July 2024 News from Elizabeth
Recipes, videos, and links
Someone recently asked me to name the one food that I could not give up. If you know me, then you know I ALWAYS have an answer for everything, even if I have to make one up. But I was actually speechless. I did not have an answer. Sophie, who was also there, immediately answered ‘Bread!” I thought about it, and I could definitely give up bread. Also pasta. Also… well, almost anything. Including potato chips. As long as I got to keep absolutely everything else, I could not think of one solitary thing that would ruin my life if I had to give it up.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t be sad. The day I have to say goodbye to cheese would be a very sad day indeed. Ditto other things I love, like caviar, oysters, and sushi. But there are so many other things I crave and enjoy that I just can’t name one single thing that I couldn’t give up.
Do you have that one thing? (cocktails don’t count, by the way). If you do, leave a comment below. I’m genuinely curious.
WHAT’S NEW
We finished up our last tour of the season two weeks ago, and I’ve spent a blissful time setting up my desk under the pergola in Umbria each morning. Even though I’m not currently leading tours, this is actually the time I work the most. So much of what we do here is about planning. Once Sophie or I are on the road leading a tour, the hard work is done. Researching our itineraries is a bit like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Except we have to craft each piece before fitting them together. Finding the perfect cheese maker, convincing a favorite restaurant to open their doors after hours for a private pasta workshop, trying to figure out if including both a cannoli and a granita workshop in one day is too much (the answer to that last one is obviously no). These are the kinds of things we are busy with during our ‘time off.’
During these past two weeks, I’ve been working on some completely new itineraries for collaborations we are planning for 2025. As our tour business grows, we are so excited to partner with some of our (and yours, I’m sure!) favorite cookbook authors, cooks, and other food-focused friends. For instance, I’ve just put the final touches on a new tour to Sicily, which centers on baking, and another to Puglia, which dives deep into pasta making. I’m letting our guest hosts announce them in their own newsletters first, but I’ll be sure to share them here, too.
In the meantime, we’ve begun to announce our 2025 schedule. We have one tour to Sicily and two to Puglia available:
You can find our full schedule here.
I’ll be adding to the schedule over the next few weeks, with tours to Umbria, Sicily, Florence, and Parma. To be the first to know about new dates make sure you are signed up for the Premium version of this newsletter.
WHAT I’M READING
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston—This book popped up on my ‘what you should read’ list, and it wasn’t bad. It's a very light, by-the-pool kind of book.
After that light kind of read, I decided I needed something dark. You can’t get any darker than a book by Stephen King that actually has ‘dark’ in the title: You Like It Darker by Stephen King.
I’m heading off to Iceland for a real vacation (see below), so I thought I’d download a few Nordic mysteries. Do you have any suggestions? Please leave them below in the comments.
Even though I’ll only be watching the summer Olympics from the comfort of my computer screen, I’m filing away all the updated guides coming out, like this one from Eater and this one from Lindsey Tramuta.
WHAT I’M EATING
My current obsession is Green Goddess dressing. I’m usually a simple olive oil and vinegar kind of person, but this recipe from Susan (you should definitely be subscribed to her newsletter) is addictive.
In my never-ending search for yet another solution to too many zucchini, I decided to make zucchini bread. I’m usually not a zucchini bread kind of person, but I loved this one. We’ve been having it for dessert slathered with orange marmalade.
One of the best bites I had this past month was at a restaurant outside of Todi. An antipasto of toast, butter, and anchovies is pretty common, but Osteria Novecento brought it up a notch by adding a pile of sauteed chicory. It is a make-your-own-bruschetta with butter, chicory, and anchovies, and it was excellent! I totally suggest you try this! If you can’t find chicory, sautee some radicchio instead.
In our vegetable garden, the only thing between us and total zucchini domination is the cucumbers. In years past, we had so much trouble getting these to grow. They would wilt, taste bitter, and just give up. But ever since we installed a drip watering system we are on our way to opening a pickle stand. While I usually use a recipe for dill pickles like this one for Kirby cucumbers, I’ve also been using regular cucumbers (which can get soggy) to make quick pickles like this one. And you know I’ll end up using them like this.
WHAT I’M WATCHING
We are heading off for a 12-day cruise tomorrow (Iceland and the Faroe Islands!!!), and I know we can’t always count on streaming. So here are the shows I’m downloading before I go:
Bridgerton Season 3: I’ve been keeping this one to savor (and if you are a Bridgerton fan, then you will love this).
Justified: So many people have told me that this is one of the best series they have watched. Just two episodes in, and I’m hooked.
Bosch: Legacy Because I absolutely adored Bosch and was so sad it ended. I hope this lives up to the original.
WHAT I’M DRINKING
I am not giving up on my dirty martinis, as evidenced by the first photo in this newsletter, but every so often, I do want something non-alcoholic. Here are three of my favorites:
AND FINALLY….
Sophie was interviewed on TeleBari. It’s a fun interview and a chance to practice your Italian.
Sophie also chatted with Woman’s World about how Dolce Far Niente can improve your health.
Hope you’re enjoying your summer! Remember, it doesn’t last forever.
x,Elizabeth
In case you missed them, here are the posts that went out to Premium subscribers last month:
36 Hours in Parma
This guide is the first in a new series that I will share with Premium Subscribers once a month. I know everyone wants to get away from the crowds in Italy and visit smaller towns or cities. In this series I’ll share some of my favorite spots and suggestions for how you can spend a weekend or a couple of days in some of my favorite places.
Pasta with String Beans & Tomatoes
I love cooking vegetables along with the pasta in the same water. This method has so much going for it: You feel like you are getting a huge portion of pasta; in reality, you are getting a normal portion PLUS veggies. It’s a one-dish (well, sometimes two) meal, which means you don’t have to make a side dish, salad, or anything else to accompany it. (perfect while you’re watching Law & Order)
Sent you a message. Start w Henning Mankell books. Bleak but in a good way. X
Read Henning Mankell’ s Kurt Wallanger detective novels. Or Norway’s Jo Nesbo. All excellent and very Nordic. But Im going out on a limb here and strongly recommending Miranda July’s new book “All Fours”.