Saint Valentine, Bishop and martyr is the patron of the city of Terni, Umbria.

Valentino was born in Terni at the end of the second century and martyred on the 14th of February 273 during the Christian persecution under the Emperor Aurelian. He was buried on a hill outside the city walls of Terni where now is the Basilica of St. Valentine.

The name Valentine comes from the latin 'valere' which means 'feel good' and the Saint was famous among his contemporaries its healing powers through faith.

The region of Umbria in Autumn is the perfect time to discard your summer weight watching diet and return to food for grown-ups. We are talking 'pappardelle pasta in hare sauce', liver bruschetta', 'fowl'  and so on. All prepared with genuine ingredients such olive oil, truffles, salami, cheese and vegetables in season.

With this in mind, October means mushrooms, one of the mostly popular ingredients in the Umbria cuisine. Below is a typical savory pie recipe from Spoleto which also features eggs, tomatoes and pecorino cheese. It is a very rich dish and could also be considered a main course.

Ingredients

800 gr. mushrooms, olive oil, clove of garlic, red tomatoes, 3 eggs, 100 gr, of pecorino cheese, broth, salt and red chilly pepper

The House of Hospitality of Santa Elisabetta d'Ungheria is run by a religious fraternity member of the Institute of Piccola Fraternità Francescana di Santa Elisabetta d'Ungheria.

As well as a place to stay in the town, it is of incredible historical interest, not least as it is located in the centre of Assisi, very close to the Basilica of Santa Chiara and the Municipal Square.

More specifically it is in Piazza del Vescovado where Saint Francis famously rejected his privileged merchant upbringing by returning his fine clothes to his father to then embark on his religious calling.

In Italian this is 'agnello allo zafferano', an easy and delicious recipe any time of the year. The zone of Spoleto actually produces saffron so look to buy a small pot or packet there to make the authentic dish.

SUGGESTED LINKS

Accademia dello Zafferano, Perugia - accademiaitalianazafferano.com

The history of saffron in Abruzzo

Ingredients

a joint of lamb, olive oil, saffron, white wine, broth, salt and pepper

Panzanella is not a form of medieval blitzkrieg but a sumptuous dish of stale bread livened up with water, basil and onions, olive oil, salt and pepper and even sardines. It owes it origins to the persistent dry summers when it was practically useless trying to keep bread fresh so it was left to dry out and subsequently revived with some basic ingredients.

The success of this extremely simple recipe depends on two things: the bread must be unsalted, country bread, a day or two old, and the rest of the ingredients must be top quality and fresh.

Ingredients

left over bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, garlick, vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, oregano, basil

Now available all year, crescia al formaggio belongs to the family of Easter cheese breads found across south Umbria, although we believe crescia is particular to Gubbio.

It is similar to the piadina romagnola and other versions of regional focaccia found along the Via Flaminia as it links the Adriatic coast to Umbria passing through Le Marche.

View the video below to see how the Gubbio version is a lot thicker than the familiar piadina.

ingredients

500gr flour, 50g butter, 25g lard, 30 beer yeast, 150g grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, 50g fresh pecorino cheese, 1 glass of milk, 3 eggs, 1 spoon of sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

ingredients

1 rabbit, fresh sage, rosemary, wild fennel, garlic, salt and pepper, peeled tomatoes, 1 glass of wine, 1kg of chicory or beet greens

ingredients

1k pork, 300g plum syrup, olive oil, 2 cloves, garlic, salt and pepper, sage, fennel.

making it

ingredients

900g salt cod fillets, soaked and deboned, 20 dried prunes, 1/2 glass oil, 1 fresh celery with the leaves, 1 onion, 50 gr pine nuts.

Classic spaghetti pasta with tuna sauce recipe. Very easy.

ingredients

150 g Italian tuna packed in extra virgin olive oil, 1 onion, finely chopped, 3 Tbsp oil, 300 gr stewed tomatoes, salt, pepper, dried red pepper, 500 gr spaghetti pasta