Tastes of Italy

Food & Drink, Recipes, Tastes of Italy
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Cocktail Corner – Classic Spritz

In the past, we have lauded the important of the ritual of aperitivo. 

This Sunday, we think you should slow down your evening with a classic Aperol Spritz.

Aperol Spritz

•3 parts prosecco

•2 parts Aperol

•1 part soda water

•Slice of orange

Aperol Spritz

Pour the prosecco into your tall glass, and pile on the prosecco. Add your soda water and garnish with a slice of orange. Cheers to the beginning of a relaxing night.

Aperol Spritz

Once you have mastered the classic, you can trying adding a little whisky. Cheers!

Send your favorite Spritz o Clock photos to elsa@viaumbria.com or @viaumbria on Instagram #spritzoclock for a chance to be featured!

–Via Umbria

In the past, we have lauded the important of the ritual of aperitivo.  This Sunday, we think you should slow down your evening ...

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Tasty Taralli

Taralli

When opening our store last fall, we knew the taralli would be popular. What we didn’t expect is that every person that sampled one would buy a bag. One of our sales people imposed a three taralli a day rule in fear of eating the whole bowl.

The taralli is a typical salty food originating in southern Italy, mainly Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria and Campania. The name probably comes from the greek Toros (toroidal), because of the donut-y nature of the taralli.

A few years ago the Atlantic ran an article (in the Health section…) called “Taralli: Italy’s Superior Snack.”

“If you aren’t familiar with taralli–and most Americans, of course, aren’t-they’re little bagel-shaped (but much smaller) rings of dough that are…omnipresent in bakeries and at parties when you hit the right regions of Italy…

The secret, to making a good tarali, which is really no secret at all, is the quality and quantity of the olive oil you use to make the taralli with…

When you bite into one of these it’s right there with eating a super flaky pie crust, or, I imagine what a croissant would be like if you could compress it down into a compact little disc.”

 

While adults have an aperitif at their local bar or cafe in Italy, children will snack on these crispy disks. Here in the US, set them out with a bowl of olive and nuts at cocktail hour for an instant hit.

People loved them so much we completely sold out before spring arrived.

taralli

Now back in stock, we have original EVOO, chili pepper, fennel, rosemary, and tomato and oregano. And we have added a flavor this shipment – onion. How could we not, with our connection to Cannara.

 

While they will be featured in the store when we re-open, for now you can snatch them up on Emporio. Happy snacking!

Ci Vediamo!

—Via Umbria

When opening our store last fall, we knew the taralli would be popular. What we didn’t expect is that every person that ...

Culture, Dinner, Experience Italy, Food & Drink, Lunch, Tastes of Italy, Wine
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Spritz O’Clock

There comes a time around 5-7PM when a little break is needed from life.

Elsa Bruno Italy

The sun begins to make its journey down, the heat from the day lets up, the stores begin to think about closing, and the only thing I need is a Spritz.

Not exactly a before-dinner drink, instead more of a late-afternoon drink, the Spritz is perfect for the transition from a long day to a leisurely evening. A relatively new invention (for Italy), the Spritz took the whole boot by storm, and is now ubiquitous in piazzas all over Italy in the early evening.

Joe Pinsker Italy

Unlike some USA style happy hours, the idea of a Spritz is not to get you buzzed. Aperol is only 11% alcohol, and is an appetite stimulant. Though your body still tastes alcohol, this cocktail is undeniably light.

The bitter, zesty taste of a Spritz always signals to my taste buds that the work for the day is essentially over. With a glass full of orange liquid, you can nestle into your chair on the piazza, take a deep breath, and appreciate a mental pause in the day.

It’s Spritz o Clock in Italy.

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Ci Vediamo!

–Elsa at Via Umbria

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There comes a time around 5-7PM when a little break is needed from life. The sun begins to make its journey down, the ...

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Our Italian Library – The Battle for Wine and Love

Trebbiano Spoletino IGT 2013

This Monday, we are staying in. In DC it will reach 94 degrees. Time for us to reach for the good wine…and a great book.

We first came across Alice Feiring a few years ago on a recommendation from Elisabeth Minchilli. She thinks about wine in much the same way we do: with a drive for the exceptional, small producer that has a story to tell. She is a strong proponent of wine transporting you to a place, and for the grapes tasting of the soil.

So this Monday, we are returning back to our bookshelf to take out her novel The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World from Parkerization, and reacquaint ourselves with its cast of characters, and, more importantly, cast of wines.

If you feel like some shorter reading, she also has an excellent newsletter, called “The Feiring Line.” She claims it is the only newsletter that focuses solely on natural, organic and biodynamic wines from the ground up. Perfect for geek as well as the new enthusiast.

The perfect pairing for this reading? Plani Arche Grechetto, which comes from a wonderful biodynamic vineyard a few steps away from La Fattoria del Gelso in Cannara. This Grechetto is crisp and light (perfect for this hot day).  One sip reminds us of the dedication and care for the land that is distilled, captured, and contained in the bottle. Certainly a wine that tastes of the land that we occasionally call home. Alice would approve.

 

Ci Vediamo!

–Via Umbria

This Monday, we are staying in. In DC it will reach 94 degrees. Time for us to reach for the good wine…and ...

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Whatsalt all about

Sale Di Cervia

Last week, the Sale di Cervia was up for a Sofi Award at the Fancy Food Show in NYC, (the Best of Specialty Food) for the “outstanding Baking Ingredient, Baking Mix or Flavor Enhancer.” So how could something as seemingly simple as salt be up for such a prestigious award, against all of the admittedly “fancy” foods at the fancy food show?

Andrea of Fruit of the Boot Imports with the Cervia Salt up for the award
Andrea Tosolini of Fruit of the Boot, Inc with the Cervia Salt up for the award

Here at Via Umbria, we are all aboard the quality salt train. Once you have cooked with the salt of Cervia, the grocery store variety tastes like…something you would put on the roads in winter. This is not snobbery. This is fact.

 

Here’s some proof: two of Italy’s most famously salty products use this salt for seasoning. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and prosciutto di Parma both utilize Sale di Cervia to get that perfectly salty flavor. Now do we have your attention?

 

Salt production in Cervia, a small town between Ravenna and Cesenatico on Italy’s Adriatic coast, dates back more than 2,000 years, beginning with a mixed history dealing with the Umbrians and Greeks. Its name comes from the Latin “acervus” meaning a mound of white salt, called “white gold.”

 

So why is this salt so…salty? Sale di Cervia is entirely sea salt, with 2-4% natural humidity, and it is never artificially dried or blended with anti-caking additives. This method preserves all of the minor elements found in sea water: iodine, zinc, copper, manganese, iron, magnesium and potassium. Sale di Cervia is harvested from the last remaining artisanal and seasonal salt flats in Italy. Tasting this salt feels as good as taking a dip in the blue, blue waters on the coast of Italy.

 

There is even a salt museum in Cervia! Bill and Suzy attempted to visit a few years ago, but were thwarted by the very odd opening hours, from 8:30 PM to 11:00 PM…perfect for if you have a hankering for a salty late night snack (but not so ideal otherwise).

 

We carry the “Salt of the Pope” which is up for the award at the Fancy Food Show, “Sweet Salt,” which has a lighter taste, and milk chocolate with sea salt, which is dangerously good. Shop now, before the word gets out, and hop on the salt train with us!

Ci Vediamo

—-Via Umbria

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Last week, the Sale di Cervia was up for a Sofi Award at the Fancy Food Show in NYC, (the Best of Specialty Food) ...

Comings & Goings, Culture, Events, Experience Italy, Food & Drink, Tastes of Italy
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Meet You at the Sagra della Porchetta

Porchetta What could be more fun than a Fourth of July barbecue?

A Second of July Italian barbecue at Ristorante i Ricchi.

Celebrate Independence Day a little early this year as we partner with i Ricchi to host the Sagra della Porchetta – an outdoor Italian pork barbecue festival in their new outdoor piazza!  We’ll be featuring a delectable menu of porchetta (see gallery below), i Ricchi’s housemade sausages, croxetti pasta with pesto alla genovese and a bruschetta bar.

Wash it all down with Italian craft beer from Birra Perugia, imported by and available exclusively at Via Umbria.

Meet special guest Alessandro Anfosso of Anfosso Italian Goods, who will be sampling his family’s artisanal olive oil, sauces and other delicacies from his native Liguria.

 

Tickets are $18 via Eventbrite.
Free valet parking

How to get more information:
Visit our FaceBook page
Email us at info@viaumbria.com
Call Suzy at 202-957-3811

Sagra della Porchetta
July 2 from 5pm-9pm
i Ricchi Restaurant
1220 19th Street, NW
Washington, DC
— Free valet parking —

 

 

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What could be more fun than a Fourth of July barbecue? A Second of July Italian barbecue at Ristorante i Ricchi. Celebrate Independence Day ...

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Our Italian Library – Virgin Territory

IMG_2659

When we heard Nancy Harmon Jenkins was coming out with a new book on olive oil, we pre-ordered it immediately. The leading authority on the subject in the United States, Jenkins is worth her weight in (olive oil) gold.

 

Her most popular book,The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, is a staple for understanding why eating the way Italians (and other cultures) do can be healthy, easy, and delicious. Though we loved this book, the Washington Post places Extra Virginity on an even higher pedestal, saying “This is her seventh cookbook, with much more to offer than her well-written, mostly Mediterranean-based recipes.” In addition to over 100 recipes featuring olive oil, she also gives a vast tutorial on selecting a quality oil.

IMG_2662

Jenkins is very particular about her oil, which comes through in her book. It is her Boston Globe Question and Answer she says that “…people should try, as much as possible, to find places that offer tastings,” from which to buy their oil. At Via Umbria, we wholeheartedly believe that taste should be your guide, which is why all of our oils are out daily for tastings. Our featured tasting this month gets the seal of approval in her book, which is a bit of an ego boost for our selection process.

 

If you are lucky enough to find yourself in Italy when reading this, you are well aware that it is artichoke season. Harmon Jenkins offered a sneak peek at a recipe in her book – Oven Braised Artichokes, Potatoes, and Onions, from the Wisconsin Public Radio.

IMG_2664

We are drooling over this book, and hope that you will join us to discuss its merits (or imperfections) at our next book club, on April 7th at 7PM in our events space in Georgetown. You can be sure there will be some oil tasting going on! And be sure to support your local store, and pop on it to sweep a copy off our shelves!

 

— Via Umbria

When we heard Nancy Harmon Jenkins was coming out with a new book on olive oil, we pre-ordered it immediately. The leading ...

Adventure, Entertain, Experience Italy, Food & Drink, On the Table, Tastes of Italy, Uncategorised
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A Work of Art (and Arlene)

Day 10 015

 

Our return to Umbria was a day of new beginnings and new adventures.

A new tour group of eight soon-to-be ambassadors of Umbria
A first visit to Testone, a new restaurant featuring an all-torta al testo menu
A visit to and tour of Assisi the day before the Peace March from Perugia
Dinner at the villa prepared by Maria Pia

Stepping off the early morning flight from Paris to Rome made one thing abundantly clear. While autumn has arrived in France, in Italy it is still summer. Hot temperatures and clear blue dry skies greeted us on our return and the long sleeves we donned in Paris seemed most unnecessary.

On our drive from Rome we caught up with Wendy and planned the upcoming week and the following week’s tour, our conversation joyously covering all of the adventures that awaited our guests during their journey of discovery. We can’t wait!

Day 10 001We arrived at Testone, a modern Umbrian version of fast food restaurant tucked in a corner shopping center on the edge of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Testone is less fast food than it is singular food, each traditional torta al testo, the typical Umbrian flatbread baked over fire on a circular testo hand made and filled with freshly grilled sausages, sliced meats, local cheeses and various greens. It is simple food that is simply delicious and the enthusiastic young staff of waiters and managers provide a magnetic atmosphere that in short is fun. This was our first visit but won’t be our last.

Day 10 002

Day 10 003A two hour walking tour of Assisi acclimated our guests to the lore and lure of the town’s native son, St. Francis. The usually busy city was positively bursting with humanity, adding to the festive atmosphere on this unusually balmy fall day.

Day 10 005

Day 10 006But the highlight of the day, as it most always is, was the welcome dinner at the farmhouse prepared by the ever popular Maria Pia. Looking back through my photo archives I noticed it is difficult to find many pictures of Maria Pia and last night showed why. A veritable whirlwind of activity, when MP makes and serves dinner she is never the spotlight, her food is. She charges out with a bowl of pasta bigger than her head, serves it around and disappears back into the kitchen to finish up the next dish, which this night was the rarest of birds, roast chicken that unlike its American counterpart, has flavor to savor.

Aside from welcoming our guests for the beginning of their adventure the evening had an even more special purpose, wishing our dear friends Arlene and Arthur Cohen congratulations on their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Over the years we have made countless friends introduced to us through Via Umbria (and its predecessor Bella Italia) and in many cases those acquaintances have blossomed into true friendships. Such is the case with Arlene and Arthur and so with the assistance of Maria Pia and her signature meringata cake, festooned with Roman candles, we celebrated our friends’ milestone. Looking up from behind dessert Arthur exclaimed to the assembled friends, old and new, “I can’t think of a place I’d rather be to celebrate.”

Day 10 012

We agree, Arthur. We agree.

Tanti auguri e cohen-gratulazioni.

Ci vediamo!
Bill and Suzy

  Our return to Umbria was a day of new beginnings and new adventures. A new tour group of eight soon-to-be ambassadors of Umbria A ...

Adventure, Culture, Entertain, Experience Italy, Food & Drink, On the Table, Tastes of Italy
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Table of Contentment

Day 4 004“You are people that want to learn about other cultures, that enjoy meeting people and getting to know about them and where they come from, who are curious to see more than what you can see from a tour bus.”

“We love to welcome people in and show them what we love to do.”

“You make us very happy and proud that you want to learn from us. To listen to us.”

“No, the pleasure has been all ours. What an incredible experience. What a wonderful day.”

And so went the nearly all day love fest that we called a cooking class with Stella and her son Maurizio, owners of the Excelsior Parco Hotel, our home in Capri for the past three nights. Continue reading Table of Contentment →

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“You are people that want to learn about other cultures, that enjoy meeting people and getting to know about them and where ...

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When Life Hands You Lemons

Day 2 002Campania, the Italian region south of Rome that calls Naples its capital, is rightly known for its sunsplashed coastline, fun loving inhabitants and great food and wine. On our first full day here we can vouch for all of the above. Continue reading When Life Hands You Lemons →

Campania, the Italian region south of Rome that calls Naples its capital, is rightly known for its sunsplashed coastline, fun loving inhabitants ...

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Cry Me a Chocolate River

Perugina 057Yesterday’s main Cucinapalooza activity featured a visit to the Perugina chocolate factory for a three hour class in chocolate making.  Head over to Dolce Vita, our monthly online magazine for the whole story and check back here for more updates.

Yesterday's main Cucinapalooza activity featured a visit to the Perugina chocolate factory for a three hour class in chocolate making.  Head over ...