Umbria jazz festival is in town (Orvieto). This year the festival is highlighting gospel music and the music of Duke Ellington..but one never knows who will show up. One year-Sting-who  lives in Umbria- showed up unannounced. You can check out the festival here. at www.umbriajazz.com

If you want to join the culinary tour and cooking classes I will be hosting during the summer version of Umbria jazz, just email Sue at info@marialiberati.com It will be a program of wine and olive oil tasting as well as cooking classes and visits to some special places and a stay in a beautiful Umbrian farmhouse resort..

Nothing goes better with great food and wine than great music, so the festival really fits in well with the culinary programs we are doing here (in Orvieto). Great cooking and tasting during the day and then the jazz festival music at night really makes for a complete  Umbrian experience.

Besides cooking and great recipes and tasting we got to make a stop at the famous Champagneria in Orvieto…  and since it is the Holidays.. sparkling wine pairings-so popular this time of the year. The appetizers we made for this sparkiling wine pairing will be posted here in the next few days.

But remember that sparkling wines can be used for any occasion not just for Holidays. They make any dinner or luncheon a special one. For some suggestions start off a meal with Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene…  A great way to welcome your guests and to start the event.

To follow that with your appetizers of  ,quiche, salami and parmigiana-reggiano cheese try a Pinot noir which is a versatile spumanti. This can also be served with fish, vegetables, white meats, shellfish.

For the dessert course try a a  Moscato d’Asti which is perfect served with panettone or most cakes and pastries that contain fruit. Brachetto d’Acqui (which has become one of my favorites) can also be served with your dessert  course. This is a very versatile spumanti as well and I have received many emails asking where to purchase this. It is light with just tinge of sweetness.

And if you are serving some type of dessert that needs to be eaten with a spoon-like a creme bruleee or flan or pudding-go back to a Prosecco for dessert this makes a great accompaniment.

For more recipes get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene

Maria

Buon Natale as I am writing here from my office high in the mountains of Abruzzo. Yesterday was a whirlwind of Christmas celebrations-from Rome to Umbria and Abruzzo.

The culinary tour I am hosting here will get to be part of many special events not to mention the Holiday cooking classes of traditional Christms dishes and a wine pairing at a vineyard in Umbria..

Although I am on a whirlwind of going back and forth between Umbria and Abruzzo- I was able to fit in a ‘vigilia’ ( christmas Eve) dinner was filled with many fish dishes. Though many of you are still emailing my assistant for this article about the traditional seven fishes Christmas dnner-here it is http://www.gomestic.com/Cooking/Traditional-Italian-Feast-of-the-Seven-Fishes.58592

But I have been doing some research of my own on this ‘tradition’ that many seem to be fascinated with especially in the US- and have come to the conclusion that eating a variety of fish dishes on Christmas Eve is the tradition. The part about the seven fishes may well be something that our grandparents and-or great grandparents who came to the US when they were young teens- began as a tradition in the US.   The households questioned in many parts of Italy are not at all familiar with the seven fishes dinner. So it could also have been a very old tradition from the late 1880′s or early 1900′s…

And all of the fish dishes served are light dishes using fresh fish, no heavy tomato sauces, dishes ranging from Clam Casino to seafood salad to fresh pasta with seafood in a light tomato sauce to fritto misto (fresh fish dipped in flour and then  flash fried lightly)… Delicious and authentically Italian using only the freshest and best ingredients.

Wishing you all the best and brightest of Holidays..Stay tuned for recipes and photos from the culinary tour to Umbria, and side events in Rome and Abruzzo.

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene

Maria

For more recipes get your copy of the best seling book  The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com

Everyone knows about the characteristic winding canals and little bridges throughout Venice..but most do not know the interesting history of the cuisine and wines produced in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region ( the region the city of Venice is part of).

The cuisine is more than Italian cooking. It offers a culinary combinaton of 3 great culinary traditions- Central European, Venetian and Slavic-which produce many interesting and luscious dishes.

This week I will be a special guest at an event produced by the Friuli Venezia Giulia region- in NY city. Our hosts will be some of the regions finest vintners and chefs.   I will be sure to bring back many recipes to delight-albeit- healthy and traditional as well.

I will be posting some info on the recipes ad wines of this region later in the week, also stay tuned for some photos at the event.

And in the meantime, if anyone has a favorite recipe from that region, please email it to me at maria@marialiberati.com  Or if you have a recipe you are looking for that originates from that region, let me know also.

This is one of the cuisines of Italy that I have not spent a lot of time on and am excited to add a new set of ingredients and recipes- from the top chefs in that region- to my repertoire.

Don’t forget that the bestselling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking makes a perfect holiday gift.  A portion of proceeds of every book sale is donated to Gilda’s Club.  And every book comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. Order your copy now at http://www.marialiberati.com

Ciao for now!

Maria Liberati

http://www.marialiberati.com

To make foods that taste incredible, it is always best to tailor your dishes to what is currently in season. Right now, chestnuts are in full swing – ripe and bursting with flavor. Depending on where in Italy you are, Chestnuts are in season from mid-September through January.

Chestnuts have long been a part of the Mediterranean diet. They are one of the few crops that can be grown on the steep mountain slopes during the winter, therefore providing excellent nutrients – high in complex carbohydrates, low in fats – during those long winter months.

Chestnuts were initially thought of as peasants’ food.

The work to cultivate the chestnut groves was tenuous and back-breaking. But aristocrats didn’t disdain the chestnut like other seemingly “poor” foods; as long as the chestnut was dressed up as marrons glacés (candied chestnuts) or another elegant preparation, then the chestnut was allowed to join in Italian high society dinner.

According to Wikipedia.org, chestnuts are making a big comeback in Italian cuisine as the trend for more traditional dishes continue. There are several ways to prepare and use chestnuts, from ordinary roasted chestnuts to the marrons glacés of aristocratic dishes.

My favorite holiday chestnut treat is Chestnut Truffles. It is absolutely decadent when served at cocktail parties, or as a small but rich dessert.

1 ½ lbs chestnuts (your favorite variety will do)
1-2 Tbsp milk
¼ cup rum
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla flavored sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil the chestnuts until they are cooked through. Puree the boiled chestnuts with the milk. Place the pureed chestnuts and the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and mix over medium low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring well. Remove from heat and let cool. Form into small balls and roll in grated dark chocolate. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper and place balls on the sheet. Move the cookie sheet into the oven, and let sit for about one minute or until chocolate begins to melt. Remove the Chestnut Truffles from the oven, let cool, and serve.

To enjoy a dessert that harkens back to a time when women wore high wigs and tight bodices, try the marrons glacés.

For this recipe, you’ll need the marroni variety of chestnuts (they are the largest and most voluptuous of chestnuts).

2 ¼ lbs marroni
18 ozs sugar (roughly more than 2 cups)
1 qt of water
1 vanilla bean (optional)
Salt

Peel the chestnuts and add them to a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water. Boil them for about 20 minutes, then remove the pot from the burner, and let the chestnuts steep five minutes more. Remove them one at a time with a slotted spoon, peeling off the thin skin that covers the nuts but being careful not to damage the nuts themselves (they’ll be soft).

Once you have skinned them, put them in a broad stainless steel skillet.

Take another pot and dissolve the sugar in the water over low heat. Add the vanilla bean if you are using it, and simmer the syrup, stirring it gently with a wooden spoon, until the syrup thickens somewhat (you want it to remain fairly fluid). Pour the syrup over the chestnuts and simmer them over a very low flame for a half hour, then turn off the flame and let them sit for ten minutes more.

Remove the chestnuts one at a time and arrange them on a serving plate and serve them with unsweetened whipped cream (if you like it). You can also sprinkle them with brandy, or serve them in cups, with a little of their syrup spooned over them.

And of course, the old standby. One of the easiest and tastiest options is to roast them. If you don’t have a fireplace or a chestnut roasting pan, you can purchase a very inexpensive, thin, steel skillet. Punch holes in the bottom with a thick nail. Now you have a makeshift chestnut roasting pan!

Make sure to cut a small lengthwise incision into the round side of the chestnut before cooking to prevent them from exploding. Put the chestnuts into the roaster, sprinkle them lightly with water, and cook them over brisk heat for 10-20 minutes (depending upon their size), shaking them frequently to keep them from burning.

When they’re done, the skins will have pulled back from the nuts, and the nutmeats will be firm but fork-tender – charred spots indicate insufficient shaking. Sprinkle them with a few drops of red wine, (perhaps the red wine you’ll sip while eating!), wrap them in an old cloth, squeeze them until they crackle, and let them sit in a warm place for five minutes. Peel back the cloth and enjoy!

One of my favorite smells in the winter time, especially if you live in those cold, sloping mountains, is the smell of roasting chestnuts wafting from the chimneys of homes.

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One of my favorite foods in the world is Pizza!! I have judged many of the International pizza championships and have tasted some of the world’s best pizza in many parts of Italy. Many people always ask about its origins and one of our editors- Patricia Mooney- has assisted me in putting together this bit of historical pizza info here:

Modern Italy is a rather young Country. As a nation, Italy was only unified in 1870. However, this ancient land in south central Europe has been a center of culture for thousands of years. It was from this region that the Romans controlled their vast empire. It was there that the Roman Catholic Church chose to make its spiritual headquarters. And the Renaissance, one of the greatest periods in classical architecture, art, philosophy etc. began there in the 14^th Century.

When most people think of Italian food they invariably think of spaghetti or pizza. While these are staple recipes they are an over simplification. The popularity of pizza is much greater in America than in Italy.

Today, eating a really great pizza made from probably those very same ingredients the peasants used- freshly produced mozzarella, freshly grown tomatoes, fresh basil- will make you feel like a king- not a peasant- how times have changed!!Technorati Tags : Pizza, and, its, history!!Technorati Tags : Pizza, and, its, history!!http:www.marialiberati.com

Technorati Tags : Birthday, traditionsOne of our editors, Patricia E. Mooney, has assisted me in coming up with some of these interesting facts and trivia that I bet most of you are not aware of. I found them so interesting that I will be featuring these facts and interesting trivia features from time to time. I have always found it fascinating -when studying culinary arts in Europe- to find that certain foods and dishes we use today are derived from the ancient Romans or Greeks. Hopefully these facts will captivate one’s imagination…Since it seems that June is birthday month for many of my family and friends, I thought we would start with this little interesting fact. By the way it certainly will make an interesting story at the next birthday party. Some scholars claim that our modern birthday cakes topped with candles are related to those once created for Artemis. The lit candles are reminders of the sacred fires of Artemis. Blowing out the candles and making a wish are remnants of forgotten magic rituals-perhaps the very ones used to gain the favor of Artemis. Also, the colors of the candles that you use on top of the cake are related to many different aspects of spirituality- white for protection and purification; green for spiritual growth, abundance and money; yellow for clear thinking;orange for energy. A round cake represents spirituality while square and rectangular symbolize prosperity.