Savory & Sweet: A Taste Of Umbria

Not one to sit around even when he is on vacation, The Early Show's resident chef, Bobby Flay, was inspired by the dishes he tasted and cooked while visiting Umbria in Northern Italy.

Bobby found that there were two aspects of Umbria that he was really excited about. He says in the season of summer fruits in the North of Italy there is nothing better than stone fruits, like peaches and plums, in savory entrees or a delicious dessert.

He also found that the mixture of savory and sweet is a common Northern Italian cooking trait called Agredolce -- indirectly translated it means sweet and sour.

Here, he shares his recipes:

Grilled Pork Loin with Braised Fennel and Peaches Agrodolce

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 2-1/2 pounds pork loin, fat trimmed
Kosher salt

Whisk together the oil, rosemary and pepper in a baking dish. Add the pork and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

Heat grill to high. Remove pork from the refrigerator 20 minutes before grilling. Season entire loin liberally with salt and grill on all sides until golden brown and slightly charred. Reduce the heat to medium, close the cover and continue grilling until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the roast reads 145 degrees F. Remove the roast to a cutting board, loosely tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve the pork drizzled with some of the agrodolce sauce and peaches surrounding it. Serve the fennel on the side.

Braised Fennel

2 cups white wine
3 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 bulbs fennel, quartered, fronds reserved

Combine wine, fronds and salt and pepper in a large high sided sauté pan and bring to a simmer. Add the fennel, cover and cook until just cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Peaches Agrodolce

1 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup clover honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 slightly under ripe peaches, halved, pitted and each half sliced into quarters

Bring the vinegar, water, honey, salt and pepper to a simmer in a large high sided sauté pan over medium heat. Add the peaches and cook until slightly soft and warmed through. Remove the peaches to a plate and continue cooking the liquid until slightly reduce, about 5 minutes.

Fresh Ricotta with Plums and Honey
Serves: 4 to 6

1 pound fresh ricotta
3 ripe red or black plums, halved, pitted and sliced
Clover honey
Black pepper

Spread the ricotta on a platter, top with the plums, drizzle with some honey and season with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.