The Cooking and Cuisine of Umbria

[Kevin72]

Well, here we are in Umbria.

I’ll leave the formal intro to Judith, which I’m looking forward to a lot. All I’ll say is that it’s a somewhat sparse, robust cooking “elevated” at times by its use of cream, butter, and of course the native black truffle shaved over anything. Lots of game, particularly fowl and rabbit, as well as an abundance of freshwater fish (being one of the only regions in Italy not touching the sea).

Whoops, I’m already drifting into giving an intro and taking away from Judith. So, without further ado, the books available for this region, based on an Amazon booksearch for “Umbria”:

Umbria: Regional Recipes from the Heartland of Italy by John Rizzo and Julia della Croce

Italian Country Cooking: Recipes from Umbria & Apulia by Susanna Gelmetti and Robert Budwig

Ciao Italia in Umbria: Recipes and Reflections from the Heart of Italy by Mary Ann Esposito

I only have the della Croce book. She appears to be undertaking the admirable task of doing book for each region of Italy. However, they are woefully short. Though she does give a good idea of the cuisine in her intro and you do definitely feel more knowledgeable of the region after you finish.

Waverly Root’s chapter on Umbria in The Food of Italy is one of the standouts. Ada Boni combines Umbria and Le Marche into one chapter (hmmm . . . ) and Roden’s Umbria chapter has just two pages of recipes to it.

Still, with our weather getting steadily cooler and more autumnal, I'm looking forward to the simple cooking style that yields big flavors that comes with Umbrian cooking.

[cinghiale]

For me, Umbria = lentils, and I really enjoy della Croce's lenticchie con salsicce. Also a favorite is her anchovie-based salsa umbra, which works for bruschetta, too. I've tried to make umbricelli using farro, but I haven't been very satisifed with my results thus far.

Edited October 2, 2006 by cinghiale (log)

[Chufi]

Well, since I completely missed out on Campania (although no-one should feel sorry for me, because all of September I was eating my way through the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia) I am hoping to contribute something to this month's region!

Edited October 2, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Kevin72]

Coincidentally, Judith is actually taking a turn at doing a foodblog this week:

Carpe Diem. So, she may be a little busy and distracted this week, but we'll forgive her, won't we?

And, hey, it's an even more in depth look at life in Umbria!

[Pontormo]

Well, instead of spending a lot of time with an eggplant dish from Campania tonight, I ended up preparing something extremely quick, odd and as luck would have it, very good. Warning, turn your computer's volume down to mute before clicking:

Pasta alle olive

Instead of cooking the sauce in stages and processing solids into a paste, I simply chopped big green olives finely with a few mushrooms and stems that were originally reserved for duxelle, parsley, garlic and then stirred in red chili flakes before sauteeing the mixture and pouring in cream to reduce. Upon adding the spaghetti, I grated Grana Padano. It is often the case that beloved foods just don't complement one another. However, I am guessing that just about anything works when heavy cream serves as the unifying factor.

Ada Boni may compare the cooking of Umbria and Le Marche, but given the little I know, its relationship to Tuscan food strikes me as equally important. It's the lentils instead of big white beans, the hearty soups, the salume, pigs, mushrooms and black truffles. In Massa Marittima I once ate a primo of spaghetti with finely chopped black olives that is somewhat similar to tonight's dish.

Instead of making a secondo, I simply sauteed cavalo nero with minced prosciutto, a little onion and garlic.

Edited October 3, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[hathor]

Ciao ragazzi! Yeah, I'm a little distracted, but I want to post an Umbria intro in the next day or two.

In the meantime, track down some pancetta, or better yet, guanciale and some sage leaves.

Pan fry the guanciale, toss in the sage leaves, give the pan a hit of white vinegar. Stand back! When the hissing and spitting stops, immediately pop the guanciale into your mouth. mmmmmmm..... lick fingers or use some of that salt less Umbrian bread!

Message to Andrew: it's cinghiale season. Hire that Elmer Fudd guy and track down some cinghiale. I can see it now on the Pennyslvania forum: guys, where can I buy cinghiale at the Reading Terminal Market??

There is rain in the forecast for Umbria. Rain = porcini!!

[cinghiale]

As Andrew probably knows, you can get cinghiale from Wells Meats here in Philadelphia. I made one agrodolce awhile back.

[Franci]

Fogliata from Spoleto area. I learnt the recipe from someone writing on the forum of Cucina Italiana. Even on google it I found very little info about it.

I'll try to make also rocciata, a sweet version with apple and nuts filling, I have a good recipe which I already tried a couple years ago.

This was very simple and good. I made a mini fogliata, wise from me, otherwise I would have eaten the whole thing anyway

Edited October 3, 2006 by Franci (log)

[Pontormo]

Franci: You're right. There is little on the internet. All I found in a quick search was this: dessert from neighboring region that Ada Boni says cooks very similar dishes.

Could you tell us more about what this lovely spiral of pastry contains?

* * *

Here, nothing truly noteworthy or especially Umbrian, except for the fact that an Umbrian woman told Lynne Rossetto Kasper to make sauce this way and so am I, more or less, using "seconds" from the farmers market for what will probably be the last of the season.

[Pontormo]

Some links, though not many. Umbria does not inspire Kylle Philips at About.com all that much, and in general, a quick search does not reveal much. Nonetheless, there are a few good dishes to inspire us here:

Virtual Italy--don't worry about message at top. Just scroll down.

Delicious's few.

Rustico.

Just two here at bottom of page, but they look interesting.

[Pontormo]

From Slow Travel; look to index on right for more stories. I think there are recipes here, too.

Barilla's regional recipes for pasta; you may get a message that search has expired. Just look for Umbria on list to the left.

No English here at Cook Around, but an informative list.

Here's About.com.

Something simple, pasta again.

And finally, I can't get this to open now, but it is the best I found so here's the URL. Here's hoping you have no problems at a different time:

http://www.ilbongustaio.com/inglese/eerecipmenu.htm

[Franci]

Franci:  You're right.  There is little on the internet.  All I found in a quick search was this: dessert from neighboring region that Ada Boni says cooks very similar dishes.

Could you tell us more about what this lovely spiral of pastry contains?

Fogliata filling was simply swiss chard blanched, chopped not too finely and saute' with a clove of garlic. When cold I added only a little bit of grated pecorino.

I posted the recipe in the blog you see in my signature.

The recipe you linked for crescia fogliata is in fact very similar to rocciata. With crescia, both in Umbria and Marche, they often mean a flatbread. I made crescia umbra (=torta al testo) different times, it's a fast alternative when I run out of bread, it contains baking powder or baking soda (like for piadina) so all it needs is a little bit of resting time, no rising.

Actually if anybody wants to help out, especially with sweet and savory cakes, I have some recipe (all from umbrians)

rocciata (like a strudel with lots of nuts, dried fruit and little apple)

crescionda (cake with biscotti secchi-amaretti and cocoa)

torcolo di san costanzo (with yeast)

torcolo (completly different, a baking powder cake)

pan caciato (bread, little panini, with walnuts and cheese)

torta di pasqua (cheese bread, kind of panettone looking )

pasta dolce (sweet tagliatelle made for tutti i santi)

ciaramicola (cake with alchermes. I have it somewhere I cannot find)

crescia (flatbread, I have different recipes)

[FoodMan]

here is, a good selection of recipes as well.

I bought the De La Croce book a couple of months ago in anticipation for umbria, so I plan on using it.

I love that pastry Franci.

[ludja]

here is, a good selection of recipes as well.

...

←

It is worth bookmarking the website you linked to called, "cibochepassione". They have a lot of nice recipes by region, including the twenty-four from Umbria.

Edited October 4, 2006 by ludja (log)

[hathor]

Franci, you are a great resource to have around! I've never seen one of those pastries, but it looks wonderful. Anything with swiss chard and pecorino would be great.

Thanks for offering those recipes!

For those read Italian, the Umbria in Boca is an excellent resource. Actually the whole in Boca series is good.

Its raining cats and dogs right now...the sky looks like the end of the world is coming. Just in case you wondering....

[Pontormo]

Elie: I don't know why I overlooked that. I assume you'll be preparing fava beans at one point this month.

Batali has a few recipes, too on the Food Network site, though Le Marthe [sic] and Umbria I reveals nothing. The remaining programs still are linked to recipes.

However, I just checked the site Hathor mentions and am linking it here since it is wonderful:

Umbria in Bocca.

Franci: I overlooked the link to your new blog. It's a terrific resource for finding all you've taught us thus far.

[Franci]

Tonight I made

Crescia and Fricco'. Fricco' is usually a mix of rabbit, chicken and pork meat alla cacciatora.

[Kevin72]

Coincidentally, today is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assissi. I've been searching for recipes and traditional food for this day but no luck. Guess maybe it's fitting for the patron saint of animals . . .

[Pontormo]

Since Francis is a penitential saint, I don't think feasting would be considered appropriate. In a visionary treatise, the Franciscan Bonaventura describes a tree of life and all the fruit it bears, so maybe an apple or a pear.

Of course, the thirteenth-century Umbrian was the founder of a mendicant order and while preaching, he and his followers went begging with their bowls cupped in their hands, depending upon others to feed them.

Edited October 5, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[mrbigjas]

However, I just checked the site Hathor mentions and am linking it here since it is wonderful:

Umbria in Bocca.

carp stuffed with garlicky lard. fantastic.

[Franci]

Since Francis is a penitential saint, I don't think feasting would be considered appropriate.  In a visionary treatise, the Franciscan Bonaventura describes a tree of life and all the fruit it bears, so maybe an apple or a pear. 

thing is that I never heard of San Francesco day as a giorno di magro, there are parties all over the country because is patron saint of Italy.

Well, and about diet and religion the 90% of the people eat meat on Friday . We are a country of catholics "all'acqua di rose"

Edited October 5, 2006 by Franci (log)

[divina]

For me Fall and Umbria really go together.

Here in Tuscany the porcini are here and I just spotted my first white truffles and the Central Market.

I stayed at the Castello di Poretta years ago when I was down in Umbria ( so close yet so far away!) and was knocked over by the then chef Donatella's Truffled salad.

here is the link to Chicchi a fabulous chickpea and farro salad with black truffles.

If you don't have truffles, use truffle oil or the new food toy I adore truffle salt!!!

or add some sauteed Porcini!

Edited October 6, 2006 by divina (log)

[hathor]

Since Francis is a penitential saint, I don't think feasting would be considered appropriate.  In a visionary treatise, the Franciscan Bonaventura describes a tree of life and all the fruit it bears, so maybe an apple or a pear. 

Of course, the thirteenth-century Umbrian was the founder of a mendicant order and while preaching, he and his followers went begging with their bowls cupped in their hands, depending upon others to feed them.

←

Good Lord! I had no idea my husband was a followr of St. Francis!!

I also had no idea that Umbria in Bocca was a website! All I have is the book, which is in Italian. Thanks Pontormo, that's a great resource!

[hathor]

However, I just checked the site Hathor mentions and am linking it here since it is wonderful:

Umbria in Bocca.

carp stuffed with garlicky lard. fantastic.

←

Do I sense sarcasm?? Don't mock the lard! Lard is good. Bacon tastes good....pork chops taste good.... (name that film)

Edited October 6, 2006 by hathor (log)

[Kevin72]

I don't think you give bigjas enough credit.