Monday, 4 November 2019
Foraging with Guido - wild mustard.
From the same family as rocket (arugola) and a wild relative to broccolini, broccoli, cabbage and many others from the 'brassica' group, wild white mustard is flowering now in Italy. It can be added to a salad or eaten by itself with olive oil and salt. Delicious and full of natural goodness!
Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Chicken Cacciatore (Pollo alla Cacciatora)
Pollo alla Cacciatora
Super simple and absolutely delicious....
Chicken Cacciatore Pollo alla Cacciatora - Serves 6
Ingredients: 1.2 kg of chopped organic chicken, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, salt, pepper, white wine, olives .
Method: Gently fry the finely chopped vegetables in extra-virgin olive oil until onion is translucent. Roast the garlic until golden and then throw it away. Brown the chicken separately in another pan. Add browned chicken, herbs, tomatoes and olives (optional) in the same pan. Add a little white wine and let it reduce. Add salt. Let chicken cook on low heat in a covered pan. Serve hot, with a fresh salad on the side.
Buon appetito!
For more information about Guido's Day cooking classes and Convivio Rome Italian Cooking Holidays, contact me on info@conviviorome.com
Buon appetito!
For more information about Guido's Day cooking classes and Convivio Rome Italian Cooking Holidays, contact me on info@conviviorome.com
Wednesday, 23 October 2019
Olive Harvest in the Sabine Hills, near Rome, Italy
What a great time of year to visit the Roman countryside and especially the Sabine Hills. The Sabina region, just 40 kms north of Rome is famous for it's extra virgin olive oil and with over 2,5000,000 trees squeezed into hilly terrain you can understand why it is so important. The olive farmers make sure that the quality of the olive oil is at its best by picking the olives just as they are turning from green to black in colour. This is when the anti-oxidants are at their highest. The olive producers really concentrate on quality, not quantity and the Sabine Hills are now 'alive with the sound of music' of olive pickers. It is an exciting time to visit.
We, at Convivio Rome, run Half Day Olive Tours all year round, but if you happen to be in the area in late October to early December, this is the time where olives are picked. You can understand how labour intensive olive picking is, when seeing it in action.
We operate Rome Olive tours all year round, to discover more:
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| Olive picking with crates of olives already picked |
We, at Convivio Rome, run Half Day Olive Tours all year round, but if you happen to be in the area in late October to early December, this is the time where olives are picked. You can understand how labour intensive olive picking is, when seeing it in action.
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| Olive harvest in progress takes teamwork |
The olives need to be picked and taken to the local 'frantoio' olive mill, within 24 hours to ensure the quality of the extra virgin olive oil remains high.
Being an eighth generation Roman, means that even as a child I was taught by my parents and grandparents the importance of the Sabine Hills for it's D.O.P. extra virgin olive oil. I remember travelling with my family through the Sabine Hills to renew our supply of the famous Sabina extra virgin olive oil, and other local produce, to take back home to Rome.
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| The olive trees are full with olives ready to be picked |
Or contact me, Guido, at Convivio Rome on info@conviviorome.com
Sunday, 22 September 2019
Autumn Equinox: What foods are in season in Italy
Autumn Equinox 'equinozio d'autunno' is celebrated on the 23rd September, this year, with the hot Summer months coming to an end and Autumn beginning. On these days, there are almost equal amounts of day and night, ( in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres) which is where the word equinox — meaning "equal night" in Latin — comes from. After the Autumn Equinox peaks, the days will grow shorter and the nights will grow longer.
Growing up in the city of Rome, we always knew what was in season, by watching my father, mother and grandmother preparing meals for our family. My grandmother used to teach me and my brother that each season brings new fruit and vegetables that are perfect for the weather, your health and your next round of seasonal recipes.
Moving from Rome to the nearby countryside in the Sabine Hills has made me even more aware of the changing seasons and what fruits and vegetables are coming to an end and what will soon be produced.
As I write, our Summer garden is still producing it’s last tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini and I have just begun to plant our winter vegetables in our home permaculture garden. So I will keep you posted as to the next harvest. I will also do a lot of foraging in the winter months ahead as there is so much to gather that just grows wild in our immediate countryside.
I hope I have ‘wet your appetite’ for some more seasonal recipes to come. Wishing you all a Happy Autumn Equinox directly from my home in Italy
Buon equinozio d'autunno
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| View from our home terrace and cooking school in Autumn |
Moving from Rome to the nearby countryside in the Sabine Hills has made me even more aware of the changing seasons and what fruits and vegetables are coming to an end and what will soon be produced.
As I write, our Summer garden is still producing it’s last tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini and I have just begun to plant our winter vegetables in our home permaculture garden. So I will keep you posted as to the next harvest. I will also do a lot of foraging in the winter months ahead as there is so much to gather that just grows wild in our immediate countryside.
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| persimmons, locally called 'Caki' |
Here’s a list of just some of the more popular fruits and vegetables in their peak, or coming into season in Italy: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cavolo nero, celery, fennel, garlic, leeks, peas, pumpkin, spinach, plus olives (to be harvested in October/November), apples, blackberries, pears, grapes ( harvested in September and made into wine), prickly pear (fichi d’India), and persimmons ( locally called ‘Caki’) and chestnuts (where you will see and smell being roasted everywhere over an open fire).
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| Olives still ripening on our own olive trees |
Buon equinozio d'autunno
Friday, 9 August 2019
My Italian permaculture garden is wild
What a great sense of satisfaction, to have my permaculture garden producing so much that I can share my produce with neighbours and friends.
For more information about our Italian Cooking Holidays, Italian Cooking Classes, Rome Olive Tours and Rome Wine Tours, please contact me on info@conviviorome.com
Tuesday, 26 February 2019
Foraging in the Rome countryside
Foraging for wild herbs and vegetables is an ancient art, here in the Sabine Hills. It's a great way to integrate the vegetables you grow in the garden. My favourite is 'rapacciola' or 'ramolaccio', which essentially is a type of wild broccoli and it's closely related to radish as well. Part of the brassica family, rapacciola is delicious just boiled, then pan-fried with olive oil, garlic and salt. The leaves, the new shoots and the buds are cooked, while the tiny root can be eaten raw, thinly sliced and with a little olive oil on top. A great alternative to cultivated broccoli varieties, the rapacciola is full of good nutrients and vitamins.
Tuesday, 19 February 2019
Discount Offer on your Convivio Rome Italian Cooking Holiday - Video
Book BEFORE February 28, 2019 for 10% discount OFF
your
3 & 5 night Convivio Rome Italian Cooking Holiday
Live-like-a-local in an ancient Italian village, #cookingclasses, #olivetours, #winerytour + much, much more. The medieval village of Toffia, with just over 1,000 residence is a #hiddentreasure near #Rome in #Italy. All accommodation and all/most meals are included in your Italian cooking holiday package.
Learn more, email us on: info@conviviorome.com
Website link: www.conviviorome.com
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