Before living in Italy, honey was that pale, sticky stuff that came in a plastic bear.  It was okay.  I used it in my tea when I was sick and occasionally in a recipe.  Ho hum.  But living in Italy changed my outlook on many things, and looking at honey in a whole different way was one of them.

When I had my red wine epiphany (described in a previous blog post), my crostini were covered in not only melted gorgonzola, but drizzled with honey.  What?  Honey on cheese?  New concept.  Then I went to a book club meeting and the hostess served a plate of sliced pears, yummy cheese and a small pot of honey on the side for drizzling.  She told us her mother-in-law (Italian) had given her this honey, and warned that some people might not like it as it was quite strong.  I peeked in the pot to find the honey was dark as night!  What kind of honey could this be?  I drizzled it on my cheese and fruit, took a bite, and my eyes rolled back in my head.  Yes, it was that good.  I asked her what kind it was but she couldn’t remember…something that started with a “c”.

Fast forward to a weekend trip in the Italian countryside:  Pienza is a favorite little town.  It’s in Tuscany, but on the edge enough to make it a relatively easy drive from Rome.  When you are in Pienza, you are in Cheese Land; home to wonderful Pecorino.  And since all Italians know how well honey goes with cheese, you are by default also in Honey Land.  Seriously, once you’ve arrived to the Land of Cheese and Honey, why bother driving back to Rome?  Stay overnight.  Indulge.  We did…....many times.

Charming shops line the very few available streets in this tiny hilltop town, and they are filled to overflowing with cheese and honey and other delectables.  At one particular shop, we were given a generous cheese sample topped with a drop of dark honey.  I popped it in my mouth and thought, “Is this it?  This is it!”  I asked the proprietor for the name of the honey.  “Corbezzolo,” came the reply.  Yes, it starts with a “c”!  Since then, I’ve always had a jar of corbezzolo honey in the pantry.  It’s forte (strong), sharp, sometimes nearly bitter, but always sweet.  Does that even make sense?  And it’s perfection with cheese.

Not long ago, I discovered another fabulous honey product.  It’s called Abamele and it hails from the island of Sardinia.  This small jar of deliciousness is honey cooked down with orange slices.  Also, bee pollen has been added.  Orange marmalade has always been a favorite of mine, but this dark, dense, intensely flavored version is phenomenal.  It’s almost like caramel with more than a hint of orange. The bee pollen and orange bits gives it an interesting texture and it is incredible drizzled over my homemade cheesecake.  My initial taste sample was over fresh ricotta cheese, and I had to stop myself from hogging all the samples.  The ingredient list contains three items: 95% honey, bee pollen, oranges.  Amazing.

I found Melata honey for the first time in London of all places, at a fabulous food market that I used to shop at regularly when we lived there.  When I inquired where it came from, I was told he imported it from Italy!  Since then, I’ve been able to find it on trips to Rome, and various friends there have been lovely enough to pick up jars of it for me and save it until I come visit.  It’s a wonderful all-around honey; good not only on cheese but in sweet applications as well.  It has a beautiful well-rounded flavor that is deep without being too strong (but notice how dark it is).  I can eat by the spoonful….and I do.  I’ll be right back.

Another wonderful honey product is il mieleaceto.  This little lovely bottle comes from the Modena area which is famous for its balsamic vinegar.  In fact, mieleaceto is basically balsamic vinegar cooked down with honey.  The resulting inky syrup is nearly indescribable.  It’s sweet of course, but you get that vinegar hit at the end; a truly awesome combination.  This is lovely not only on cheeses, but on steak, risotto; darn near everything.  The bottle is soooo small.  I’ve been hoarding it.  Note to self:  Next time….buy bigger.

And on my most recent trip to Rome, I discovered Miele di ‘Erba Medica.  I was at a food festival booth featuring all kinds of honey.  I was told this particular honey has anti-inflammatory properties and that one should have a spoonful “after sport”.  I play tennis.  I run.  I am…..of a certain age….where anti-inflammatory anything is beginning to sound pretty good.  I recently read an article about how wonderful honey is for curing cough; in fact, some studies show it is better than cough syrup.  I used to wake up in the middle of the night quite often with a dry throat and an irritating cough.  But, I honestly have been letting a spoonful of this honey drip down my throat before going to bed every night, and it hasn’t happened since!   I also recently read another article about a particular island in Greece, famous for the longevity of its residents.  The secret to their longevity?  When asked, their reply was a spoonful of honey every day.  Of course they were referring to a specific honey available only on their island.  But nevertheless, the way I figure it, if a spoonful of honey will relieve my aching joints, get rid of my cough and help me live longer, I’m all for it.  In fact, maybe two spoonfuls would be even better.  I’ll be right back.  
(Don't you love my honey pump?  Thanks Holly!)

I know it’s not spring, and I really shouldn’t be cooking out of season, but I saw a lovely package of freshly shelled peas at the market, and I couldn’t stop myself.  I knew I already had some mushrooms at home, and I always have pancetta in the fridge….so, this is what I came up with for dinner.  It came together so quickly!  Honestly, by the time the pasta was done cooking, the rest of the dish was ready and waiting in the skillet.

Here’s your list of ingredients:
a little olive oil
Pancetta, diced
Onions, diced
A smashed garlic clove
Mushrooms, sliced
Freshly shucked peas
A slosh of white wine
Pasta of your choice ( I used “dischi”), cooked al dente
Parmesan, grated to garnish

Let’s get started!

Put your pasta water on to boil.

Meanwhile, dice your onions, and slice your mushrooms. 
I buy my pancetta already diced, so nothing to do there.
Smash your garlic clove, remove and discard the papery skin.

Heat just a wee bit of olive oil in a skillet.  You won’t need much as the pancetta will release a little fat as well.  Add the smashed garlic clove and pancetta, and sauté to add garlic flavor to the oil, and render the fat from the pancetta.  

Now add the diced onions and sliced mushrooms.  Saute to wilt the onions and to get the mushrooms to release their liquid.  Toss out the garlic clove.

*Is your pasta water boiling yet?  If so, toss in a goodly amount of coarse salt, let it melt away and add your pasta of choice.  I would choose a short pasta for this dish like orchiette, dischi, penne or rigatoni.

Back to your skillet:   As it’s about to run dry, add a nice slosh of white wine, and let the alcohol cook away.
Time to roll in your peas.  Give them a good swish about in the pan to cover them with the skillet juices and wine.

Add a cooking spoonful of starchy water from the pasta pot.  This starchy water will not only help steam the peas, but will also serve to loosen the yummy bits that have stuck themselves to the bottom of the skillet.

By this time, your pasta should be close to done.  Taste a pea to be sure they’re cooked to your liking, and then add the drained pasta to the skillet.  Again, give it a good tossing to be sure the pasta gets coated with all the goodness that's in the skillet.

Slide it all into a pasta bowl, and top with grated cheese.  Delizioso!  (And so quick!)

This pasta dish would have been nice with a cool glass of pinot grigio.  But, since all I had on hand was red, I chose a primitivo that I'm loving called LeSciare.  At a mere $10 a bottle, it has a lot of flavor, but it's not too heavy.  And can you believe my "caprese"?  I was so hungry, I couldn't be bothered to make a real salad!  That's a lovely ball of buffalo milk mozarella, a few tomatoes, a nice drizzle of Ersilia's olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.  Dinner was SO good!

I meet the most wonderful people.

I met Ersilia just a couple of months ago at my local Farmer’s Market.  She was there in a booth, selling olive oil.  Olive oil always attracts my attention, so I wandered over to take a peek and upon perusing the bottles, realized that several of them were from Umbria!  Well, that started a conversation and as it turns out, Ersilia, an American of Italian descent, went to college in Perugia, speaks fluent Italian and is the owner of her own small business importing olive oil from around the world.  It was through Ersilia that my recent tour group to Umbria had the pleasure of visiting frantoio Trampolini and sampling their wonderful olive oil firsthand.

It’s also thanks to Ersilia that you are getting this lovely recipe for Olive Oil cake.  This is a moist and delicious bundt cake.  It keeps well, is a great everyday cake (yes, in Irene’s world, it is okay to eat cake every day), and would work great at a potluck.  I baked it not long ago for my husband’s office and they enjoyed it immensely.  What I love best about this cake is the amount of citrus zest in it, giving it a bright and lively flavor.






Here’s your list of ingredients:
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
4 eggs
1 ¾ c. light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 c. olive oil (Ersilia uses her Oro Verde Lucano, a light and buttery choice)
1 ½ c. milk
Grated zest from one large orange and a lemon
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Grease and flour your bundt pan and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 350 and let’s get started:

Combine the two types of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Beat together the eggs and brown sugar until thick and frothy.  

Slowly add the olive oil.  Then add the orange and lemon zests and continue to mix well.

Alternating in 2 batches, add ½ of the flour mixture to the egg mixture.  
Then add ½ of the milk, mixing until just blended with no lumps.  
Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and remaining milk.  Do not over mix.  
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about one hour.  Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Loosen the sides with a knife and invert onto a serving plate.  Dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar.  (You’ll notice my pictures don’t show the cake dusted with confectioner’s sugar.  That’s because sometimes, I can be a very impatient baker.  Forget the decorating; I can barely wait for things to cool before I eat them.)

This was today's breakfast along with a lovely cappuccino.  Buon appetito and thanks Ersilia!

If you too are interested in Ersilia's olive oils, visit her website:
www.oliveoiloftheworld.com

OR......
Sign up for one of my tours to visit an olive oil mill!

GREAT NEWS!

I've just published a new tour agenda for May.  It's called "Girlfriends on the Go", and promises to be loads of fun.  Grab five of your best friends, and Let's GO!  You get a $100 discount for being the lead girlfriend and rounding up your best buds.  I take over from there, doing all the work and planning for you, ensuring that you all have a Fabulous trip!

For full details click on the tab for Spring 2013.