Tag Archives: Vickie Reh

The Art of Comfort Food

Today we sat down to chat with resident Chef and Certified Sommelier Vickie Reh. In addition to her work as Wine Director at Via Umbria, Vickie is the culinary powerhouse behind our Thursday Comfort Food dinner series. We talked about her favorite way to prepare a rare heritage grain, the place of comfort food within Italian culinary tradition, and what it means to cook with restraint.

Vickie with Stefano Marangon of Bisol Prosecco and Franceen Khang of Vias Wines. Here's they're trying out a Cuvée Rose Brut.
As Wine Director, Vickie Reh organized a sparkling wine tasting last week with Stefano Marangon of Bisol Prosecco and Franceen Khang of Vias Imports. Here, they’re trying out a Cuvée Rose Brut.

In your opinion, what is comfort food really all about? How do Italian food and comfort food intersect?

Comfort foods are the foods you dream about, the foods that warm your soul. They aren’t necessarily winter dishes. They’re dishes that evoke memories and emotions. I think that one of the basics of comfort food is that there aren’t a lot of complicated ingredients. Comfort food centers traditional combinations that make people feel happy and because you are using very few ingredients, the ingredients themselves must be perfect. That’s how Italian, and in particular, Umbrian food works.

In a way, Umbrian food is humble. Umbria is a landlocked region in Central Italy and Umbrian cuisine eschews more luxurious ingredients like lobster for grains, legumes and vegetables. You can certainly find some rich ingredients there, like gorgeous black truffles, but for the most part Umbrian cooking uses foods that can be grown or foraged in the surrounding countryside. When I travelled to Umbria, I was particularly fascinated by their use of this stunning variety of vegetables, legumes and grains.

Did anything surprise you about how they used these ingredients?

When I travelled to Umbria with Bill and Suzy, we tried grains and legumes I had never seen before. Some of the Italian chefs I later spoke to hadn’t even heard of them either. One of my favorites, which we cooked with Ernesto Panziani from Cannara, is called cicerchie. It’s sort of like a combination of a chickpea and a fava. It’s amazing but very obscure outside of Umbria.  Via Umbria is working to import it through Il Molino, an organic grain producer we visited just over the border of Umbria in Lazio.

Limited-edition C brought back from our food-buyer's tour of Italy this month!
Cicerchie bought by our food-buyer, Deborah Simon, on her food-buying tour of Italy this month. We haven’t got much left, so get some before it’s gone!

Ernesto did something very interesting with the cicerchie. Typically, cicerchie are made into soup or served cold in salads. But Ernesto cooked them until they were quite soft and then sautéed them with shallots and garlic in this beautiful olive oil. I’ve done that now five or six times at Via Umbria as a side dish for lamb. It’s so beautiful. The texture is fabulous—because the cicerchie are cooked until fairly soft, the texture when sautéed is similar to that of homemade refried beans. It’s not crunchy.  It’s got just a little chew, and this whole lovely chickpea-fava flavor mingled with the shallots and garlic. It’s such a good recipe. Although I serve it as a side dish, it could easily be a great main course for a vegetarian.

Vickie's cicerchie and lamb.
Vickie dressing cicerchie and lamb with a Sagrantino truffle reduction.

Your passion for Italian cuisine shines through in everything you do here. What makes Italian food special to you?

I love Italy and I adore Italian food.  It tends to be simple and classical. Italians have adhered to their traditions and classical roots. You’ll notice that’s how Ernesto and Simone cook. And that’s exactly how I have always cooked. I always say, I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel: I’m trying to make the perfect wheel.

For example, if I’m making Spaghetti with Cacio e Pepe, I’m not going to say, “For this new twist, I’m going to use a different type of cheese in my Cacio e Pepe!”  Instead, I will  use exactly what is traditionally used—Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and black pepper.” I want to use as few ingredients as possible because that’s how it’s made in Rome. When you’re in Italy, you’re eating amazing food that doesn’t have 5,000 different ingredients. It tastes really good and it’s not complicated.

I think it’s actually harder to cook well with fewer ingredients. It is all about restraint.  If you only have three ingredients in a dish, you have no room to hide. Each ingredient must be perfectly sourced, perfectly ripe. When I was head chef at Buck’s Fishing & Camping, I used to say, “Have the guts to buy a perfect tomato in season, add superb olive oil and the best sea salt, and call it a day.” One of my rules is to buy the best ingredients possible and get out of their way. To me, that’s what cooking is about. Letting the ingredients shine. I feel that’s very much an Italian concept.

Vickie's Comfort Food dinner last week was the perfect blend of elegance and familiar favorites.
Vickie’s Comfort Food dinner last week was the perfect blend of elegance and familiar favorites.

Join us for Vickie’s next Comfort Food dinner on Thursday, March 31st at 7:30 pm. Her beautiful meal will feature tagliatelle Bolognese, meatballs, raviole (a jam-filled tart), and more. We hope to see you there!

Get to know sommelier Vickie Reh Read more

Today we sat down to chat with resident Chef and Certified Sommelier Vickie Reh. In addition to her work as Wine Director ...

Food and Wine Tour

For those of you fully indoctrinated into the Via Umbria lifestyle, you are well aware of our friendship with Chef and Restauranteur Simone Proietti-Pesci. At his newly re-opened restaurant in Bevagna, he serves up dishes all by himself in his tiny kitchen. Everything he creates is an extension of himself and his region; he crafts meals with care, love, and intent, with a dash of character on top to finish.

Local Mushrooms
Local Mushrooms

On the Food and Wine Tour, our new stateside chef, Vickie Reh, worked side by side with Simone in his kitchen, preparing a meal for everyone on the tour. A few bottle of fabulous local wine were procured, corks popped, and gentle conversation began before the first plate arrived. And then another. And then another. And then another.

_DSC0375

With the ingredients bought and collected that day, these two chefs created an Umbrian meal to remember. And one that we will hopefully be able to recreate stateside when we open.

Simone's business partner, Ombretta, pours wine for the first dishes
Simone’s business partner, Ombretta, pours wine for the first dishes

Our guests were able to discover the thrill of a single – channel kitchen, savor the dishes served with much love, and share the effervescence and friendship that comes naturally to Simone. While the food Simone produces is always stellar, the mood his restaurant and manner put you in are ever more important. You are not just a guest, you are a new friend.

Simone

Couscous as a first plate
Couscous as a first plate

_DSC0353 _DSC0357

Ombretta gets a hug
Ombretta gets a hug
Arugula, Almond, and Pomegranate salad
Arugula, Almond, and Pomegranate salad

_DSC0382 _DSC0396

Vickie prepares the second course
Vickie prepares the second course

_DSC0421 _DSC0426 _DSC0432

 

_DSC0455

Local Meat
Local Meat

_DSC0466

Handmade tortellini
Handmade tortellini
The pasta is a hit
The pasta is a hit

_DSC0514

_DSC0524

A Simone Classic - deconstructed lasagna
A Simone Classic – deconstructed lasagna
Grilling the mushrooms
Grilling the mushrooms

_DSC0543

Simone's partner and dishwasher observe
Simone’s partner, Desiderio, and the dishwasher observe the calculated madness

_DSC0562 _DSC0567

_DSC0580

_DSC0585 _DSC0588

The finale - fall apple torte
The finale – a fall apple torte

Simone

Being at Simone’s, it is easy to feel at home…that is if your home had a private Italian chef (and you can hire him here in the USA, in January!). A relaxed atmosphere, perfect wine, and haute cuisine that makes you feel comfortable made for a night to remember.

Simone will be returning to the United States in January for his annual dinners – in your home and at Via Umbria in Georgetown. Email suzy@viaumbria.com for advance registration, interest, and questions. We can’t wait to share the dishes and personality of our dear friend with you.

 

Ci Vediamo!

–Via Umbria

 

Cooking and Eating with Simone Read more

For those of you fully indoctrinated into the Via Umbria lifestyle, you are well aware of our friendship with Chef and Restauranteur ...

Recipe: Fennel Meatballs from Vickie Reh

Last week this time, we were sitting down to a four course meal to celebrate Liu Pambufetti of Scacciadiavoli Vineyards. As the heat of the day sifted off, we enjoyed typical Umbrian fare under the stars.

While the mood outside was lively, the feeling of relaxation and perfect conversation prevailed at the dinner table. But, as usual, in the kitchen it was a different story! The timing of the lamb was especially imperative, but with the assistance of our friend, chef, and sommelier Vickie Reh, we were able to pull off the dinner without a hitch.

After the last drops of the passito were had, and the guests wandered home, content and with full bellies, we sat down around the fire pit.

Vickie reminisced about sitting outside in the summer to celebrate Suzy’s birthday, which she also helped cook for. We were able to track down the recipe for the classic fennel meatballs she made for the occasion, which we are sharing with you here!

IMG_8259IMG_8302 The third course: lamb, roasted potatoes and asparagus, paired with Scacciadiavoli Sagrantino 2006. IMG_8366The women who helped plan and execute the event!

Do these photos make you drool? We have plenty of opportunities for you to experience the food and wine of Umbria. Check out our upcoming events to find something for every price point.

Ci Vediamo!

 

— Via Umbria

Last week this time, we were sitting down to a four course meal to celebrate Liu Pambufetti of Scacciadiavoli Vineyards. As the ...