{"id":584,"date":"2009-04-03T01:40:23","date_gmt":"2009-04-03T01:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marialiberati.com\/blog2\/?p=584"},"modified":"2009-04-03T01:40:23","modified_gmt":"2009-04-03T01:40:23","slug":"truffles-risotto-and-a-villa-in-umbria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/2009\/04\/03\/truffles-risotto-and-a-villa-in-umbria\/","title":{"rendered":"Truffles, Risotto and a Villa in Umbria"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fondo-by-pool-3-and-villa-modified.jpg\"<\/a>\"risotto-with-white-grapes-modified.jpg\"<\/a>\"black_truffle.jpg\"<\/a>\u00a0
\n<\/a><\/font><\/font><\/a><\/font><\/font><\/a><\/font><\/font><\/a><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\u00a0Here is an excerpt of this month’s newsletter. To read the full newsletter go to:<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/df9rc5<\/a><\/p>\n

Truffles and Meats: Two Staple Foods from Umbria<\/strong><\/u><\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

copyright2009, Maria Liberati<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Editor: Christa Gutzler<\/font><\/p>\n

Is your mouth watering for a meaty truffle? Well, as distinct as the cooking is in Umbria, you won\u2019t find a chocolate truffle infused with pork, but separately these two items top the list of famous specialty foods coming from the beautiful Umbria region in Italy. With its tree-laden grounds scoured by uniquely trained \u201ctruffle dogs,\u201d Umbria maintains favorable conditions for which wild mushrooms abound during truffle season. The soil created by oak and willow trees are said to be rich in Norcia, one of Umbria\u2019s most reliable areas for bountiful truffle raising and famous for its black truffles and flourishing truffle trade industry. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Coming to a close at the end of March, truffle season harvests Umbria\u2019s most sought after and expensive treat starting in December each year. Secretive and mysterious, the professional truffle harvesters of Umbria, known as the trifolau, partake in festivals and other celebrations throughout truffle hunting season seeking truffles of all sizes and shapes and pungency. Once these truffles are found, they are cooked and stored, or sold to restaurants and added to high cuisine recipes.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Eaten alone or thrown into a pasta dish, truffles are a delectable addition to various Italian dishes including but not limited to roast squab, mayonnaise, cakes, rice, fondue and a variety of spreads and sauces. The legacy of the truffle is attributed to its versatility and flavor. No other terrain in the world produces as many truffles as Italy does and 80% of Italy\u2019s truffles come from Umbria. Gastronomes around the world agree that Italian truffles possess a earthy and heavenly taste, though black truffles from Norcia are known to be less aromatic than its white complement. The truffle is not the only hot commodity in Umbria, as there are just as many butchers as there are truffle hunters in this extraordinary region.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever been to an open market in Italy, you are sure to have been surrounded by the various meats that have been butchered, prepared, and sold for generations. Most commonly in the form of salami, sausages, and ham, Umbria\u2019s primary meat is pork. Dishes such as mazzafegati (pig\u2019s liver sausages), porchetta (pork roast), and Umbrian mortadella (seasoned sausage mixed with pork and bacon) are recognized as flavorful, sweet, and savory. It\u2019s said that Italian butchers do not hold back when it comes to the pig, doing everything and anything that can be done to them in the name of cooking. From the pig\u2019s feet and cheeks to the ox\u2019s tongue, the Italians are creative and ingenious in how they approach the livestock from which they create their specialty foods and dishes. Umbria\u2019s conscientious cooking processes, embedded in history and perfected through experimentation, continue to provide pleasing treats and meats.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Villa LaVeranda Interview and Tour-Umbria Italy<\/strong><\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

it is breathtaking ,the villa that I just fell in love with enough to have my culinary tours there for The Basic Art of Italian Cooking. Here is video of my visit there and the interview with Susan Evans-who headed the transformation of this once animal stall into the beautiful villa it is today. Watch!
\nIf you want to join our next culinary tour and stay there ..see more info at https:\/\/www.marialiberati.com\/blog2\/page_id=542<\/a> or look below<\/em><\/p>\n

Check out my informal interview inside the kitchen of La Veranda here:<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MTXrY_th7MA<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

**Please keep your thoughts and prayers with the people of central Italy who were hit with the devastating earthquake on April 6th. Hardest hit was the city\u00a0of L’Aquila and towns nearby. Since L’Aquila is the capital city of Abruzzo I have been there for many events many a time. You can put the name L’Aquila in the search engine of my blog to find past posts on this medieval town. But here is one of the posts:
\nhttps:\/\/www.marialiberati.com\/blog2\/?p=341<\/a><\/p>\n

RECIPE OF THE MONTH<\/strong><\/u><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Risotto with White Grapes<\/strong><\/span><\/font><\/font> is a delicious recipe and great with Orvieto wine from Umbria<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

1 cuo rice for risotto-arborio or carnaroli<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\u00bd lb white grapes (seedless)<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

1 slice onion chopped finely<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

4 ounces parmigiana reggiano cheese<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

1 tablespoon butter<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

3-6 cups vegetable broth<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

1 cup dry white wine or champagne<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

2 tablespoons olive oil<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

In saute pan, saute olive chopped onion in olive oil. When golden put in rice and saute for 2 minutes, Place in wine or champagne. When liquid is absorbed, pour in \u00be cup broth. Stir and when liquid is absorbed pour in another \u00be cup of broth. Repeast this processs for approx 15 minutes or until al dente. Half way during cooking time. Place in washed grapes. When finished, top with butter, and parmigiano reggiano cheese.<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/a>Join me at for book signings and cooking program events at (email events@marialiberati.com<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\u00a0Whole Foods Jenkintown, April 4th<\/p>\n

Whole Foods, Philadelphia, May 2<\/p>\n

Whole Foods Bethesda, Maryland on May 7′<\/p>\n

May 6th, Wine Pairing Dinner at Country Creek Winery in Telford, witha 4 course authentic Italian sampler dinner and 4 wine samples..join us at an authentic rustic vineyard voted as Montgomery County’s Best. Fee is $39.95 reservations are limited ,call the winery at 215-723-6516 for reservations.<\/p>\n

Follow me at http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/marialiberati<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/mariaandco.blogspot.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Join us in Italy<\/a><\/p>\n

More articles and recipes<\/a><\/p>\n

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,<\/p>\n

Maria

\u00a0 \u00a0Here is an excerpt of this month’s newsletter. To read the full newsletter go to: http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/df9rc5 Truffles and Meats: Two Staple Foods from Umbria copyright2009, Maria Liberati Editor: Christa…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,23,7,30,41,50,40,11,24,655,39,62,438],"tags":[427,654,102,514,12,76,425,261,656,79],"class_list":["post-584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-caro-diariodear-diary","category-cooking-school-in-tuscany","category-cucina","category-cucina-povere","category-entertaining","category-facts","category-history-of-foods","category-recipes","category-risotto","category-slow-food","category-travel-customs","category-trivia","category-umbria","tag-cookbook","tag-history","tag-italy","tag-orvieto-classico","tag-recipes","tag-risotto","tag-truffles","tag-umbria","tag-villa","tag-wine"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}