Dumpling; dummy...

I don't eat out often in America and so far that trend continues in Italy.  I'm lucky because the food at the farm has been great so far; this is Italy after all.  I've been blessed to be here during the holidays when food is the centerpiece of so much.  We often have potlucks where the whole farm community gets together to share food and friendship.  We even prepared a Christmas Eve dinner of traditional American holiday ingredients and items.  However, I did dine out yesterday when I travelled to Cortona.  Cortona is an ancient city near the border of  Umbria on the eastern slopes of Tuscany.  It is said to be one of Italy's oldest towns with origins to the 4th century BC.  It is a typical fortified, Tuscan hilltop town with serpentine streets and spectacular 2-mile views in nearly all directions.  I visited with some other Americans here at the farm who have been coming to Italy for nearly a decade.  Their intimate knowledge of Cortona was to my benefit when they chose a favorite restaurant.  La Grotta opens at noon, and we were the first customers of the day.  The restaurant competition in Italy is intense as nearly all of them keep their prices affordable, without sacrificing the details of service and decor.  With so much to choose from I went with the item that struck me first.  The dish I had was gnocchi of ricotta and spinach with a truffle sauce.  It was perfectly prepared and I savored every bite.  As it turns out, gnocchi is just Italian for dumpling and does not have to be made with potatoes.  Although potato gnocchi is the most common, we often associate gnocchi as strictly potato pasta in American.  Details like this are often lost when one culture incorporates words, techniques, foods or traditions from another culture.  Hope your brain enjoys this dish of knowledge as much as I enjoyed the actual gnocchi.....