Tag Archives: porchetta

Porchetta ‘Bout It!

Porchetta has always struck me as a funny word. The first time I heard it I immediately began dissecting it into its parts, and now will forever be referring to it as “little pork”… at least in my head. In reality, pork is an English word, the Italian word of course being maiale, and the porchetta is so much more than simply “little pork”- it’s a delicious street food from central Italy that simply can’t be beat.

Though we may be partial to the Umbrian variety, the idea of cooking a whole hog for a group of people to enjoy together isn’t unique to any part of the world. From the pig pickin’s of the Carolina lowcountry to the suckling pig roasts in Hawai’i, whole pig preparation is a global phenomenon, the cooking theories of which are as diverse as its geographical reach. In Italy, the traditional method is to debone the whole pig, and then roll it back together before slow roasting it at a high temperature. The reasoning behind this is simple: as the meat cooks, the fat keeps it moist and the skin crisps, adding a complexity of textures alongside the rich and fatty flavors.

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Over time, as porchetta has evolved from a feast food into a street food, people have found ways to simplify the process, one of the most common of which is simply to wrap the boneless pork loin in the pork belly. Occasionally, the liver and some other pieces of the whole hog are still included, but with or without those parts the fat from the belly keeps all the meat from drying out and amplifies the flavors of the meat. As for seasoning, like any ancient culinary tradition, every region, town, and even family has their own way of doing things- all swearing they are the best and most traditional version. Here at Via Umbria, we keep it simple using only fennel, salt, and pepper to season—and we cut out the middle man and just eat the best part: the pork belly. Sliced thickly and served on bread as a sandwich, our porchetta is so rich and flavorful on its own that you don’t even need condiments.

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We serve our rustic porchetta sandwiches every Friday and Saturday and if you’re lucky we sometimes have a little extra in the case for you to take home. Looking for the perfect cut of meat for dinner? Never hesitate to give me a call and we’ll happily have something waiting for you to pick up. Whether you need sandwiches for a picnic lunch, a cooked chuck for an evening when you’re frantically trying figure out dinner, or even a prepared porchetta ready to be cooked at home for guests (only the ones worth treating, of course) we’ve got just the thing! You’ll have to excuse us if we’re a little bit biased in our suggestions though, while we love all types, cuts, and preparations of meat, Porchetta will always be a particular favorite for us and is a gospel that we want to spread.

 

Scott Weiss
Scott Weiss

Juicy pork belly served on a sandwich Read more

Porchetta has always struck me as a funny word. The first time I heard it I immediately began dissecting it into its ...

Travel Tips

When traveling overseas in unfamiliar places, it’s easy to seek out familiar foods rather than trying something new or unknown. This is quite a crime in Italy, a country with a distinctive culinary reputation that shines through in a wide rage of traditional dishes, cooking styles, and local ingredients. This varies from region to region, so before traveling to Italy, it’s a good idea to find out what foods are unique to the area you’re planning to stay in. Luckily for you, we have some insider knowledge from Marco Palermi, Umbrian travel expert, on what to eat while staying in Umbria:

Food is very important in Italy, and in Umbria, pork is king–both cured and fresh are fantastic, but the real treat is sliced porchetta from the porchetta trucks parked all over town. The best porchetta comes from Costano (they have a porchetta festival in mid August), but if you find the truck parked out front of the Conad Grocery store in Cannara, you won’t be disappointed.

Porchetta Truck

Most of what we eat depends on the season. In December you will see a lot of fennel, cabbage, onions, and tomatoes. Wild asparagus is abundant in spring, and mushrooms in the fall. What you will eat depends on when you are here as much as where you go. For us, seasons, traditions, and religion are often an excuse to eat–which is why you will see things like torta di pasqua (traditional easter bread), fried strufoli or frappe with honey during Carnival, and goose in August for the feast of the harvest. However, there are Umbrian delights that are always great year round.

Shopping for Seasonal Produce

Torta al testo is a staple to Umbrian gastronomy that cannot be missed. It’s a sandwich made of flat unleavened bread that is flame-cooked, and filled with the most delicious Umbrian flavors. You cannot go wrong pairing these with an Umbrian beer. And of course, after a great lunch, you must try gelato. The gelato around Cannara is all very good, but Bar Gennaro is the place to go.

Gelato

One town to know about (and visit before you leave Umbria) is Norcia. Its very well-known for its pork products (prosciutto, sausages, salamis) and also for its winter black truffles. The town is about an hour and a half drive from Canarra, but if that’s too far away for you, head to Santa Maria degli Angeli and visit Casa Norcia, a restaurant known for serving delicious meals and typical produce from the Sibillini mountains.

Another excellent experience is to visit a rosticceria, which is a kind of grocery store that has ready-to-eat meals, but unlike any ready-to-eat meal you’ve had before! It can be anything from lasagne to roast chicken, and it’s a very traditional Sunday activity. Good rosticcerias near la Fattoria del Gelso are Cucina’a in Foligno or Falaschi Gastronomia in bastia Umbra.

And no trip to Italy would be complete without sampling the cheeses available. From the Pecorino of Norcia to the Mozarella of Coliforito, there is no shortage of cheese to tempt your palate. Check out the nearby cheese stores in Santa Maria Degli Angelia, Brufani and Broccatelli, and try fresh creamy mascarpone, soft burrata caciotta, and wonderfully sharp pecorino.

Cheese and Meat Plate

There is no way to capture all the delicious foods available in Umbria, but starting here should give you a wonderful start to a true foodie experience.

Eat your way through the green heart of Italy Read more

When traveling overseas in unfamiliar places, it's easy to seek out familiar foods rather than trying something new or unknown. This is ...

Photo Diary: Sagra with i Ricchi

Last Thursday we headed across town to the new outdoor patio at i Ricchi restaurant to celebrate the midsummer, the long weekend, Italian friends, and pork.  An unofficial kickoff to the Fourth of July weekend, some two hundred guests celebrated our Sagra della Porchetta, or pork festival, enjoying a feast of porchetta (whole roast pig, Umbrian style), homemade sausages, Ligurian delicacies from our friends at Anfosso Foods and Italian craft beer from our friends at Birra Perugia.

The weather held out for us and thunderstorms dissolved into one of the post peaceful and temperate nights we have had so far. Guests debated their favorite Birra Perugia beer, while munching on delightfully shaped croxetti, a bruschetta bar with many delicious Anfosso spreads, and a whole roast pig.

An enjoyable and relaxed night was had as the sun set over Dupont Circle.

Alessandro Anfosso himself was able to bring over a few jars of each product in his suitcase. You can shop them now on Emporio, in extremely limited supply. If you can’t get your hands on it fast enough, we can put you on a waitlist for when the products arrive off the boat in the fall!

The four beers guests tasted
The four beers guests tasted

Birra Perugia Beer Red Ale

The many options from Anfosso
The many options from Anfosso
The bruschetta bar in full swing!
The bruschetta bar in full swing!

Porchetta i Ricchi

Christina Ricchi discusses the event with Charles Holt and Deborah Simon of Via Umbria
Christina Ricchi discusses the event with Charles Holt and Deborah Simon of Via Umbria
Anfosso Italia
Alessandro Anfosso, our special guest, talks about his family’s products

Sagra della porchetta Via Umbria Spreads

Anfosso products imported by Via Umbria
Anfosso products imported by Via Umbria, all available online
Alessandro Anfosso discusses products with a guest
Alessandro Anfosso discusses products with a guest

Bruschetta Bar

Suzy Menard, Via Umbria owner, jokes with guests
Suzy Menard, Via Umbria owner, jokes with guests

Sagra i Ricchi

A good time is had by all.
A good time is had by all.

Last Thursday we headed across town to the new outdoor patio at i Ricchi restaurant to celebrate the midsummer, the long weekend, ...

Culture: What is a Sagra?

We will be tasting Birra Perugia Beers at our Sagra on the 3rd.
We will be tasting Birra Perugia Beers at our Sagra on the 3rd.

Summer has us feeling very grateful for the outpouring of wonderful flavors that come with a ripe harvest. Everything seems to taste better, and it should be a cause for celebration. In Italy, recognizing the foods and traditions surrounding them is cause for a party, a fest, a sagra. We can certainly get behind that idea.

“A sagra (the word is related to ”sacro,” which means sacred) traditionally celebrated a town’s patron saint, but in the last few decades, this type of festival has changed into a food-centric free-for-all. On deeper levels, of course, a sagra is about community, too.” (Source: When It’s Sagra Time, Everybody is Italian, The New York Times).

The power of food to bring together a community is a concept we deeply believe in at Via Umbria, which is why we are hosting our on Sagra di Porchetta this Thursday. Right in Dupont Circle, we will be celebrating outdoors the delight we experience feasting in the summer. We want to take the joy we have experienced in Italy, the joy of sharing the best food communally, and bring it to Washington, DC.

“All across Italy, sagras — celebrations hinging on harvests or regional foods — are a way of life. They may be as modest as a single tent in a piazza where farmers grill local radicchio (in Treviso), or as expansive as a town full of wide-open front doors, where families hand out samples of their olive oil (in Spello). They are the effusive Italian equivalents of small-town American food festivals, and they are a whole lot of fun.” (From, When It’s Sagra Time, Everybody is Italian)

Established food culture runs deep in Italy, but is relatively new to the United States (after all, we are a fairly young country). We hope to give you a taste of the food party that is a sagra this Thursday at i Ricchi. So sip some tasty some beer, eat some pig, nibble some Ligurian products from the olive harvest, and toast to a celebration of summer, flavor, and place.

Ci Vediamo!

 

— Via Umbria

It's a way of life! Read more

Summer has us feeling very grateful for the outpouring of wonderful flavors that come with a ripe harvest. Everything seems to taste ...

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 

 

 

Celebrating an Italian pork barbecue festival Read more

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