THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021
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28
L'Italo-Americano
I
n the spring, life is
s w e e t i n U m b r i a .
W i l d d a i s i e s a n d
blackthorn blossoms
make their appear-
a n c e a l o n g t h e c o u n t r y
roads. Purple clouds of wis-
t e r i a a n d r o s e m a r y c o m e
alive on walls and trellises.
After a long and often rainy
winter, the wind is warm,
the light is bright and full of
promise. You just can't stop
looking around in amaze-
ment, it's so beautiful.
T h i s i s t h e t i m e o f t h e
year when I start to feel truly
u n d e r w h e l m e d b y a p p l e s
and cabbages but finally,
one day, the market shelves
a r e p i l e d h i g h w i t h a r t i -
chokes, asparagus, broad
beans, strawberries. One can
hardly believe that in anoth-
er month there will be cher-
ries and apricots, a veritable
feast!
At the end of March,
with the first sunny days,
you will see the locals brav-
ing the challenging steep
Umbrian hillsides to pick
wild asparagus. Umbrians
have a long tradition of for-
aging, as our woods are rich
with mushrooms, wild fruits
and herbs and all sorts of
delicacies.
We are no exception, even
Google, our dog, loves to
join the hunt. We wear boots
and gloves. Vipers tend to
like the same sunny spots
where the asparagus thrives,
but no matter, we're fear-
less, the prize is invaluable.
If you have never tasted
the tender shoots, you might
not be able to appreciate the
sense of excitement found in
returning from a victorious
wild asparagus hunt. Forget
t h e m i l d c u l t i v a t e d s t u f f ,
these fragrant strips of green
are in the league of foods for
the gods, like truffle or aged
balsamic.
Ingredients (serves 3-4):
• 100 g (3 oz) wild aspara-
gus or 300 g (10 oz) cultivat-
ed ones, washed, tough ends
removed
• 1 large garlic clove, very
finely chopped
• 1 small, fresh chili pep-
per, thinly sliced
• 3 - 4 t a b l e s p o o n s b e s t
quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoon grated
LETIZIA MATTIACCI
Spaghetti with wild asparagus: a dish that tastes of Umbrian spring! (Photo: Letizia Mattiacci)
Continued to page 30
Wild asparagus spaghetti
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