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Liam’s Fig Crostata

This is our favorite way to handle an overabundance of produce—depending on the season you can make a filling with mixed berries, apples and cinnamon or ricotta and marmalade. Here Liam uses a mix of ripe figs, honey and a dash of vincotto. The wine (vincotto translates to “cooked wine”) deepens the flavor and rounds out the sweetness of the figs, leaving you with a balanced and elegant dessert. Enjoy!

LIAM’S FIG CROSTATA
INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

300g flour + more for dusting

140g butter, room temperature

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

1 ½ Tbs baking powder (or 1 packet of Italian bkg powder w vanilla)

pinch salt

For the filling:

6 cups of fresh ripe and plump figs

¾ cup honey

1 T a.p. Flour

3 T butter, cubed into small pieces

1 T vin cotto

 

      DIRECTIONS

Roll the dough to about ½” thickness.  Place in a 10” pie pan.

Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the filling and put in the pie pan. Fold the outer edges of the dough around the perimeter of the fig filling. Brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Put in refrigerator for 1 hour before baking at 375 for 30-45 minutes.  

Serve warm.  

Balanced and elegant Read more

This is our favorite way to handle an overabundance of produce—depending on the season you can make a filling with mixed berries, ...

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Truffle Frittata

We love those recipes that are low effort, maximum reward and that’s exactly what this truffle frittata is. With so few ingredients, quality is paramount—we recommend using Tartufi Bianconi’s delicious truffle sauce “tartufata” to impart a taste of Italy into your frittata.

TRUFFLE FRITTATA
INGREDIENTS

4 eggs

Salt

Truffle sauce or “Truffled Flavoured Oil” from Tartufi Bianconi

      DIRECTIONS

-Beat the eggs with salt and a few teaspoons of your favorite truffle sauce.

-Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook the omelette on both sides—serve with truffled mashed potatoes.

Bianconi's Truffle Omelette Read more

We love those recipes that are low effort, maximum reward and that's exactly what this truffle frittata is. With so few ingredients, ...

Cheese, First We Eat, Food & Drink, Uncategorised, Uncategorized
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Scott Tours Murray’s Cheese Caves

I didn’t know all that much about Murray’s cheese before my most recent trip to New York City. Basically, I knew it was a famous shop that sold good cheese and was willing to wholesale to me. Now that I’ve been, I’m in love.

Here at Via Umbria we deal with a lot of different cheese producers from all over Italy, the United Kingdom, the rest of Europe and the United States. Walking into the shop on Bleeker Street I felt right at home. It wasn’t that I recognized every single cheese they were selling (although there were quite a few familiar faces)—it was that I could tell I was somewhere that cared about sourcing great cheese from great producers. It was awesome, and I was ready to taste.

You may know of Murray’s as an excellent purveyor of fine cheeses, but what most don’t know is that Murray’s is also an affineur (an ager of cheese). A few days after visiting the store, we were fortunate to travel to glamorous Long Island City to tour their “caves” (it’s actually a set of climate and humidity controlled rooms—I don’t think there’s much in the way of caves in Queens). And learned a bit about the history of these cheeses.

If you’ve read my blog post about Neal’s Yard Dairy in London, it’s a pretty similar story. A cheese shop taking care of their cheese decided to reach out to some producers and get things specially for the shop. In the case of NYD, they preserved a whole range of traditional British cheeses. At Murray’s, it was a case of innovation. The team took cheeses that were already in production and began to age them differently. They started inoculating cheeses with different molds and washing rinds of varieties that weren’t typically washed. In short, they were creating some deliciousness. They even worked in a dairy lab upstate with some local milk to make their own cheese from scratch—a delightful cheddar that tastes almost like cheddar-swiss hybrid.

We’re so pleased to have the opportunity to work with the Murray’s team,  as well as all the other cheesemakers and cheese lovers that  we partner with. Stop on by and ask to try some of our cheeses!

 

Murray’s is also an affineur (an ager of cheese) Read more

I didn’t know all that much about Murray’s cheese before my most recent trip to New York City. Basically, I knew it was ...

Experience Italy, Food & Drink, Home and Abroad, Life in Italy
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Panettone aPlenty

This past April on a trip to VinItaly, Suzy and I snuck off for a day to indulge our sweet tooths with a tour with two of our favorite Panettone producers—Loison and Filippi. One step (or really one sniff) inside the baking facility at Loison and we knew we had made the right choice. Even during their off season, a time when there are no ovens on, no cakes baking, and no ingredients in sight, the entire factory smelled like sugar, butter, and fluffy, decadent cake. We wandered around the production line—looking at the giant (seriously huge) stand mixers where they carefully mix the panettone dough, coaxing the ingredients to combine together in just the right way to create the light, airy cakes, the enormous ovens that bake hundreds of carefully handcrafted cakes at a time, and the inventive machines that flip those cakes upside-down straight from the oven to keep their shape. If you’ve never seen the process I definitely encourage you to take a look—it’s pretty incredible. And for those of you who have ever had any doubts about whether or not the Italians are some of the most thoughtful, patient, and purposeful people on the planet take my word for it- one bite of a perfectly baked Panettone is all you need to change your mind.

In addition to the attention to detail during the baking process two other aspects of the production of the Panettone really stood out to me. The first being the pride that emanated from the bakers at both facilities as they walked us through each flavor of Panettone they were preparing to make for this holiday season (between 20-35 each) and exactly where every single ingredient in each of those cakes was sourced. Single origin chocolate drops from Domori, untreated Madagascar vanilla beans (and never any artificial flavors), free range eggs, figs from Calabria, Lemons from Sicily and fresh milk delivered every day during the baking season; each ingredient is carefully selected for it’s quality of production and taste to create the perfect marriage of flavors for each cake. As the Pastry Chefs at Filippi say “Just as in an orchestra, to create a symphony, every instrument has to be in harmony with the whole, so it does not suffice that every ingredient is good on its own. Each ingredient has to amalgamate well with all the others…” Each year they revisit the flavors of the year prior, sampling dozens of varieties of fruits, nuts, and honeys, ensuring that their cakes are always created using the just the ideal balance of flavors and ingredients.

The second aspect that the Pastry Chefs at both Loison and Filippi were quick and proud to point out is that each one of their panettone is hand wrapped in paper and tied with a bow. Out of context that may not seem like a big deal but when you think about the thousands of cakes being produced every Christmas and the intricate and precise wrapping each of these cakes is adorned with you really start to get a sense of the magnitude of this process. And the result is spectacular—3as they said at Loison “The result is a product that is more than just a baked good: it’s also a gift, a furnishing item and a piece of art.” It’s clear in speaking with them that there is no detail of the panettone making process that is overlooked and the result of all of that effort and attention to detail is the essential (and most delicious) emblem of the Christmas holiday.

Don’t just take my word for it though- come see and sample for yourself! On July 25th we’ll be celebrating Christmas in July- we’re so looking forward to the holiday season that we can’t possibly wait any longer. Stop by our market and taste samples of this year’s spectacular concoctions, see that intricate and delicate paperwork and ribbons adorning these beautiful parcels and pre-order some of your favorites.

Tour (and tasting) with two of our favorite Panettone producers Read more

This past April on a trip to VinItaly, Suzy and I snuck off for a day to indulge our sweet tooths with ...

Dinner, How To, Lunch, Recipes
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Trio of Summer Salads

A trio of summer salads that are easy to prepare and pair easily with your favorite grilled meat,  fish or veggies.  Light and refreshing and sure to brighten up your plate.
ASPARAGUS AND RHUBARB SALAD
INGREDIENTS

10 stalks asparagus – ends broken off

3 stalks rhubarb – slightly shaved

2 cups pea shoots

¼ cup lemon juice

¼  cup extra virgin olive oil

1T honey

 

 

      DIRECTIONS

Lightly brush asparagus with olive oil and roast until tender.  Slice into 1” pieces. Slice the rhubarb into matchsticks. Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil and honey.  Toss asparagus and rhubarb with dressing in a serving bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with pea shoots and lemon zest.
STRAWBERRY AND ASPARAGUS SALAD
INGREDIENTS

1 pint strawberries sliced

4 cups baby arugula

10 stalks asparagus – ends broken off

Goat Lady Chevre

Marcona Almonds

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

 

 

      DIRECTIONS

Lightly brush asparagus with olive oil and roast until tender.  Slice into 1” pieces. Put arugula in a serving bowl and add strawberries.  Whisk together vinegar and olive oil – season to taste with salt and pepper.  Toss the arugula and strawberries. Top with dollops of goat cheese and almonds.
FAVA BEANS AND PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS
INGREDIENTS

1 pound fava beans shelled

3 Portobello Mushrooms cleaned

¼ pound aged pecorino shaved

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

⅓ cup white wine vinegar

1 T dijon mustard

 

 

      DIRECTIONS

Steam fava beans for 1-2 minutes (should still be bright green) remove from heat and put on ice to quick chill.  Slice portobellos. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss together mushrooms and cooled favas.  Top with pecorino and serve.

Salads with Asparagus, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Portobellos and Favas Read more

A trio of summer salads that are easy to prepare and pair easily with your favorite grilled meat,  fish or veggies.  Light ...

Dinner, How To, Lunch, Recipes
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Whole-Baked Fish with Olives

This recipe for whole-baked fish with olives comes to us from Elizabeth Minchilli, who enlisted a team of Italian mammas and nonnas to perfect it. After tinkering with her method and recipe for 25 years, she says she’s finally nailed it. The result is a tender roasted fish, flavored with briny green olives and bright, bursting cherry tomatoes. Spoiler alert: this  might be our favorite recipe from her new book.

WHOLE-BAKED FISH WITH OLIVES
INGREDIENTS

2 whole fish with the head on, cleaned and scaled (you can ask the fishmonger to do this for you)

1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley

8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup briny green olives, unpitted

Olive oil (about ¼ cup)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

 

 

      DIRECTIONS

–Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

–Oil one fish generously, seasoning the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff parsley and a few olives into the cavity and scatter half of the olives and tomatoes around the fish. Place fish on parchment or aluminum foil and repeat with the other fish.

–Wrap each fish, creating a seal so steam won’t escape. Bake for about 25 minutes, then let rest for 10 minutes

–To serve, place on platter, open the packet, and debone the fish. Pour the juices from the parchment paper along with the olives and tomatoes on top of the fish.

 

Tender roasted fish Read more

This recipe for whole-baked fish with olives comes to us from Elizabeth Minchilli, who enlisted a team of Italian mammas and nonnas to perfect it. ...

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Burrata with Peperoncino Crema

Guests from our most recent Chef’s Dinner (“Spring in Puglia”) will recognize this creamy-cool burrata with fiery peperoncino from the menu. As striking as it is, it’s remarkably simple to pull off and is a great way to end the day during those hot summer months. 

BURRATA WITH PEPERONCINO CREMA
INGREDIENTS

1 pc Fresh Burrata

2 t of Calabrian Hot pepper paste

1 t fennel pollen

1 t smoked sea salt

 

 

      DIRECTIONS

–Cut burrata in half, remove the stracciatella and place in a separate bowl. Add hot pepper paste to your liking and the fennel pollen. Once combined, use a spoon to put it back into the cavity of the burrata and set aside. 

-To plate: Put about 2 tablespoons of the cold fava bean puree (recipe follows) down on the plate and place 1 burrata half alongside it. Add a small garnish of baby greens tossed with lemon and olive oil. Season the burrata with a pinch of smoked sea salt and finish with EVOO. Garnish with Taralli.

FAVA BEAN PUREE
INGREDIENTS

2 cups fava beans, blanched, shells removed

1 small onion, small dice

1ea garlic clove, sliced

2 T mint leaves

EVOO

Water

Salt

 

      DIRECTIONS

-Sauté the onion in olive oil until  translucent. Add garlic and fava beans;  sauté for 2 minutes on medium-high heat.

-Add about 1.5 cups water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Immediately turn off heat and transfer to a blender.  

-Add the mint, and about ½ cup EVOO and puree on high speed till smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt. Reserve and cool.

 

Creamy-cool and fiery Read more

Guests from our most recent Chef's Dinner ("Spring in Puglia") will recognize this creamy-cool burrata with fiery peperoncino from the menu. As ...

Food & Drink, How To, Recipes
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Pretty Pretty Peas

There are few greater joys in life than digging into an exceptional plate of pasta. The combination of perfectly hand rolled noodles and a rich, textured sauce is honestly what most of my dreams are made of. But no matter how many plates of pasta I delve into, no matter how many restaurants I visit, there is simply nothing that compares to the steaming bowl of chitarra with fresh spring peas we enjoyed on our most recent trip to Florence. It may not sound like much, but that combination of handmade chitarra with spring peas epitomizes the best of Italian cooking: simple ingredients and enormous flavor.

While nothing will truly match the experience of climbing down a tiny, steep stairway tucked away by the Ponte Vecchio and then descending into an impossibly small dining room bursting with mouthwatering scents and at least two too many tables, the magic of simple springtime pasta can be reproduced anywhere. This past Wednesday I was fortunate enough to witness this as Via Umbria’s Chef Liam LaCivita put his own twist on my personal favorite dish: his stringozzi with guanciale and fava bean puree was an exceptionally light yet toothsome pasta with the bright, fresh and almost nutty flavor of fava beans. Rounded out with the richness of guanciale, it was a rare, transportive moment.

prettyPrettyPeas-2

 

—Lindsey

Italian food runs on simplicity, both in its ingredients and its technique. It’s how our kitchen operates, and it’s how the best Italian cooking is born. Please note that there are a few stipulations, however: 1.) Your ingredients must have integrity, 2.) your technique must be thoughtful and 3.) you shouldn’t ever skimp on parmesan.

This recipe for a simple, 10-minute pasta encompasses these three pillars of Italian cuisine. It’s the dish Lindsey describes as “a little sweet and a little salty, simultaneously fluffy and velvety,” and one you’ll surely return to again and again.

PASTA WITH SPRING PEAS
INGREDIENTS

Fresh chitarra for four (bought or homemade)

2 cups fresh peas, shelled

1/2 stick butter

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Freshly grated parmesan

      DIRECTIONS

–Bring salted water to a boil.  Add peas and cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender and bright green.  Remove from pot and add pasta.  Cook 2-3 minutes until al dente.

–Divide the peas into two containers.  Add butter and a drizzle of olive oil to one and puree using an immersion blender.

-When pasta is cooked add to pea puree, stir together until generously coated.  Add pasta water and a drizzle of olive oil as needed.

-Put in serving bowl. Top with remaining peas and grated parmesan and serve.

Chitarra with fresh spring peas Read more

There are few greater joys in life than digging into an exceptional plate of pasta. The combination of perfectly hand rolled noodles ...

Experience Italy, Home and Abroad, Life in Italy, Wine
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Better Bubbles

This holiday season we reprise the following post which we filed after our visit to Franciacorta in April 2018. On that trip we fell in love with franciacorta, Italy’s emphatic answer to champagne, and dedicated ourselves to spreading the word about what we consider to be the most delicious sparking wine available anywhere. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or New Years, we can’t imagine a better way than by popping the cork on a bottle (or more) of franciacorta. If you are curious, stop by Via Umbria. We have the largest selection of reasonably priced bubbles in the DC metro area.

— Bill and Suzy

It’s franciacorta.
It’s not champagne. It’s franciacorta.

And it’s definitely not prosecco.

Franciacorta 19

If we learned one thing during our visit last month to Franciacorta, the sparkling wine producing district in Lombardia, about an hour east of Milan it is that franciacorta is not Italian champagne. It is tasty, elegant and refined. It’s a sparkling wine that deserves its own name, free from the shadow of champagne

What is franciacorta? In a word, franciacorta is delicious.

Franciacorta 22Following four memorable days in Verona last month, we spent four glorious days in Franciacorta, unpacking our bags at the lovely Hotel Rivalago located, as the name suggests, on the shores of Lake Iseo. One of the lesser known lakes in this, Italy’s lake district, Iseo is a stunning backdrop that forms the northern boundary of Franciacorta. The mountains that surround the lake create a unique microclimate that, paired with the area’s poor rocky soil render the area unfit for growing much of anything. Execpt, to our good fortune, grapes and olives.

Franciacorta 15Until 1961 Franciacorta labored under relative obscurity, known mostly as a lovely weekend escape for wealthy Milanese and an area of good but unremarkable white wines. But in 1961 one of those wealthy residents, Guido Berlucchi, seeking a way to improve upon his modest local white wines decided to reach out to winemaker Franco Ziliani who posed a fateful question to his new partner. “What if we were to make a sparkling wine as the French do?” What was born from that question was franciacorta, and today nearly 200 producers annually riddle by hand and machine 17 million bottles of Italy’s best sparkling wine.

Franciacorta 6

Franciacorta 9Compared with the over 300 million bottles of champagne produced in the eponymous region in France, the growth of franciacorta (the name has nothing to do with France but instead was the name given to this middle ages tax free trading zone) has been remarkable, establishing itself as one of the world’s premiere sparking wines in just fifty years. Much of that no doubt has to do with the fact that it was championed and promoted from its beginnings by some of Italy’s most influential, fashionable and cosmopolitan families. Today people love drinking franciacorta as much for its silky, seductive taste as for its elegant packaging and branding.

Franciacorta 11Franciacorta 3Franciacorta 20On our visit to the region we got to experience first hand just how elegant and personal the winemakers’ hospitality can be. We were treated to a tour of the Berlucchi winery, where franciacorta was invented, by none other than Cristina Ziliani, daughter of the original winemaker, enjoying Berluchi’s 61 franciacorta brut and saten in the ancestral home of Guido Berlucchi.  Ca’ del Bosco, one of the most recognized names in Franciacorta introduced us to the area with a tour of their winery and treated us to a memorable lunch at the spectacular il Priore restaurant overlooking the vast and stunning Franciacorta landscape. At Bellavista we were not only treated to a visit to a winery that could just as easily double as an art museum and a private tasting that was among the most elegant we’ve ever enjoyed, we experienced a homecoming of sorts for our lunch at l’Albereta, a relais et chateaux property one of the finest Italian resorts we’ve ever stayed at. If you haven’t read of our memorable visits there, check out our blog post.

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By now you should be getting the picture. Franciacorta is a region and a type of wine. But no matter what you mean when you utter this magical word, it is elegance and beauty personified, offering a sense of wellbeing that we find so often when we travel to Italy, but which comes so easily and automatically in this unmatched corner of our favorite country. We look forward to experiencing it over and over on future visits to Franciacorta and to sharing it with our customers through special dinners and wine tastings. Come join us and enjoy franciacorta with us. Just be sure to not call it champagne.

Ci vediamo!
Bill and Suzy

What is franciacorta? In a word, franciacorta is delicious Read more

This holiday season we reprise the following post which we filed after our visit to Franciacorta in April 2018. On that trip ...

Food & Drink, Potent Potables
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Gin(ger) Mule

Think of this Mint Gin(ger) Mule as a delicious liquid stress ball. Ginger beer’s subtle kick tickles the back of your throat while the fresh mint dulls gin’s bite. It’s simple enough to whip up after a long day at work, but we think it tastes best when slowly savored on a warm and lazy weekend afternoon.

Mint Gin(ger) Mule
INGREDIENTS

Ice

1.5 oz Gin

1 oz lime

.5 oz simple syrup

7-8 leaves mint

Ginger beer

      DIRECTIONS

-Pour gin over ice into your glass. Add lime, simple syrup and a few mint leaves.

-Top off with ginger beer. Garnish with more mint leaves.

best when slowly savored Read more

Think of this Mint Gin(ger) Mule as a delicious liquid stress ball. Ginger beer’s subtle kick tickles the back of your throat ...

Dessert, Food & Drink, How To, Recipes
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Zabaglione with Berries

Creamy zabaglione is an Italian custard made from just four ingredients: egg yolks, sugar, heavy cream and marsala wine. Drizzled over fresh cut strawberries and blackberries, your guests will be delighted by the combination of tart berries, sweet cream and marsala wine. The best part? You can prepare it ahead of time and keep it chilled until you’re ready to serve.

Zabaglione with Berries
INGREDIENTS

6 egg yolks

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp Marsala wine

1 cup heavy cream

      DIRECTIONS

–Set up a saucepan with water in it for use as a double boiler.

-In a large bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine. Use a large balloon whisk to whisk the mixture over the boiling water until warm and the sugar is dissolved.

–Meanwhile, whip cream until soft peaks form.

–Remove egg mixture from the double boiler when sugar is thoroughly dissolved and egg mixture is hot.

–Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg mixture and set aside to cool.

-Serve in glasses alternating with fresh fruit.

Italian custard Read more

Creamy zabaglione is an Italian custard made from just four ingredients: egg yolks, sugar, heavy cream and marsala wine. Drizzled over fresh ...