A new apartment: La Casina Nuova

We're delighted to announce that this season we're going to have a new apartment!

The Casina Nuova apartment is my old apartment and we are currently renewing it for guests. It stands in the same building as Casina dei Tordi, 500 metres away from the main house and the swimming pool, that can be easily reached (walking or driving) along an internal road in the farm (you will meet our cows along the way).

It's located on the ground floor and it features an amazing and cool porch where you'll be able to dine al-fresco and relax after a long day discovering the wonders of Northern Le Marche (btw, have a look at LE MARCHE PHOTO BLOG to see some of the places that you can visit during your stay!).
You enter into a sitting and dining room with kitchen. The kitchen is fully equipped with fridge, gas stove, oven, microwave, coffee machine and everything you need to prepare and enjoy your latest food market discovery or our vegetables directly from the kitchen garden next door.
There are two bedrooms, one with queensize bed and complete en-suite bathroom with shower, the other one with two comfortable twin beds (that can be made into a kingsize - and you will not notice that it's two beds put together!) and next door a full bathroom with shower and washing machine.
The apartment has wi-fi access for those who can't live without it and it's very cool, even during the hottest seasons due to its orientation.
I will soon post some photos of the real thing!

GREEN VALLE NUOVA (Fact sheet)

We have 166Kw of photovoltaic panels installed on the roofs of our cowshed, barn and stables (or we will shortly have them again after the snow crashed some of them last February).
In 1 year our solar panels produced 184000 Kwh of electricity, enough for 18 U.S. or 52 Italian households (average data).

This means that every year we have 100000 kg of CO2 less in the athmosphere thanks to our plant.

It's difficult to calculate how much CO2 our farm and Locanda produce (data available online are usually referred to industrial farming, not smallholding, let alone organic farming), but I think I can say that we're carbon neutral.

Photo of the day: making Crescia sfogliata

Northern Le Marche typical flatbread is called Crescia sfogliata or Crostolo depending on where you are, it's a gorgeous mix of flour, eggs, rendered lard, milk, salt and pepper and it's fun to make.

Come and learn how to make it at Valle Nuova cooking classes!

Photo of the day: wine grapes

Sangiovese and Montepulciano grapes from our vine

FORAGING: Nocino

I posted my Nocino (green walnut liqueur) recipe some time ago but, having started this new series about foraging, having just collected my nuts for 2012 nocino and being about to try the one I made in 2011 (I leave it rest for 1 year), I think that today is the perfect time to remind you that you should be picking your walnuts!
You can find the recipe here.

This is a very busy time of the year if you collect wild herbs, flowers and fruits... so do not miss my next posts about St John's Wort and Lime Tree!

FORAGING: Dandelion liqueur

Ever since I discovered how Taraxacum officinale is called in English, I thought that it's a funny name... Dandelion is originally Dent de lion (Lion tooth), the French name for it. It's called the same in Italian (Dente di leone) and I guess that it refers to the toothed shape of the leaves.
But the really funny name is the other French common name (as well its name in Northern Italian dialects): Pissenlit (pee in bed) that refers to its diuretic properties.
Its freshly grown leaves are collected in spring and early autumn, boiled and eaten along with other wild plants. They are known in Northern Le Marche as Erbe di campo (lit. Field herbs) and they are usually sauteed with olive oil (lard in the traditional version) with garlic.
The roots are collected, dried, ground and used as a (not very interesting) substitute for coffee.
But my favorite use is Dandelion flowers liqueur!
You need:
100 dandelion flowers (collected when fully in bloom)
A syrup made with 250 g of water and 300 gr of sugar
2 whole lemons cut in pieces
Juice of 2 lemons
750 g of water
750 g of 95º alcohol
(you can use Vodka and reduce the amount of water accordingly)

Make a syrup with 250 g of water and 300 g of sugar and let cool.
In a glass jar that you can close tightly put the flowers, lemons, lemon juice and syrup.
Close, store in a warm place and let rest for 1 week.
Add the 750g water and the alcohol and leave for about 3 months.
Filter and enjoy!

A NEW SERIES OF BLOG POSTS: FORAGING

In my opinion one of the pleasures of living in the countryside is getting in touch with nature in many different ways. 

I love having the possibility of meeting the little creatures that inhabit our world without us realizing. Today, driving along a white road by the farm, I saw a blackbird in the middle of the road carrying a huge worm and struggling to fly away when it saw my car. Hurrying to fly away it lost the worm and panicked, trying to decide between its prey and dear life. I slowed down allowing it to run back (blackbirds tend to run instead of flying), get the worm and run away. A few months ago I had the funniest meeting with a very cheeky dormouse who was as curios of understanding what kind of animal I was as I was of seeing how near was it going to come. 

The other great pleasure is redescovering the countryside traditions, things that people did for centuries and that we, contemporary town people, lost completely. I still remember my first sausage and the day that I made cheese using fig leaves as rennet (it worked perfectly but the cheese was dreadful). This also includes foraging: flowers, leaves, berries, sprouts, buds... and of course experimenting old and new recipes to prepare dishes, liqueurs, syrups, jams, jellies, preserves, medicines and much more.
This year spring is early, so elder is blooming right now here in Northern Le Marche. The first instalment of this new series about foraging (and preparing yummy goodies), after this long introduction, will be two links to gorgeous recipes using elder flowers. Enjoy!

ELDERFLOWER JELLY (AND CAKE)

ELDERFLOWER LIQUEUR

La Città Ideale - The Ideal City

From April 6th to July 8th 2012 the Ducal Palace in Urbino will host The Ideal City - Renaissance Utopia in Urbino between Piero della Francesca and Raphael.

The painted panel of The Ideal City in the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche is one of the most fascinating enigmas of the Italian Renaissance. We do know neither why is was painted nor by whom, yet it is a compendium of art, science and philosophic speculation, one of the highest achievements of the civilization that flourished at Urbino in the second half of the fifteenth century, at the court of Duke Federico da Montefeltro, one of the most learned and enlightened lords of his time.
In the exhibition at the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino, curated by Lorenza Mochi Onori and Vittoria Garibaldi, the Urbino panel is finally open to public view along with another "ideal city", similar in style, from the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore (unfortunately, a third in Berlin cannot be moved due to its poor state of conservation). A unique opportunity to broaden our knowledge of such singular and mysterious works, to explore the meaning behind the idea of a city as it is reflected in the architecture of the paintings, and to understand the meaning of the utopias depicted in them.
Alongside this panel, many other works are on display, about 50 in all, including paintings, sculptures, wood inlays, drawings, medals, illuminated manuscripts and architectural treatises, which give us a global picture of one of the high points in the history of this small capital city, set in the mountains and hills of Montefeltro, in the midst of the lands of Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and Romagna.
There are works by Jacopo de Barbari, Piero della Francesca, Luca Signorelli, Fra’ Carnevale, Domenico Veneziano, Sassetta, Mantegna, Perugino, Bramante and finally Raphael, who, having learnt his art in the cultural climate of Urbino, was to become one of the great architects of 1500s. Two works by Raphael feature in the exhibition: a drawing and the predella of the Oddi Altarpiece exceptionally loaned for the occasion by the Vatican Museums.
The venue, and at the same time a constituent element of the exhibition, is the splendid Palazzo Ducale in Urbino, built with the contribution of architects who invented the very language of the Renaissance: Leon Battista Alberti, Luciano Laurana and Francesco di Giorgio Martini, all three of whom have been attributed the painting of the Urbino panel.
(Text from the official page of the exhibition)

Urbino Ideal City

Berlin Ideal City

Baltimore Ideal City

Photo of the day: cotechino, ciauscolo & salame

Sorry vegetarian friends!
Ciauscolo, cotechino and salame meats ready to go in their casings.
Cotechino will be cured for one week and then in the freezer to be enjoyed later, boiled along with other mixed meats or with lentils.
Salame and ciauscolo will be hung for a few months until they develop their amazing aromas. YUM!

Photo of the day: quinces

Photo of the day: bitesize pickled sweet peppers

Photo of the day: PUMPKINS!!!

What can you do when, arriving at home after a long day, you find a wheelbarrow filled with pumpkins?
I guess that start thinking about how to wash and store them and look for recipes! :)

September is here!

The temperatures are unusually high, we haven't had any rain for over 40 days, September is being quite unusual this year... but luckily, as we do every year in September, we are enjoying the best sunsets!

Photo of the day: Chicca on Monte Catria

Photo of the day: Visciole (with recipe)

Sour cherries (a wild local variety called visciola) sitting in the sun.
To prepare an amazing syrupy preserve fill a jar with sour-cherries leaving some space between the cherries and the ridge, top it up with sugar, covering throughly. Close the jar and let sit in the sun for a couple of months shaking (during the hottest hours) during the first days to dissolve the sugar.
Serve with Panna Cotta!

A new green step

It's been a long and busy spring, well, actually it's been a long and busy winter, spring and summer is not proving anything easier...
We are trying to survive the attack of all the paperwork needed to install photovoltaic panels and start putting energy back into the grid.
Yes, we installed more photovoltaic panels and the last one has been connected last week so now we officially have a 166Kw plant (divided in 5 plants, two for internal use and three for selling) that should be enough to provide energy to around 60 households.

Most important, all our plants are located on the roofs of existing buildings: stables, cow-sheds, barns. We think that producing green energy is very important but we do not want to stop farming to devote the land to energy production (we do not plant energy crops either) and we do not want our beautiful hills to be spotted with huge mirror-looking photovoltaic plants instead of the shades of green of alfalfa and the oak woods, the golden wheat or the geometrical patterns of the vines.

So, please celebrate with us that Valle Nuova is now making another tiny effort for conservation and a cleaner world!

Photo of the day: liqueurs, different stages

Left to right: nocino wine (two steps and it will become an amazing syrup for mascarpone cream), artichoke liqueur, uva fragola (concord grapes) liqueur, quince liqueur (2010, it will be ready for drinking in 2014...), tangerine liqueur (my great grandfather's favourite recipe), (front) apple pip liqueur.

Photo of the day: English roses at Valle Nuova

David Austin Teasing Georgia loves it here at Valle Nuova!

Photo of the day: Marchigiana cows at Valle Nuova

Our Marchigiana cows happily roaming in the fields below the Locanda.

Valle Nuova on Travel + Leisure

July issue of T+L features an article about the best Agriturismi in Italy

Agriturismi: Italy's Best Affordable Spots by Anya von Bremzen

Le Marche: Locanda della Valle Nuova
You can’t help wondering what a woman like Giulia Savini—fluent in three languages and with two international master’s degrees—is doing living in Le Marche raising white Marchigiana cows and pampering guests on her 185-acre farm. But Savini and her parents, who also live on site, are as passionate about the environment as they are about hospitality. A short drive from the Renaissance town of Urbino, their 1980’s farm, with six modern guest rooms and three apartments, is as eco-conscious as it gets: crops are strictly organic, the stove is fueled by tree prunings, and electricity is generated by photovoltaic panels on the roof. If you don’t care for morning horseback rides or excursions to artisanal producers, stay here for the food. Loyal to her Piedmontese roots, Giulia’s mamma, Signora Adriana, makes an unforgettable beef bollito misto as well as a rich tagliatelle, made with eggs from her henhouse, that’s tossed in a deep-flavored wild-boar ragù. The best she saves for last: some two dozen house-made liqueurs culled from the pantry, crammed with colorful jars of elderflower and sour-cherry preserves.

2011 kittens

Almost one month ago we sadly discovered that one of the farm cats had an accident and she had left 4 kittens all alone in the cow-shed.
When I tried to catch them I got lots of hissing and a bleeding scratch on my cheek, but they soon understood that I was not so bad when I fed them a wonderful mix of warm milk, cream and egg yolk (about 200 g of warm milk, 2 tbsp cream, 1 egg yolk with no white whatsoever, it's very bad for kittens!).
This is how they looked all well fed and relaxed on their second day at home:

They grew, they begun eating more and more milk, I started mixing some beef baby food to their milk, they destroyed 2 bottle nipples biting them with their sharp growing teeth, they started to eat soft food and to lick milk (so funny when they first tried!) and now they're lively, greedy eaters, playful and ready to find a new family and a new home.

Photo of the day: home-made salami, ciauscolo, sausages

Photo of the day: roses for jam

Photo of the day: the first rose of the season

6/4/2 Herbal liqueur

Here's another of the liqueurs that I prepare for guests at Valle Nuova.This is a good herbal liqueur, not sweet that is made with herbs that can be found at Valle Nuova (wild or in our herb-garden) and spices that are easily found in any kitchen.

6 basil leaves (Ocimum basilicum)
6 sage leaves (Salvia officinalis)
6 laurel/bay leaves (Laurus nobilis)
6 mint leaves (Mentha) any variety (I use Mentha aquatica)
6 lemon leaves (Citrus limon)
6 lemon verbena leaves (Aloysia citrodora)
6 cloves (Eugenia caryophyllata)
6 cm long rosemary sprig (Rosmarinus officinalis)
4 juniper berries (Juniperus communis)
4 pinches of tea leaves
4 pinches of dry camomille flowers (Matricaria recutita)
2 pinches of ground nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)
2 pinches of saffron (Crocus sativus)

1 litre 95% alcohol

1 litre water
300 gr sugar

Mix the herbs and spices and alcohol and let rest in a cool and dark place for 1 week. Filter twice using a cloth or paper filter.
Mix the sugar and water in a pan, let boil for 2 minutes and let cool. Mix the syrup and the alcohol.
Bottle and let rest for 3 months before drinking it.
Enjoy!

Photo of the day: cherry blossoms

Marco's Way: Food and Wine tours in Le Marche

This is an important time of the year for wine producers, it's pruning time and pruning is basic if you want good quality grapes and thus good quality wine.

I have been willing to participate into one of Marco's food and wine tours for a long time, and a few days ago the occasion arose.

We started visiting Cantina Luigi Giusti that stands in the Lacrima di Morro d'Alba d.o.c. area (do not guess that this wine has something to do with Alba, Piedmont and read this article for more information).

The Lacrima is a very unusual wine that is only produced in Le Marche, after Luigi Giusti showed us how they prune the vines and explained why, the tasting began! 

We tasted different wines all made with the same grapes including 2 beautiful Rosé and Vino di Visciole (a yummy dessert wine made with red wine and sour cherries).

The second visit was Caseificio Piandelmedico in Jesi, they produce cow and buffalo cheeses including a beautiful mozzarella and more unusual buffalo blue cheese and taleggio style cheese. They are so good that I didn't even think about taking a picture!

After a good lunch prepared specially for us, accompained by wines from different cantine of Le Marche, at Antiche cantine del Porticello in Jesi we headed to the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi d.o.c. area.

Vallerosa Bonci farm produce some of the most awarded Verdicchio wines. We tried classical and excellent spumante and also a great (and not too sweet) Verdicchio Passito.

I normally prefer red wines but I really enjoyed those Verdicchios!

The last cantina that we visited is located in the Conero Natural Park near Ancona and produces mostly Rosso Conero wine: Moroder is probably one of the best known wineries in Le Marche but it's still a family business and visiting it with Marco (who worked here years ago) is perfect,  actually everywhere we went we felt informally welcome, none of the officiality and stiffness, just people that show their love for what they do.

We visited the beautiful old and new cellar and tasted some wines sitting outside, chatting and drinking until sunset. 

Farms in Le Marche are family run, not big businesses, the wineries of Le Marche produce some very fine wines, most of them still little known, but very interesting.

With Marco you have the possibility to get to know people, farms, wines and other typical products (not only cheese but honey, extra vergin olive oil) that would be difficult to reach without his kowledge of the area and the people. 

Marco is a wine and olive oil producer himself, loves and knows Le Marche and speaks good English (he's been living in the UK and Australia for a long time) and he's the perfect person to show the best of Le Marche wines to experts and novices alike.

Visit his webpage for more information about the tours and have a look at the sunset that he prepared to finish our day with him! :)

Photo of the day: pratoline

Everything Elderflower 2: Elderflower liqueur

Winter 2011 is cold, it snowed for a couple of days and I'm snowed in, hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get out of here!
Spring and Summer colours, smells and flavours have a great appeal when everything outside is cold and silent snow, so here's my Elderflower liqueur recipe: smells of Spring perfect for Winter consumption! :)
First of all you need to collect and dry your elderflowers, you can see how I do this here.
Once you have the flowers you need:

50/60 big elderflower heads
2 lemons
300 gr of sugar
450 gr of 95º alcohol
550 gr of water
(If you can't find 95º alcohol use a strong Vodka and reduce the amount of water accordingly)

Make a syrup by boiling the water and sugar for 1 minute.
Mix the syrup, alcohol, juice of the 2 lemons and the "leftover" rind in a glass jar that you can close tightly.

Leave in a warm place for 6/7 weeks.
Drain, discard the lemon rinds and filter the flowers using a clean cloth. "Wash" the flowers with 100 gr of alcohol and filter again squeezing as much as you can.
Add a syrup made with 100 gr of water and 50 gr of sugar.
Let rest for 4 months minimum (1 year is better).
ENJOY!

Alimentare in Cagli

Alimentare opened in Cagli on August 5th 1999, a place to buy or taste the best foods and beverages from Le Marche.
It's a shop where you can buy amazing cheeses and salamis, yummy sauces and preserves, the best pastas; it's a wine shop with the best local and Italian wines (and artisan beers); it's a friendly café for a coffee or an aperitivo; it's a restaurant for home-made lunches made with local quality ingredients.

Ketti and Ale will help you choose the right product and cuddle you with their recipes and attentions. Visit their brand new website.

Pesaro Urbino Le Marche Discover Test and Live

The Province of Pesaro & Urbino presented today "Pesaro Urbino Le Marche ONTDEK, PROEF EN BELEEF" a small guide of the Province in Dutch.
You can download it here

Preparing cooking classes for 2011

NEW!
 We will start offering cooking classes at Locanda della Valle Nuova!

At the moment I'm planning, studying and experimenting and more information will be available soon.
The photo below (Piadina a flat bread that is typical in the coastal area of Northern Le Marche and neighbouring Romagna) is part of the process, I'll post more soon.

Please leave your suggestions below if you wish.

Where to go when. Italy

Locanda della Valle Nuova is one of the suggested accommodations in Le Marche in the brand new "Where to go when. Italy" DK guidebook

Persimmon

Photo of the day: preparing liqueurs

Some of this summer's liqueurs, left to right: artichokes, dandelion, elderflower (back), herbs, orange with coriander and anise.

Recipes will follow soon!

Peperoncini ripieni (stuffed peppers)

Here goes my family recipe of these traditional Piemontese delicacies.

STUFFED PRESERVED PEPPERS
For about 50 tiny round peppers (can be hot or semisweet, as you prefer)

Half a litre of white or apple vinegar
Half a litre of white wine
1 1/2 tsp of salt

About 200 gr of good canned tuna
80 gr of very good quality anchovies
50 capers
Good Extra virgin olive oil

You will need plastic gloves if using hot peppers!

Wash the peppers and take away the stems. Wear your gloves and empty, so that you get rid of all the seeds and white bits inside (I use one of those tiny scoopers normally used for melon or watermelon).

Now bring the wine, vinegar and salt to a boil and cook the peppers for 5 minutes (calculated from the moment when the liquid boils again after adding the peppers). Drain and let cool upsidedown over a cloth.
Prepare the filling by putting the tuna & anchovies (desalted if needed).
When the peppers are dry and cool fill each of them with about 1 tsp of the filling and add a caper on top, pressing a bit.

Pack as tightly as you can without squeezing the filling out of them in glass jars and top with as much olive oil as it takes to cover them completely. Make sure that there are no pockets of air!
Close the jars and wait 3 or 4 weeks before eating them!
ENJOY!