The Art of Comfort Food

Today we sat down to chat with resident Chef and Certified Sommelier Vickie Reh. In addition to her work as Wine Director at Via Umbria, Vickie is the culinary powerhouse behind our Thursday Comfort Food dinner series. We talked about her favorite way to prepare a rare heritage grain, the place of comfort food within Italian culinary tradition, and what it means to cook with restraint.

Vickie with Stefano Marangon of Bisol Prosecco and Franceen Khang of Vias Wines. Here's they're trying out a Cuvée Rose Brut.
As Wine Director, Vickie Reh organized a sparkling wine tasting last week with Stefano Marangon of Bisol Prosecco and Franceen Khang of Vias Imports. Here, they’re trying out a Cuvée Rose Brut.

In your opinion, what is comfort food really all about? How do Italian food and comfort food intersect?

Comfort foods are the foods you dream about, the foods that warm your soul. They aren’t necessarily winter dishes. They’re dishes that evoke memories and emotions. I think that one of the basics of comfort food is that there aren’t a lot of complicated ingredients. Comfort food centers traditional combinations that make people feel happy and because you are using very few ingredients, the ingredients themselves must be perfect. That’s how Italian, and in particular, Umbrian food works.

In a way, Umbrian food is humble. Umbria is a landlocked region in Central Italy and Umbrian cuisine eschews more luxurious ingredients like lobster for grains, legumes and vegetables. You can certainly find some rich ingredients there, like gorgeous black truffles, but for the most part Umbrian cooking uses foods that can be grown or foraged in the surrounding countryside. When I travelled to Umbria, I was particularly fascinated by their use of this stunning variety of vegetables, legumes and grains.

Did anything surprise you about how they used these ingredients?

When I travelled to Umbria with Bill and Suzy, we tried grains and legumes I had never seen before. Some of the Italian chefs I later spoke to hadn’t even heard of them either. One of my favorites, which we cooked with Ernesto Panziani from Cannara, is called cicerchie. It’s sort of like a combination of a chickpea and a fava. It’s amazing but very obscure outside of Umbria.  Via Umbria is working to import it through Il Molino, an organic grain producer we visited just over the border of Umbria in Lazio.

Limited-edition C brought back from our food-buyer's tour of Italy this month!
Cicerchie bought by our food-buyer, Deborah Simon, on her food-buying tour of Italy this month. We haven’t got much left, so get some before it’s gone!

Ernesto did something very interesting with the cicerchie. Typically, cicerchie are made into soup or served cold in salads. But Ernesto cooked them until they were quite soft and then sautéed them with shallots and garlic in this beautiful olive oil. I’ve done that now five or six times at Via Umbria as a side dish for lamb. It’s so beautiful. The texture is fabulous—because the cicerchie are cooked until fairly soft, the texture when sautéed is similar to that of homemade refried beans. It’s not crunchy.  It’s got just a little chew, and this whole lovely chickpea-fava flavor mingled with the shallots and garlic. It’s such a good recipe. Although I serve it as a side dish, it could easily be a great main course for a vegetarian.

Vickie's cicerchie and lamb.
Vickie dressing cicerchie and lamb with a Sagrantino truffle reduction.

Your passion for Italian cuisine shines through in everything you do here. What makes Italian food special to you?

I love Italy and I adore Italian food.  It tends to be simple and classical. Italians have adhered to their traditions and classical roots. You’ll notice that’s how Ernesto and Simone cook. And that’s exactly how I have always cooked. I always say, I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel: I’m trying to make the perfect wheel.

For example, if I’m making Spaghetti with Cacio e Pepe, I’m not going to say, “For this new twist, I’m going to use a different type of cheese in my Cacio e Pepe!”  Instead, I will  use exactly what is traditionally used—Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and black pepper.” I want to use as few ingredients as possible because that’s how it’s made in Rome. When you’re in Italy, you’re eating amazing food that doesn’t have 5,000 different ingredients. It tastes really good and it’s not complicated.

I think it’s actually harder to cook well with fewer ingredients. It is all about restraint.  If you only have three ingredients in a dish, you have no room to hide. Each ingredient must be perfectly sourced, perfectly ripe. When I was head chef at Buck’s Fishing & Camping, I used to say, “Have the guts to buy a perfect tomato in season, add superb olive oil and the best sea salt, and call it a day.” One of my rules is to buy the best ingredients possible and get out of their way. To me, that’s what cooking is about. Letting the ingredients shine. I feel that’s very much an Italian concept.

Vickie's Comfort Food dinner last week was the perfect blend of elegance and familiar favorites.
Vickie’s Comfort Food dinner last week was the perfect blend of elegance and familiar favorites.

Join us for Vickie’s next Comfort Food dinner on Thursday, March 31st at 7:30 pm. Her beautiful meal will feature tagliatelle Bolognese, meatballs, raviole (a jam-filled tart), and more. We hope to see you there!

Get to know sommelier Vickie Reh Read more

Today we sat down to chat with resident Chef and Certified Sommelier Vickie Reh. In addition to her work as Wine Director ...

Bottomless Bellini Brunch

Brunch wasn’t until the afternoon, but the laboratorio kitchen got busy around ten o’ clock on Easter morning. Marco, Chiara, Bill, Suzy and Federico had their work cut out for them: in three hours, nearly 20 people would arrive to celebrate Easter, Italian-style. All hands were on deck, working together to create four glorious courses. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at all the hard work and creativity that made this meal possible!

Bill skinning potatoes, which were later served as Contorni.
Bill skinned potatoes with a smile this morning.
Suzy and Chiara make an excellent team.
When they put on their aprons, Suzy and Chiara mean business.
Chiara beginning the Ciramicola, a colorful holiday cake.
Chiara starting the Ciramicola, a colorful holiday cake.
Marco mixing the dough for cherry cubotti.
Marco mixing dough for cherry cubotti.
Federico making tagliatelle from scratch.
Federico making tagliatelle from scratch.

The real fun began once all the guests arrived. Bellinis (and mimosas) flowed steadily, and families gathered around our communal table with friends new and old to celebrate.

One of our younger guests made quite a splash with her stylish bunny ears!
One of our younger guests made quite a splash with her stylish bunny ears!
Bill is a generous pour when it comes to Bellinis (and mimosas!).
Bill is a generous pour when it comes to Bellinis (and mimosas!).
Marco and Chiara's daughter, Viola, enjoying Easter salami.
Marco and Chiara’s daughter enjoying Easter salami.

We hope you’ll join us for our next holiday celebration! On April 23rd, we’ll host a Seder dinner to celebrate Passover. As always, guests of all faiths are welcome.

Buona Pasqua, and many thanks to all who shared their Easter with us today!

Easter in Via Umbria's Laboratorio kitchen Read more

Brunch wasn't until the afternoon, but the laboratorio kitchen got busy around ten o' clock on Easter morning. Marco, Chiara, Bill, Suzy and Federico ...

Even More Easter Torta

Easter in Umbria means it’s time for Torta Di Pasqua, a rich holiday cheese bread unique to the region. Visiting chef Jennifer McIlvaine stopped by to bake a scrumptious batch in our laboratorio kitchen, and gave us her recipe. But because every Umbrian family has their own special way of making Torta Di Pasqua, we asked several of our friends for their recipes. Simone, Ernesto, and Marco and Chiara all chimed in, and each of their ways of making Torta Di Pasqua sound amazing. Try them out at home with cheese from our cheese counter and tell us which version you like best!

Ready for the oven, miniature-style!
Ready for the oven, miniature-style!

Ernesto’s Torta Di Pasqua

5 eggs
1T of oil or 1T of pork fat (strutto)
2 cubes (50g) fresh yeast
5 pinches of salt
100g gruyere cut into cubes
100g parmigiano grated
Flour

Mix together eggs, oil, yeast salt and parmigiano.  Add flour until you have a soft dough.  Add gruyere cubes.
Fill a buttered baking tin just under half full.  Let rise for one hour. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180c.

Here's what you'll need to make you very own Torta di Pasqua!
Here’s what you’ll need to make you very own Torta di Pasqua!

Marco and Chiara’s Torta Di Pasqua

10 eggs
200 grams wet yeast
800 grams grated cheese (parmigiana, pecorino, swiss) – leave some in larger pieces
250 grams unsalted butter melted
30 grams salt
black pepper
10li grams sugar
Water, oil and flour as needed
Separate the eggs. Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Mix the yeast with sugar, warm water and tablespoon of flour and let sit.
Beat the egg yolks until creamy, add the melted butter, salt, pepper and cheese.  Fold into the egg whites. Add yeast.  Mix in flour, water and oil until you reach desired consistency.
Butter the baking molds.  Split the dough into four pieces, roll into balls and place into each mold (filling approximately half full).  Cover and let rise (sitting next to a pot of hot water) for 3 hours.
When the dough reaches the top of the mold bake in a 160c oven for 30 minutes. Raise the temperature to 180c and cook for additional 10 minutes.  When the top starts to brown cover with aluminum.
It's not fun unless you get a little messy.
It’s not fun unless you get a little messy.
Simone’s Torta Di Pasqua

2.2 lbs pizza dough

10 eggs
1 cup parmigiano
1 cup Romano
1 cup strong pecorino grated
Salt
Pepper
1 tbs yeast
1 cup butter
1 cup pork fat
1 cup olive oil
Work all the ingredients together. Add 00 flour until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Let sit for three hours and then knead it. Fill a buttered pan half full.  Let sit again in the oven off with a pot of hot water (to maintain humidity). Wait until doubled. Bake for 2 hours at 325 degrees. Test with a tooth pick . When it’s ready, set upside down until cool.
Let us know how you Torta Di Pasqua turns out and send photos of your bake-a-thon to feedme@viaumbria.com. Best of luck!
 

 

 

An Umbrian holiday tradition Read more

Easter in Umbria means it's time for Torta Di Pasqua, a rich holiday cheese bread unique to the region. Visiting chef Jennifer McIlvaine stopped by ...

A Very Cherry Cocktail

Matt, our resident cocktail connoisseur, will be starting with us next week! In honor of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, here’s his original recipe for a cocktail called La Squisita Ciliegia (“the exquisite cherry”). It’s easy, simple, refreshing and has a beautiful red color. Drop in next week from 4 – 7 pm for Spritz O Clock and try one for yourself!

La Squisita Ciliegia

Prosecco
1 oz Mezcal (I used Vida)
1/4oz True Grenadine
1 Luxardo cherry
We love Luxardo cherries! You can also find them in our delicious Manhattans.
We love Luxardo cherries! You can also find them in our delicious Manhattans.

Cin Cin! See you when the clock strikes Spritz.

 

In honor of DC's cherry blossom festival Read more

Matt, our resident cocktail connoisseur, will be starting with us next week! In honor of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, here's his ...

Myth, Magic, and Folklore

On Saturday, April 2nd, our sun-filled Galleria will open with an art exhibiti featuring the works of the celebrated Giuseppe Fioroni.

Fioroni lives and works in his native Perugia, the regional capital of Umbria. A self-taught artist, he discovered his lifelong passion for painting as a young man. He has described Umbria as “a land of calm, a beautiful land, a land full of vibrations.” The greennery of the region, he has said, “is especially unforgettable,” and his love for Umbria’s olive trees and vineyards, as well as the oil and wine they produce, are inseparable from the place itself. His art has brought him all over the world, but he continues to live in Umbria, the province where he was born.

As a child in Perugia, Fioroni grew up surrounded by Umbrian folklore, mysticism, and traditional music. These themes lie at the center of his art. His vivid oil and multimedia paintings, Fioroni explores fantasy, fable, and magic through maelstroms of color and emotion. Often, he marries traditional folk narratives with elements of reverie and daydream, demonstrating a fascination with the liminal space where esoteric culture and unbridled imagination intersect.

Giuseppe Fioroni, Il Medicante Orfano, 2003.
Giuseppe Fioroni, Il Medicante Orfano, 2003.

When he set out to paint full-time, he was president and CEO of a company with 1,200 employees. Although he had always been a skilled artist, Fioroni did not want to paint professionally until the age of 36. At first, he created small paintings, never with the intention to exhibit them. He simply wished to paint. He first exhibited work in 1978 at the San Severo Gallery in Palazzo dei Priori in Perugia. He has also branched out from painting to add drawing, sculpture, and ceramics to his repertoire, and has achieved international acclaim for his work.

In addition to his pursuit of the visual arts, Fioroni is also an adroit musician of several ancient instruments, including the barrel-organ and the bagpipe. At was 8 years old, he was already a solo accordionist, Across Perugia, his musical skill has earned him the nickname “Maestro.”  Music is an integral part of Fioroni’s quest to unearth the deepest spirit of Umbria’s folk traditions, and his love for folk music can be observed in the stunning lyricism of his paintings, drawing, ceramics, and sculpture.

Giuseppe Fioroni, Gli Sposi, 2005.
Giuseppe Fioroni, Gli Sposi, 2005.

Fioroni’s work has also been influenced by the mix of musicians who make the yearly pilgrimage from around the world to Perugia to participate and perform in the Umbria Jazz Festival.  His gallery in Perugia often hosts artists who visit the city.  In 2008, he was commissioned by the festival organizers to create the official Umbria Jazz poster for the celebration.  Much of his work reflects the influence of jazz in his life. Often, Fioroni will alternate between painting and playing music. “Painting serves my body,” Fioroni has said, “and music serves my spirit.”

Over the past 30 years, Fioroni’s vivid, original body of work has won him adoration, acclaim, and international renown, and we at Via Umbria are very proud to showcase his work in our Galleria. Over the years, Bill and Suzy have cultivated a special relationship with Giuseppe, and are thrilled to introduce him and his remarkable work to you.

Join us in for celebrating the work of Giuseppe Fioroni at our Gallery Opening on April 2nd from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. The event is free to the public, and light refreshments will be served. We hope to see you there!

 

Umbrian artist Giuseppe Fioroni Read more

On Saturday, April 2nd, our sun-filled Galleria will open with an art exhibiti featuring the works of the celebrated Giuseppe Fioroni. Fioroni lives and works in ...

Torta Di Pasqua

Colombe cakes are a celebrated Easter treat throughout Italy, but did you know that Umbria has its own leavened Easter speciality? Today, chef Jennifer McIlvaine joined us to bake the region’s signature Easter bread, Torta Di Pasqua, before she returns home to Cannara. She gave us a little background on this delicious dish, as well as her own recipe. Here’s what she had to say about this beloved Torta.
Chef Jennifer McIlvaine kneading Torta di Pasqua dough.
Chef Jennifer McIlvaine kneading Torta di Pasqua dough.
Easter is the most important holiday in the Catholic church, so for Italians, Easter is the biggest holiday, even bigger than Christmas. In its earliest incarnation, Easter began as a Roman pagan tradition, which the Church turned into a Christian holiday to bring people into the fold.
During Carnevale, we make a lot of fried food because we have to use up all the fats, lard, and sugar in the house before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, 40 days before Easter. During Lent, tradition says you’re supposed to fast from sweets and meat. But then on Easter morning, we eat Torta Di Pasqua.
Easter is the only day of the year that we eat a salty breakfast. We’ve been fasting from heavy things, but Torta Di Pasqua, or Pizza Di Pasqua, has eggs, pork fat, and lots of cheeses. Eggs were considered very expensive, so anything that has a lot of eggs was a sign of richness. In fact, we eat the Torta di Pasqua with a hard boiled egg. Eggs are another old pagan tradition. They have always been  a sign of spring, of rebirth and new beginnings. And that is why we have eggs for Easter.
Fresh organic eggs! These hens must have known Easter is right around the corner.
Fresh organic eggs! These hens must have known Easter is right around the corner.
Another traditional dish we eat on Easter morning with Torta Di Pasqua are the first salumi of the year. Today, farmers makes salumi all year long because we have refrigerators. However before refrigerators, farmers would only butcher pigs in November, December, and January, the coldest months of the year. The first salumi–smaller cuts like salami and capocollo–would age for three months and be ready to eat by Easter. So the tradition is that you eat Torta Di Pasqua, a hard boiled egg, and a slice of salumi. We always have lamb at easter, so we also eat Coratella, a lamb innerd stew, for breakfast as well. In Cannara, our town, we drink a sweet wine called Vernaccia with breakfast as well.

As far as buying Torta Di Pasqua versus making your own, in my town the split is about 50/50. In Cannara, the baker opens up his oven to the people of the town, usually on Holy Thursday or Good Friday, and lets them bake their own bread. So many people makes the dough at home and bakes it in his big oven. The best Torta Di Pasqua is made in a wood-fired oven, so you’ll see people light up their ovens a few days before Easter and then everybody brings their dough over. It’s a community thing, so people cook them together. It’s nice.

Here is Jennifer’s recipe for Torta Di Pasqua, which she made fresh for us today. Snag a mini Torta or get your very own full-sized loaf before they’re gone!

Golden mini Tortas, now available at our counter!
Golden mini Tortas, now available at our counter!

Jennifer McIlvaine’s Pizza Di Pasqua

  • 25 g brewer’s yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 100g warm water
  • 300g ’00’ flour
  • 500g ‘0’ flour + 100g for dusting
  • 5-6 eggs
  • 150g grated pecorino romano
  • 150g grated parmigiano reggiano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 50g lard
  • 5 Tbs e.v. olive oil
  • 150g diced sharp provolone
  • 150g diced swiss cheese

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water.   Slowly add the flours, little by little, alternating with the eggs.  Mix well.  Add the grated cheeses, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Add the lard and olive oil.  Knead well for about 10 minutes.   Add the diced provolone & swiss cheese and knead until well mixed.  Divide the dough into two equal parts and form into balls, folding the dough over itself.  Place each ball into a deep baking tin that has been greased (with lard) and floured.

Let rise for about 2 hours or until dough has reached the top of the tin.  Bake in the oven at 200°C for 20 minutes, then 180°C for another 40 minutes.  The Tortas are ready when a test stick comes out clean.

Every family has its own Torta Di Pasqua recipe. Check back later for more variations!

Umbria's Easter specialty bread Read more

Colombe cakes are a celebrated Easter treat throughout Italy, but did you know that Umbria has its own leavened Easter speciality? Today, chef ...

Deborah’s Italian Adventure

This week, we hear from Deborah, who has been combing every nook and corner of Italy for fabulous new products to stock the Via Umbria shelves.

For the past 12 days, I’ve been traveling the roads of Italy on a 19-day food buying tour. I’ve seen more of Italy then I ever expected to, and we’ve already traveled from the far northern edges to the very tip of the heel in Puglia. In a few days, we head to Sicily.

My companions on this journey have been quite interesting, and I’ve travelled with friends old and new. Scott, our butcher, joined me for the Northern leg of the journey, and I think he’s tasted more chocolate that he’s eaten in his entire life. Rissa, who has been instrumental in establishing our food program, is here with me in the South. 

This hillside view in Montepulciano, Tuscany is enough to make anybody jealous.
This hillside view in Montepulciano, Tuscany is enough to make anybody jealous.

I’ve also travelled with the Chef and owner of a restaurant in Traverse City, a restaurant owner in Nashville and his videographer, a Lithuanian with several different food-related businesses in Vilnius, and a woman from Northern Michigan who is earning her sommelier certification and working at a wine shop. Conversations in the van and around the table have covered everything from hiring to “what do you suppose is in this dish?” to “have you tried this wine?” The opportunity to spend time with everyone has been invaluable, and we’ve had a great time getting to know each other. I hope we will stay in touch.

Sampling delicious spreads by Villa Reale.
Sampling delicious spreads by Villa Reale.

From the start, Suzy and Bill have always emphasized the importance of the product. What’s in it, who made it, and ultimately, the quality. As a result, Via Umbria has shelves filled with amazing products made by people they’ve met personally, in facilities they have visited. That’s what I am doing on trip, and I’ve found it so humbling. For every producer we meet, this is very serious business. Careful thought and extreme care go into every detail of each visit and tasting. We have been feted in very small communities where restaurants and producers work together to find both creative and traditional ways of pairing their products with local, seasonal foods and wines.

Rissa gets a glimpse inside the facility at Gluti Niente, an organic, gluten-free pasta producer.
Rissa suits up for a facility tour at Gluti Niente, a gluten-free pasta producer in Salerno.

Almost every company we’ve seen is family-run, from the five generations of nougat and chocolate experts at Barbero to the brother-and sister enterprise Gluti Niente, a high-quality gluten-free pasta business entering its second year. And although it isn’t family-owned, Latteria di Cameri, which makes amazing gorgonzola dolce, is controlled by a consortium of dairy farmers who collectively set the standards for the cheese production. The stories of all of these producers are an integral part of their products, and it’s amazing to see the attention they devote to every step of the process, from the initial idea to the final packaging.

I can’t wait to share photos of the rest of my trip with you! Hopefully when you see them, you’ll feel a bit of what I do every time I step out of the van.

Ciao for now!

Deborah

Discovering the finest foods of Italy Read more

This week, we hear from Deborah, who has been combing every nook and corner of Italy for fabulous new products to stock the ...

How To Pasta The Time

Three o’ clock is a blissful hour at Via Umbria. Late afternoon sun streams through the storefront windows, bathing the shelves in soft, golden light. Since I started writing for Via Umbria last month, this has always been my favorite time to pop downstairs and taste the scrumptious samples scattered throughout the shop: perhaps a morsel of mostaccioili by the register, or a cheddar crumble at the cheese counter.  But yesterday, tantalizing aromas of bacon and freshly grated parmesan wafted from the cafe, and I had a hunch that an even greater snack lay in store.

Ernesto Parziani, chef and owner of the celebrated Umbrian restaurant Perbacco, was in the midst of a mouth-watering pasta and sauce cooking demonstration. With his week-long visit drawing to a close, I knew that this was an opportunity not to be missed.

Rolling pin in hand, Ernesto smiled and waved me over to his station, which was scattered with eggs, flour, parmesan wedges, and an array of pasta-making instruments. Water boiled next to a sizzling pan of bacon on a portable stovetop. I trotted over as Ernesto began to press a small, yellow mound of dough into the table.

I thought of the trays of delicate, ribbed tubes of Garganelli pasta that participants fashioned in his cooking class on Sunday, and wondered what was in store for this dough.

“I like to teach fresh pasta,” Ernesto told me as he rolled the mound of dough into a circle the size of a tortilla. “But you must find right consistency. If it’s too hard, it is difficult to roll. If it’s too soft, it sticks to everything.” He began to dust the dough with fine, white flour.

“My favorite dish to make is pasta. For us, in Italy, it’s like bread,” he explained, We eat it all the time, everywhere, with vegetables, with meat sauce, with fish, with eggs.” I gulped, mouth watering at the thought of such a world. Ernesto began pressing the dough into the taut steel strings of a chitarra, a guitar-like cooking instrument that Ernesto used to slice the flat yellow circle of dough into delicate strands of pasta before my eyes.

This dough will become spaghetti a la chitarra.
This dough will become spaghetti a la chitarra.

I hovered over him in awe.  “How did you learn to do this?” I asked.

“It was obvious,” he shrugged. Of course. I should have known.

“When you see your mother, your grandmother make pasta three days a week, it is obvious,” Ernesto smiled. I glanced down again at the spread of ingredients, and wondered aloud about the presence of the eggs. Wasn’t pasta just … water and flour?

“In Umbria,” Ernesto explained, “we used to make pasta without eggs. Just flour and water, or perhaps one egg white without the yolk. It’s called Strangozzi.” Ernesto pried a strand of pasta from the chittara and brought it to his neck, feigning strangulation. “We eat it simply, at home, with tomato sauce.”

“You see,” he continued, “in Umbria, we started to add eggs when we began selling eggs to make money. But in the North of Italy, they have always used a lot of eggs. For example, where my wife comes from–Parma, Bologna, places in the region of Emilia-Romagna–they use a lot of yolks … and this.” Ernesto gestured towards a large bowl of white flour.

“But in the South, like Sicily, near North Africa, they make dry pasta, with semolina.” He pointed to a smaller dish of tan, coarse flour. “They make pasta, but they make couscous too. Whereas in the North, they make pasta, but also they use corn flour to make polenta.” Ernesto arranged his raw pasta into a nest on the table.

This pasta-making instrument is called a "chitarra" (Italian for guitar) because of its strings.
This pasta-making instrument is called a “chitarra” (Italian for guitar) because of its strings.

“It’s too much for one person,” he sighed.

“I could eat it all!” I exclaimed.

Ernesto shook his head. “No. Too much for one person.”

As he dropped the pasta into the boiling pot, I remembered that in Italy, pasta is just one of many courses in a meal. But before I could finish that thought, Ernesto had tossed the pasta into a pan, where he speedily sautéed it in bacon and carbonara. Suddenly, a masterpiece lay before me. My heart fluttered–even if it was “too much for one person,” no one else was there to eat it with me! But as Ernesto grated a pile of fresh parmesan onto his creation, I heard Bill’s voice ring out from across the cafe.

“We got here just in time!” he called to us, an old friend following just behind him. I sighed as Ernesto divided the spaghetti onto four plates. My glutenous, gluttonous dreams had been dashed, but that ceased to matter as soon as I took the first bite. It was absolute heaven, and once I’d cleaned my plate, I realized that Ernesto had been right. Any more than that would have been too much. I thanked him heartily, and walked back to my desk feeling sated, but not gorged. And for that, I was grateful.

 -Lizzie

Pasta Making with Ernesto! Read more

Three o' clock is a blissful hour at Via Umbria. Late afternoon sun streams through the storefront windows, bathing the shelves in ...

Just Fondue It

Here at Via Umbria, we’re more than fond of fondue. Cheese is amazing any way you slice it, but something inexplicably delicious happens when you add a little melt to the mix. On March 30th, we will be throwing a Fondue Fest to celebrate all things melty and cheesy. Here’s a taste of what we’re serving up!

FONDUE. Named Switzerland’s national dish, this delicious way of eating melted cheese has been adopted by much of the world. “Fondu,” the past participle of the French verb “fondre,” means melted. To keep fondue true to its name, a candle must be placed beneath the fondue pot to ensure the cheese remains in liquid form. Long forks are then used to dip bread or vegetables into the pot. Simple, cheesy, and amazing! Our party will take a look at three different sorts of fondue: the Alpine classic, made with Swiss cheese and white wine; Fonduta, an Italian-style fondue made with Fontina and truffles; and American pub cheese, a beer-and-cheese combo traditionally served with soft pretzels.

 

A candle keeps classic fondue at the perfect consistency.
A candle keeps classic fondue at the perfect consistency.

RACLETTE. Another Swiss cheesy treat. Raclette is one of my absolute favorite ways to consume melted cheese. Derived from the french word racler, meaning “to scrape”, Raclette is both the name of the cheese itself and the dish it’s used for. Traditionally, half a wheel of Raclette is heated in front of a fire, and then the melted part of the wheel is scraped off over boiled or roasted potatoes. In lieu of an actual fire, we’ll be using a Raclette machine to melt our amazing Swiss Raclette over potatoes (or potato chips, if you prefer a bit more crunch).

 

Raclette has an inviting, aromatic scent. Like Gruyère, it does not separate when melted.
Raclette has an inviting, aromatic scent. Like Gruyère, it does not separate when melted.

FRIED WISCONSIN CHEESE CURDS. Hailing from the midwest, this dish is near and dear to my heart. Cheese curds are the first form that any cheese takes. See, in order to make cheese, milk must be separated into curds (the solid part of the milk) and whey (the liquid part). After that, most cheese curds are formed and aged to create different styles of cheese. But you can also eat the curds themselves! They taste fresh and feel squeaky under tooth. You can also take those fresh curds, dip them in batter, and fry them into decadent melty nuggets. This, in my opinion, is where cheese curds reach their full potential.

These golden cheese curds are little fried bits of heaven.
These golden cheese curds are little fried bits of heaven.

When it comes to these fabulous varieties melted cheese, you simply can’t go wrong. At MELT: A Fondue Fest, we’ll have a different dipping station dedicated to each style, complete with accompaniments and wine or beer pairings. It’ll be the cheesy evening you’ve always dreamed of!

MELT: A Fondue Fest on Wednesday, March 30th at 7:00.

Tickets will be $35 in advance and  $45 at the door. Purchase your ticket before Saturday March 26 and you’ll be entered to win a prize in our #MELTsweeps:
Third Prize: Via Umbria’s limited edition Just Fondue It t-shirt;
Second Prize: A fondue pot to craft cheese creations (and maybe even host your own cheese party!);
First Prize: A custom cheese board;
Grand Prize: A complimentary wedge of cheese each month for a year!

See you there!

 

Alice Bergen Phillips
Alice Bergen Phillips

A fondue party to celebrate all things cheesy Read more

Here at Via Umbria, we're more than fond of fondue. Cheese is amazing any way you slice it, but something inexplicably delicious happens when ...

Spaghetti (and Meatballs) at Via Umbria

Clint Eastwood3
Last month we inaugurated an entertaining evening activity that we call our “Spaghetti (and Meatballs) Western” dinner-and-a-movie series. Held in our café, typically on the third Tuesday of each month, we screen a classic Italian spaghetti western on a big screen and serve a buffet dinner of fresh pasta with homemade meatballs and tomato sauce. Being an Italian festa, wine flows freely. We think it is a great way to escape and disconnect and enjoy yourself for an evening and we invite you to join us.

ForafewdollarsmoreLast month’s inaugural film was A Fistful of Dollars (“Per un Pugno di Dollari”), Sergio Leone’s classic that is widely credited with launching this unique genre of filmmaking. Seeking to revive the dying American Western, Leone, a fan of American westerns, “borrowed” a story from Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurasawa, fusing elements from Dashiell Hammet’s Red Harvest and Venetian playwright/librettist Carlo Goldoni. The film, which launched the big screen career of Clint Eastwood, is pure Leone, though. Filmed in Spain and Rome’s Cinecitta studio, the incredibly violent, rough and politically incorrect film nonetheless sings. Literally. Many critics see Leone’s work as transforming the American “horse opera,” as Westerns were sometimes called, into Italian opera. Indeed, the soundtrack, written by Ennio Morricone, while sounding like anything but opera, with its whistles, gunshots and other unusual sound effects (one critic at the time described the music as “a rattlesnake in a drum kit”), was written for the most part before filming began, with Leone directing the action to fit to the music, rather than vice versa.

In order to broaden their appeal to the American market, the first spaghetti westerns were released in America in “Americanized” versions. Leone’s name appeared as director Bob Robertson and Morricone as Dan Savio. Later works in the “Dollars Trilogy” (For a Few Dollars More – “Per Qualche Dollar in Piu” and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly –“il buono, il brutto, il cattivo“) were released under the director’s real name, thus bringing out of the shadows the Italian angle of the spaghetti western.

TheyCallMeTrinityPosterWhile we will be showing the other films in the “Dollars Trilogy” on future Spaghetti (and Meatballs) Western nights, this month we turn our attention to a later representative of the genre. Released in 1970 (the “Dollars” trilogy premiered in 1964, 1965 and 1966) our next film – They Call Me Trinity (“Lo Chiamavano Trinita”) represents an attempt to refresh the genre, which by the 1970’s was beginning to lose steam. Enter Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer, an Italian acting duo (Hill’s real name is Mario Giroti) who starred in a number of spaghetti westerns and other action films and who became two of the most famous international film stars of their era. Their “Trinity” series (They Call Me Trinity and Trinity is Still My Name) are perhaps the duo’s most famous, and are considered more comedic and lighthearted than the original wave of westerns. Hill also received acclaim in My Name is Nobody, another spaghetti western that he stars in opposite Henry Fonda. Hill is still popular today, playing Don Matteo, a crime fighting Catholic priest in a popular Italian television series of the same name since 2000. That series, set in Umbria afforded Suzy and me the opportunity to meet Terrence Hill, as a scene from Don Matteo was being filmed outside our friend Simone’s restaurant in Bevagna one Saturday afternoon several years ago. Taking a break from the filming, Hill joined us at our table on Simone’s terrace, enjoying a bite to eat as he told us of his love for the Boston Red Sox (he was wearing a Sox cap to protect him from the sun, which looked great in his priest’s robes!).

Logo_Don_Matteo_9

We invite you to join us this Tuesday for a screening of My Name is Trinity and to enjoy a delicious buffet spaghetti dinner, complete with salad and garlic bread, in our café. Dinner is served at 7:30 and the film will screen at 7:45. The cost is $25 per person and includes wine.

And if you can’t make it this Tuesday (or even if you can), please join us Tuesday, April 19 for a screening of For a Few Dollars More, the second of the “Dollars” trilogy, also starring Clint Eastwood and featuring a brilliant performance by Lee Van Cleef. And be sure to visit our events calendar to view our upcoming Spaghetti (and Meatballs) Westerns. We look forward to seeing you and spending a thoroughly enjoyable evening with you.

Ci vediamo!
Bill and Suzy

A classic dinner and movie combination Read more

Last month we inaugurated an entertaining evening activity that we call our “Spaghetti (and Meatballs) Western” dinner-and-a-movie series. Held in our café, ...

Wine Tasting 101

As a sommelier, when I lead a wine tasting, I start from my passion. I began studying wine in 2008, which is also when I began to look at the journey of wine from producer to glass. That’s really how I came to understand wine. It’s important for wine lovers to know about where their wine comes from and how it’s made. Wine can taste very different when you know these things.

The first thing I tell people at a wine tasting is, “trust in your mouth.” What do you like? If a certain kind of wine agrees with your palate, explore that. If you’re just starting to seriously learn about wine, know that your tastes will change over time. Initially, I drank only simple wines, but eventually my preferences shifted. It takes time to develop a sense for all the components that make up a complex wine.

So, trust in your mouth, and your other senses, too. When tasting wine, start with your eyes. Look into your glass and observe the color of the wine. See how the light hits the wine in the glass.

First things first: Ombretta watches how the wine hits the glass.
First things first: Ombretta watches the way the wine streams into the glass.

Then, you must listen to the wine. How does it sound when the sommelier pours the wine into the glass? From this information, you’ll start to put together some ideas about the wine, which you must then confirm with your nose and, last of all, your tongue. It’s simple, but also very complex. All the senses are engaged and working together to determine what you are drinking.

As a sommelier, I’m very interested in matching wine and food. In Italy, we have lots of traditional foods to pair with traditional wines, and many different kinds of indigenous grapes from the North to the South. We are very rich, from this point of view. Umbria has an especially beautiful variety.

Grechetto, for example, is a white grape typical of Umbria. Although sometimes we may expect white wine to be thin, Grechetto is very structured, with an almond finish. In some ways, it’s similar to a red wine: it’s wonderful with beef, for example.

Trebbiano Spoletino pairs well with Umbrian cereal soups made of slightly sweet, nutty grains like barley and faro (with a little olive oil on top). They go together nicely because Trebbiano Spoletino delivers a fresh, fruity finish. Both Grechetto and Trebbiano Spoletino are white wines, but your tongue will react quite differently to each!

Ombretta and Via Umbria chef and wine director Vickie are expert sippers.
Wine is better when sipped together! Ombretta and Vickie enjoy a glass and each other’s company.

The two traditional red wines of Umbria are Montefalco Rosso and Sagrantino. Both are perfect with beef, pork, and fresh black truffle. Montefalco Rosso is a blend of about 70% Sangiovese, a widely cultivated grape in Umbria, and 15-20% Sagrantino. Each winery can choose which kind of grape makes up the last portion. Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon are typical.

Sagrantino is somewhat astringent and robust, but it’s also long and elegant, leaving room for notes of fruit and spices. The Italian laws about production are very clear: a Sagrantino must age for 37 months. When it comes to rich, complex wines, it’s not so easy to maintain elegance, but a good Sagrantino does. Wine is like an orchestra. All the instruments have to play at the right moment, in perfect time, to create a symphony.

To learn more about Umbrian wines (and taste some yourself) join us for Ombretta’s wine tasting class on Wednesday 3/9! Test out what you’ve learned with a wine dinner afterwards.

Ci Vediamo!

Above, watch Ombretta do a quick swirl and swish in the Via Umbria wine cave.

With Sommelier Ombretta Ubaldi Read more

As a sommelier, when I lead a wine tasting, I start from my passion. I began studying wine in 2008, which is also when I ...

In Search of the Perfect Ham

In my first blog post, I mentioned an aged country ham from southern Virginia. I was referring to the sublime Surryano Ham by Edwards Virginia Smokehouse. The name is a pun on the Serrano hams of Spain and the smokehouse’s location in Surry, Virginia, only a stone’s throw from the origin of the famed (and now mass-produced) Smithfield Hams.

This hickory-smoked ham is designed to be sliced thin and eaten raw like prosciutto or jamón. But the Surryano is even smokier even than the Südtiroler Speck (Speck Alto Adige) that we carry regularly. Despite the reputation that American cured meats are inferior to their European counterparts, chefs across the nation agree that this ham rivals any other prosciutto. Furthermore, Edwards Virginia Smokehouse embodies what we so value about Italian cuisine: attention to locality and quality. Edwards uses locally raised heritage breed hogs, as Italians have done for centuries, to create products that Americans have been making for centuries.

The famous Surryano Ham.
The famous Surryano Ham.

Now comes the sad part: in mid-January, Edwards Virginia Smokehouse burned down, losing all of its inventory. The Surryano Ham, which must be aged for two years, will not return for a while.

Here at Via Umbria, I originally wanted to carry an American ham as a point of comparison to our Italian prosciutto crudos. I began digging thorugh laods of ham literature, so looking for a ham that could live up to Surryano’s legacy. I found a few promising producers and reached out for samples. The first, Colonel Bill Newsom’s Aged Kentucky Country Hams, responded the same day with a personal call from the owner, Nancy Newsom Mahaffey. The Newsom family has been making country hams commercially for several generations, and the family tradition goes even further back.

Nancy's Preacher Ham.
Nancy’s Preacher Ham.

I decided on two hams, both of which are now in our case at Via Umbria. The BBQ Ham is a cooked ham which Nancy calls a “Preacher Ham,” because you only want the best for the preacher on Sundays! It’s a smoky deli ham that’s great solo and would send you to the moon in a sandwich. We also stocked up on prosciutto. This is a dry cured country ham, cold-smoked, and aged breathing the open air of Kentucky! Its not quite as in-your-face smoky as the Surryano, but still amazing. We’re talking a complex balance of sweet and salty, of smoky and porky. It’s a testament to what American curing traditions can achieve—and I’m not the only one who thinks so. The “Preacher Ham” is the first (and only) American ham on display in Spain’s Museo del JamónNancy was the first American and the first woman to be invited to the World Congress of Dry Cured Hams. This “prosciutto” is really something to behold, and I’m really excited to work directly with a producer with such high attention to tradition and quality.

 

Scott Weiss

A complex balance Read more

In my first blog post, I mentioned an aged country ham from southern Virginia. I was referring to the sublime Surryano Ham ...