Thursday, May 16

{Podcast from Italy} A Rare Late Nite Edition

Long after a hard day's work in the garden and cleaning the pool we fired up the mics to record a great podcast! This week Jason and I recanted our most recent "Feel like a Local" Friday's in Apecchio (which sent us on a grappa tangent!) Then we went over the preparations in detail for my sister's upcoming wedding & week of festivities. Jason gives a garden update and tomato planting tips!

Thanks for listening!! The photos are from our Friday's in Apecchio! For more details and to join us email: info@latavolamarche.com or visit:



Sunday, May 12

Spring Peas





Growing up on frozen peas, I had no idea what it tasted like to open a pea pod and pop fresh peas in my mouth on a sunny day. Now I savor spring days and dishes filled with spring peas; topped on crostini with ricotta, stuffed in ravioli, simply sauteed or eaten raw - oh how I count the ways... but my hands down favorite - peas and pancetta! Enjoy the simple spring recipe: 

 piselli & pancetta


serves 4
12 oz or 330 gr of fresh shelled sweet peas, rinsed
4 oz or 100 gr pancetta, bacon or guanciale, cured pig’s cheek (omit if vegetarian)
1 small onion, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic
2-3 cherry tomatoes, halved
spoonful red wine vinegar
small handful parsley, chopped
tiny bit of mint, chopped (optional)
salt & pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Bring a medium pot up to boil. In the meantime, in a medium skillet on medium-low heat, slowly render down the pancetta for 4-5 minutes, trying not to brown it and not crispy. If it starts to brown remove the pan from the heat or lower the flame.

Next add garlic & onion, sauté for 5-6 minutes.
(Vegetarian Note: Just omit the the pancetta & sauté the onions & garlic in olive oil.)
When the onions & garlic are about 2 minutes from being ready, add the tomatoes.

At the same time toss the peas in the water and blanch for 2-3 minutes. You want them approximately half-cooked. Strain the peas and throw them directly into the pan with the pancetta adding a spoonful of the pea-water. Allow to cook until peas are cooked but still have a bite.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper.
Just before you serve, toss in the herbs and drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil.

Wednesday, May 8

Podcast from Italy: May Update & Wedding Details...

Urbania (Le Marche)
Another rainy spring day in Le Marche, our garden is too wet to work in so we thought we'd record a new podcast update on what's going on in our neck of the woods this week. We recapped the Primo Maggio pranzo/lunch and InRock as well as starting to discuss the details/menu ideas and plans for my sister's wedding at our farmhouse in less than a month!!!

Monday, May 6

{Video} Farm to Fork Cooking Class: Foraging for Wild Edibles & Rustic Tart Recipe


During a hands-on cooking class at La Tavola Marche (farm, inn & cooking school) in Le Marche, Italy guests forage for wild greens in the field in front of our 300 year old farmhouse (agriturismo). Jason helps guests identify the different edibles and with bags full of dandelion greens, poppy greens, grispigno & more they head into the kitchen to create a rustic tart with the fresh picked wild greens, ricotta & prosciutto.  

 I hope you enjoy my first attempt at filming one of our cooking classes - it's a little wobbly & we didn't do anything fancy with the audio...but I think you'll get the slice of life/glimpse at one of our Spring cooking classes!


Friday, May 3

A Busy Primo Maggio: A Big Italian Lunch & Music Fest in the Mountains


Labor Day in Italy is celebrated on May 1st or Primo Maggio so we thought it would only be fitting to invite a few of the neighbors that help us so much over for a lovely lunch! All the usual suspects/stars of the "A Tale of 3 Tractors" video where in attendance with their wives and grandchildren.  In typical country farmhouse style, guests started arriving at 11am for a 1pm lunch and stayed until well after 6pm - just enjoying the atmosphere & conversation.


Our wonderful expert wine-guide Marco was there with friends to enjoy the day off. Since they all live near the sea, a day in the mountains is a relaxing treat.

Lunch was amazing and as usual with Italians, pasta was welcomed to the table with a round of applause for Jason! 


Antipasti
Chicken Liver Crostini
Lentil Salad
Pecorino & Fresh Fava
Homemade charcuterie (salami, dried sausages, prosciutto)
Hard Eggs with Salsa Verde

Primo
Homemade Tagliatelle with Asparagus and Artichokes

Secondo
Grilled Sausages
Bone-In Pork Roast

Contorni
Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary
Salad

Dessert
Crostata
Tiramisu
and
Caffè & Homemade Digestivi


After the final guests kissed our cheeks goodbye we enjoyed a few moments of solice in the evening sun. Then I quickly beelined it to Piobbico for the InRock Music festival held every year. I was racing the empending storm that never arrived (it has rained on poor Piobbico and this music festival every year we've lived here.) I schmoozed and snapped some photos - enjoyed a beer with friends and even caught the Mayor grooving to the tunes!
 
Primo Maggio truly was a busy day!

Tuesday, April 30

Bottling Over 500 Liters of Wine {Podcast & Photos}


This has been another busy week - from cleaning & bottling over 600 bottles of wine to cooking classes and prepping the garden/farm for summer's crops. After we recap the week Jason interviews our first stage (Chef apprentice) about his new discoveries on Italian food.

Watch for our upcoming video on visiting the vineyards, filling up our 54 liter demijohn jugs and bringing home 'loose' or sfuso wine to bottle, cork & label at home!

Listen to our Podcast from Italy #51 - Bottling Wine 



 We wrangle our guests to help with the dirty work - no one seems to mind...especially since we drink along the way -

 Our wines are all from Le Marche:
Giusti
Serenelli
Antica Cantina Sant Amico
Terra Cruda



And finally...3 days later, 12 demijohns, over 600 bottles washed, filled, corked & labeled - we are ready to start drinking!!

The final product - a nice dark glass of vino rosso!

Sunday, April 28

{VIDEO} A Tale of 3 Tractors, A Slice of Life in Italy

 A glimpse of our life in Le Marche, Italy as we run our (agriturismo) farm, inn & cooking school DEEP in the Italian countryside! Without a tractor of our own, it takes a village or at least the help of a handful of neighbors and three tractors, to help us prepare the soil for our huge orto (fruit & vegetable garden)! Enjoy a slice of life at La Tavola Marche!!

A Film by La Tavola Marche (Ashley Bartner)
Music: "Tamacun" Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Starring: a few friendly farmers from Piobbico


Saturday, April 27

Coffee Break - Italian Farmer Style


Buon giorno! Good morning, on this sunny Spring day in Le Marche! We are busy preparing the field for our summer crops and just wanted to share this slice of life photo of the good Dr. Gaggi. 
Our neighbor Pierangelo is in the tractor plowing the field so we can start our veg & fruit garden!
(A short video is on it's way....)

Thursday, April 25

Italian Butchery Course: The Whole Hog (Cinta Senese)



Join Chef Jason and Master Butcher Carlo for an afternoon butchering a whole hog! The day starts with a tour of the farm and their 60+ antique breed of pig (cinta senese) that live a great happy life grazing in fields of fava and then move under the old oak and chestnut trees as they get older. 


After a caffè we head into the 'laboratory' where Carlo will demonstrate on half a pig how to butcher the beast while explaining how to use the meat he's carving in local dishes.  He is a master at the art of butchery and charcuterie. 

Now it's your turn to take the knife and begin butchering the other half! Carlo and Jason will guide you through each step. 



Depending on the day and your interests we can also dive into charcuterie and curing techniques making a rolled pancetta (see video below) or sausages, salami, etc. 

After we've finished our work we'll head into the kitchen for a lovely lunch prepared by Carlo's wife Gigia. On the menu...of course a few choice cuts!


Join us for our Italian Butchery Course with Master Butcher Carlo & Jason. Email info@latavolamarche.com for more details or to schedule a private lesson & lunch!

There are still a few spaces left in our Annual Forage Slaughter & Butchery Course:
 22-27 October 2013 from 885 Euro/person.  (Includes welcome dinner, 2 full day cooking classes, wine tour (with lunch), mushroom hunt, butchering class, breakfast daily, 3 lunches, 4 dinners, evening snack, wine with meals & accommodations.)


...just in case you missed it - here is Jason & Carlo butchering a pig and making rolled pancetta  - 
From Pig to Pancetta a Film by La Tavola Marche: 

Monday, April 22

Recipe: Savory Rustic Tart with Wild Greens

This is hands-down delicious and one of my favorite ways to use spring greens!
 
Rustic Tart of Wild Greens
Torta di Erbe Selvatiche


Pastry Dough
Ingredients:
2 3/4 Cups (250 gr) all purpose flour
3/4 Cup (150 gr.) butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
2-3 Tablespoons ice water
pinch of salt

Method:
Sift flour into a mound, add the butter & pinch of salt. Rub together with your fingers or food processor. When mixture resembles crumbly coarse sand incorporate the egg & water. Knead 2-3 times.
Form into a disk, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Filling
Ingredients:
2 Cups (400 gr) of cooked, drained and squeezed dry greens (mix of wild greens or chard, spinach, escarole, etc.)
1 Cup (250 gr.) sheep’s milk ricotta cheese
zest of half a lemon
generous handful of Parmesan
2-3 slices of prosciutto, chopped
salt & pepper
1 egg, separated

Method:
Cook your greens in boiling, salted water depending on the toughness (spinach may only need 20-30 seconds, chard needs 3-4 minutes).  Drain and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the greens. Combine the greens in a bowl with the ricotta, parmesan, lemon, prosciutto, salt & pepper. Taste & check your seasonings.

To Assemble the Tart:
Preheat oven to 350 F/ 185 C

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and split in half. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch or 1/2 cm thickness and line the bottom of a tart or pie pan. (We use 9-inch or 25 cm but you can make individual tarts as well.) Make sure to have enough dough to fold the edges back over the the top.

Once pastry is lined in pan, brush with egg white then fill with a generous amount of the chard mixture (filling in evenly).

Brush folded over part on the top with egg yolk as well.

Place in oven, bake 45 minutes - 1 hour until pastry is golden brown & filling is bubbly. Serve warm or room temperature.

Sunday, April 21

The Week in Review: Chickens, Tractors, Butchering & a Surprise TV Interview


It's been a whirlwind of a week with the sound of diesel engine tractors echoing through the valley as all the farmers prepare their land for summer crops. Jason 'got the memo' it was time as well and called up our friends with tractors since we don't have our own. Neighbors from town, Vicenzo and Severino arrived to help plow our orto (fruit/veg garden) once they were finished with their field. This year Jason and Gaggi decided the garden needed to be bigger to help in rotating the crops, so  J and I removed all the posts, fencing & barb wire just in time as the tractor pulled up to the house.


Our chickens arrived (well only half of the order)  - our coop has 10 red hens and 5 small black Marchigianni hens - everyone is getting along swimmingly - we'll see how it goes next week when another 5-10 hens arrive, a rooster and...our first turkey!


The Spring cooking classes are in full-swing and we've been cooking everything from wild greens to pasta from scratch and even took students butchering at our friends pig farm yesterday! (A full report to come, as well as a recipe for the amazing fresh ricotta we had for breakfast.)


Oh and how could I forget - last night I did a surprise interview with RAI (Marche) for a special segment all about Piobbico! It was hysterical because I had no idea what I was walking into and then realized in sudden horror that I would be interviewed LIVE in Italiano! If you'd like to watch the broadcast you can here: RAI Tg Marche (If you want to skip ahead to me bumbling through the interview go to 11 min. 30 seconds)

I'm sure we'll record a podcast this weekend and go into detail about everything (including the amazing lunch we had at the pig farm!) - stay tuned!

I wonder what next week will have in-store for us...

Friday, April 19

{VIDEO} How to Transplant Seedlings, Spring in the Garden


Our "Spring in the Garden" series continues! A short & pretty gardening video on how to easily transplant seedlings starring our lovely friend & neighbor Caroline. In the video we are transplanting tomato seedlings for our organic farm where we grow 12 varieties and over 500 tomatoes alone!



A Film by La Tavola Marche (Farm, Inn & Cooking School)
www.latavolamarche.com
Music By: Spencer Dahl

More Gardening Videos?!
Get started in garden with our short video on How to Start Tomato Seeds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltrmpx...

Don't miss our next video - SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel!

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