I never realized how welcoming a hot plate of pasta could be on a cold, blustery day….nothing fancy now I am not talking about some of the lobster and pasta dishes but a simple pasta and a tomato sugo (sauce) and a sprinkle of freshly shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese..a glass of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and there you have it ..my best defense to venture out on a cold, snowy  day in the mountains of Abruzzo

But if you want more  Holiday  cheer, here is another recipe from the Gourmand World Award Winning Cookbook The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions- 2nd edtion..I think this dish will also be making it’s way onto our table for Vigilia dinner (Christmas Eve dinner) or as many have come to call this The Feast of the Seven Fishes..it makes a great first course or one of the many courses..

Tagliolini Pasta with Mussels

excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award. You can find it here, but it is now available from kindle in many different countries

First Course

Tagliolini is an egg noodle pasta that is a traditional pasta served in the Emilia-Romagna region but is now sold all over the world.

Serves 4.

• 1 lb Tagliolini pasta (Egg Noodle Pasta)
• 1 lb zucchini
• 1 ½ pounds fresh mussels
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 1 scallion
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 handful fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

  Chop onion and scallion. Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan. Saute on medium low heat for 5 minutes, do nor brown. Wash and slice zucchini into small sticks. In another saucepan,place in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, warm for 1 minute and place in zucchini, saute for 5 minutes,season with salt and pepper to taste. In another sauce pan place in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, place in washed mussels and chopped parsley. Cover and when mussels have opened their shells, remove from heat. Set aside. Remove mussels from pan and shell. Filter the water from cooking mussels and set aside. Place shelled mussels, cooking water, sautéed zucchini, in saute pan with onion. Saute together for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Place in chopped basil and remaining olive oil. Cover and set aside. Cook noodles. Drain. Place into saute pan with mussels, place over moderate low heat for one minute, toss gently.

  Serve.

.**Need Last minute ideas for Holiday Gifts,find them here

**March 24-45, Charlottesville, Va, Virginia Festival of the book appearance with my ,latest book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVince Style that was selected to be a part of the event! see you there or for more info and opportunities on sponsoring the appearance or The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm there email us at : events@marialiberati.com

**May 3 ,2012-join me on a luxury once in a lifetime,all inclusive  cruise to Italy

copyright 2011 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc./Maria Liberati

After surviving another Feast of the Seven Fishes in Italy  last year (the meal typically celebrated in Italy and now all over the world for Christmas Eve with many seafood dishes) I wanted to jot down some quick tips on cooking seafood many different ways. Everyone always seems puzzled as to what to make and how to make it. These are some quick, easy tips to help, but not only for the Feast of the Seven Fishes but all year round seafood dishes too! These are the principal 5 ways to cook specific types of seafood.

Alla Brace (usually refers to cooking in a fireplace or wood burning oven -over wood or coal)

Fish that has firm meat inside like tuna, are perfect for cooking this way,not all fish can hold up to this cooking method.

You can add a sort of aroma and splash with white or red wine or seafood broth to reinforce the perfume of the herbs/spices added. Choose a double sided grill that will make turning the fish easier.

Alla Griglia (grilled)

If you are going to grill fish you shouldn’t scale it, the skin protects the delicate meat of the fish from the intense heat of the grill. Before placing on the grill, dry the fish well with paper towels, even if it has been soaking in a marinade. Don’t overcook the fish. For example, sardines cook for only 1 minute on each side, for a sea bass-10 minutes per side. A large fish should be cooked slowly and drizzled with oil every so often to keep it moist.

Alla Mugnaia (a la meuniere- a French cooking term that means lightly dusted with flour and sautéed with butter)

A whole fish or one that has delicate meat inside like Sole should first be sautéed in a sauté pan with butter, then cooked over medium heat. In general, most fish can be lightly salted and breaded before cooking. The cooking time varies from between 2-3 minutes per side.

Fritto (Fried)

Fish best fried are small fish or those cut into smaller pieces or those like cod and sole. Always dry the fish before frying, coat with flour and dust with breadcrumbs. Oil should be hot but not smoking and should also be in an abundant quantity. Avoid keeping the breaded fish in the pan for too long a time, after cooking remove and place on absorbent paper or paper towels to absorb the oil.

Al Forno (Baked)

Al Forno – best to cook medium or large fish this way. You can also flavor the fish with flavorful spices and/or herbs or herb butter, broth, white wine. And if the fish is big enough you can also bake it stuffed with bread crumbs or shrimp or crab meat. In the oven, you can also cook smaller fish in parchment paper

So many of you have emailed  asking about how to celebrate this feast. So for those of you that do, please share with readers your favorite Feast of the Seven Fishes traditions and recipes. Christmas Eve is almost here!

For more Christmas recipes get a copy of the Gourmand World Award Winning Cookbook The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays &Special Occasions-2nd edition

**December 10th- Join me at Wendell August (103 Woodcutter Dr) in Exton, Pa from 1:30 –2:45 for a book signing of the Holiday book and Holiday recipes. Hope to see you then. For more info email: events@marialiberati.com

Another Thanksgiving , another day to give thanks and  remember the  simple things that we probably take for granted.. ..if you can celebrate the Holiday in anyway then you should give thanks…

Food doesn’t make the Holiday, it’s the company you share it with…can turn a plain meal into a festive one…And if you don’t like turkey create your own menu..opt for something special or something that makes you feel special..your favorite dish….as simple or as elegant as can be..but let it be your choice! Some people look for an online culinary arts school when they love cooking

My Black Friday gift to all subscribers of the BLOG is a free Holiday mini-booklet.  An excerpted booklet from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition- the book that was selected as a Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winner. The book is filled with warm holiday stories ,recipes and tips..This offer is valid for November 25th for 24 hours (12AM to 12PM) only and is a special offer for subscribers to this BLOG only..  If you are not a subscriber just subscribe before you order. To get your free copy,send an email to:
info@marialiberati.com place FREE HOLIDAY BOOKLET in subject and you will get an ebooklet ready to download.

Join Me in Italy on May 3, 2012 for an all inclusive luxury cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean. 10 days of all out luxury with everything included! Makes a great gift for that special someone! Only a few spots left, call  Julie Steinberg at Rosenbluth Vacations at 1-800-257-8279

Here’s Wishing a Happy day to give Thanks to all!!

Happy Thanksgiving

The variety of landscapes in the region of Abruzzo, Italy, in November are filled with subdued colors. Close to the sea, the fields that once were overflowing with  grapevines and olives are now scraggly fields  and make silhouettes against the oft gray skies. The new winter frosts have dimmed the once cheerful giardini (gardens). Sunflowers have closed and gone to sleep for most of the winter. The cold harsh winds drive the rains against terra cotta roofs. In the mountains, off in the distance the snow capped mountain tops , can be seen as a sign of things to come to the valley below.

The sheep still graze outside on the muddy hills with a sheepdog, known as an Abruzzese shepherd minds them  under a watchful eye.

Truffle and mushroom hunters roam the mountainsides. The open air markets provide a point of color on the brown landscapes, filled with colorful apples, oranges, pears, kiwi, pomegranates on display.

Vino Novello, the new wine that has just been produced from the ‘vendemmia’ in October can be found everywhere as people begin to prepare to gather items for the Holiday table.

As November wears on the harsh rains halt and I wake up to crisp morning skies with a sun as  brilliant as the sun of August, so harsh it hurts your eyes. It provides the perfect setting for local farmers to cut and cord the wood for fireplaces everywhere. Especially the kitchen fireplaces that will be used to grill meats and cheese or roast chestnuts for the Holiday meals to come.

Fall signals the time for certain foods ,especially pears in wine, and roasted chestnuts. Jars of white -flesh, preserved pears, now make a stark contrast next to the bright red  jarred tomatoes from  summer’s end. that decorate  many wine cellars or cantinas usually in home basements or separate small attached buildings. But it is time to think of the Holiday meals.

Although Thanksgiving is not officially celebrated here, meals leading up to the Holidays rival any Thanksgiving celebration. Panetone and Pan D’oro the sweet dessert breads of the winter Holidays line the windows of local bakeries and aisles of the supermarkets.

One of my favorite,elegant yet simple appetizers to make for Holiday  soirees or to start off a Holiday meal are these mushroom appetizers since mushrooms are in abundance.

An online culinary arts education is what some people pursue when they want to become a chef.

Tortini ai Funghi

(Mushroom Tarts)

Appetizer

Serves 4.

• 2 scallions
• ¾ pound fresh mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Pinch of salt and black pepper
• 1 large puff pastry strip, or 4 small strips
• 2 eggs
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 ounces grated Comté cheese
• 3 finely chopped leeks
• 4 small ceramic or glass baking cups; should be about four inches in diameter

Peel and finely chop the scallions. Carefully wash, clean, and thinly slice the mushrooms. Place 1 tablespoon butter in a sauté pan and sauté the scallions over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and let simmer until all liquid has been absorbed. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and let cool.

Use the remaining butter to butter the baking cups. Place puff pastry in baking cups and cover the bottom and sides of cups with pastry. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, pinch of nutmeg, pinch of salt, and grated Comté cheese.

Cover bottom of each baking cup with mushroom slices, then cover with chopped leeks. Pour egg mixture on top.

Cook in oven preheated to 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then for an additional 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Best served hot.

**Join me on May 2012 in Italy for an all inclusive luxury cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean. There are a few more spots left, don’t miss out. This is all inclusive luxxury cruise with absolutely everything included. Call Julie at Rosenbluth Vacations now at 1-800-257-8279

Thanks to all my fans that ‘spent the weekend with me’  (this weekend)and attended my appearances at the Suburban Home Show and the Philly Food and Wine Show.  It is always fun  to meet you and thanks you for sharing  all your stories about your experiences and questions trying the recipes in The Basic Art of Italian Cooking book  series  and questions about the places I visit in the books …. and sharing stories about your family’s origins in Italy and stories about the  towns they come from.

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style has had a very successful release and is doing very well ..thanks to the support of all of you…thanks for all your love and support!!

As promised, here is another recipe from my onstage cooking appearances and photos of the beautiful items I paired the recipes with. It is just as important to know what foods to pair together as well as the items they are presented in, And I am sure you will agree that the Fiestaware and Wendell August pieces were the perfect pairing. Fiestaware’s  75th anniversary color –Marigold- added the perfect touch to show off the other colors in the ingredients used.

Rotini Pasta alla Spinaci

1 pound rotini pasta (whole wheat )

8 ozs. fresh spinach (washed, chopped)

2 cloves garlic (peeled)

1/4 cup cooking cream or cream

4 ounces steamed crabmeat, shredded

3 ozs. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine

Cook pasta in boiling water  10-12 minutes. While pasta is boiling, place olive oil in saute pan, place in whole garlic cloves. Saute just till garlic becomes golden. Add in fresh spinach, saute for 2 minutes, than add in crabmeat. Saute for 3 minutes, add in wine. Saute for 5 minutes or until half of liquid has been absorbed.  remove garlic cloves.Add in  cream. Saute till creamy. remove from heat,keep warm. When past is al dente, drain and place into saute pan and toss pasta to coat with creamy sauce.  Serve hot.

**Join me on in Italy for my Cruise to the Mediterranean and a culinary adventure (May 3, 2012). This luxury cruise will leave from Venice Italy and go to Rome, Tuscany, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Monte Carlo, Your flight to Venice,  and a night in a luxury hotel in Venice (included) and all your food, excursions, on board alcoholic beverages,flight back and shuttles to and from airport are all included. The suites you wil stay in are luxury suites. No better way to see Europe and I iwll be happy to introduce you to the Mediterranean that I know so well! I will be doing on board dinners and cooking demos and taking you on a visit to a vineyard in Sicily. Only a few spots left..join us call Julie at Rosenbluth Vacations at 1-800-257-8279…see you then

copyright 2011 Maria Liberati

On the road again”….that winsome, Willie Nelson tune just seems to pop out at me as my book tour unfolds. An invitation to appear at the Utah Humanities Festival found me in Salt Lake City this past weekend. After a long flight, the calm relaxing pace of that city as well as a landscape filled with mountains and sky provided a bit of tranquility.

And even though Salt Lake City is certainly not a hop,skip and a jump from the east coast, it reminded me in some ways of home in the mountains of Abruzzo. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, fresh spring water,fresh air. It was almost like I was there in my little town in Abruzzo but supersized with multi lane highways instead of 2 lane highways going through town, skyscrapers instead of old country villas and terracotta glazed buildings.

But no need to look too far for great food, I was scheduled to do another event (A book signing and recipe demo from the book) at Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli. I call this place a little piece of Italy in the West. With am Italian market, a deli, a fresh fish market and restaurant, I didn’t need to look any further. The recipe was a Risotto with fresh porcini mushrooms and truffles and Caputo’s had all the perfect ingredients that are not always so easy to find. Ingredients like carnaroli rice, frozen porcini mushrooms from Umbria, Italy and black truffles from Burgundy, France, butter from Parma ,Italy and Olive Oil from Tuscany..The ultimate ingredients like this always make for an ultimate food experience

P.S. Only use a pinch of truffles to top off this dish, truffles are wonderful only when used correctly, not over used.. And if you can’t find a truffle, a drizzle of truffle infused oil on a finished risotto will work as a substitute.

.

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Truffles

(from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:DaVinci Style, published by art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc

*4 cups vegetable broth

*3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

*2 leeks chopped finely

*1 cup arborio or carnaroli rice

*1 tablespoon unsalted butter

*1 cup dry white wine or Prosecco

*1 ounce dried procini mushroom

*1-2 tswps grated truffles

*2-4 tablespoons freshly shaved or grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese

Place dried porcini mushrooms in small dish of warm water and let soak for 30 minutes, set aside. Heat vegetable broth till boiling, then simmer. Place olive oil in large saute pan, place in leeks and saute till leeks become transparent. Place in soaked porcini mushrooms and set water they soaked in aside. Saute for a minute. Place in rice and toast til rice is coated with oil. Add in dry white wine, wtir till liquid is all absorbed,then add in liquid from porcini mushrooms, stir and then when liquid is absorbed, add in another ¾ cup broth and repeat this till rice is al dente (about 18 minutes). When finished, remove from heat and place butter on top, stir in and then plate the rice and serve with grated or shaved parmigiana-reggiano on top.

Serve with the wine you added into the risotto for cooking, if you’re not sure, Est!Est!Est!,Falenghina, Pecorino, dry Prosecco all make great white wines for a risotto dish-to cook with and pair with at dinner

*Join me in Italy on an all inclusive luxury cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean. We will explore the sights and tastes with visits to vineyards, on board culinary events and more. Only a few spots left. Call Julie at Rosenbluth Travel at 1-800-257-8270

*October 12th at 9:30 AM if you are in Philadelphia, listen in to WBEN 95.7 FM radio as Marilyn Russell interviews me for her Woman of the Week show and hear about my latest book and special projects.

*October 21-23-Suburban Home Show at the greater Philadelphia Convention Center in Oaks Pennsylvania. Join me for on stage cooking demos of my latest book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style and find out how you can join me on my upcoming luxury cruise to Italy. For more info email:events@marialiberati.com

I have discovered a magic flavor in a tube..no its’ not toothpaste..it’s tomato concentrate. Imagine a concentrated flavor of a sweet  fruit (tomatoes are classified as a fruit)..the flavor is sweet, sweet, ..without sugar.

So sweet, I enjoy the stuff eaten on top of freshly sliced zucchini, cheese or other veggies or in place of mayonnaise or any other sandwich dressing… and as an added plus it is low calorie..only tomatoes..no sugar or fat!

Here’s a  colorful and flavorful recipe worthy of any artist in the kitchen…you can liken the tubes of tomato paste to tubes of paint used by artist..I call this

Paella Classica allo Picasso

2 cups rice

3 envelopes saffron

1 lb of mixed seafood (i.e. flounder, tilapia, salmon, cod)

1 lb of shellfish

2 glasses of dry white wine

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons of Tomato Concentrate (in a tube)

pinch red,hot pepper

Optional : red pepperoncini

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 fresh green pepper (seeded and cut into strips)

Was hall seafood. Cut seafood into uniform pieces, set aside. Wash and clean shellfish.

Place olive oil n a large saute pan with minced garlic cloves,chopped onion. Saute till golden. Add in rice, add in white wine and stir. Dissolve saffron and tomato comcentrate  in 1 1/2 cups hot, boiling water.

Once white wine has been absorbed by rice, add in this hot water mixture a little at a time, stirring slowly. After 9 minutes, add in shellfish and seafood, hot pepper, red hot pepper, peas. Stir and cook till rice is al dente, adding boiling water when needed. Serve hot

** May 3, 2012..Join me in Italy on my luxury culinary cruise to Italy, all inclusive and so much fun! visit a vineyard in Sicily, join me with my on board culinary demos and dinners. Everything is included even your airfare from whatever key city you are flying out of. Only a few cabins left..call Rosenbluth travel  at  1-800-257-8279  or email:Events@Marialiberati.com to make reservations now!!

Join me at some of my other appearances:

**October 2, 2011 ,Salt Lake City Utah,  Book Release of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:DaVinci Style at the Utah Humanities Festival ..Join me for a Celebration of Leonardo Davinci, poetry from his notebook and his travels.. For more info email:events@marialiberati.com

**October 21-23, Suburban Philly Home Show at the  Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, 100 Station Avenue Oaks, Pa …On stage cooking demos from my latest book release The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style and a presentation for my upcoming luxury culinary cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean. For more info : events@marialiberati.com

copyright Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati 2011

If home is where the heart is then it’s the details that count, the little things that make you feel comfortable and remind you who you are… a recipe, a sound, a fragrance…some of the things that help make someplace feel like home..

A recipe that makes makes me feel like home at the country home here in the mountains of Abruzzo is a frittata made with fresh cipolotti onions since they are so easy to find at the local open air markets or sometimes one of my neighbors will surprise with a bag of onions from their ‘giardina’ or garden.

I received a surprise visit that came with a small bag of freshly picked onions today..It was an unexpected visit and a special one from a couple that has a small farm in the next town…..just a hop,skip and a jump over a few hills from me….

Fresh Onion Frittata

10 eggs

½ cup parmigiana-reggiana grated

8 ounces ricotta cheese

3 fresh cipolotti onions

½ cup milk

½ cup dry white wine

pinch of salt and pepper

pinch of nutmeg

2 tablespoons of butter

Peel and clean the cipolotti onions, removing the tougher outer layer. Chop the onions and saute in butter (on low heat) with pinch of salt and pepper. Add in wine, be careful not to brown onions. Let alcohol evaporate, add in 2 tablespoons of water and cover, cook this way over medium low heat til onion has become transparent.

Place ricotta, eggs, milk, grated cheese, nutmeg in a bowl and whisk together with a wire whisk. Pour into non stick and /or buttered, round casserole dish. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place in oven for 20 minutes or until firm and brown on top.

Serve with a dry, chilled white wine like Trebbiano D’Abruzzo. As the Italians say the this wine and the frittata “make the perfect marriage…. the hint of sweetness of the frittata and the acidity of the Trebbiano wine”.

**Join me in Italy, on my all inclusive luxury cruise to experience flavors of Italy and the Mediterranean in May 2012. Only a few spaces left, includes airfare, meals, taxes ,transfers, everything. Email :events@marialiberati.com or call Rosenbluth Travel  1-800-257-8279

Tonight, after dinner, I sadly cut the last slices of ‘cocomero’ (watermelon) that were left in the refrigerator. I knew this meant that the end of summer is here and soon we will be leaving the country house  to open up our  ‘pied a terre’ in the city.
Watermelon is one of my favorite flavors of summer. But this year it was almost a required fruit to eat to  beat the extreme temperatures in Italy..nothing refreshes more than a cool slice of watermelon..my favorite souvenir of this year’s watermelons is a cool drink that is made with watermelon, white melon and Prosecco-or you can have it without alcohol.

Just puree approximately 1 cup of the fruit of a watermelon, then puree 1/2 cup of a white melon.  Divide evenly into serving cocktail glasses, add in a spritz of Prosecco, a slice of fresh pineapple!

Join me here in Italy on the Luxury culinary cruise that will be leaving from Venice in May 2012. It is all inclusive and will include even your airfare from whatever city in the world you depart from to Venice and back. Only a few spots left, email events@marialiberati.com

Besides, my frequent trips to the internet to find out about the latest weather reports in the East Coast of the US, I was preoccupied with making 2 chocolate ricotta cheesecakes for an outdoor ‘spaghettata’. A spaghetta is a sort of a dinner  or party and the menu is made up mainly of different spaghetti dishes.

The event will be held at the villa of an acquaintance..luckily it is in the mountains so I know the air will be cool and fresh. But the dessert will be a ricotta chocolate cheesecake.

I cheated a bit on this one..with temps in the 100’s here everyday… I did not feel like making  a full blown cheesecake and used as a principal ingredient, a  chocolate box cake mix that has pudding added to . It is half homemade and half pre made…well anyway it was surprisingly delicious and not one piece of 2  of these cheesecakes was left over.

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake squares

2 lbs ricotta cheese

8 ounces baking chocolate  chopped

rind of one orange

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup sugar

! box chocolate cake mix with pudding

3 eggs

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup water

In bowl, mix ricotta with orange rind and chopped chocolate and sugar. Set aside. Mix cake mix as package directs with rest of ingredients. Blend. Butter and flour a 13 x 9” pan. pour in batter. Spoon ricotta mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until ricotta on top becomes brown. Remove from oven and let cool.Cut into squares

**Join me on a culinary cruise to Italy in May 2012. Besides a visit t oa vineyard in Sicily, I will be doing culinary demos and dinners throughout the cruise to explore tastes of the Mediterranean. And best of all everything is included, it is all inclusive, airfare, meals, tips, excursions, my events, are all included. Only a few spots left, to reserve your spot or for more info email: events@marialiberati.com