Ferragosto!

We celebrated the culmination of summer on the 15th of Agosto with a full house & a feast for 35! We were filled to the brim with lovely Italian families.

We were flooded with last minute calls for reservations - we don't even know how all these locals got our phone number...but they all knew who we were & that we'd be serving a delicious lunch!

It was a crazy day, starting with me picking berries - frutta

 di bosco at 5am - deep in the bushes looking for those delectable berries. I came back with a full basket for 2 tarts. Jason had already put the deer in the oven, low & slow. The tables were set outside & we were looking good on time. 35 guests is the biggest group we've done yet - and it's just the 2 of us - but we were feeling ready...until the winds started to blow & the weather turned! This is significant because it has only rained one other day the whole summer (for Fabio's pool & pizza party!). So I wrangled up a few of the guests & they helped me move all the tables & chairs inside. It was gonna be tight - but it's a party, so who cares!

Jason had an assistant in the kitchen to help, dear sweet Giulio! He was the official taste tester! And sooo damn cute!
Lunch was a success, the rain held out until everyone arrived & started eating (inside) - and eat they did!

The Menu:
Antipasti
Local meats & cheese - pecorino (fresh & aged), salumi, etc.

Roasted zucchini

Grilled eggplant

Melon & prosciutto

Crostini with pancetta

Crostini with formaggio di fossa

Sauteed greens

Primi
Panzanella (bread & tomato salad)

Spaghetti alla chittara with zucchini & squash blossoms

(squash blossoms)

Secondo
Venison with roasted potatoes

Dolce
2 Blackberry tarts 
2 Rice tarts 
Apple Cake

Fresh berries & cream

The real winner was the venison - it was the talk of the town - fresh deer, soaked in a bath of red wine for 2 days, wrapped in pancetta with wild herbs & juniper berries. It was incredible & a real treat for everyone! You really can't go wrong when your meat is soaked in wine and then wrapped in bacon!!

The cherry on top - a rainbow after the storm!

(us in the front yard)