Pruning Olive Branches

Things you need to effectively prune an olive tree are: a saw, clippers, electric clippers, a ladder, boots, sun glasses, fire starters, a lighter and sunshine! Oh, and for me... my allergy medication!

Olive trees are practically indestructible but need to be pruned regularly to maintain the correct shape. The correct shape of the tree allows the olives to grow and ripen properly and for ease in harvesting. The best olive tree shape keeps the inside of the tree bare and has only the branches that are curving outward. If branches are growing directly up, down or toward the inside they should be clipped. Each major trunk of the tree should only have 4-5 branches growing off it. And it should not be too tall. Of course I will always need a ladder but many of the branches should be easily reachable by most normal people, with the ladder being used only for the highest stuff. 

Also you want to be sure the higher branches are not too large or extend too long or else they will shade the rest of the tree too much and the other olives below will not have access to as much sunlight. The goal is to have the interior of the tree so open that a bird could fly through.

When finished clipping the branches, the burning process begins! Let me just tell you that fire making is truly an art! Especially when the branches are wet with fog and dew from the night before. Even though I collected branches and burned them all week, I never quite got as adept at getting it started. PJ however is a true fire master! You can't be afraid to add a lot of leaf-filled branches at first and then when you see the flame come up, add a bunch more, with a lot of weight. 

We made lovely bon fires in the middle of the grove, near the road, where ever we wanted! It was great- the smell reminds me of camping, the heat was much appreciated and making fire is always fun. The only thing that was not so great were the small burn holes now in my rain coat too. I need a thick cotton jacket instead of all my synthetic Colorado stuff that is light and easily packable. Funny. 

For the most part, olive tree pruning is very rewarding because you can see the tree take shape and become cleaner and neater. The scariest part is collecting the branches near the base, as there could be a snake, though I never encountered one (thank goodness!). Also being on the ladder, with muddy boots is  a bit scary, especially when sawing high branches and having uneven footing. I left this work to PJ and just focused on being a good branch collector, hauler, and fire girl. It worked out well for both of us. 

Raclette

Raclette is both a French cheese and a French cooking method and piece of cooking equipment. It is better than fondue! We had some fellow organic wine-making friends over for a raclette dinner last week and it was a heavenly experience, full of CHEESE! 

To enjoy raclette you must first prepare the food items. We had steamed veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, fennel, carrots, and boiled potatoes), a cold/cured meat platter (smoked duck, cured duck, cured bison, ham, proscuitto and speck) and marinated vegetables (cornichons, pearl onions, carrots, peppers, etc.).

Raclette involves using a small pan with a wooden handle. You put the raclette cheese in the pan and then place it into the warmed raclette. Raclette is like a salamander (broiler). The cheese will melt and hopefully bubble with slightly golden tops on the bubbles. You then take your warmed cheese and a wooden spoon and pour it all over your plate of food. 

Buon Appetito! AMAZING! 

A Tavola! (Italian for "come to the table")

Many of you have been asking for some recipes that you can enjoy at home too. Below you will find some of the yummy adventures in food and cheese that I have had the pleasure of having here! Keep in mind, although in Italy, I have been eating mostly French foods because of the grandparents who are visiting from Nice, France. Love their cooking!!  We have had amazing meals with meat- lamb, pork, beef, fish, chicken, veal, etc… but as you all know, I love the sides (contorni) the best!

Also keep in mind that the produce and dairy products here are far superior to what you can find in the states (sorry, but true) so although it will be delicious, it probably won’t be the same as it is here.  The key to Italian eating is simple, peak flavor and high quality. The food presents itself and a minimal number of ingredients are used. That is what makes it so beautiful.

Steamed Leeks with Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Whole Leeks, ends trimmed

4 parts Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 part Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Method:

1. Steam whole leeks
2. Serve with vinaigrette (to make vin, whisk EVOO while adding juice and mustard, season to taste)

Steamed Fennel

Ingredients:

Fennel, quartered

Broth

Butter

Parmiggiano Regiano

Method:

1. Steam fennel in broth
2. Place in pan, top with grated cheese
3. Drizzle a little butter
4. Place in hot oven and bake until cheese becomes golden brown

Spaghetti with Warmed Ricotta

Ingredients:

Spaghetti

Ricotta Cheese (full fat)

Butter

Lemon Zest

Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Cook spaghetti in salted water
2. Just before serving, warm ricotta over low heat
3. Add a “noisette” of butter (literally a nut of butter… so maybe 1-2 tsp)
4. Add zest, salt and pepper to taste
5. Serve warmed mixture over spaghetti

Pasta with Seafood

Ingredients:

Spaghetti

Mixed seafood (mussels, clams, squid, octopus, shrimp)

Sauce:

Onion, small dice

Garlic, minced

Zucchini, julienne (can substitute red bell pepper or eggplant)

Butter

Heavy Cream

Milk

Saffron

Lemon Zest

Italian flat leaf Parsley, chopped (can substitute basil if desired)

EVOO (drizzle at end)

Grated Parmigianino

Method:

1. Cook pasta and steam seafood (or add raw seafood while simmering sauce
2. Sweat onion and zucchini in butter
3. Add garlic and sweat over low heat for 1-2 minutes
4. Add 1 part Heavy Cream and 1 part Milk
5. Add saffron and lemon zest and let simmer
6. Toss with seafood and add parsley
7. Drizzle with EVOO just before serving
8. Grate Parmigianino to order

Salads

The olive oil is grown organically here at Casa Raia. It is rich, peppery and tastes a little of grass and artichokes. It is divine! You could drizzle it over dog food and it would be delicious! We eat a salad nearly every day at the end of lunch- as it ends the meal and aids in digestion.

We use a lot of mixed greens, primarily with arugula and radicchio. The other ingredients just depend on what we have in the house…  but it always has vinaigrette made with the house olive oil- YUMMM!!

Some of the ingredient combos we have enjoyed are…

-       Figs & Aged Gouda with a Gorgonzola Dressing (made with EVOO, Lemon Juice, Garlic, Gorgonzola cheese)

-       Marinated Mushrooms, Sun-dried Tomatoes and EVOO Vinaigrette

-       Blood orange segments, Sunflower seeds, Toasted Almonds, Red Bell Pepper, Scallion and Honey Basil Vinaigrette

Marinated Olives

Black & Green Olives

EVOO

Lemon Zest

Various dried herbs- oregano, rosemary, basil, cumin, coriander (whatever you wish!)

Let sit all together and serve room temp

Cheese- My favorite category!!

Pecorino di Pienza is the BEST! I have had three so far… one that was cave-aged in ash and good for grating, one that was younger and softer and covered with pepper and one aged for about a year and semi-soft. Love the sheep!!

Oka- This is a cave aged cheese made from cow milk in Canadian Monasteries.

Camembert washed with Calvados (Apple Brandy)

Roquefort

Aged Gouda

Raclette

Parmiggiano Regiano

Tallegio

A Mexican Fiesta on a Cold Winter Day in Tuscany!

Part of the fun of living and cooking in another country is the challenge of trying to make food from home while using the “substitutes” you can find. Last weekend we decided to bring a little warmth into Casa Raia. We were sick of the cold, grey, gloomy days and wanted to have some fun. So we decided to make some serious Tex-Mex fare! We invited the Canadian neighbors and had a party. The menu was Mojitos, 7-Layer Dip, Guacamole, and Fish Tacos. Sounds easy enough. Ha! It took me nearly 3 hours to prepare this! Here are the funny things that we had to do to make this Mexican food extravaganza come to fruition…

Mojitos…

Fresh mint is difficult to find in the middle of winter. In the summer is grows like a weed here. I went on a hunt in the grassy fields around the house and at the neighbors and came back with nothing. I did find a lot of stinging nettles though. Boo. The Canadian neighbors have a plant that grows under their stairs and always produces so they came to the rescue!

Chips & Guacamole…

Tortilla chips are very difficult to find here, and they are rarely without seasoning. I found one choice in Montepulciano last weekend and bought 3 bags! Cilantro does not exist here. It is not grown or sold. Luckily Kalyna grows it in her garden and stashed a small bag in the freezer. Jalapenos are not produced here either. There are some kind of peppers in a jar but they taste like vinegar so we decided to go without.

7-Layer Dip…

Refried beans do not exist. Luckily Kalyna’s family had a stash of some canned kidney beans. I cooked those up and smashed them with a potato masher and added cumin, coriander, taco seasoning and cayenne. They were pretty tasty- and a little sweet which was actually nice. Kalyna’s brother likes junk food and stashed a few “Old ElPaso Soft Taco” kits so that’s where the taco seasoning came from! And by the way, I had to grind the cumin and coriander by hand with a mortor and pestle since we only have them in the whole form. That’s some love there!

Despite a daily selection that will send you into a food coma, here sour cream also does not exist in Italy. We got crafty and made ours from Fiorella cheese and Greek yogurt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Perfect! I added some lime zest, lime juice and pressed garlic to make a nice “sauce” for the tacos too.

Neither cheddar cheese nor Monterey Jack are available here either. Kalyna grated some kind of white hard cheese that was similar but had a little more of a bite and was really good.

Fish Tacos…

We used my marinade (minced garlic, lime juice, lime zest, EVOO) on white fish and broiled it. Had the soft tacos from the kit and then added red bell pepper, avocado, scallions, mango and the sour cream mix I made. It was fabulous!

The funniest thing to me was that everyone loved it! I couldn’t believe these sophisticated foodies loved my “superbowl-esque” food! You can’t get a lot of Tex-Mex comfort food here so it was a welcomed change.  It was a fun way to celebrate a Sunday with friends and family. 

Benvenuto a Brunello!

My plans have slightly changed ...  I will now be extending my stay here in Montalcino for one more week so that I can attend the Benvenuto a Brunello Festival Feb 18th-20th. This is the festival where all the Brunello producers showcase their wine and it's a 3-day event! It literally means "Welcome Brunello". International journalists, wine connoisseurs, collectors and Italian wine lovers will all be in attendance. It is the time when the producers introduce their latest vintage to the world and I will be able to be a part of it this year too. I am so excited! I will now be going to my next farm in Cetona on February 20th. Of course in order to prepare for this festival, PJ and I must taste all of his wines in the cellar the week before. Quality control is necessary before bringing journalists and buyers in. I'm just the woman for the job! Don't worry, I will take great tasting notes to share.

Here's a link to the official website for the Benvenuto Brunello event:
http://www.consorziobrunellodimontalcino.it/en/events/benvenuto-brunello.html

Things... aka "Truc" en Francais

The word truc in French means "things". In Italian, I have no idea. I've been learning a lot of French here at the Monnoyer home because the grandparents are visiting from Nice, France. I thought I'd take a break from talking about winemaking and tell you a little about the things I'm glad I have here.

My Down Jacket has been a life saver! It's really cold and wet here so I love snuggling up in it! I wear it everywhere. I made the mistake of wearing it while burning olive branches one day and got 5-6 little burn holes in it. Instead of losing down right and left I decided to attempt to sew the holes back together. Let's just say that Kearstin & Jennifer (my loyal sewing buddies) would not be impressed with my workmanship but it is holding together. Every time I look at the jacket I will remember my adventures here at Casa Raia! :)

My head lamp has been so useful in the cantina, looking into barrels, through bottles, and in the house as well to find toys under furniture. They loved my head lamp so much PJ even got one for himself!

Leggings have been a must! I wear them every day and the extra layer has saved me from freezing!

A good pair of sharp scissors are great to travel with!

My grey fleece is literally a second skin. I wear it all the time, every day, and am so happy to have it in the house, in the field, in the cantina, etc.

Sunglasses have been good protection from the sun, but more importantly they have served as "safety glasses" from flying vines and olive branches! I've been thinking of Safety Sandy and how she would be so proud of my safe work habits.

My iPod Nano is now my best friend. I listen to it every day while working. It goes with me in my pocket everywhere I go and when I have a few minutes alone to wait or while working, I am listening to great songs that were given to me by friends before I left. Feels like I have my friends with me whenever I want.

Mary Kay Satin Hands! I brought the hand lotion and the thick overnight moisturizing "paste" and I am soooo in love with it! My hands are getting a good workout every day and they feel incredibly pampered when I use this on them at night. It was a last minute luxury item I threw in but now I am so happy I did- it's more of a necessity here!

There are a few things I am also happy I have purchased here as well...

#1- Rubber Boots! I sink into mud that goes nearly up to my calves. I bought a pair of rubber boots that I can tuck my pant legs into and now I am good to go. They do nothing to keep my feet warm, but they do keep them clean and dry.

#2- Leather work gloves. A must have!!

#3- Cell phone. I bought the cheapest cell phone that is made here. I love it! It's my watch, my alarm clock & calculator. It's very handy and weights maybe 2 oz! It's no iPhone by any means, but it's all I need here.

-      

Adventures in Pruning

 Qualities to Look for in a Vineyard:

1.     The higher up on the hill, the better. The higher you are the less chance of being caught in the fog that is here and you will also get less run off from everyone else (chemicals, sewage, etc.).

2.     Dry- the less water the better! Vines do best when stressed to find water and need to dig deep in the earth.

3.     Slate/clay/dry soil- if it has a lot of nutrients it will produce poor grapes but good veggies. Look for grey colored earth, not brown.

4.     The rows are placed so the sun passes on each side- essentially the suns path should be perpendicular to the rows, not parallel

Things that matter when pruning an organic vineyard

• Diseased vines can contaminate others- sheers should be designated for cutting either diseased or healthy vines but not both. If needed for both, clean with alcohol in between uses.
•  Don’t prune when it is really cold out- if the frost hits the pruned vine, it will freeze it and damage the vine. Only make cuts when it is warm enough outside.
• Be gentle to the newly cut vines. It can damage the vine if it is battered and bruised.
• Don’t clean your muddy boots on a vine- the diseases in the mud are now directly on the vine and could more easily contaminate the vine now.

Techniques Used at Casa Raia:

• Willow branches to tie vines to the wires between posts. They use these instead of plastic ties because they are organic, better for the earth, stronger and easier to cut. Less waste.
• Two Bud vine growing technique: The vine grows up and then splits into two on the wire. This allows the sap and nutrients to go in multiple directions, thus creating an equilibrium on the vine- all grapes receive the same nutrients and are more consistent in quality. Sap runs up for a few months and then down for a few months and will take the good or bad from the soil with it.

The Less Glamorous Aspects of Pruning:

There are lots of small spiders who live in the dead vines. They like to fall on you (along with the dirt) when you take the dead vines off. Every day I come in and shower immediately because I know there have been little spiders crawling on me all day long. Lovely.

I am allergic to Tuscany! I forgot that I have bad environmental allergies- I’m allergic to dust, mold, and other stuff that is all around here! I’m a sneezy mess most days. Oops.

Cold earth + Rain and Fog = Freezing cold feet in rubber boots all day. My feet are constantly cold and take a few hours to defrost once I get back inside. Love the hot showers here!