A Late Summer Grower's Market

The Sunday grower's market in Corrales, NM

Is there a better place to be on an August morning than outdoors at a grower’s market? This is especially true when the sky is blue, the temperature mild, and you are itching to fire up the grill and roast some veggies.

Whether I am at home in New Mexico or somewhere in Europe, I know that the August market will be bursting with the colors, flavors, and scents of the late summer harvest. This is the peak time for melons, peaches, tomatoes, corn, peppers, squash – all of which provide great inspiration for adventures in the kitchen.

Green chile roasting - the scent of late summer in New Mexico

In New Mexico, August is also the time of the chile harvest  – and if you’ve never smelled roasting green chile, tumbling in a basket over an open flame, then you have really missed out! For me, that pungent scent signals two things – that I am definitely home in New Mexico and that fall is just around the corner.

I’m enjoying my last two weeks of summer at home before I head back to Italy for most of September and October. So, for the next two weeks, I’m all about the local markets in New Mexico, including the one I visited last Sunday in the small village of Corrales, not far from my home in Albuquerque.

I did my market shopping to the delightful  sound of live music, in this case a marimba and a steel drum. The chile was roasting, the vendors were cutting slices of peaches and melon for tasting (yum!), and the growers were exclaiming about crops just picked that morning (including some fresh-as-could be purple okra, which I couldn't resist), as well as what the harvest would bring in the upcoming weeks. Shoppers wandered around with colorful market baskets, filling them with even more colorful produce. The atmosphere was festive as the locals enjoyed a mild morning with just the first hint of fall in the air.

variegated purple beans

tiny carrots are so flavorful

multicolored peppers

It’s hard to believe that in a couple of weeks I’ll be wandering the market in Lucca, filling my basket with the fabulous fruits and vegetables of the end-of summer harvest in Italy. Stay tuned – I’ll be posting in real time from Italy in a few weeks and I bet there will be some markets, some festivals, and some adventures in the coming posts.                                                   -post by JB

From My Italian Kitchen: An Easy Pasta Dish

My kitchen in Lucca.

As the end of my most recent six- week stay in Italy approached, it was time to look around my kitchen and plan a meal based on the staples I had on hand. What I found was some dried pasta, a package of cubetti (cubed pancetta), a couple of cans of crushed tomato, a little bit of leftover white wine, and some good Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Time to get cooking!

I love a good pasta Amatriciana and that's what inspired this dish. I have to confess though that this version is not 100 percent authentic. To be authentic I would have used guanciale (pork cheek) rather than pancetta. Guanciale has more fat and a more intense flavor; pancetta is still a good substitute and it's also what I use at home, where guanciale is not available.  

The traditional pasta used in Amatriciana is bucatini, a thick hollow strand - sort of like a spaghetti straw. Instead, I used the small penne pasta (pennette rigati) that I had on hand. The ridges do a nice job of holding onto the sauce and I find pennette much easier to eat! Lastly, an authentic Amatriciana uses pecorino cheese, which is a sharp and tangy sheep's cheese. I love its taste, but Parmigiano-Reggiano (milder and made from cow's milk) is what I had on hand and so that's what I used.  Despite all of those substitutions, I still ended up with a very tasty pasta dish!

Here's the recipe. Because I was cooking in Italy, I've listed Italian measurements with the approximate American conversation in parentheses.                             -post by JMB

Almost Amatriciana   (4 servings)

2 teaspoons olive oil

200 grams pancetta cubetti (6 oz) 

1/4 medium onion, red or yellow, chopped

420 grams of crushed tomato (14 ounces) 

2 tablespoons white wine (optional) 

Dried peperoncino (crushed red pepper) 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon

350 grams pennette rigati pasta (12 ounces) 

Grated Parmeggiano-Reggiano (or pecorino) cheese, about 1/4 cup, plus more to grate on top of finished pasta

To prepare: 

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Saute pancetta in olive oil until cooked and just beginning to crisp.  

Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. 

Add crushed tomato, wine, and crushed red pepper. Simmer on low for 10 minutes.

While sauce is cooking, add pasta to boiling water and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.  

Return pasta to pot, pour sauce over pasta and toss well. Add grated cheese and toss again. 

Serve with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano grated on top. 

Buon appetito! 

The House of Dante

With all the amazing sites to see in Florence, it’s hard to find time to visit some of the lesser-known museums. During my spring trip to Italy, I took an hour or so to visit the Museo Casa di Dante (Museum House of Dante) because how could I pass up the chance to learn more about the man considered the father of the language I love so much?

A bust of Dante hangs on the outside wall of the Museo Casa di Dante.

Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265 and the Museo Casa di Dante is said to be where he and his family lived. The museum is housed on three floors of a historic building in the heart of Florence. It was established in 1965 and offers a peek into the various aspects of Dante’s life. Dante, after all, wasn’t just the man credited with establishing the national language of Italy. He also was a politician and epic poet, whose “Divine Comedy” is one of world literature’s masterpieces.

Museo Casa di Dante in Florence

In addition to providing information about Dante, the museum looks at what was happening in Italy at different periods of Dante’s life. There’s a reproduction, for example, of what Italian soldiers wore way back when, as well as weapons from the Battle of Campaldino, in which Dante fought.

Reproductions such as this one of a soldier offer a glimpse into what life was like in Florence in the 14th century.

One of the most moving parts of the museum is the second floor, which includes information about Dante’s exile from Florence. One display case includes a reproduction of the “Libro del Chiodo,” or “Book of the Nail.” The book is a record of sentences handed down in Florence during the 14th century. It is called the “Book of the Nail” because it was bound in wooden covers and hung from a nail in the courtroom. Among the sentences in the book is Dante’s – if he ever returned to Florence, he was to be burned at the stake.

The "Libro del Chiodo," or "Book of the Nail"

The top floor of the museum is devoted to the “Divine Comedy” - a topic I could write about for days (but I won’t). It doesn’t take long to visit the Museo Casa di Dante, although most first-time visitors to Florence with limited time will no doubt choose to gaze at the David and try to conquer the Uffizi instead. But language and literature lovers should definitely stop by this small museum, which is located not far from the Duomo.                                                                             -post by JG

Museocasadidante.it

The Seven Churches of Santo Stefano

Church of the Crucifix, Basilica of Santo Stefano, Bologna.

I'm drawn to churches in Italy. There is something peaceful and spiritual about them. The coolness, the quiet, the dim light, the candles - all invoke a sense of calm and of one's place in the greater universe. I've probably lit 1,000 candles in churches big and small all across Italy - a nod to my Catholic upbringing - somehow those small flames seem to guide hopes and prayers on their way.

And then there is the art. I love the fading frescoes, the sculptures, the biblical stories told in paintings, the carved crucifixes, the Madonnas. And while I don't consider myself particularly religious, I find all of these tremendously meaningful.

Museum, Santo Stefano, Bologna

Fresco, Santo Stefano, Bologna

Chapel, Santo Stefano, Bologna

Intricate brickwork in the Pilate's Courtyard, between two of the churches in the Santo Stefano complex.

Perhaps the most amazing church I've visited in Italy isn't a single church at all but rather the Sette Chiese (Seven Churches) of the Basilica of Santo Stefano in Bologna. Parts of this series of interconnected chapels date to the 5th century and were likely built on the site of a fresh water spring and over a former temple to the Goddess Isis. Originally seven churches, changes throughout the centuries have resulted in the current four churches: Church of the Crucifix (the largest in the complex), Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Church of Saints Vitale & Agricola (local martyrs), and Church of the Trinity (or Martyrium).

Along with the four churches there are smaller chapels, the Pilate's courtyard with its intricate brickwork, a cloister with a central well and arcaded second story logia, and a small museum/gift shop.

Cloister Courtyard, Santo Stefano, Bologna

The whole series of churches is fascinating and each one is unique, but it was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (the oldest part of the complex) that most intrigued me. It is a dark space, small and round yet quite tall with rising columns, arched windows high up in the cylindrical walls, and a domed brick ceiling. In the center is a carved stone structure that is part tomb (intended for the now absent Saint Petronio), part altar, part spiral staircase, all topped with a simple crucifix. There are beautiful stone carvings and a small opening into the tomb space itself (I actually watched a tourist climb into the tomb opening but I decided not to follow!). This space is mystical and somewhat eerie - the air just feels different in here, filled with a presence that is not quite visible. Perhaps it is the distant echos of those early worshipers. 

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

The Basilica of Santo Stefano is about a 10-minute walk from Piazza Maggiore and sits on a lovely triangular piazza at the end of Via Santo Stefano. It offers a unique experience, different from some of the more famous churches in Italy which get considerably more visitors. Its a worthwhile stop on any visit to Bologna.                                                                                -post by JB

Fresh Herbs and Brunch on the Patio

My small herb garden

It’s the height of summer and I’m home in New Mexico anticipating my return to Italy in just a few weeks. In the meantime, I’m enjoying my herb garden, my small backyard, cooking some of my favorite summer dishes, and entertaining friends and family.

Last week I had two friends over for brunch and some trip planning. I made a favorite brunch dish – herb-baked eggs with toast. I used fresh herbs from the garden, set a pretty table on the patio, and spent a lovely morning talking travel with friends.

My version of herb-baked eggs is adapted from an Ina Garten recipe. This is more of a French-inspired dish than an Italian one, but hey, I can’t serve frittata every time I have brunch company, can I? You can find Ina's original recipe in her Barefoot in Paris cookbook or just follow this link: https://barefootcontessa.com

The table is set for brunch on the patio.

Fresh herbs for the eggs

I make a few changes to the original recipe, including substituting finely chopped chives (1/2 teaspoon) for the rosemary. I prefer the chive flavor and I find little bits of rosemary too tough for my taste. I increase the fresh thyme to ½ teaspoon and decrease the parsley to 1 teaspoon (too much parsley tastes like grass to me). I also find that the three eggs in the original recipe is too large a serving size, so I use just two eggs in each baking dish. One thing I don’t change – I always use the ½ tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream called for in the original recipe. A touch decadent I know, but oh the flavor is worth it! Because I’m eating low carb these days, I also substitute a high-fiber whole wheat bread for the brioche (though in a perfect world I’d go for the brioche!).

Here the eggs are added to the bubbly cream and butter mixture, sprinkled with the herbs and cheese, and are ready for the broiler.

The key to success with this recipe (which is really quite easy) is having all the ingredients prepped before beginning to cook the eggs. It’s especially important to have the eggs cracked and in a dish ready to pour into the hot cream/butter mixture. You definitely don’t want to be breaking eggs at the last minute and you don’t want to use any broken yolks! Also be sure to chop those herbs really finely and use a good sea salt and fresh pepper.

The herbs make the finished dish smell as good as it tastes!

Trust me, your friends will rave about this dish. So invite some friends, fix brunch, and maybe plan a trip of your own.  I’ll be in Lucca in September and October and Judy will join me in mid-October. Want to meet us there?   Two Parts Italy has some Lucca events scheduled: a journaling workshop, a garden walk, and even some help settling into a rental apartment. We'd love to see you in Lucca!

For more information about traveling with us go to:     https://www.twopartsitaly.com/travel-with-us/                                                           -post by JB