Well, I've moved on from Rome, out into Umbria to work on the second phase of the upcoming October 2012 Pacific Northwest Wine Club Tour. I'm in Spello at the moment, sitting on my couch barely able to move anything but my fingers across the keyboard. I've had the most delicious dinner and didn't even have room for
dessert.....shame on me. For our antipasti we had a lovely piece of grilled bread topped with pecorino cheese and served with a sweet red onion "jam". Very Nice. Crunch of the bread with the softness of the pecorino. Sweet jam against salty cheese. And guess what? The bread was grilled over an open fire by the man in the picture.
dessert.....shame on me. For our antipasti we had a lovely piece of grilled bread topped with pecorino cheese and served with a sweet red onion "jam". Very Nice. Crunch of the bread with the softness of the pecorino. Sweet jam against salty cheese. And guess what? The bread was grilled over an open fire by the man in the picture.
Guess what else was grilled over the open fire? Meat. Yes....lots of meat. There are many country restaurants in Italy that have wood burning fireplaces in the middle of the restaurant. What better way to serve up cuts of various meats; tender, juicy and hot off the grill?
We also ordered a primi pasta dish. This was an updated twist on an old classic. I know it doesn't look like it, but it's a vegetarian lasagne. It's like a gift of made-in-house tender lasagne noodles. And when you dig into the gift, hidden inside is winter squash, broccoli, ricotta cheese and gorgonzola. What a nice surprise, don't you think?
I couldn't sign off without showing you the finished carne mista, mixed meat platter I got from the grill man. There was lamb, veal, beef and a most delicious pork sausage. For our wine tonight, we ordered the house wine, and asked for half a liter. The most gracious waiter brought us a bottle of rosso from Umbria, opened it, left it on the table and allowed us to simply drink half the bottle. The wine was inexpensive and delicious.
Can you see the slice of lemon hidden under the meat at the top of the plate? This was something I never experienced before living in Italy. Here, they always serve lovely cuts of steak with fresh lemon. The first time I received it, I was honestly a little skeptical. Lemon on steak? Really? But now, if no lemon comes, I ask for it. It's magical...honest.
Can you see the slice of lemon hidden under the meat at the top of the plate? This was something I never experienced before living in Italy. Here, they always serve lovely cuts of steak with fresh lemon. The first time I received it, I was honestly a little skeptical. Lemon on steak? Really? But now, if no lemon comes, I ask for it. It's magical...honest.
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