Tag Archives: elsa

Umbrian Street Food

Summertime torta al testo stuffed with mozzarella, arugula, garden lettuce, and garden tomatoes
Summertime torta al testo stuffed with mozzarella, arugula, garden lettuce, and garden tomatoes

For all of the truffles, wine tours, and olive oil slurping that occurs during a food and wine tour, there is also a simpler side of Umbrian cuisine. While we love the gourmet, there is one Umbrian specialty that stuns with its straightforward deliciousness. Let me introduce you to the torta al testo.

 

A lightly leavened bread made on a huge flat round stone in a fire, this bread is classically Umbrian, and specifically from Perugia. Like a Christmas cake made once a year, this bread is made even more delicious by the fact that you essentially must be in Umbria to eat it.

 

Somewhat like a pita, the torta can be stuffed with any number of grilled meats and veggies. Customizing your own is part of the fun, though as Italians are creatures of habit, most people have their favorite combination they stick to. Once you find the best, why change?

 

Torta Al Testo

When I was taken to one of the more famous torta al testo restaurants by a local winemaker back in August, I was halfway through my piece when I fully registered how simple my torta was. Comprised of only eggplant, mozzarella, and olive oil, it was easily one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. Paired with a Birra Perugia golden ale, it was a lunch from heaven.

Umbrian street food at its most essential, Via Umbria just wouldn’t be complete with out it. Which is why we are very excited to announce that when we re-open, we will be offering the official sandwich bread of Umbria in Georgetown.

Correct eating technique
Correct eating technique

We can’t wait to savor the bites straight out of Umbria with you in the Fall!

 

Ci Vediamo!

–Elsa at Via Umbria

Torta Al Testo Read more

For all of the truffles, wine tours, and olive oil slurping that occurs during a food and wine tour, there is also a simpler ...

Guest Post – An Italian Garden

Elsa Bruno, a Via Umbria employee, recently spent two weeks in Umbria at La Fattoria del Gelso. Here are some of her thoughts from the time spent in Italy. 

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Meals in Umbria were always a treat. As anyone who has visited Italy can tell you, eating is a central activity. But some of the most memorable meals were not made in a restaurant, but  prepared from the Farmhouse’s very backyard.

Unlike a hotel, or traditional rental, La Fattoria del Gelso has a working kitchen garden for use by the guests.

 

The row of tomatoes in the garden
The row of tomatoes in the garden

Building a meal around what you have physically growing next to you feels so refreshing. The task of thinking of a dinner is not exhausting when you have a finite amount of fresh materials. After a long day of activity, the question “what will we have for dinner?” is met by a glance out the back door. What do we have?

La Fattoria Del Gelso food IMG_2685-1

Many times that question was met with the answer of tomatoes, lettuce, eggplant, and tons of figs. Enter leafy salads topped with local olive oil, fried eggplant tucked into pasta, tomatoes drizzled with oil and tossed with mozzarella, and figs paired with sharp local pecorino cheese. No matter how many times we had a combination of those dishes, we kept coming back for more.

produce agrotourismo IMG_3045

A glass of local wine (from a vineyard visited that afternoon) was always poured as we assembled the ingredients from the garden and set to work on our dinner preparation. Soon we were walking out to the pool with our hand painted ceramics and wine glasses, to eat a simple yet delectable meal as the sun set.

Tomatoes and basil from the garden with mozzarella, lettuce from the garden with artichokes and with beans, fried eggplant from the garden.
Tomatoes and basil from the garden with mozzarella, lettuce from the garden with artichokes and with beans, fried eggplant from the garden.

Being able to cook and eat like a local is a fun part of any vacation. But claiming to have a huge garden entirely at your disposal while vacationing? Now that’s La Fattoria del Gelso. 

 

The dates for 2016 are now open. I would suggest you book a trip of your own, if not just to see what’s in season in the garden.

— Elsa at Via Umbria 

Via Umbria from the eyes of Elsa Bruno Read more

Elsa Bruno, a Via Umbria employee, recently spent two weeks in Umbria at La Fattoria del Gelso. Here are some of her ...

Dreaming of Deruta

Yesterday morning, at 10:30 AM, a quasi-Jeep pulled up to La Fattoria Del Gelso. Frederico, the son of the Ribigini family, had come to take me away. We swerved through the Umbrian countryside, to arrive in the sleepy town of Deruta.

Deruta Alta

After being fully indoctrinated with the Geribi Ceramics story in the United States, I was eager to see what the production in Italy is actually like, and Frederico was there to show me. My most recent memories of Geribi involved packing up vast piles of it to move into storage, when Via Umbria closed for renovations. Hopefully this visit would be a little lighter, literally and figuratively.

First stop: the museum.

After reading Bill’s post on the museum two years ago, I was eager to enter the ex-Franciscain monastery to see the history of ceramics in Deruta. And it was just as educational and inspiring as he said it would be.

Deruta Museum

The visual timeline the museum offers is exceptional. Ceramics have been in Deruta for centuries, and to see the first fragments, which use only one or two colors and are more carved designs than painted, and then to travel through the Renaissance and to modern times, is a visual treat. One can really come to understand who these ceramics are essential to the history and understanding of this place.

Deruta Museum

The museum closed at 1 (for lunch!) so Frederico showed me around the city. I delighted in the fact that all of the signs (don’t drink this water, parking is here, coffee this way) are handpainted Deruta tiles. Even the public benches are make of ceramic. Here, ceramics are part of the fabric of life, an element of style that has seeped into the blood of Deruta.

We headed back to the warehouse, where Frederico explained the layers that go into creating the final piece. The warehouse was full of ceramics in different stages of the creation process. It was so interesting to see the skeletons of so many ceramics that I have worked with for a year.

Geribi Deruta IMG_2667 IMG_2669

Geribi Deruta Warehouse

But then it was lunchtime. We headed to a nearby restaurant with the whole Ribigini family, where the breeze offset the dramatic heat. I got to properly practice my Italian ear – not just having a one on one conversation but being part of a multi-channel exchange.

Geribi Deruta

I asked the family what makes their ceramics stand out in a town full of shops. In this historical place chock full of studios and rich with history, the Ribigini’s take Deruta ceramics and really make them their own, injecting the family style into each one of their creations. Patterns that I saw in the museum, historical styles of ceramics, are taken and given a vibrant twist in the Geribi studio. This is key in artwork, taking inspiration from proven old styles and refreshing them with the vibrancy of the present.

Geribi Deruta Animals

As we head back to Cannara, Frederico tells me he thinks the craft is dying out. Our generation is not as interested in carrying on the tradition of ceramics.  He told me 10 years ago there were many more stores, but as the world modernizes, people are not as intent on staying with the family trade, as he and Claudia have done. He says this with a shrug, mentioning that it may make it easier for him in the future, if not that many others are producing the high quality ceramics in the same quantity.

Animali Geribi

I certainly hope these ceramics remain alive. When I use them back at La Fattoria Del Gelso that night for dinner, I have a renewed appreciation. I understand the history, inspiration, work, and love that went into creating my dinner plate. And that creates a truly rich meal.

La Fattoria Del Gelso Ceramics

 

 

Ci Vediamo!

–Elsa at Via Umbria

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Via Umbria imports ceramics directly from the Ribigini family. Support their craft at our online store. 

 

Ceramics with Federico! Read more

Yesterday morning, at 10:30 AM, a quasi-Jeep pulled up to La Fattoria Del Gelso. Frederico, the son of the Ribigini family, had ...

Cannara Day One

Just before I arrived (dazed and confused) at La Fattoria del Gelso on Saturday, the tomatoes were harvested.

Heaps of fresh tomatoes lay in the bowl, far more than could possibly be eaten.

harvesting tomatoes in Cannara IMG_2545 IMG_2552

Through hard work and diligence (and a little encouragement from i bambini), these precious summer tomatoes can be turned into something wonderful to use once their time has passed – tomato sauce.

Canning Cannara Tomatoes

Marco's children

Canning La Fattoria Del Gelso Tomatoes

As I write this, I have been in Cannara for three days , and have absorbed a lot in such a small time. It is tempting to get overwhelmed, by the amount of things to see, and visit, and eat…the people I want to talk to, the talking (in Italian) that I want to improve. But it is also important know that I do not need to consume everything, but instead to enjoy the extreme ripeness of the moment, and tuck some away for later. Whether it be through photos, a recipe from an Italian friend, or a small ceramic, I can embrace this summer moment, but also know that Italy will still be with me when I go home.

canning tomatoes in Umbria

On a dreary day in winter, perhaps a can of this summer juice can be opened, and remind Marco and his family of this lovely hot day in August.

Take in all of the bounty, process it, and save a bit for later.

Tomato sauce via umbria

Ci Vediamo!

 

— Elsa

Can it. Read more

Just before I arrived (dazed and confused) at La Fattoria del Gelso on Saturday, the tomatoes were harvested. Heaps of fresh tomatoes lay ...