The beauty of Fall continues with the changing colors and warm, healthy soups!

Ciao a tutti! We've accepted that fall is here. It took us a while, as you may have noticed. It’s the first time in 20 years we haven’t been in Italy in the fall, which has always made the transition out of summer so much easier to accept! We love autumn; it is just difficult to leave the summer sun and warmth behind. Yet so many cozy things about the fall season are welcome: the color of the turning leaves, the warmth of a fire in the fireplace or backyard fire pit, the brisk air, and comforting, hearty soups that warm us for the cold winter on its way.  Soups especially are perfect on an autumn night. We've been cooking several delicious varieties lately and have included two of them below - traditional cannellini bean and vegetable ribollita. There are so many different beans that lend themselves perfectly for soups, but cannellini is the most used in Tuscany. Pureed with the traditional herbs of rosemary and sage, the fragrance and flavor carry us back to Tuscany every time. Ribollita, the traditional bread soup from Tuscany makes a return to menus in the fall. It is a rich vegetable soup that includes kale, cannellini beans and leftover Tuscan bread. Both of the soups are fabulous drizzled with great extra virgin olive oil before serving!   For those of you who've only been to Italy in the heat of the summer, we highly recommend a trip in the fall as it is absolutely beautiful! The weather is clear and cool, there are fewer tourists and the autumn mist settles over the landscape gives everything a medieval feel. It is magical! It's been over a year since we were in Italy last and our friends have been sending photos of their grape and olive harvests. It makes us miss Italy more than every! So we started a list of what we miss most! Scroll down to read it! We'll be talking about the olive harvest in next month's newsletter!    Buon appetito! Gina and Mary

What we miss MOST about Fall in Italy... As we're dreaming (and planning!) our return to Italy next year, here's a list of what we're missing most this fall. We are hopeful that things will be more normal next year and we'll partake in these again! - Eating sausages and bruschetta grilled over a wood fire at the frantoio (olive press), all drizzled with the freshly pressed olive oil - A walk in the woods to hunt porcini and chanterelles and pick up chestnuts among the golden chestnut leaves to roast over the fire later - How the autumn fog and mist hangs around the ancient buildings, obscuring modern life and transporting you back in time - The way the morning fog lifts away to reveal a clear and sunny, blue sky (that's our first picture up above!) - Warming ourselves in front of a roaring fire in the villa after a day of winery visits - Gazing at the Milky Way and millions of stars overhead in a clear night sky - The smell of wood smoke in the air - Hunting truffles with Paolo and Millie in his truffle reserve and finding beautiful white truffles! - Enjoying a truffle lunch at Donatella’s with lots of great Vino Nobile   What do you miss about Italy? Feel free to share with us your favorite Italy memories - visit our Ecco La Cucina page on Facebook or send us an email and we'll include in a future post!

Zuppa di Fagioli 3 cups dried cannellini beans, soaked 4 hours 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup olive oil 2 quarts vegetable or chicken broth, or water* ½ cup tomato puree fresh rosemary, 1 tsp finely chopped 2 sage leaves, chopped sea salt pasta, small shapes for soup (optional)   Pour soaking liquid off beans, add fresh water, and bring to a simmer, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface before the water boils. Once the foam is removed, add 1 tbsp of sea salt and a bay leaf and continue to cook until the beans are soft. The length of time will depend on how old or fresh your beans are but should take about 2 hours.   Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add fresh rosemary and sage, sauté gently 5 minutes. Add beans, tomato and broth and cook at least 30 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or food mill, return to the heat, adding additional water if it's too thick. Salt and pepper to taste.    Add cooked pasta if using, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to serve.   *Note on broth: I never use canned or boxed broth, it is too strong and overpowers the other flavors. To make a simple broth, simmer a carrot, half onion, celery stick, parsley sprig, and bay leaf with a piece of chicken or beef rib; leave meat out for a simple vegetable broth. If you must use canned broth, dilute it 10 parts water to 1 part broth.

Ribollita (Tuscan bread soup) Literally meaning “reboiled”, ribollita is leftover vegetable soup that is reboiled before eating. As with many stews, it gets better the 2nd day, but you don’t need to wait to enjoy! 1 onion, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 2 carrots, peeled and diced 1 cup cabbage, chopped 2 cups cavolo nero (aka lacinato or Tuscan kale. Failing that, kale, chopped) ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more 2 cups cannellini beans, dried 1 large can tomatoes, crushed 2 bay leaves 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped Sea salt and pepper Tuscan bread    Soak the cannellini beans 4 hours, cover with fresh water and simmer till almost cooked through, with bay leaf. Scoop off any foam that forms at the beginning of cooking, then add salt.  Sauté the onions, celery and carrots in the olive oil in a large soup pot until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage, kale, beans, tomatoes and parsley along with several quarts of fresh water and the bay leaves, 2 times the amount of veggies. Simmer an hour or two. Season with salt and pepper to taste while cooking.  Add a huge quantity of old stale bread, enough to soak up all the liquid, breaking it up until it becomes part of the soup. (A good bread to use is Tuscan Pane from Trader Joe’s.)

This Month's Italian saying...  "Non vedo l'ora!" Translated to: "I cannot see the hour" - and means - I cannot wait! or I'm looking forward to it. As in: Non vedo l'ora di tornare in Italia! - I cannot WAIT to return to Italy!

Travel to Italy 2021 Dates Are you dreaming of going to Italy? We will be going back and planning on returning next spring! We've added a few weeks, so if you're interested - please contact Mary for details, questions and to secure your spot! Tuscany, Spring: May 29 – June 5, 2021 Piedmont: June 6 – 13, 2021 Piedmont: June 14 - 21, 2021 Puglia: September 19 – 26, 2021 Puglia: Sept 26-October 3, 2021 - sold out Puglia: October 3- 10, 2021 - 4 spots left Tuscany: October 16 -23, 2021 Tuscany: October 23 -30, 2021

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Gina Stipo and Mary Stipo Potter | Ecco La Cucina | 1-972-342-8308| Email | Website

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