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Cari amici,
We've returned from our culinary tours in Italy - and had a fabulous time with our groups! Grazie mille for coming along to see some of our favorite parts of Italia!
We've been busy since we returned in designing our newest tour to the Piedmonte region next fall. Yes, we're still entrenched in beautiful Toscana and will lead 4 tours there next year, but the Piedmonte is special too - with their renowned wines, truffles, hazelnuts and chocolates! Gina's new restaurant At the Italian Table in Louisville is receiving rave reviews! Here's a review just out in a local L'ville magazine - A Taste of Tuscany. Enjoy the latest news here - we're featuring squashes and pumpkins just in time for roasting and soup making. Buon Appetito!Gina and Mary |
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Winter Squash in all its Glory!
Winter squashes are glorious. They come in beautiful sleek packages and when you cut them open they are a glorious
golden orange - alive and shining! And we have so many varieties now: butternut, acorn, spaghetti, delicata, Hubbard, pumpkin - both jack-o-lantern and pie - and some intriguing ones I don't know the names. Lots of pumpkins are sold in October to make into Jack-o-Lanterns, but
they are delicious on the table as well.
In Italy they grow winter squash and the relatively new pumpkin as big as possible and
sell them at the market by the slice, allowing you to buy just how much you think you need. This certainly eliminates waste and encourages use. But I've noticed that here in the US they cultivate smaller sizes - people don't want to purchase more than they'll eat.
My all-time favorite squash is the Hubbard because there's so much meat and it's so
versatile: you can make
delicious soups and stuffed pastas, but it's also great just roasted and pureed.
My new favorite this year is delicata! Elongated and striped, it's a beautiful little squash, just right for one or two people.  I cut them in half long-wise and roast them in the oven cut side down with a little water and olive oil in the bottom of the pan. When they're soft, scoop the meat out and dress it with sea salt, butter or olive oil, and a good grating of nutmeg. What more could you want on a chilly fall evening!
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Louisville News
For those of you in and around Louisville or traveling there soon!
At the Italian Table is going incredibly well! We will have our liquor license November 1st, so look for amazing Italian wines, grappa and amaros - and wine dinners! This winter we have several special wine dinners planned! The first is with our friends at
Banfi vitners - January 11th. Gina will pair her dishes with this Tuscan based winery.
Call now for your reservations - limited seating!
We are booking for dinners weeks in advance.
Please make reservations only by telephone: 502-883-0211. Leave a message and the phone calls will be returned in the order they were received. In the event there's a last minute cancellation and seats become available, we'd like to let you know! We'll be posting on Facebook. So, "like" us on Facebook and check to see if there's any last minute space!
Trolley Hop - Oct 30 - Hop off! At the Italian Table this Friday - Gina is roasting a whole pig - Porchetta bliss..just like in Tuscany!
See you At the Italian Table!  |
