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Spring in Appio Latino
Hello my friends, how have you been? Spring has been beautiful in Rome, sunny and mild with just a sprinkle of welcome rain here and there.
The view from our rooftop never ceases to amaze and besides, when I go t the roof, I get to say hit to Jonathan and Giovanna, our resident seagulls.
Oncea year since we moved here, they make their nest atop one of the towers of our flat building. We love seeing them feed their chicks. It’s really hard to take a photo of the babies. They are shy and hide below the vegetation, but here below is how they look, fluffy, speckled and utterly adorable.
Pinterest dreams
Needless to say, I have had hardly any time to observe all the magnificence of spring. The renovations are still full on and, we are literally running to complete everything before it gets too hot to move. Do you remember the original version of the kitchen?
And how we took down everything, living in clouds of suffocating dust?
Throughout this long process of selling our beloved farm in Umbria and finding a new home in Rome, what has given me strength is to believed we would have again a place we love. This has been not an easy task because of Ruurd’s health situation and also because we lived in paradise and that it’s hard to upgrade.
However, we are almost there. For us, the heart of the house is the kitchen, a place that must be comfortable, lively and welcoming to family, friends and our cooking class guests. Today, with much joy I can announce that the kitchen it’s ready.
I have spent many sleepless nights thinking on how to do it best, studying hundreds of webpages about design, equipment, finishing. It takes only a few minutes to see the results of such an operation on Pinterest, right? in real life it’s an herculean effort, but I must admit that I am very happy with the results. What do you think?
What to eat this month
Asparagus of course! As you know I am quite obsessed by roasted green asparagus which I infuse with garlic *after* grilling them in the oven until tender but not charred.
I chop and use them in all sort of dishes, but I particularly love them with fluffy scrambled eggs and a sprinkle of Parmigiano.
For a dinner party, the cannelloni crepes filled with ricotta, prosciutto and asparagus are always a success. They are so light, tender, creamy and - as a bonus - they are gluten free.
You could also use store bought pasta sheets to make the cannelloni. Just soak the sheets in a bowl filled with hot salted water as explained in this recipe.
For a vegetarian version, skip the ham and add Umami by infusing the asparagus with finely chopped sundried tomatoes - in combination with the garlic.
What’s for dessert?
Is it time for gelato already? Well, in Italy it’s always time for gelato, but for me nothing compares with a just made gelato after a good meal.
I make gelato based on a simple, eggless recipe. I start to churn it with an inexpensive ice cream maker at the beginning of the meal. This way the gelato is ready when it’s time to serve dessert. It’s refreshing and soft like thick snow, not overly sweet. I promise, you will be gifted with lifetime adoration from your guests.
And how about a gelato that tastes like Sicilian cannoli?
All for today! Please find the recipe in my latest blog post and enjoy!
Great post! Thanks for sharing. The asparagus looks yummy!
What a beautiful kitchen! Congratulations.
You mentioned the crespelle are gluten free—did you just use a GF flour blend? They look delicious. I haven’t made creapelle in ages.