November News from Elizabeth in Rome

Elizabeth Minchilli
EATING MY WAY THOUGH ITALY

November 2019 Newsletter

I usually think about holidays and what’s happening in the world before I write a blog post or send out a newsletter. I’m certainly not going to write to people on days like New Year’s or July 4th when I know they are busy with real life events (eating!) (and drinking!) elsewhere. But yesterday, while I was talking to my step mother, she said an interesting thing, that I hadn’t considered. While I know that Tuesday is election day in the States and have long since sent in my ballot, she said a lot of people she knew, were waiting to make plans until after the election. Not that the results would immediately effect them one way or the other. But that people were kind of just holding their breath. Waiting to see what would happen. Which I totally get. But which hadn’t in the least occurred to me in my own little world here in Italy.

So do I send out my newsletter today? (which is already late by several days). Or do I wait until…what exactly? That’s the thing. Most of what I do stays out of the realm of daily politics. But it also has everything to do with it. If you’re looking for some sort of stance here you’re not going to find it today. If you’re looking for a bit of escape (real or virtual) then I’m your girl. But one important thing I will definitely encourage you to do is to leave this email aside, step away from your computer or ipad or phone, and make sure you vote tomorrow.

See you on the other side.

What's New

Sophie and I just finished our last Week in Umbria tour of the season. And speaking of seasons (and of weather) we were lucky enough to have managed to avoid that horrible storms that have been lashing the rest of Italy. I actually love the changing weather this time of year, when the fog rolls across the valley in the morning, or the sun hits the fields just before a storm moves in. We mostly had that amazing perfect fall weather with clear blue skies and crisp air. We were even able to harvest olives with our group last week, visiting our friends olive grove to help them pick this year's crop as well as following the olives into the mill to see them turned into rivers of bright green oil. Since our week long tours are so intricately tied to the harvests and the seasons of the producers we visit, we never have our plans cut in stone. One valley may have abundant olives one year, and the next valley over may have none. This unpredictability - and the precariousness of the farmers’ lives - is something that we seek to share with our guests. And which, I think, makes those drops of olive oil that come out of the press even that more miraculous. We are constantly changing and adapting, not just to the weather but to the seasons as well.The May trip may include freshly foraged wild spring greens, the September tour has special aged goats cheese that are only available that time of year. The tours never quite the same, which makes it fun and new for us as well. Even though our May and October tours are completely booked for 2019, we still have spaces for our Week in Umbria September tour and all of our 2020 Umbria tours. . (send me an email for more information)

As I write this, we are getting ready for our Week in Rome tour which starts next week. Sophie is busy with the last minute logistics, organizing checking all of our guests into their own private apartments in my neighborhood of Monti. We have a fun week planned and are especially excited because the first artichokes from Puglia are turning up at the markets here in Rome. We have 3 Rome Weeks planned for 2019. and have only 2 spaces left for our special Week in Rome with Melissa Clark, which takes place March 3-9. During this week Melissa and I will be sharing our passion for nose-to-tail cooking. Read this post to find out more, and send me an email if you’d like to join us.

Although I can barely plan my own life beyond next week, people are already booking tours not just for 2019, but for 2020!! You can see the full schedule here in case you are an early planner too.

What I'm Watching

A friend of mine recently wrote a blog post asking food writers from Rome what their favorite pasta shape was, and which ones they didn’t like. In response to this blog post, many people commented that they don't like bow tie pasta. How can you hate such a little cutie? I love it. So much so that I went to Emlia-Romagna last year to learn how to make it by hand. And made a video too.

Is anyone else totally obsessed with the new Netflix series The Bodyguard?

What I'm Reading

I was thrilled to attend a panel discussion in Rome featuring Katja Meier’s Across the Big Blue Sea. Katja was joined by Rachel Roddy and Rebecca Winke to talk about immigration in Italy, and the fate of women in particular.

Can we all agree that the world has enough articles about Tuscany? This article garnered more than 60 comments when I posted it on FB. All of them negative. Tuscany does not need more publicity, so I wish editors of big newspapers and magazines would venture further afield.

Oh no!!! Ok, everyone go out right now and buy a Bialetti Moka. Or order one (or more) online. And stop using your capsule machines. Anything to help this iconic company keep making my favorite coffee maker.

I went to a delicious pop up in Rome last month, to celebrate goat. Did you know that goat presents a hugely sustainable way of eating? I won't get into it here, but trust me it's delicious and to find out more order this book.

What I'm Eating

We all know that pears and cheese are the perfect combination. Here's what happens when you take a good idea and deep fry it.

I finally caved and bought an Instant Pot. So many of my friends were singing its praises that I couldn’t resist. So far I love it too, although I haven’t really gotten beyond cooking beans and rice. I do have bigger plans though, and with this in mind I am currently reading Melissa Clarks Dinner in an Instant, Ann Mah’s Instantly French and Indian Instant Pot. I can't wait to cook my way through these. Anyone else on the bandwagon?

When all you have in your pantry is a can of yellow tomatoes , a jar of green olives and a pack of pasta.

I finally made it to Santo Palato, a newish restaurant in Rome. It may be one of the best meals I've had all year. True Roman food, (much of it quinto quarto or offal-based) with meticulously sourced ingredients. Stay tuned on the blog for a fuller report on the blog and in my app.

And finally.....

Many thanks to AFAR magazine, for including Eating My Way Through Italy in their roundup of 10 new books to read to prepare for your next trip to Italy.

I had a swell time showing my friend and colleague Barbie Latza Nadeau around Rome's Testaccio neighborhood, doing a mini version of my nose-to-tail tour. She had such a delicious time that she wrote it up for The Daily Beast.

And a huge shoutout to my friend Liz Gilbert. I’ve known Liz since the days when she was writing Eat, Pray Love (and am proud to have a 2 line mention!). She was in town last week, and we got the chance to catch up over cappuccino. She is an amazing person who has taught me a lot over the years. She has a world view that is so big hearted and so full of generosity and optimism that it just blows me away. I was the recipient of this incredible dose of friendship when she mentioned me in her hugely popular instagram account last week. 5000 new followers in about 24 hours. So I just want to end this email by first of all saying ‘Welcome!!!’ to all my new followers. But also? My new motto is ‘be like Liz.’ In these trying times, I’m going to do my best to work as much optimism and generosity into my life as possible.

x,e