Snuggled between Toscana and Le Marche, Umbria is a beautiful verdant region of central Italy. Here the pig is king, with local butchers considered among the best in Italy for their superb salamis, porchetta, sausages, prosciuttos and cured meats of all kinds. Beef is also excellent and there is also a wide variety of game to be found on local menus. The lentils of Castelluccio are another of the region’s best loved products and truffles are a great favorite during the winter truffle season. A last word goes to the region’s famed chocolate, with Perugia’s chocolate festival popular among chocolate lovers all over Italy.
Traditional dishes:
Acquacotta dell’Umbria: Umbrian ‘Cooked Water’
Ingredients
- 3 onions
- 1 celery rib
- 8 leaves of fresh mint
- 1 kg tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 4 slices country style bread, toasted
- 50 g Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Finely chop the onions, celery and the mint.
- Place in a large terracotta pot along with the tomatoes, a drizzling of olive oil and about half the broth.
- Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring every so often, and adding a little more broth if necessary.
- Adjust seasoning.
- Place a slice of toasted bread in each serving dish, and season with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper.
- Pour tomatoes on top and finish with a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan.
- Serve immediately.
Number of servings (yield): 4
Minestra di Farro: Farro (Emmer Wheat) Soup
Ingredients
- 200 g farro
- Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
- 50 g prosciutto crudo or pancetta, diced
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, finely chopped
- 25 g grated pecorino cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the diced prosciutto.
- Sauté for 5 minutes then add the chopped vegetables and sauté for a further 5 minutes.
- Cover with water, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for at least an hour.
- Add the farro and cook for another 30 – 45 minutes or until the farro is tender, adding more water if necessary.
- Serve hot with a sprinkling of grated pecorino.
Number of servings (yield): 4
Spaghetti al Tartufo Nero: Spaghetti with Black Truffle
Ingredients
- 400 g spaghetti
- 2 good sized black truffles, thinly sliced
- 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 anchovy fillets (in oil)
- Juice from ½ lemon
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, and add the anchovy fillets, the truffles and the lemon juice.
- Sauté for a couple of minutes and keep warm.
- Cook the spaghetti in abundant, salted boiling water until al dente
- Drain (reserving some of the cooking water) and add to the truffles.
- Toss well together, adding a little of the pasta water if necessary.
- Serve immediately.
Number of servings (yield): 4
Lepre alla Cacciatore Umbra: Umbrian Hare, Hunter Style
Ingredients
- 1 hare, cut in pieces
- Vinegar
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 100 g prosciutto crudo, diced
- Small sprig of rosemary
- 2 anchovy fillets
- Handful of capers, rinsed
- 1 chili pepper, diced
- Glass of dry white wine
- Extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Wash the hare with vinegar, then heat a non stick pan and sear pieces on all sides.
- Heat a good drizzling of olive oil in a second pan and sauté the onion with the prosciutto until the onion is soft and transparent.
- Add the hare to the second pan, season with salt and pepper and sauté together for 5 minutes.
- Mince the rosemary with the anchovy fillets and add to pan along with the capers and chili pepper.
- Add the wine, and cook uncovered for 5 minutes until it has evaporated somewhat.
- Drizzle over a little more olive oil, cover and cook over a low heat for 2 hours or until hare is cooked and tender.
Rocciata di Assisi: Fruit and Nut Roll from Assisi
Ingredients
- 75 g mixed fruit and nuts (almonds, sultanas, walnuts, dried figs, prunes)
- Olive oil
- 150 g sugar
- 2 tbsp vin santo
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Grated zest 1 lemon
- 200 g flour
- Pinch of salt
- Icing sugar for decoration
Instructions
- To make the filling, dice all the fruit and nuts.
- Mix with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 100 g sugar, the vin santo, cinnamon and the lemon zest.
- Stir well and place to one side.
- In another bowl, mix the flour with the salt, add the remaining sugar and add enough water to form a soft pliable dough.
- Cover with a tea towel and leave to ‘rest’ for half an hour.
- Roll dough out thinly with a rolling pin to form a rectangle.
- Spread filling all over the surface.
- Roll dough into a swiss roll type formation and place on an oiled cookie sheet, coiling it if necessary.
- Using a pastry brush, paint the surface with a little olive oil.
- Bake at 350ºF for at least 30 minutes or until it becomes golden brown in color.
- Dust with icing sugar then serve.