The Food Of Italy: Umbria and Lazio

Buon Giorno Lovelies!

Today in cooking class, we studied the two central regions of Italy, Umbria  and Lazio. Umbria is known as the Green Heart of Italy due to producing the best olive oils, and black truffles. Lazio is the region that has the Italian capital, Rome and simple pasta dishes like spaghetti alla carbonara are made. Rome is not particulalry known for it's dishes as the people enjoy eating out.Today we made veal with prosciutto and sage and for dessert we had fresh fruit tart.

Saltimbocca Alla Romana 

Crostata di Frutta Fresca 

Saltimbocca Alla Romana:

Ingredients:

Salt and pepper

Flour

8 slices of veal

8 slices of prosciutto

8 fresh sage leaves

Couple of tablespoons of butter or olive oil

8fl oz white wine

Fasten a slice of ham on top of each slice of veal, and then a sage leaf with a toothpick. Put some flour on a plate and place each piece of meat in the flour on the side without the ham and sage. Then lay them flour-side-up on a separate dish and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Melt butter in a pan and place the meat in the pan, prosciutto side up, for a couple of minutes to brown it. After a couple of minutes of cooking, cover them with a splash of white wine until the wine evaporates. They're done!

 Crostata di Frutta Fresca:

Ingredients:

4oz butter

8oz flour

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

3 egg yolks

8oz sugar

5 egg yolks

3oz flour

18fl oz milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi

Place flour on the counter and use your fingers to work the butter in with the flour until it's crumbly. Add the sugar and lemon zest  and then put three egg yolks into the middle of the pile of flour.Work the yolks into the flour mixture until the dough is evenly mixed and sticks together in a ball. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for a half an hour. To make the custard, beat the sugar into five egg yolks and then beat in flour. Bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla bean and then pour the milk into the egg mixure gradually, beating vigorously until well blended. Pour into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick.

Let the custard cool. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, with a floured rolling pin. Lay it into a 13 inch tart tin and press the dough inside, make a crusty edge and poking holes in the bottom with a fork to prevent it from rising. Bake it at 400 degrees F, for 20 minutes.Take the crust out and let cool. Fill it with the cooled custard, decorate the top with fruit and sprinkle the whole pie with powdered sugar.

The meal was delicious! I loved the saltiness that the prosciutto brought to the veal and how tender and savory the dish was. The custard pie was absolutely delicious but the cream was a bit heavy. I love anything with fresh fruit on it though so it is a dish I will be making during the breezy spring time. I devoured the entire meal in minutes because I had to run right afterward to catch my train to the airport for London! Yes, I brought my apron with me across the seas. No big deal - I just love this class so much!

Buon Appetito!

Eternally yours,
Stephanie

Photo Source: 
Katie S. blogspot