Week 7 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes

It’s been 58 days here in Umbria that we’ve been in one of the strictest lockdowns in the western world. Yesterday was May 4 and we are entering Phase 2. You can read more about the details here, but each region is slightly different. Turns out we were very lucky to be in Umbria, which has one of the lowest rates of infection in the country. And our small town of Todi has had zero cases for the last few weeks. So that’s good!

For now, for us, Phase 2 means a tiny bit more of freedom and the first steps towards a more gradual reopening of things.

One of the biggest changes to this weekly menu planning thing (because that is what you are here for right?) is that the local restaurants are finally reopening for take out!!! It’s not that I don’t mind cooking, but if you do the math 57 times lunch and dinner is 114 meals that Sophie and I have cooked in a row. Yes, there was one night of take out pizza, but other than that it’s been pretty much non-stop cooking (and cleaning!). While that won’t change drastically, we  already scheduled take out from our local trattoria for last night!!! And it was extraordinary! I have never been so happy to see tin take out containers in my life. We are looking forward to order from here, here and here soon.

For now restaurants are open for take out only, but that is fine. It’s incredible how much our expectations have changed over the last 2 months. Hopefully, after June 1 (tentative) the bars and restaurants will begin accepting customers.

For now I’m already planning on stopping by the bar in town later today to get an espresso to go, when I make my first trip to the nursery to pick up plants for the garden. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I can taste it already. Also, I can’t wait to pick up all the summer plants for our vegetable garden: tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers…because it looks like we are going to be here for the next few months.

And now back to our menu.

Lockdown Menu 7

April 27-May 3 , 2020

MONDAY
Lunch: Vignarola and Roasted Potatoes
Sophie did the daily shopping with a vision, and that vision was vignarola. This Roman spring stew is made of fave, peas and artichokes and that’s what she found at the market. A side of roasted potatoes and a few slices of prosciutto too.

Dinner: Salmon , Asparagus, Tiramisu
The salmon was gorgeous and I just popped it in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper and a few sprigs of fresh time. The asparagus were simply rinsed, coated with olive oil and roasted in a 350F oven for 20 minutes along with the salmon.
Sophie made the most incredible Tiramisu. We had been missing the one we get at Flavio, and so she tried to recreate it. I think she did the perfect job and the recipe and video will be coming soon!!

TUESDAY
Lunch: Carrot and Potato Soup, Green Salad
The soup was just a puree of Carrots and Potatoes, with a bit of onions and garlic. Topped with toasted linseed and a swirl of olive oil.
Dinner: Roast Chicken, Radicchio Salad with Blue Cheese
Roast Chicken my way: Always chicken with the skin and on the bone. Chop a ton of garlic and rosemary and mix with olive oil, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken and let sit, uncovered, in the fridge overnight. Bring back to room temp, and cook in a preheated oven, on a baking tray, for 50 minutes. Take out and let rest 10 mins before serving.

WEDNESDAY
Lunch: Pasta al Forno, Chocolate Coconut Cake
Pasta al Forno is Domenico’s favorite and since it was his birthday this is what he got. It was sort of like this recipe, but I used un-smoked cheese, and added some chopped salami to the mix.
Dinner: Shakshuka , Chicory, bread
We never really follow a recipe for Shakshuka, which is a middle Eastern version of what Italians call Eggs in Purgatory. You basically just make a chunky tomato sauce, then crack eggs on top to let set. Served with crusty bread, since the eggs should be runny.

THURSDAY :
Lunch: Insalatona
Insalatona just means big salad.And that is what I made for lunch. Tons of lettuce plus some of the leftover salmon, a hard boiled egg each, and various other tidbits.

Dinner: Beef Larb; Ginger Zucchini
We had originally bought thinly sliced beef to make involtini. But in the end we were craving something a bit more exotic, so I just ground up the beef in the food processor and made larb. We also got the chance to work through more of the abundant lettuce in the garden, since the seasoned meat and herbs gets wrapped up in a big lettuce leaf.

FRIDAY
Lunch: Pasta with Cauliflower and Breadcrumbs
This was Sophie’s invention and it was a good one. The recipe should be up on her Instagram Channel this week.
Dinner: Ginger Shrimp , Peanut Noodles, Salad with Japanese dressing
The shrimp were simply sauteed in butter and olive oil, with loads of garlic and ginger. The Japanese dressing was sesame oil, olive oil, lemon juice and a bit of soy.

SATURDAY
Lunch: Bean and Grain Soup, Herb infused Oil, Arugula Salad with Parmigiano.
The Soup I made was sort of like the one linked to above, but I made an herb oil to drizzle on top: Take one cup of chopped fresh herbs and 1/2 cup olive oil and whizz together in the blender. Drizzle on top of soups or anything else that needs some brightening. This is a great way to use up wilting herbs before they totally fade away. Keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge. Bring back to room temp before using.  And the salad is kind of like the one linking to above, but no zucchini and I added a handful of parmigiano shavings.
Dinner: Smoked Salmon, Radicchio Salad and Sophie’s First Sourdough loaf!!
Sorry, but there is no way I can share the sourdough recipe. Sophie began the starter about 10 days ago and finally it worked! She made the best loaf of bread, but the process was so complicated that this is not the place to share. There are tons of sites out there if you look. It was definitely worth the effort!!

SUNDAY
Lunch: Leftover Pasta al Forno, Green Salad
Dinner: Chicken Noodle Soup : I made broth a couple of weeks ago, and we just added some chopped carrots, celery and loads of broken pasta and called it dinner. Also a bit of shredded leftover chicken from the other night

Drinks:

I have to admit to being kind of boring these past 2 months on the cocktail front. All I’ve really wanted is a classic martini (some nights gin, some nights vodka) but over the last few days I’ve been dipping into my precious bottle of bourbon to make Manhattans. (2 oz bourbon, splash of sweet red vermouth, a few drops of bitters, shake and strain, garnish with a cherry or two).

Sophie usually doesn’t have a cocktail. She’s not a big drinker, and only occasionally will have a glass of wine with dinner. But the other night she had a live interview with AFAR and thought having a little something would be nice. And so I invented this version of spritz for her, with her favorite Cynar.

The Sophie Rose
1 oz Cynar (this is an artichoke based amaro)
2 oz Rose’ wine
Sparkling water
Ice

Pour the Cynar and wine into a wine goblet. Fill with ice and top up with sparkling water. Garnish with an orange slice if you want to, but it really doesn’t need it. Cheers!

To see what we’re cooking up in real time follow Sophie and me on Instagram:
Elizabeth’s Instagram (@eminchilli)
Elizabeth’s IGTV Channel
Sophie’s Instagram (@sminchilli)
Sophie’s IGTV Channel

And here are our past menus in case you missed them:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6

For more inspiration see my latest book The Italian Table

And even though you can’t travel at the moment, you can plan and dream with my books Eating Rome and Eating My Way Through Italy (they also have recipes!)