Cari amici!

Gina likes to say, “Spring is the cruelest season.” One day it’s warm and sunny and flowers are popping out, the next day a cold wind blows and icy storms threaten the garden and delicate buds.

We are gearing up for our spring tours in June and looking forward to being in Piedmont! Truly, it is so beautiful there in the springtime, with rose covered bushes, fresh cherries on the trees and new strawberries on the table, full of flavor. A few years ago, one of our guests was gazing at the rolling hills of Piedmont covered in vineyards and hazelnut groves, the Tanaro River snaking through the landscape. She asked if this was our favorite region, but before we could respond, she said, “I’ve traveled all over France and Italy and this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen!”  We couldn’t agree more! Come see for yourselves, next year there are a few spots open in the spring.

All seasons of Italy bring special fruits and vegetables and welcoming them becomes a celebration! Right now in the Italian markets, there are bundles of artichokes, many different varieties, fresh from southern Italian fields. Fresh fava beans are sold in their furry pods and are perfect with new spring sheep's milk pecorino cheese. Mountains of green, white and purple asparagus are brought in bundles from fields in the Veneto.

We can join them in a little bit of celebration with asparagus just starting to come up from Mexico. Mounds of asparagus scream “Spring!” to us and we have a couple simple recipes for you to try: Asparagus on a bed of fonduta topped with a poached egg, and a delicious buttery sauce for fresh pasta (keep scrolling down!). This versatile vegetable not only adds a burst of color to our plates but also brings a wealth of health benefits to our diets.



Buona primavera (Happy spring!) - enjoy the spring season - we hope it warms up fast wherever you are!

Buon appetito!

Gina and Mary

Sugo di Asparagi (Asparagus pasta sauce)

1 bunch asparagus

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp butter

salt

Cut off the tops of the asparagus, two per person and set aside to garnish the dish later*. Slice the remaining asparagus on a thin diagonal. Heat the butter and olive oil with the whole garlic cloves, add the asparagus and saute’ on a medium high heat until bright green. Salt to taste, add a small amount of water and cook until soft. Toss with fresh pasta and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, adding additional pasta water if its too stiff. Sprinkle with parmigiano to serve and garnish with the asparagus tips.

*Boil salted water in a small pot and submerge the asparagus tips until bright green. Remove from the water, toss with a little butter and garnish the finished dish.

Asparagus with fonduta & poached egg (for 6)

This is one of our favorite spring asparagus dishes, a delicious combination of fresh spring asparagus, cheese sauce and a poached egg. It can be served as an antipasto or a main course.

Fonduta is a cheese sauce from northern Italy, made with fontina in the mountains and often enriched with egg yolks and butter. Here we are using a simple sauce of heavy cream, grated parmigiano and seasonings. You can substitute fontina for the parmigiano. Do not use pre-grated cheese as those are coated with anti-caking chemicals that you don’t need to ingest and cause the cheese not to melt properly.

4-6 asparagus per person, bottoms snapped off

1 egg per person, poached

3 cups grated parmigiano or fontina (not pre-grated)

3 cups heavy cream

Sea salt, White pepper, Nutmeg

   Either roast or steam the asparagus until bright green. Then lightly dress with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.

   Fonduta: in a heavy bottomed pot, heat the cream and add the grated cheese, stirring to incorporate it. Continue to cook until the cheese is melted. If it is too thick, add more cream and if too liquid add more cheese. Add sea salt, a dash of white pepper and a grating of nutmeg   

Poached eggs are the easiest thing in the world but somehow have a bad reputation for being difficult. Be sure the eggs are as fresh as possible because a fresh egg has a very firm white, which poaches best. Contact Gina for a 'how-to' on poaching eggs or google it. (ginastipo@yahoo.com)

   To assemble the dish, place ½ cup fontina in the bottom of a deep plate or pasta bowl. Arrange the asparagus spears on top of the sauce and top with the poached egg. A light sprinkle of sea salt finishes the plate. If you have any violets or redbud flowers, sprinkle those on top!