Wine in the World is the festival that will take place this year in Spoleto.
Spoleto is located in the Southern Umbria and the city is an stimulating cultural centre. In fact apart for The Wine in the World the city has got different cultural initiatives.
For example, among the most important: in June takes place the “2 World festival” better known as “Spoleto festival” ( from the 1958 is a celebration of music and theatre), and the Taste festival ( finitiated on 2004).
Wine in the World is quite new as event: in fact the first edition has been only in 2005 and was immediatly a big success, because of the winner mix of good wine, music and some tasting of the food that accompany certain types of wine.
Last year in Spoleto there were exposed 1000 wine companies, and many visitors from all over the world came to visit the city.
The festival will take place day and night. In fact you can enjoy as well many night events. A lots of wine combined with music….clubs open till late in the morning!!!!
Stay with us and enjoy one day in Spoleto. What is sweetest than a glass of cold white wine in Italy? To complete your Italian experience visit Rome, we’ll be waiting for you at Hotel Des Artistes and Yes Hotel eager to show you all the wonderful things the Eternal City has to offer.
It is said that the people in Ancient Rome knew how to enjoy the pleasures of life. Among these pleasures of course the joys of the table are certainly included. Banquets that combined the most exotic tastes coming from different parts of the Empire ensured the joys of all guests during hours, even until late at night, sometimes the whole night, giving permission to another sort of pleasures.
This time we will illustrate partially what regards the happennings on the table (What happened under the table we leave it freely to your immagination). Therefore, some information about Roman dishes of this period.
Enjoy ancient secrets from ancient cooking:
PEPONES ET MELONES (Water and Honey Melons) Ingredients: ———— 1/2 honey melon – both peeled, diced 1/2 water melon – and stoned 500ml Passum a little bit of honey (or Passum) 1 tblsp minced parsley 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper a little bit of Liquamen, or a dash of salt Poleiminze, Silphium, vinegar, if wanted
Instructions: ————- Cook diced melons in a pan together with spices and herbs until done. Sometimes Silphium is added.
PATINA DE PISCICULIS (Soufflee of Small Fish) Ingredients: ———— 500g boiled fillet of small fish or whole sardelles 150g dried raisins (sultanas) 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper 1 tblsp Liebstoeckl 1 tblsp oregano 2 small diced onions 200ml oil 50ml Liquamen, or 1/2 tsp salt some cornstarch
Instructions: ————- Mix raisins, pepper, Liebstoeckl, oregano, onion, wine, Liquamen and oil together and put in a casserole. Cook until done. Then put small boiled fish fillets or boiled small whole fishes into it. Thicken with a bit of cornstarch and serve it!
(Pear Soufflee) Ingredients: ———— 1kg pears (peeled and without core) 6 eggs 4 tblsp honey 100ml Passum a little bit oil 50ml Liquamen, or 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground cumin ground pepper to taste
Instructions: ————- Mesh cooked and peeled pears (without core) together with pepper,cumin, honey, Passum, Liquamen and a bit of oil. Add eggs and put into a casserole. Cook approximately 30 minutes on small to moderate heat. Serve with a bitt of pepper sprinkled on the soufflee.
I hope you really enjoyed my virtual Master classes of ancient Roman cooking. But this is just the beginning and we will certainly continue in future.
If you decide to stay in Rome and enjoy its enogastronomical variety, do not hesitate to book our lovely Lucci Hotel, and nearby you will find a nice Roman hosteria A ME MI PIACE, which has tons of specialities and surprises for you!
Rome does not have only monuments, history, squares and statues: the eternal city has a long tradition of regional food.
The roman cuisine is based on simple fresh ingredients and it is not very complicated to achieve a good result even for a beginner. Now try some of these mouthwatering recipes according to the traditional roman way.
Before you begin I would suggest a couple of things :
First of all: it’s important having Italian ingredients.
Second. Relax your mind while you are cooking with some music that is going to help your fantasy.
And you may want to pour yourself a glass of good regional Latium wine to put yourself in the mood.
Do not forget a cute apron, possibly with the map of Italy and its wines and foods scattered around it.
Now let’s start with fried “antipasti” (appetizers)
Called “Supplì”
The suppli are oval shaped rice balls. You will need 500 gr of rice, 180 gr of butter, 1 carrot and a branch of celery, 50gr of minced beef, 50gr of pork, mozzarella cut in small squares, flour, oil to fry, crumble bread, one glass of white wine.
In the meantime prepare the tomato sauce . Put some oil and some onion in a pan and when the onion gets some colour add the meat , the carrot and celery which you first cut in your mixer and wash down with the wine, then add the sauce and only a little of salt. Pour the rice and cook for at least 40 minutes on very low gas, mixing and adding water whenever necessary.
Leave to get cold. Now prepare the beaten egg and start to do the rice ball. Put the square of mozzarella in the middle of your rice ball, the size of an egg , pass it into flour and then crumble bread and finally, fry your suppli in scalding oil for a couple minutes and allow it to take a nice golden colour. You will certainly want to sample the supplì in a good restaurant in Rome on your next trip !
Now let’s go on with the “Primo” (First course)
Bucatini all’Amatriciana
150 gr of smoked bacon(more precisely "guanciale" which you may find in your local italian deli) cut in small pieces, olive’s oil, one chilli, two cloves of garlic, two onions, tomato sauce, pecorino and parmigiano.
While the bucatini are cooking, brown garlic and chilli. Then take out the garlic and put the onions and when is it turns golden then add the bacon. Let the bacon cook for a couple of minutes wash down the wine and when it is dry off add the tomato’s sauce.
When the pasta is ready put all together and add pecorino and parmigiano. Enjoy !
And then here is our suggestion of a “Secondo” to carry on (Second course, you may have guessed…)
Abbacchio al Forno
1kg of lamb, 3kg of potatoes, rosemary, half glass of white wine, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper.
Season the lamb with garlic and rosemary, add salt, pepper, swab with oil e put in a roasting pan.
Put in the oven with the wine and then add the potatoes cut in a small pieces.
After 10 minutes put the remaining garlic and rosemary and cook for another 30 minutes.
What wine to accompany ? Being in Rome and Latium, I would suggest a red Frascati DOP (the initials stand for Di Origine Protetta, which translated means it is a very good wine)
And to finish off nicely, a nice dessert !
Maritozzi alla Romana (biscuits)
4 eggs, 600gr of flour, 100 gr of dough, 200gr of sultanas, 100 gr sugar, 100 gr of orange rind, 100 gr of pine- kernels and 2 glasses of olive oil.
Knead the dough with 200 gr of flour, two eggs, 1 glass of oil, and a pinch of salt. Let the mixture stand for 8 hours in a warm place. When the 8 hours have elapsed, mix the remaining flour, the egg and oil, sugar, salt, orange rind and sultanas in a little hot water. Shape the biscuits in an oval size or in a round ball and leave them for another 7 hours. Eventually, oil the surface you will use to cook them and you can put them in the oven on a very high temperature (250 °C) for about 7 minutes. Take them out, add sugar on top, they are ready!
What wine to accompany your dessert ? My suggestion is a Frascati cannellino. (Frascati is a small town up in the hills close to Rome and the region is known as Castelli Romani). If you happen to be in Rome, you can taste them in the best Rome wine bars.
You love italian food and to cook too ? then see here for more italian cooking !
And for your next trip to Rome, we suggest a nice comfortable hotel in central Rome such as My Hotel Rome.
