Celebrations and Hospitality

I often say I know something about hospitality, but I know nothing compared to my family here at Enoteca Properzio.  The other night we were privileged to join a group from Ciclismo Classico and a couple from Georgia as the enoteca offered a cooking class and wine tasting to celebrate a birthday and the return of Ciclismo Classico to the enoteca. A chef came into the sala di pranzo and prepared a 3 course meal for all of us. 

Cod over artichoke cream with roasted artichoke

Risotto

Risotto with peas, and truffle

Chef Angelo and Luca

The main, being built:  pickled cabbage, tomatoes

Pork tenderloin with a "sausage" made of pork belly, prosciutto and herbs

Heaven on a plate

Chef Angelo with Roberto

 

Each course is served with small production, biodynamic wines to complement each food.  

While the group was being served, we were sitting in the beautiful garden.  It had been raining all week, and the temperatures were cold, but this night was magical due to the warmer temperatures and no rain.  

Happy birthday!

No celebration is complete without a cake.  When I talk about Italy, I talk about the treasure here, it is not the food, wine, art, history or culture, it's the people.  At Enoteca Properzio, you are treated like family. Each time we bring friends here, we prove our point.  Hospitality is in their DNA, and they welcome everyone to their door.  We are leaving Spello today, I leave my heart here until we return in the fall.  Saying Ciao each time my heart breaks a bit, so ciao for now Spello.

Cooking with Chef Marco at Enoteca Properzio

Last night Chef Marco Gubiotti taught a class at Enoteca Properzio for a group of bicyclists who were in town on their trek across Italy.  Marco is a gifted chef, and teacher, and I've had the pleasure of being in on these classes to help translate (a bit) and to write out the recipes for the participants. Recently featured in the publication Gambero Rosso, Marco is the chef/owner of CucinaA in the nearby town of Foligno.  It's always a pleasure to watch him, to see the students interest in his work, and their delight in eating the final creation.  While the cooking class is going on, Roberto and his son Luca are pairing the wines that will be the perfect match for the foods that will be served.

First up was a poached egg with herbs wrapped in clingfilm, and poached

Wrapping it up

potatoes for mashing with olive oil 

Nest of mashed potatoes for the egg

Gently unwrapping the eggs after poaching

A dusting of bruschetta crumbs, and that's it

Next up asparagus risotto with organic goat cheese

A bit of green garlic sauteed in oil, then the rice, then stock

Adding thinly chopped asparagus

Add the goat cheese and parmigiano

A little parsley

Finish with salt and pepper

Pronto!

Spettacolare!

The main course was Bacala Perugina, cod in a tomato sauce with zucchini

The cod will cook confit style in herbed olive oil

zucchin for garnish

the skin of the cod is seared, then put into the oil

Tomatoes sauteed with green garlic, raisins, and chick peas

Final plating

An exquisite main course

Dessert was what Marco called Minestrone of fruit, building on pastry cream

Fruit and chocolate crumbles with mango and raspberry puree

edible flower garnish

It's always a pleasure to watch someone as talented as Marco put together an exquisite meal and to hear the diners exclaim in delight with each bite.  I'm grateful to Marco for allowing me to photograph and document his meals when I'm here.  Grazie Marco and Enoteca Properzio.