The Flavors of an Italian Autumn

Fall color along Lucca’s historic wall.

 Is there a better time to be in Italy than Autumn?  The crowds have dispersed, the temperatures are perfect, the leaves are changing, and – even better – it is harvest season.   When I think of this time of year in Italy, my thoughts often involve the unique colors, scents, and flavors of the local foods. For anyone interested in food (and who isn’t?), the flavors of an Italian fall are a revelation.

 I think first of the scent of chestnuts roasting outdoors over an open flame.  Smells just like fall to me.  Chestnuts at this time of year are also ground and used in cooking.  There is castagnaccio, a dense cake made with farina di castagna (chestnut flour), olive oil, raisins and pinenuts.  Necci (my personal favorite fall chestnut food), are thick chestnut flour crepes, cooked on a hot iron paddle, and wrapped around a fresh ricotta filling. Add a drizzle of honey to the ricotta and you have a barely sweet, nutty flavored snack. Yum.

 Next I think of white truffles with their earthy aroma.  They may be shaved over pasta, eggs, or risotto.  Last fall I had some truffle shaved over a delicate pecorino flan.  The presentation was part of the experience. First the found-just-that-day white truffle was brought to the table under a glass dome. Then it was slowly shaved over the flan. The scent and the delicate taste of white truffle atop that silky flan was wonderful.

 The deep green color of freshly pressed olive oil, and that delicious aroma, is another fall treat.  To stand in a local frantoio (the mill where olives are pressed) as the new oil flows out of the press is the very definition of fall in Italy. And nothing beats the flavor of fresh-pressed local extra virgin olive oil.

For me, fall truly starts with my first taste of zucca.  Zucca is an Italian word that can refer to any one of the Cucurbita genus of plants – ones that grow on vines. 

This includes gourds, cucumbers, and squash.  Most often the word zucca is used to mean pumpkin.  And it is the foods made with pumpkin that mark the beginning of fall for me.

 Several pumpkin based dishes can be found in Tuscany.   First, there are tortelli di zucca, a pumpkin filled pasta. They are often served in a simple brown butter and sage sauce, sometimes with a few nuts on top. 

It may be a simple preparation, but there is nothing simple about the flavor.  Just a touch of sweetness in the pumpkin, wrapped inside a homemade pasta envelope, with the nutty flavor of the browned butter and a hint of sage.   It is a dish worth the wait for fall to come around again.

Then there is risotto zucca e salsiccia, risotto with pumpkin and sausage.  This is hands-down my favorite fall pumpkin dish. 

I especially love the one served at Trattoria Gigi, my go-to local trattoria here in Lucca.  The pumpkin flavor is subtle, never overwhelming, with bits of flavorful sausage in a creamy, perfectly cooked risotto. 

The ultimate fall comfort food!

A couple of weeks ago I was introduced to another pumpkin dish, vellutata di zucca, at Trattoria Cibrèo in Florence.  The velvety soup was topped with an artistic drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of crushed amaretti. 

Not only was the soup visually pleasing, but the taste was wonderful and the slightly sweet and crunchy bits of amaretti were an unexpected, but perfect, flavor enhancement.

 Just writing this post makes me hungry.  I might have to try my hand at making that zuppa!