Among our friends, Umberto & I are well-known for our love for great cuisine. We are foodies.
Here are some of Umbe’s many culinary creations. I love cooking, too, but here’s the thing: if he cooks, I clean afterwards. If I cooks, well… I clean. So more often than not, he’s the Chef.
What is a little less known is how easy it is to cook the way we do. It’s all based on three core principles:
1. Natural.
We buy fish and seafood at the fishmonger’s. Meat and chicken at the butcher’s. Bread at the bakery. Fresh handmade pasta, olive oil and wine from the local producers. We’re not fanatic about it but try to avoid industrial foods and ingredients as much as possible.
The same applies to Palazzo Florio. Every day, I make an early morning round to get fresh pastries from the “pasticceria” and season’s fruit from the greengrocer’s.
2. Simple.
When the ingredients are natural and fresh, you don’t need much else. You should not cover the natural flavors with condiments and spices. (Especially not with anything that comes with additives!)
3. Plentiful.
Eating well in good company is one of the biggest joys in life! We want the dishes to look joyful, too.
I’m not a scientist myself but trust those who are: our bodies digest and consume natural foods differently from industrial ingredients. I also know it from my own experience.
As a younger woman, I was always dieting. Now I say: life’s too short for diets!
If you’d like an example of cooking à la Ani & Umbe, check out this little video. Don’t despair if you don’t have access to all the fresh suppliers where you live. We’ve tried this dish with frozen scampi from the supermarket during the 2020 lockdowns, and it worked perfectly well. And you can use the same recipe for many other types of seafood.
Questions, comments? Drop me a line at anita@palazzoflorio.com
Delicious greetings from Vasto!
Anita
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