Fabio Dell and his recipe for Fagiolini in Umido (String Beans in Tomato Sauce) to accompany my Italian Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Rosemary…although I’ll bet the pasta recipe actually came from his Mama’s Cucina as most Italian recipes do!
We served Fabio’s pasta as a first course to our Italian Chicken Thighs. Bellissimo!
( by profession he is a mechanical engineer
with a love of photography and good food!)
Impromptu moments are my favorite.
It takes a bit of practice for a planner such as myself to take a moment and enjoy times and events that take on a mind of their own or become something other than I had planned.
However, I have come to realize that letting the moments play out instead of constantly directing them, has become my favorite thing and has created some of the most memorable stories for us to share.
Since we usually combine work with our travel, I thought it would be great to hire a photographer to take some photos of Anthony and I cooking together, for us to use on our website and for promotional materials. I also planned to have a nice family portrait taken, since I would have all of my boys in one place at one time!
Fabio arrived at our villa, full of so much fun and energy …we started shooting photos right away and found many great locations around the beautiful Trulli that we were staying at in Ostuni. In the midst of our photo shoot, we had a wonderful visit from our Italian travel consultant Nunzia who was born in Puglia. Nunzia just wanted to stop by to make sure we were comfortable and to say hello. Along with her came her daughter, her sister Lucia and her nephew!
We discussed Puglia, and all of the beautiful cities that make up the region. It turns out that Lucia works with the Italian Roots campaign that is matching families with their ancestors. So much fun was had as we talked about the possibility that some of our Italian family members may still be living in Italy.
If you are interested in searching your Italian roots, here is the link to the Italian Heritage Campaign in Southern Italy. https://italeapuglia.com/en/
You can also reach out via email to booking@tuscantravellers.com
The most fun and most unexpected part of the evening was when Fabio announced that he was done taking photos…he was going to put the camera down…and cook for us!
Fabio’s Pasta with Fagiolini and Tomato Sauce
3 Cipollini onion; small dice
16 ounces prepared tomato sauce
3 or 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Sauté the onions until golden and then add the prepared tomato sauce, two jars at 7 or 8 ounces each. ( In Italy we used the little glass jars that just contain ground plum tomatoes. This allows for you to season and add your own fresh herbs.
You will also need 500 grams of pasta ( 5 cups dry pasta)
One pound or so of fagiolini beans (fresh string beans) tips removed.
Fresh basil for garnish
Boil a large pot of salted water and simmer the string beans for 6 minutes before adding the pasta to the cooking water. This will allow the string beans to soften first and the pasta to be cooked al dente.
Once the pasta has reached al dente, strain the water and then add the pasta and beans back to the pot. Pour the hot tomato sauce over top and mix gently. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve with a large chunk of pecorino that can be grated over each dish.
Simply and delicious!
Recipe for Keri’s Chicken Thighs with fresh lemon, rosemary, olive oil, potato and onions
8 bone in with skin on chicken thighs, seasoned well with salt and pepper and seared in olive oil for 8-10 minutes until golden.
8 Yukon gold potatoes chopped to very small wedges. ( I scrub them well, and leave the skins on.)
6 Cipollini Onions, diced
Fresh rosemary and fresh lemons for juicing.
Method
Place the seared chicken thighs in a glass baking dish with the skin side up.
Sauté the potato and onion in the same pan that you have used to sear the chicken. Add a bit more olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Once they are golden brown, add the potato and onions to the dish with the chicken and top with fresh rosemary and fresh squeezed lemon juice. (Just about the juice of one lemon.) Season with a touch more salt and pepper.
Bake uncovered for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. or until the chicken thighs have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Serve with a beautiful glass of Sparkling Italian White…the wine of the moment!
As a main course, immediately following the pasta!
Chowfancy!
Printable recipe here
Chowfancy 
One response to “Italian Hospitality”
Wonderful pictures and stories! It’s beautiful that you all experienced this together as a family! Love you guys!