Petroio's Garden and Cipollini Onions
/by Liane Cabot
I woke up to the most amazing smell. I sat up and looked out the open window of my bedroom onto the vineyards below and thought to myself, “what delicious dish is Diana cooking up?” I wonder if it is the cipollini onions I helped harvest from the garden the previous day?
My stay at Petroio Vineyards had been a continuous expansion of the senses. From waking early feeling the heat from the morning sun coming into my room, to tasting the amazing food Diana Lenzi created in her Tuscan kitchen for guests to the winery. My normally pale skin had turned bronze from working in the Tuscan summer sun with Diana and Pamela, her mother, in the garden, the vineyard and just around the villa. That day we welcomed a tour to the winery and planned to serve a special summer lunch from the garden. We had selected cured meats and cheeses from local farmers and Diana made a wonderful frittata with slow roasted cipollini onions and zucchini from the garden.
This meal was one of my favorites during my stay at Petroio. So simple, and yet so indicative of the lifestyle in Tuscany and throughout Italy. Live in the moment, eat what is fresh and local, share what you have with friends and family.
Later that summer, back home in my own garden, I was putting together my plan for the next year’s harvest. I bought some cipollini seeds to bring some of the passion and memories back to my humble kitchen in Oregon. The following year I harvested my onions and took some into our restaurant, Nicoletta’s Table and our chef Suzanne made an amazing frittata with them. Just one bite and I could almost feel the warm sun on my face and hear the laughter of Diana and Pamela in the kitchen. I can’t wait to go back.
