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

This recipe seems quite incredible and has been taken from the list of official recipes at the website of 'I Primi d'Italia', the festival of first courses which will takes place at Foligno in September. The Italian is 'Gnocchi con Anatra in Ragu in Bianco e Mirtilli'  and translated means 'gnocchi with duck in a blueberry white (no tomato) sauce'.

ingredients

potatoes 300 gr., flour 100 gr., egg 1, nutmeg, chopped celery, carrots, onion, laurel 1 leaf, red wine 1/2 glass, garlic 1 clove, olive oil, salt, pepper, blueberries 25 gr., duck 250 gr., meat stock 2 dl., herbs.

Of course, the animals of central Umbria are bred for consumption and we have tracked down this delicious recipe for roast veal with cream - 'Arrosto di Vitello alla Crema'.

ingredients

800g of veal steak, 50g of butter, 1 onion, carrots, celery, laurel leaves, dry white wine, 2 spoonfuls of single cream, salt and pepper.

Try this recipe for yourself which originates from the zone of Narni and in particular the district of Amelia.

ingredients

Follow the recipe below.

In Italian this is 'torta umbra', a typical ham and cheese pie recipe from the region and ideal for those early Spring picnics as May heads to June.

ingredients

500g of white flour, salt, yeast, olive oil, 250 ml of water, 250g of spreading cheese, 80g of mayonnaise, 200g of sliced uncooked ham.

This fine winter sweet was provided by the Ufficio Informazione in Assisi. We have a list of 8 other delicious recipes which include: brustengolo, pinoccate, maccheroni con le noci, gobbi alla parmigiana, frittelle di gran turco, frascarelli, coratine dell'oca alla contadina and strangozzi all'arrabbiata.

ingredients

250gr flour, 50gr sugar, 1.5 glasses of olive oil, pinch of salt, tepid water, 0.5kg apples, 100gr grape sultanas, 50gr pine nuts and the finely broken kernels.

Mousse di formaggio con pan nociato al miele, cheesecake

ingredients

For the Mousse: 150 gr grated pecorino cheese, 25 gr celery, fresh cilantro, 1/2 clove garlic, White wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the pan nociato al miele: 100 gr flour 15 gr beer yeast, 50 ml lukewarm water, 75 gr flour, 75 gr walnut pieces, 25 gr barley flour, 20 gr honey, pinch salt, water

The recipe of Gnocchi di Pane con le Noci from Umbria is actually from a cookbook written by Sister Maria della Verde of St. Tommas convent in Perugia documenting recipes from the late 1500's to the early 1700's.

ingredients

300 gr (2 1/3 C) flour, 90 gr (3/4 C) rustic Umbrian bread grated, 50 cl (1/4 C or less) water,

Sauce: 30 gr (1/4 C) dried Umbrian bread, 125 gr (1 C) walnut pieces, Pepper, 1 clove.

This fresh strawberry cream dessert recipe is also known as 'crema di fragola'.

ingredients

8 egg yolks, 8 tbsp sugar, 6 tbsp flour, 32 oz milk, 1 vanilla bean, pinch of salt, 8 oz heavy whipping cream, 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, diced

This side dish should be made with any local vegetables in season.

ingredients

Any vegetables desired (carrots, peas, potatoes…), butter vegetable broth or water

This recipe forms part of a 'Late Spring Menu' kindly provided by the The Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts in Perugia.

ingredients

1 duck breast, 2 Tbsp extravirgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp butter, 1/2 C glass of brandy, 1 C glass beef broth, salt, pepper, 1/4 cabbage, shredded

Fresh tagliatelle pasta with cherries tomatoes and parsley

ingredients

For the tagliatetelle, the basic recipe for fresh pasta is: 2 C (500 gr) flour, 5 eggs.

For the sauce: 2 lbs fresh, ripe tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic, 1 C extra virigin olive oil, fresh parsley, salt.

Light and simple salad with orange and fennel.

ingredients

1 fennel bulb, 2 oranges, extra virgin olive oil, White wine vinegar, Salt, pepper

"While in Assisi I had pasta noccini. I would like to find a recipe for it. It's a white sauce" . This dessert or 'dolce' is eaten leading up to Christmas and 'Ognissanti' in Assisi. It is a traditional Umbrian dish and a cross between a normal pasta or 'pastasciutta' and a sweet.

ingredients

flour, water, lemon, walnuts, cinnamon, cocoa powder

This menu has been kindly provided by the The Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts in Perugia

ingredients

2 bananas, 12 fresh, ripe strawberries, 2 pears, 1 lemon, 500 gr dark melting chocolate of excellent quality, chopped, 3 Tbsp heavy cream, 2 Tbsp rum

This recipe forms part of the 'Lunch for Lent' menu kindly provided by the The Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts in Perugia.

ingredients

250 gr flour, 15 gr beer yeast, 125 ml lukewarm water, 2 liter peanut oil for frying, granulated sugar.

This recipe forms part of the 'Lunch for Lent' menu kindly provided by the The Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts in Perugia.

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

"I would like some information for a recipe for Pignolata and Pignoccata". We think you must be referring to Pinoccata, the typical Christmas sweet of Perugia and Assisi. This very sweet sweet is sold in most of the shops and streets of the province of Perugia at Natale, often in lively colored wrapping. They make excellent last minute presents.

ingredients

500gr sugar, 100gr water, 300gr pine nuts

This recipe forms part of a 'Saint Valentine's Day' meal kindly provided by the The Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts in Perugia

ingredients

2 eggs, 100 gr flour, 100 gr sugar, 1/4 tsp baking soda For the filling: 350 gr fresh ricotta cheese, 200 gr powdered sugar, 70 gr bittersweet chocolate grated, 70 gr ground almonds, 70 gr candied fruit, 30 gr raisins, 1 vanilla bean split, 2 tspns maraschino cherry juice, 1 tbsp Alchermes liquor.

This recipe forms part of a 'Saint Valentine's Day' meal kindly provided by the The Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts in Perugia.

ingredients

2 pigeons, perfectly cleaned, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 onion, 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 fresh sage leaves, 2 sprigs rosemary, 1/2 glass white wine vinegar, 1 glass white wine, Rind of 1/2 a lemon, 100 gr chicken livers, 2 tspn capers, Salt, pepper.

Italian style soup recipe with farro

Ingredients

500 gr 'farro' (hard wheat that has been ground by hand), 1 glass extra virgin olive oil, 1 carrot diced, 1 rib celery diced, 1 onion, diced, 100 gr lean slice prosciutto, 1/2 glass tomato sauce, 5 leaves sage, rosemary, garlic.

The delicious black truffle, typical of the Upper Tiber Valley region, needs only a light cooking to achieve its best aroma.

This sauce is excellent with spaghetti and on crostini.

ingredients

Olive oil from Umbria (fruity), black truffle, anchovy

This best onions for this recipe come from the territory of the Valle Umbra and Sibillini. More specifically the Comune of Cannara in the province of Perugia. The onions, or cipolla allium cepa, are harvested in July and August and then dried in the fields.

ingredients

50g butter, 2 spoons olive oil, 1kg finely chopped onions, 3 spoons flour, 2 liters meat stock.