Aroma Cucina

The $4.00 Radish

I bought a radish that costs $4.00, which just seems absurd.
OK, it was at the farmer’s market, and it was a ‘watermelon’ radish, and the color seduced me; but since I’ve been back in NY, I feel like a kid in a huge candy store. The variety of things you can buy is overwhelming. I’m not up to the point of being numb or able to target my attention, I just keep wandering down aisles where there are things that I have no intention of buying, but I’m fascinated that they exist.

Back to the radish, it was delicious. Cool, crisp, sweet, almost no heat, served with a creamy soy dressing that would accent the sweetness of the radish.

Yesterday I went to Kalustyan’s, the spice emporium on Lexington Ave, and it was like allowing yourself the indulgence to have a good scratch at a long denied itch. I came home with a small bag of goodies, including ghost chilies, for my cousin, that are supposed to be the hottest pepper known to man, some roasted fennel seed because I’m in love with fennel, and that trendiest of ingredients: bee pollen.  Now l have to figure out what to do with my haul.
Happy weekend to everyone!

Market Wednesday

We have two Dutch friends staying with us this week, and Klary, who has a beautiful blog of her own (in Dutch) made this observation this morning: “Markets in Holland are about getting what you need and moving on; this market is a social event.”   I know it is, but it made me think about the NYC Greenmarket, that’s also a get what you need and go market. So why is the Umbertide market such a social event? Maybe it’s because we are a small, agricultural area, and this is the only consistent chance for people to meet and chat. I know Lino, my 85 year old gardener friend that I have a crush on, he goes just to chat. He was looking pretty cute this morning on his motorino, wearing a bright orange helmut!
So, enjoy some photos from the Umbertide market this morning. I did get to buy some goodies, the clementines are just starting to come in from Sicily; along with chatting with some friends.

Festa in Umbertide

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Umbertide had their festival on Saturday, and we had a glorious afternoon break so we took advantage of it! Put the roof of the car down and enjoyed all of that last summer sunshine. I don’t know why, but I love this festa, or fierie. It’s really just a big open-air market, with local suppliers like our cheese making friends and the regular guys who do the market circuit. I have a particular fondness for the man who sells those silicon-baking molds; I don’t know why but I feel the compulsion to collect every shape and size of those molds. They’re really fun to work with and you never know when you might want to make a fluted pyramid custard.
At one point, we parked ourselves on the corner, with a glass of wine, and watched the world of Umbertide walk by. And what a world! Don’t you think that red dress is just looking for a place to go? It looked so forlorn, so much like it missed its old owner and just wanted to go dancing again.

Market Day

Today's market was very social. We usually head right to Bar Mary for coffee and a cornetto, and this morning was no different.  It's a small town, so as you sit, people you know stop by and have a coffee along with you.  It's a great way to start the day.   
Peaches are coming in from the south of Italy. I bought some today, but haven't tasted them yet.  I know I should hold out for the orchard down below us, but I couldn't wait! Frigerelle peppers were looking really good...those are on of my favorites. Just fry them, add a little salt and they so tasty.
I bought one of the ugliest fish today, a scorfono, and it will be the last time. We ate it for lunch, but only because we were hungry. It's a stinky fish!
But, I have lots of good things to choose from for dinner tonight, so no harm done in trying something new.

Greenmarket

Saturday morning I made a trip to Union Square's Greenmarket. All sorts of things are in season: ramps, purslane, wild asparagus.  I even bought some tomatoes from this forlorn looking boy. He was out working with his family, and trying keep his game face on, but you could see it was taking its toll.  It was hot, hot by 9:30 am, so I was feeling sorry for him.
The freshness of the produce made one woman dizzy with joy. She was literally twirling in ecstasy over some strawberries. They were good, but didn't send me twirling!  Another man, a very large man, kept yelling, "Where are the cookies? Where are the cookies?"  He literally ran up to the asparagus man, pushed us aside and yelled into the poor man's face. I've heard of having the munchies, but this was pretty extreme.
Ghandi was looking particularly spiffy all surrounded by lush greens and flowers.
Dinner on Saturday included some very sweet steamers. Probably the only ones I'll eat this summer, so I'm glad they were so good.  The Greenmarket on the first weekend in June, is a fine place to be!

Ray of Hope

                                                               

All this bad news. Pick a category: world politics, gun control, food issues. Everywhere you turn, you feel so beaten up, so overwhelmed by the bad ‘ju-ju’ that surrounds us. Rancho Gordo, in his excellent blog, and on eGullet, has been leading a discussion about farmer’s markets and Slow Food. No, it’s not a warm fuzzy discussion; it’s an examination of what’s going on with the founder of Slow Food, Carlo Petrini.  Over the course of the past few years, different people have been complaining about the high handedness, the elitism that Mr. Petrini is fostering. It’s a thought provoking discussion, and worth reading.
So where is the ray of hope? Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo was talking about the future, about young people starting gardens, talking about eating local and sustainable, supporting farmer’s markets. Well, here’s my good news: my 21 year old son and his girlfriend have planted a garden, and it’s growing. When I asked Curtis what he wanted to grow in the garden, he said with a big smile, “Everything!”  He and Lauren talk about where their food comes from, what they eat and they care very much about the environment.  That’s the warm fuzzy news, this generation is waking up and beginning to fight the fight.

Market Day in Umbertide

It was a cool and drizzly morning, but that wasn’t going to stop us from going to the market.  It’s early in the growing season, and even though Italy has had a bout of unseasonably warm weather, it didn’t mean that tomatoes were in season.  But we did come home with beautiful, purple baby artichokes, fava beans, sweet peas, lettuces, the last of the blood oranges, and some cheese and pancetta.
My favorite cheese guy and my fish guy weren’t there today, but I consoled myself with some gorgeous little fishies and fresh shrimp from Sicily, that we fried up for lunch. . These vendors travel from town to town, and in the slow season, they take some well-deserved time off. Hopefully, in another few weeks, all the usual suspects will have returned to Umbertide.