September 2022 News from Elizabeth

Salad, Travel and Links

It’s September and, as always, I feel like it’s the start of a new school year. This doesn’t just date to the days when my girls were headed off to elementary school, but back even further. To the days when my mom took me to JC Penny to buy my back-to-school dresses. I still remember a particular favorite: brown and beige plaid when a big red bow at the neck. You couldn’t get more 1967 if you tried.

And I still think longingly of the time we spent in Rome when I was in 6th and 7th grade. We would head to the cartoleria on Via Arenula (it’s still there) to buy pens and pencils and rulers and scissors that all came organized in the cutest little case. What I wouldn’t give to have that pen holder still, with Snoopy on the cover of the shiny red patent leather case.

These days it’s not school, but work I’m heading back to. And instead of a pen case I treated myself to a new purse, thank you very much. But it’s not quite ‘school time’ yet. While Domenico and I spend most of the summer in Umbria, we always try to fit in one last vacation at the beginning of September before things really start up again. So it’s fitting that I’m writing this on the train, as we head north, for a week on Lake Como. Since it’s a bit past the main tourist season, I’m hoping that things won’t be so crowded. But since it’s also kind of heading into fall, the weather might be a bit iffy. Frankly, that’s ok with me. After this torrid summer, a moody week looking out at a misty lake, from the villa where we will be staying, sounds pretty good to me.

WHAT’S NEW

Sophie and I are getting ready for tours to start this fall, and we’re really excited. In fact, Sophie is down in Bari now, planning out new adventures and meals. We’ve also posted a few new dates for 2023 for Sophie’s tours to Puglia & Basilicata and have just one spot left for the tour in March 2023.

We also announced a new tour to Parma in March with Melissa Clark. But like many of our tours, this one sold out in minutes to subscribers of the Premium Newsletter, where all of our tours are first announced. If you’d like first chance to sign up for our tours in 2024 (I’ll be posting the dates in the next few weeks) make sure you’re signed up.

I’ve also partnered with Jenny Rosenstrach for a food-filled tour to Sicily in 2023. If you don’t know Jenny, you should. She’s a best selling cookbook author and writes a fabulous weekly newsletter. Again (sorry!) the tour for May 2023 sold out in a few days through Jenny’s very popular newsletter. But don’t worry, we’ll definitely be doing another one so please make sure you sign up for her newsletter too.

You can always find our full tour schedule here, and I’m happy to add your names to the wait list for any of our tours. FYI: We still have a handful of spots left on our final tour for 2023, A Week in Umbria in November 2023.

And I will be posting one or two more weeks for 2023 in the next few weeks. So make sure you’re signed up to the Premium Version of this newsletter.

WHAT I’M READING

Currently reading Liane Moriarty (Big, Little Lies) latest: Apples Never Fall. A good end of summer read.

I’m a sucker for a traditional hand made Italian artisan product. Which is why I loved this story about this iconic wool company in Tuscany.

I love reading about my friend Alice and what she gets up to on Sundays. And if you haven’t read her new memoir “To Fall in Love, Drink This” you should! It’s simply fabulous.

A thoughtful piece on Diana Kennedy from Evan Kleiman

Are you , like me, thinking about going over to induction cooktops? It seems like a big leap, but I actually like them. Here is a great article that explains things.

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WHAT I’M WATCHING

We finally managed to watch the new Top Gun. While it was fun, I just couldn’t get over Tom Cruise trying to look 40 years younger than he is. I found it so distracting. Did anyone else have the same problem?

As a long time fan of all of the Law & Order franchises, how did I not know about all the Chicago tv shows? I’ve gone through almost all of Chicago Med this past month, and am looking forward to Chicago Fire and Chicago PD.

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WHERE I’VE BEEN

Nowhere. I blissfully stayed still in Umbria for a full 7 weeks this summer. And if you want to see what I was up to, you’ll have to start following me on TikTok.(@elizabeth_minchilli ) And as you’ll see I mostly hung out with friends, drank martinis while eating chips, cooked some and hung out a lot with Kitty. At this point in my life, staying in one place (although I love traveling) gives me time to re-charge and just tune out. I did, however, have time to update my blog post about where to eat in Todi, in case you make it here.

WHAT I’VE BEEN EATING

We were lucky to be invited quite often to our neighbor’s house for dinner these past two months. One of my favorite dishes they serve is an endive salad. It’s easy, crunchy, salty and belgian endive is always in season so it has a lot going for it. It also makes the perfect starter for almost any meal.

The Neighbor’s Belgian Endive Salad

• 4 heads of Belgian Endive

• 2 cloves of garlic, grated

• 8-10 good quality anchovies, cut into small pieces.

• 1/3 c olive oil

• 14 c. Lemon juice

• salt and pepper

• Cut the Belgian endive into chunks, trying to keep the core in tact. The aim is to get chunks, not flimsy pieces of leaves. Place in a serving bowl along with the anchovies.

• In a small bowl pour olive oil and lemon juice. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and stir (alternatively us a small jar and shake till emulsified. ).

• Dress salad, adding as much dressing as you’d like. Stir well to distribute the anchovies.

• Serve as a first course, or else as a side to grilled meat.

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AND FINALLY….

I hope you are looking forward to a great fall and are recharged from summer holidays. Or maybe you are still on vacation (like me?!) . What do you have planned for the next few months. Our next big trip is to NYC! I haven’t been back to the USA since 2019!! I may be planning a small get together/ book signing for Sophie and me in NYC. Are you interested? Let me know in the comments so we can see if we can make it happen. Sophie never had a real book tour in the USA, so it would be fun to organize something.

x,Elizabeth