Liscaro has more aliases than an escaped convict - in our neck of the woods it is called liscaro, but travel outside our valley and it goes by agretto, lischi, roscano, baciccio, barba del negus. Just another example of how regional & local the cooking (&/… Read full post »

Liscaro has more aliases than an escape con - in our neck of the woods it is called liscaro, but travel outside our valley and it goes by agretto, lischi, roscano, baciccio, barba del negus. Just another example of how regional & local the cooking (& language)/… Read full post »

Urbino, a city renowned for its art, is also full of pigs!

 I was recently invited to breakfast at the organic farm of Carlo & Giga at Cal Bianchino outside Urbino on a spectacularly sunny day. We were greeted by a herd of geese as/… Read full post »

If you're a fan of brownies - then this one is for you, big boys & girls! A rich chocolatey Nutella walnut cake that is ridiculously simple to make. (All it's missing is a scoop of vanilla gelato or a handful of/… Read full post »

Passatelli is a rustic Italian pasta meets German spatzle, noodle/dumpling made of breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, eggs, nutmeg & lemon zest. Found on dinner tables across Le Marche & Emilia Romagna, passatelli is best served in chicken broth but can also be dressed with sauce.… Read full post »

Join Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day on May 19th at La Tavola Marche for a very special farm to fork cooking class in Italy.  The focus of this class will be the importance of eating seasonally, with food sourced locally as well as how/… Read full post »

Passatelli is a rustic Italian pasta meets German spatzle, noodle/dumpling made of breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, eggs & nutmeg  with just a handful of flour. Found on dinner tables across Le Marche & Emilia Romagna, passatelli is best served in chicken broth but can also be dressed… Read full post »

Ahhh it feels good to be in the garden a hot sunny spring day. After such a wet few weeks it has been nice to soak up the warmth of the sun in the middle of the orto!   We're trying to take advantage of the great/… Read full post »

Put down that caramel-colored watery condiment known as balsamic vinegar of Modena & try the real deal! (And trust me whatever you're using, no matter what you spent, 'aint this!) 

Traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena D.O.P.  is like nothing you've ever tasted, a thick sw/… Read full post »

We tend to celebrate our successes in the garden (& in life) but sometimes it just all goes awry! This year we started a ton of seedlings in early April, the weather was extra warm & sunny. We thought we'd get… Read full post »

   

Nutrient-rich farro is an ancient grain with a nutty flavor & firm-chewy texture, making it wonderful to cook with in soups, salads & breads.  The Romans ate farro to give them strength as they marched across the Western World & would arrive with a… Read full post »

Easter has come & gone - we reminisce on the day & opera singing Zio Albi (in-case you missed the clip - watch it here: Easter Concerto).  During the podcast, learn from our mistakes: both in the garden & finding a lunch spot in a foreign city!/… Read full post »

  A new spin on the classic limoncello is arancello, use Sicilian blood oranges instead of lemons from Positano for a lovely liquor with a bold bright flavor. A no-fail recipe (orange rinds, grain alcohol, sugar & water) means it's a perfect introduction to making homemade/… Read full post »

   

Nutrient-rich farro is an ancient grain with a nutty flavor & firm-chewy texture, making it wonderful to cook with in soups, salads & breads.  The Romans ate farro to give them strength as they marched across the Western World & would arrive with a full belly &… Read full post »

  A new spin on the classic limoncello is arancello, use Sicilian blood oranges instead of lemons from Positano for a lovely liquor with a bold bright flavor. A no-fail recipe (orange rinds, grain alcohol, sugar & water) means it's a perfect introduction to making homemade liqueurs! I/… Read full post »

You just never know what will happen at our farmhouse... During Easter pranzo (lunch) one of our guests, Zio Albi was so inspired by the food, company & setting that he couldn't contain himself any longer & had to sing opera! After the roaring applause, he continued to sing until/… Read full post »

Welcome home to our new family of fowl! Eighteen hens & two young roosters arrived today. The hens will start laying eggs in about a month. Once their production begins we should have over a dozen eggs a day! I have no idea what breed they are, just like every… Read full post »

The first few tulips of over 250 bulbs I planted in November have begun to pop open!

Oh Happy Spring!!

We are busy working our way through our spring-clean list of painting, scrubbing, mowing, fertilizing the garden with manure, starting seeds (these were planted over a week ago):
seedlings/… Read full post »

Sweet peas have arrived at the farmers market, spring is here! Peas & pancetta - one of my favorite dishes that I only eat in Spring when the peas are bright & fresh.   I can't get enough, I don't know if it's the peas or… Read full post »

Sweet peas have arrived at the farmers market, spring is here! Peas & pancetta - one of my favorite dishes that I only eat in Spring when the peas are bright & fresh.   I can't get enough, I don't know if it's the peas or the pancetta - is… Read full post »

This week is the beginning of Spring & the start of the season at our inn which means it's time to replenish the supplies that we don't produce ourselves like wine & olive oil. So this week we drove to the Ancona area (Osimo) and bought 70 kilos of un-bottled,… Read full post »

We are excited to share an interview with our friends Antonio & Paola, owners of Gelateria Maki in Fano, our most favorite artisan gelato shop in the Region! They stopped by for a visit so we thought we'd ask a few burning questions about gelato: how is… Read full post »

For a rich, creamy, cheesy pasta sauce, skip the adolescent 'alfredo sauce' and try something more sophisticated: fresh pasta with formaggio di fossa (pecorino) or cheese from a pit, a pungent sheep's milk cheese from Le Marche, Italy.  Formaggio di Fossa is considered one of the most… Read full post »

For a rich, creamy, cheesy pasta sauce, skip the adolescent 'alfredo sauce' and try something more sophisticated: fresh pasta with formaggio di fossa (pecorino) or cheese from a pit, a pungent sheep's milk cheese from Le Marche, Italy.  Formaggio di Fossa is considered one of the most delicious… Read full post »