A Tuscan View - from Umbria

6 manly ways to catch a mouse

7th November 2007

6 manly ways to catch a mouse;

1. Hope it dies of natural causes over the next couple of days.
2. Try, once again, to convince either the deaf cat or the stupid dog to be interested.
3. Give up and buy a friendly mouse trap, at considerable expense.
4. Throw the friendly mouse trap away as I can hear the mice looking at it and laughing.
5. Buy two proper mouse traps, cheap and nasty.
6. Wait, assuming that my education and qualifications will be enough to outwit both the mice and my children, all of whom will be very cross if they stumble across them.

3 reasons why our first olive harvest may have been a bit pathetic;

1. Too much sun in May, or not enough rain.
2. Olive fly has swept through this area.
3. We only have 4 olive trees.

Our olive harvest - 2007

3 reasons to have bought new safety glasses;

1. My 'look' was recently described as 'a bit Sangatte'
2. Price tag of €5.20
3. They make me believe I look a bit like Bono.

Bono

The stupidest thing I did today;
See above.

Putting down roots

25th May 2007

Today we have planted three beautiful olive trees. It is a momentous day, a day for putting down roots. After lunch, two of the olive trees arrived on a truck, along with two very smiley men, a mini crane and a cute little baby digger. It took them just a few minutes to dig the holes that would have taken Marito days. The crane lifts the trees and carefully lowers them into place. A bit of shovelling later and their silvery leaves had merged with the surrounding landscape as if they had always been there. The third new tree to spread its roots into this warm clay soil is my own beloved olive tree.
Tired of fretting about its health in its new (slightly too small) enormous pot, I have decided to set it free. This is quite an emotional event for me, having nourished this tree with paternal ashes. However, considering my father’s love of wildlife, sunshine and la dolce vita, I figure that there is no better resting place than this. The men are happy to dig an extra hole and the crane makes easy work of lifting the tree out of its pot. And so it is planted, it has found a home where it’s grey-green leaves can shimmer in the sun and it’s roots can at last grow deep.
I must say it looks mighty fine standing in the rough grass and we toast it; the girls, Marito and I wet it in with half a bottle of prosecco.

Later there is a loud crashing noise and much commotion outside the front of the casa. It seems that we have forgotten to move the new enormous (now empty) terracotta pot and Maurizio, our uber-cool geometra has reversed his Alfa Romeo into it. Our second pot crashes to the ground in bits.
Marito mutters something rude as we pick up the pieces.

The best thing I ate today:
Mozzarella – The world of Mozzarella is enticing me to try more and more varieties, the subtle differences compel me. I am falling in love with Mozzarella. The best are made from leavened buffalo milk; small ‘uova di buffalo’ or the plaited Teccia, floating palely in pools of their own buttermilk. The same kind of cheese is also made from cow’s milk and is called Fior di Latte, good but with less flavour. Both types should be eaten drippingly fresh to appreciate the subtleties of cool soft whiteness and clean lactic tang.

Where to get it;
Supermarkets, alimentari and markets - everywhere in Italy.

Olive tree v Fiat Panda

18th May 2007

This morning I am splashing water onto the old worn terracotta floor in the girl’s bedroom, mopping and wondering. Wondering how many work-sore feet have padded these rough, cool tiles? Who else has slept in these high beamed rooms and what secrets have fallen between the cracks? Within these walls people have been born and people have died. They’ve drunk wine, laughed, cried, made love and made pasta.

My musing is disturbed by a loud crashing noise and much commotion outside the front of the casa. Delio (or Elio, not sure which), who turns out to be an eighty year old former inhabitant, who has come to shoot the breeze with mio marito, has reversed his Fiat Panda into the beloved olive tree. Not much damage to the tree (or to the Panda), but the enormous pot is smashed to bits.
Good job we’re in Italy, land of enormous pots.

Best thing I ate today:
Pasta sauce with chicken and courgettes

Whilst practising quick and easy lunches for prospective art courses, I rather successfully cooked this up. Make sure you don’t overcook the courgettes or add too much cream, the idea is to keep it light and fresh-tasting. (This makes enough sauce for two people)

1 chicken breast, chopped into very small pieces
1 small onion and 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 courgette, finely grated
1 teaspoon of good stock granules
2 or 3 tablespoons of single cream
A splash of white wine or vermouth

In a proper frying pan, sweat the onions and the garlic, add the chicken and stir. (The idea is not to colour it too much.)
Add the courgettes and stir vigorously.
Add the cream, stock and a splash of white wine or vermouth, I prefer vermouth.
Let it bubble-up for a few minutes.
Add a handful of coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley and tip the whole lot into some (hopefully) al dente pasta.

Where to get it ;
make it yourself!

The Olive Tree

January 13th 2007

It wasn’t just the four of us and our aging cat that moved to Italy, there was also my beloved olive tree.

It took a lot of hysterical persuasion to get the removal men to take my tree at all as they had no loading equipment - it was only the intervention of our local newsagent and the loan of his trolley that got the tree into the van, albeit somewhat crushed and bowed.

You see, it’s a special tree, not just because it was a generous gift from an old friend but, in moment of sentimental drunkenness, I tipped my half of my late father’s ashes into the enormous terracotta pot and wetted them in with half a bottle of Cava (he loved a drop of Cava).

Best thing I ate today;
Pure pork Tuscan sausages - the 'King of Bangers' - dense and salty, eat them with mash or polenta to balance it out

Where to get it;
Coop supermarket - Castiglione del Lago

The Olive Tree