If you are a foodie, traveler, and fun-seeker like me, do not miss the awesome events taking place around this time of the year in my favorite corner of Italy, a.k.a Friuli Venezia Giulia, a.k.a HOME! Fall is pretty sweet here and there are so many fun things to do – I thought it’d be nice to share a list of my favorite events to make you want to explore this area. These are great opportunities to part-take in the local community life, experience the delicious food and get to see the beautiful places around which I’ve been blessed to grow up. Maybe I’ll see you there??…
September: time to harvest grapes to make “Il Vino del Nonno”
My favorite season is almost here and I’m super excited about the crisper days and the leaves changing colors. I feel particularly blessed to be here in Italy during this time of the year. September is a special month to spend around the place where I grew up; it’s when my family harvests grapes from my grandfather’s vines….
Harvesting Potatoes + Gnocchetti with Fresh Cherry Tomato & Black Olive Sauce
A few weeks ago, I was leaving the house to go to yoga practice when my mom called me to let me know the family was harvesting potatoes. I drove to our patch of land and saw that my uncles and aunts were all there, bending over the freshly plowed soil to pick up the potatoes my dad had planted last spring. I’m not sure whether or not I was looking for an excuse to skip yoga (I’m terrible at finding motivation to work out) but I love being together with my family for things like this – that is, working to harvest fruits and vegetables we will all enjoy for many months to come. So I went back home, dropped the mat and towel, grabbed my camera and rushed back to the potato patch….
Day Trip to Venice
Last Saturday, around noon, my friend Roby asked me if I was interested taking a day trip to Venice to see Henri Rousseau’s exhibit at the Doge’s Palace. I’m usually not good at being spontaneous, but I really wanted to take a break from household chores and spend some quality time with a dear friend; wandering around the alleys of one of the most beautiful cities in the world (conveniently located at an hour train ride from home) wasn’t a bad idea either. We were in Venice by 4 pm.
We took our time walking around, getting lost, chatting, snapping silly pictures, looking at beautiful paintings, and drinking aperitivo on our way to a late dinner. Then we caught the last train back home.
We had a great time together. It was like floating on a timeless friendship cloud. Luckily I had my camera with me and I was able to freeze the beauty surrounding us.
Rustic Peach Crostata and a Picnic in my Dad’s Orchard
I’m a HUGE fan of picnics—perhaps, I’m the most enthusiastic “picnic-ER” you’ll ever meet and I have tons of good memories from past family outings. When I was little, I used to love singing in the car with my parents. Then, as I grew older, the excitement was mainly for the games we’d play all together, or the places we explored and hiked. These days, it’s simply about enjoying each other’s company in the middle of nature. Food definitely plays a good part in making the whole event more pleasant.
Ever since I got back to Italy, I’ve been wanting to go on a picnic with the whole family SO badly. Unfortunately, not everybody’s schedule seems to line up (at least for this month)…so I tried to compensate. A few days ago, despite the chilly weather, I decided to gather whomever was around, grab a table and a few chairs and set out an impromptu picnic in my dad’s orchard, a few steps beyond our fence. It’s definitely not a wild or picturesque mountain scenery, nonetheless a nice and enjoyable place–conveniently located next door! I’m surprised it took us so many years to realize it’s more than just a place for foraging or taking walks.
My mom and I teamed up and prepared all the food in the morning. We made a farro salad with sautéed veggies, a nice and soft focaccia bread, a few crispy eggplant fritters, and a beautiful rustic peach crostata. Not bad for an improvised get-together! We also quickly boiled a few eggs (a must for any picnic) and we packed them up in our cute picnic basket (I love that thing!). I made coffee as well, as I really wanted to use this tacky-but-kinda-adorable coffee thermos I found in the basement. Then, I loaded a couple of folding chairs, a little table and a couple of blankets on a wheel barrel and I carried everything to the orchard. The rest of the group followed me with the food.
We had a fun and relaxing lunch and it was so nice to be together, under the shade of my dad’s trees. It’s a meaningful place for my family as those trees were planted by my dad and grandfather. They were little twigs and now they’re full sized trees! Amazing.
Everybody raved about my crostata. The crust was nicely colored and perfectly textured: it was buttery, delicate, and flaky. I used Saturn peaches as filling and was able balance their very sweet flavor with a good amount of lemon juice and the tartness of a few cherries. Visually speaking, the crostata is colorful and imperfectly beautiful…in a word: rustic!! This recipe is absolutely a keeper and I’ll definitely make it again soon, before peach season is over.
Rustic Peach Crostata
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Adapted from Bon Appétit, July 2002
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
- -CRUST
- 1⅔ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (42 g) polenta flour (coarse cornmeal)
- 3 Tbsp (42 g) sugar
- ¼ lemon peel, grated (use about ½ lemon)
- ¾ tsp (4 g) salt
- 14 Tbsp (200 g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ⅓ cup (75 ml) ice water
- -FILLING
- ¼ cup (57 g) sugar
- 1½ tsp (5 g) cornstarch
- 4 medium saturn peaches, each pitted and cut into slices
- a handful of cherries, pitted
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, beaten
- Raw sugar crystals
- Peach preserves, heated
Instructions
- Combine the first 5 ingredients in a processor and blend for 5 seconds. Add butter and blend just until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. Add ice water. Blend until dough comes together in moist clumps (adding more water if dough is dry). Form a ball (adding more flour, if necessary) and flatten into disk. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Let dough soften slightly at room temperature and roll it on lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, turning it occasionally to prevent sticking. Transfer onto a round baking pan (the edges will probably stick out). Chill until dough firms slightly, about 15 minutes.
- Mix fruit, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla in a bowl. Let stand until juices are released, stirring fruit occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Take dough out of the fridge. Spoon fruit and juices into center of dough leaving out the edges. Lift about 2 inches of dough border and fold it down over fruit. Brush folded border with egg glaze; sprinkle with raw sugar.
- Bake until crust is golden brown and fruit filling is bubbling, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven and brush fruit with peach preserves. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
To ensure a flaky crust, be careful not to overwork the butter.
