Morning winter walks, savoury tarts and misty mountains

We continue our morning mountains walks with Boris and Lola enjoying their company and neverending curiousity. Passing by an old well just above our neighbouring farmhouse Bacile they are fascinated by Lex scooping water out of the basin, which is just too high for them to reach into....and mind you, you never know what's hiding in there!

The sky remains hazy, the tops of the mountains around us hiding their heads in the fog. Trees are leafless and seem even more gnarly then usual. The light is dim, every picture turns itself automatically into a monochrome work of natural art. This old oak tree has warped itself under and around a piece of rock which must have come down a long time ago.

Our trails or sentieri are covered with broken branches, leftovers of two major storms in late summer and autumn. We experienced the force of the storm first hand from the safe cover of our home, but watching the way some trees have just broken off makes me realize the power of nature.

The end of the daily walk through the pastures, looking into the valley of the Rio Salto along the road from Marradi to San Benedetto in Alpe never bores and entices Boris and Lola to some crazy jolting and puppy fights working off the remaining energy before going home for breakfast and some sleep. 

This time of the year the body is asking for warming food. I have picked up the habit again of making 'torte salate' on a regular basis, inspired by my friend Cinzia, who makes the most tasteful italian version of quiche lorraine.
Mine are usually filled with lots of wintervegetables like 'cavolo nero', a variety of kale, or whatever I find in the fridge, mixed in with eggs, parmigiano, ricotta di pecora (sheep ricotta because it has a wonderful flavour that gives a little zing to the mixture), salt, pepper and in this case caramalized onions. Add a glass of nice red Sangiovese, light the fireplace and here's the recipe for a wonderful quiet evening.

We try to get out as much as we can time permitting and fortunately there is more than enough to see and enjoy. A trip to Bilancino, the artificial waterreservoir near Borgo San Lorenzo makes for a nice sunset after letting the dogs run off their energy.
We return to Cervia for a beach walk and a nice Spaghetti alle Vongole, while being educated on the underrated white wine from the region, Pignoletto. Slightly sparkling, dry and a great companion for the local cuisine. Lex gets educated on Grappa too, I skip that part. Someone has to do the driving after all.

Winter weather continues and inspires to try and catch that special moment when the air cools down, fog develops in the valleys and creates a fairy tale picture......so we climb up the hill behind the house just around sunset to enjoy the dark view and let our minds wander.