recent trip to New York I met with my publishers and a lot of other people about planning some exciting events when my book, Eating My Way Through Italy, comes out in May. So far I have planned trips to New York, Boston and Los Angeles. I may also add Chicago, and am considering San Francisco and maybe D.C. If you have any suggestions for venues in those cities, let me know. I’d love to here what you have to say. I’m open to doing dinners, book signings, cooking classes. It’s all in the planning stages now, so send ideas!! I’m serious!

last minute gift ideas

Know someone who is coming to Rome? You can always give the gift of a food tour or dinner with me or with Sophie. Just send Sophie or me and email and we'll let you know the details.

I have so many friends with books out this year! Here are a few that I'm giving this year.
Autentico by Rolando Beramendi
Paladres, by Anya Von Bremzen
The Dirty Guide to Wine, Alice Feiring
L’Appart, David Lebovitz
Dinner: Changing the Game, Melissa Clark

what I'm reading

Everyone who I spoke to in the last few months knew this was coming.

My friend Alice gives a very personal op-ed in the Daily News.

I bet you haven’t been to this pizzeria yet.

How to create a completely fake restaurant and get it ranked number 1 on Trip Advisor.

Although I’m usually not into theme parks, you can be sure I’ll be heading to this one.

Neapolitan Pizza is now officially recognized and an international treasure. But we knew that already, right?

Please stop asking me for advice about the Amalfi Coast and just download this ebook by Gillian. It's got it all. You're welcome.

I'm always looking for great books to read. I'm currently reading Jennifer Egan's Manhattan Beach and loving it. In my search for good things to read I realized I had completely forgotten about Good Reads. I'll be updating my shelf with reviews and if you're on Good Reads too, if you could follow me I'll add you back. And let me know what you're reading.

and finally....

In case you missed it , here is my recipe for pumpkin lasagna. For a more wintery version sub in Tuscan Kale.

Do you have a last minute dinner party solution? Mine is ravioli.

Spotted By Locals named me one of the best Italy Blogs of 2017!!

I hope you have happy holidays! My sister and her family are coming to town and we have trips planned for Naples and Venice. So excited!!!

x,Elizabeth