September News from Eilzabeth Minchilli

Elizabeth Minchilli
EATING MY WAY THOUGH ITALY

September 2019 Newsletter

This was one of the best summers I've had in a while. Even though I've very sad to see it end, the happiness outweighs the sadness. I really feel like I did as a kid, when summers seemed endless. I think this is because, for the first time in quite a while, I had no 'summer project'. No book to write. No work to get done. I just woke up late each day, kind of cooked, read a lot and hung out with friends and family. The family part was fantastic since we had both Sophie and Emma with us for over 5 weeks! This hasn't happened in about 7 years or more. Also my sister and her family came to visit, which they hadn't done in a couple of years. It was just perfect.

We were actually kind of sad at the beginning of the summer, since this is our first season in Umbria without Pico. And it was hard, looking for him everywhere. But like magic, Kitty just showed up one day. And immediately made herself at home. We thought she would eventually wander off, but she definitely knows a good thing when she sees it. At the moment she is sitting on top of Sophie's hands as she tries to type. I guess that's a cat thing? Kitty will be leaving with us, to go back to Rome to live with Sophie. Domenico and I are still not quite ready to get another dog. We're getting there. But not quite yet.

Even though I'm still up in Umbria, I'm out of vacation mode. , I'm definitely back to work even if my 'office' is the table beneath the pergola. After all that resting I did this summer I feel reborn and inspired. This happens every single September, but I'm always surprised. It's like a switch. One minute I'm completely off. The next I'm so on I can barely keep up with myself. Are you like this too? Do you have back-to-school euphoria?

What's New

What have I been working on you ask? Planning the Sicily trip!!! I went down to Sicily at the end of August to work out some of the final details. I am so excited about this trip. Although I've been going to Sicily most of my life, I don't know it as well as Umbria, Rome and Puglia, where we have homes. I first visited Sicily as a child, and since have returned as a tourist , reported on it for magazine articles, shot videos that went viral, written too many blog posts to count and of course researched my last two books. Planning the trip gave me the chance to dig even deeper. The most difficult part of planning the itinerary was that there is just so much to include. Sicily is BIG! While a lot of other tours of Sicily try to drive all over the island, going in a circle and changing hotels several times, I've made a completely different choice. We will be based in one of my favorite towns, Ortigia, the entire time. From there we will take day trips to visit some of the most delicious spots on the island. We will explore olive oil, cheese, wine, granita, pastries, bread, fish, focaccia as well as get a chance to dive deeply into the unique architecture of towns like Ragusa, Modica and Noto. Also? I think staying put in one hotel in one town gives you a chance to get a much more intimate insight into a place. Our first Week in Sicily will take place March 29 - April 4, 2020. If you'd like to receive details send me an email. I have a feeling the tour will fill up fast. (I'm not even announcing it yet on my website till next week) As promised, readers of my newsletter will get the first chance to join us. If all goes well, we will certainly be making this a yearly (or twice yearly) trip!

Sophie and I have also been busy working on all of our other tours. We are thrilled to add some new activities to our Week in Puglia tour. We have been invited into a private 16th century palace in Lecce for our welcome dinner, and over the summer Sophie discovered a darling family that owns a farm that makes cheese that we are definitely adding to our itinerary. We still have a few spaces left for our Week in Puglia tour in April 19-25 and only 2 spots left for October 4-10, 2020. Send me an email if you'd like to join us.

We've also updated our Umbria Week, adding a cooking class at our favorite farm where we'll work with the vegetables they grow there. And we've also added a very unique morning in the small village of Bevagna, visiting a series of workshops that preserve the medieval crafts of paper making, candle making and silk spinning. Send me an email to find out more about our Week in Umbria tours in May 10-16 and October 18-24, 2020.

We are only doing one Week in Rome tour next year, March 15-21. There are only 2 spots left, so if you'd like to join us let me know.

I'll be posting the dates for 2021 in the next few weeks here. And I'm planning a very special week with a very special person September 13-19, 2020. More about that in the next newsletter. ;)

What I'm Reading

Continuing my summer theme of not doing much of anything I've continued to whip through books. As the summer has gone on, the level of my 'literature' has definitely declined culture wise. I've sped through the last 4 volumes of Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series of an Israeli spy. This was about as much as I could handle by the pool. If you like those kind of action books, then these ones are pretty good. I especially like them since the main character also restores 16th century Italian paintings. So there is a lot of Bellini and Tiepolo talk between missions.

But even I can only take so much action and so have just started Lady in the Lake, by Laura Lippman. It took me a while to get used to the style (each chapter is in a different character's voice) but I'm liking it so far

Olive oil is indeed a murky issue for most people. This article from Julia Moskin offers some great advice for home cooks (use more olive oil and use it for everything!) but the question of how to get your hands on true, great olive oil is still a mystery for most people. And fraud (which this article doesn't really tackle) remains a huge problem. My advice is always: know your importer! Or better yet? Order directly from Italy. It's become easier than ever. During all of our Week in Italy tours we always visit an olive oil producer that will ship to the states.

I love the word ‘undertourism!’ If joining me in March for a visit to an isolated Umbria goat farm or to watch a 1000 year old olive tree in Puglia grow isn’t undertourism, I don’t know what is.

Read this blog post from modernfarmer.com to understand the new tariffs that are set to take place in the fall. I'm sharing here because these tariffs will directly impact many of the food items that I know you enjoy: Italian cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano), pasta (Faella, Pastificio Gentile, Rustichella d'Abruzzo etc) as well as all the importers and retailers that I often recommend (Formaggio Kitchen, Gustiamo, Zingerman's , etc). And these are European-wide tariffs, so just insert your favorite foods from other countries (whiskey for example) and expect to pay about 100% more.

If you live in Rome and this 'new' law sounds familiar, it is. Once again Rome's government tries to deal with over tourism by enacting 'new' laws that prohibit tourists from enjoying the city.

What I'm Eating

Are you wracking your brain for new zucchini recipes? Try my ricotta stuffed zucchini, which was featured in Zabars blog here.

It's the end of summer, and I bet you're craving something that's not a zucchini or cucumber, right?

I am still totally obsessed with Alison Roman's Dining In. Lately I've been putting her Romesco on anything that will stand still. I make mine with walnuts instead of almonds, and my favorite thing to do it put WAY too much of it on steamed string beans.

Our fruit trees have been super plentiful this year. I've been using the plums and pears to make this cake, and all the figs have been going into this recipe from Ina Garten.

We are having friends for dinner tonight and I'm making this pistachio cake with nuts I got in Sicily. I'll top each slice with cut peaches soaked in wine.

Where I've been

Being in Umbria for almost two months straight has allowed us to take a lot of day trips. Here’s what happens when you follow a post on Instagram to see if the place is truly as beautiful as the photos. Rasiglia is definitely gorgeous. But I think next time I'll try to go way off season since it was mobbed.

We also had a totally delicious time at the darling Calcabrina goat farm. They also make wine. But they don't seem to have a website to link to! So my next blog post will definitely be about them.

A 2 1/2 hour drive each way is a totally acceptable distance to drive for an incredibly fun mid-summer meat-fest with Dario Cecchini- Macellaio, right?

And finally.....

Grazie Forbes for including me and The Italian Table in this list of Best Italian Cookbooks of 2019.

I do a LOT of interviews but this one is one of the best I've done recently. Thanks Salt + Spine for being so well prepared to have such a fun talk about not just my book The Italian Table but about all sorts of things.

If you are reading this newsletter from Umbria, I'll be part of a panel talking about Slow Tourism next Saturday, September 14 at 10:30 at the Complesso Museale San Francesco in Montefalco. My topic (if you haven't already guessed it) "Eating Italy: Following My Appetite Towards a More Sustainable Tourism." It will be in my own unique version of Italian!

x,Elizabeth