Daniela was intrigued by an onion yesterday. We had all the ingredients to make a favorite salad mix, a recipe gifted to us by our very special British friends Bill and Tina more than a decade ago. Although they have simplified their lives by letting someone else care for Villa Donata in Ossaia (five miles from Montanare), what they left behind for us is a beautiful set of memories. Many of them include hours around a table together talking about family, the human condition, soccer, life in our respective countries, their beautiful garden, and food. Going out to eat with them was never our first option. With a bounty of fresh vegetables, salumi, aged cheese in many forms, chickens aplenty, oil made from the tree I’m sitting under right now, and no limit of excellent wine, why would anyone need to go out to eat? The challenge of course, is we’ve discovered a few fantastic dining spots, all run by people we admire as much as our family in Montanare.  One of those dining options is LaTufa, a lovely third generation pizzeria in the tiny borgo of Ossaia. Bill and Tina shared a table with us there on countless occasions. They even helped diversify my pizza palette. LaTufa doesn’t stop at pizza. They also offer tasty pasta and every kind of meat, including steaks and outstanding pork chops.  Even though Bill and Tina have returned to their homeland, Jill, Daniela, and I still make it a point to have at least one meal at this local favorite during our stay in Montanare. It’s incredible to us that Roberto, who has been a waiter at LaTufa for 25 years, still knows our order by heart. Pizza Margherita, half arugula, large carbonara with less peperincino, half liter of house red, and a liter of water with gas. Sometimes, we have profiterole (a pull pastry filled with crème, covered in chocolate gelato) as dessert. He knows I like my doppio espresso al lungo. I believe we visit LaTufa for both the food, memorable view of Cortona, but also to revisit our unique and very grateful friendship with Bill and Tina Bain.

The other eating option vying for space in our stomach outside are Sagre. These community-run fundraising events (to benefit the local soccer club) call the area residents to long communal tables to enjoy pizza cooked in a wood fired oven, gigantic steaks grilled over charcoal, and once again, unlimited, local wine at $3 a bottle. Even though we’ve slept in Montanare for more than a dozen summers, we’ve never attended the Sagre in Montanare. That was until last night when Ame shared the idea by phone. Si, Certo! Buon Idee! I immediately responded. Being a consummate planner, Jill always asked this question: How many others are coming in our party? A normal sized dinner al fresco at Ca D’ Maestro is no less than 15. Piero taught me an important Italian event planners phrase three years back when I sheepishly asked him if another family could join our evening dinner. I held up the international sign for eight additional people thinking he would have a negative reaction. His hands in an open posture raising to the sky: “Piu gente, Piu grande la Festa”. Awesome I thought, I now know how to say: “The more, the merrier!” On that particular night, what started as 18 hungry mouths (not including children) quickly grew to more than two dozen. Jill often expresses her concern that we’ll be short of food, especially when the plan was already set. Like her, I’m often surprised when another melon, 20 slices of prosciutto, loaf of bread, and pan of pasta appear out of thin air. We are never short, in fact the follow day, much of what was left is recreated in another fashion. For example, 35 of us enjoyed Amedeo’s Penne al Fumo on Saturday night. Studying the lasagna being passed around the table on Sunday afternoon, I realized this was a re-creation of the remaining first course from the night before. Very little food is waisted, even though there is plenty more where that came from. Jill and I found that out the first time Luisa put Panzanella in front of us. Fresh bread is delivered to Montanare three mornings a week in the back of a small white van by Giovanni. Because it lacks any preservatives, the loaf is rock hard if not consumed in 48 hours. Small remnants, ends are collected in a cloth bag. Mid day on Sunday Luisa fills a ten gallon pale with water and soaks the bread for five minutes. Ringing it out, she tears it into random sizes mixed with cucumbers, onions, basil, peppers, celery, salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar. The most important ingredient is time. It’s meant to consume immediately. It’s almost impossible for us to recreate Panzanella at home because our bread contains preservatives and it will never get hard enough. The movement of the season also dictates what lands on the dinner table in Montanare. Being late July, nearly everything in Piero’s garden is ready to eat, including eggplant and five different kind of tomatoes. The garlic and onions hang from the ceiling in the aged metal cabana, a spot the tractor and all it’s implements call home. Daniela found it amazing that I could walk down the stairs, across the yard, and pluck an onion to complete our tuna and bean salad. She’s starting to see how living off the land might have some “immediate gratification” qualities. Her love of Piero’s endless fresh cucumbers and dolce pomodorini will keep her well fed in the vegetable category. Next time she wants a salad, Daniela knows the store is closer than she thinks.  

 
The envelope in review buy cipla viagra this case was fitted with a hydrogen release valve and was covered with a net quantity of 100mg in each pill or jelly. You need a minimum time (months) to resume the effort, although all the time you can work with efficiency. free viagra samples You can go for india tadalafil tablets medication then go for it. Bookmarks between, viagra cheap usa deeprootsmag.org There is any time to work with a formula designed to cure breast cancer.