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

An Italian Frittata is one of the most versatile  dishes that I can think of. And in the summertime, it can be ohh so refreshing with a touch of fresh mint. For a quick casual lunch for a picnic or on the beach..but a frittata is not just an omelet! It can be lunch or dinner with a glass of chilled, light dry white wine, or  cut into smaller wedges or squares for an appetizer or snack. But I love being able to make the night before and quickly wrap this up in the morning before heading to the beach here in Italy..the protein gives you a lot of energy and the fresh mint…it is a way to chill down on a sunny day at the beach.

Once cooked cool, and wrap cut slices in parchment paper to take with you and enjoy. A mint frittata is proof of the beauty and art of simplicity..no more than 4 ingredients to make this luscious, healthy meal..

Mint Frittata (Frittata con Mentuccia)

(for 2)

2 whole eggs

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 tsps chopped fresh mint

pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in round frying pan. Break eggs into a bowl and whip with wire whisk till foamy. Add in chopped fresh mint and pinch of salt. Pour into pan with oil,distribute evenly into pan. When top is firm, not watery, flip onto a dish, then flip uncooked side back into pan until firm and cooked, not watery.

Place on round dish and cover, cool in refrigerator for approx 30 minutes. When cool, cut into wedges and wrap in wax or parchment paper, take with you. Don’t forget the napkins!

July 21-25-look forward to seeing you at Festa Italiana in Milwaukee Wisconsin. I will be on stage doing cooking demos and book signings thorughotu the event at the Cucina Showcase. For more info on the event and/or sponsoring The Basic Art of Italian Cooking booth email:info@marialiberati.com

For more great recipes, get your copy of the upcoming release before it is released in Oct 2011 book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:DaVinci Style

copyright 2010, art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/ Maria Liberati

What could be more appropriate than Food and the City..my answer to Sex and the City 2 (the newly released film) how to get local, fresh, inspiring food experiences while living in the city.

Even though I live in the city.. while in the USA..my country house in Italy is never far from my mind..Bunches of fresh mint and oregano  tied together with twine or ribbon decorate the halls and rooms wherever I go….just the fragrance so inspiring.. Wherever I live I  turn my surroundings into a ‘country house’ it seems to be an uncontrollable reflex I have..

As a child living in South Philadelphia with a fig tree in my backyard growing through the concrete..and tomato plants  covering every bit of  the concrete..creating a ‘green backyard’.. I can’t help but wonder if it is an inherent natural reflex of mine..you know ‘’filling a city apartment with flowers and bowls of fresh fruit and veggies from the local market

Food and the City can be a challenge-especially for someone like me who loves to eat locally,hates to eat out..loves dining al fresco…but that country house and my childhood home in  the middle of South Philadelphia are  always there in my mind to help overcome..

Here are some tips to enjoy Food and the City for those city dwellers that hanker for a country atmosphere:
*Make your kitchen as rustic as possible-think Tuscan or Italian farmhouse style. Whatever fits your budget..even if it is just one piece a rustic looking chair..perhaps an old farmhouse table you found at a local outdoor market you can refinish..or even something as simple as a picture of a country kitchen.

*Place vases of fresh mint, fresh flowers, fresh lavender to make your surroundings more fragrant..

*Use whatever window space you have  to let as much light in as possible..make your dwelling sunny and bright-using real light (saves energy also).

*Most cities have open air markets. take advantage of it..nothing says ‘country farmhouse’ more than fresh fruits and veggies..

*Eating al fresco makes any meal..no matter how simple into the perfect meal. ( don’t know about you but a slice of bruschetta and a glass of Est!Est!Est! on a warm summer evening eaten out doors is the perfect summer meal) So wherever you are make use of any outdoor space you have that could fit a small table and some chair.

And if you are really inspired become a city farmer!

Hope to see you at Wed, May 26th, Book Expo America (Javits Convention Center, NY,NY) for my book singing at 11 AM at autographing area 4. Will be signing copies of my upcoming book release of the second edition of  The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions- winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

Sept 9-12-I will be appearing at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival in Rhinebeck, NY..so much great wine and food there..hope to see you there.

For more info on any of these events or any upcoming appearances email: events@marialiberati.com

To book an event email Andrea  at : events.ar@gmail.com

Visit me at OpenSky

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

Maria

marialiberati.com

where food meets art, travel & Life!

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Whether fresh or dried, herbs and spices are the essence of life—particularly life in the kitchen! Fresh dill complements any salad; and what is tomato sauce without fresh basil or guacamole without garden fresh cilantro? What about blending herbs to make a new, distinct flavor to add to your delectable dishes?

Combinations of herbs and spices can be concocted to make even the simplest vegetables soar with flavor. Herb combos can be made with or without salt, depending on your preference. In fact, mixing salt with spices become herbed salts—something you can sprinkle onto any meal instead of plain old salt.

When making an herb mixture, there are 2 important things to remember:

1. Measurements are key—too much of one herb will overpower the other flavors in the mixture. Start with small amounts and add more to taste.

2. Use herbs that will complement one another in the same dish, yet don’t be afraid to try some unfamiliar combinations. You might come across a blend that could become a family favorite!

It is no secret that oregano, basil, rosemary and thyme are classic Italian herbs. They season most Italian dishes with a special zeal. However, have you ever tried adding some different spices or herbs to your spaghetti sauce? Cilantro may not be a typical Italian herb, but chop some up and add it to your sauce for an extra punch.

Making herbed salt

Try this: Mix 1 cup of coarse sea salt with 2 tsp each: dill seed, coriander seed, cumin seed, and whole peppercorns. Pour this mixture into a clear “pepper mill” and you now have some freshly ground salt to spice up your meals every time. This also makes a great gift for the food lovers on your list who are otherwise impossible to buy for.

Each herb and spice has its own distinct flavor and when you blend it with other herbs and spices, it adds or changes the essence. Be creative, but remember to add herbs and spices in small steps. You can always add more but you can’t take it away!

Perfect for the Holidays    The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays & Special Occasions filled with 140+ recipes, menus, wine pairing tips and short stories about life in a charming town in the mountains of Italy.

Thanks to the Ladies of the Horsham Friends Library for organizing a book signing for me this past week for both of my books. And please stop by the Horsham Townshp Library in Horsham ,Pa and purchase a copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking . Proceeds go to the Friends of the Library, a great way to promote literacy!

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

This frittata is one of my favorites and is so simple made up only of a few ingredients..not the least important is the fresh mint to turn a few ordinary eggs into something extraordinary. Here it it is our lunch from the country house, serve with a chilled white wine..like Fallenghina, Est!Est!Est!, Trebbiano, Pecorino

Frittata con Mentuccia

For 2 people

* 3 whole eggs

* 1/4 lb ricotta di pecora

*2 tblsps olive oil

*handful fresh mint leaves, washed and torn

*salt and pepper to taste

Place eggs in bowl, shave the ricotta and add into eggs with salt and pepper. Beat with fork. Add in mint leaves, whisk with fork gently. In saute pan, heat olive oil. Pour in egg mixture. Cook on both sides. When finished, flip onto dish, cut into slices, serve garnished with mint leaves.

Just in time for the Holidays..get your copy of

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking :Holidays & Special Occasions  with over 140 recipes, menus, wine pairing tips and short stories of Holidays spent in the mountains of Italy

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://www.twitter.com/Marialiberati

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

The peppers are so vibrant in colors..I guess they don’t want to be overshadowed by the vivid  beauty of the Italian summer sun. A visit to a local farm owned by an acquaintance and before I know it I am leaving with a rooster and chicken chasing me and a box full of colorful fresh,  peppers..

No problem..they were the perfect ingredient for today’s lunch in The Basic Art of Italian Cooking kitchen..since the days have been so hot it seems that chilled white wines go best when eating meals al fresco.So today’s wine was a Solopaca from Sicily..

Cup of Tomatoes

*4 large peppers (any color will do)

*2 lbs of grape tomatoes

*a few leaves of fresh basil, a branch of thyme, tsp of  marjoram

*2 garlic cloves

*2 tblsps extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil

*2 tsps white wine vinegar

*salt and pepper to taste

Wash and dry the grape tomatoes, place in a bowl with chopped and washed basil, marjoram and thyme, olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss gently.

Wash and clean out inside of peppers. Fill inside of peppers with grape tomato mixture. Drizzle some olive oil in glass casserole and arrange peppers in casserole. Drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper on top. Place tops of peppers in glass casseroles and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with a drizzle of vinegar and olive oil.

Only about 250 calories per portion.

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

Justi n time for the Holidays get your copy of

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays & Special Occasions

 copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Editor: Erin Kuhn

Preserving fruits and vegetables is a very useful way to get the most out of your garden, or that great deal from the local farm. Unless you are planning on eating everything within the next few days, a better decision is storing everything for future use. While there are different methods for storing fruits and vegetables, no special equipment is needed to perform it. The main goal of storing fruits and vegetables is to inhibit bacteria grow, which is the major cause of food spoilage. Furthermore, it is vital to wash all harvested fruits and vegetables before storing them, and fruits must be place in lemon juice and vegetables in water with canning salt to prevent darkening after harvest.

Canning

For the storing of fruits and vegetables in cans, a boiling water canner, a pressure canner, and canning jars are needed. Fruits in jars have to be placed with water and ½ teaspoon of sugar. The most important step in canning is boiling the jars containing the fruits or vegetables for a certain amount of time to kill the bacteria. When the boiling water canner’s water is boiling, place the fruit jar inside the boiler for a while. The water in the boiling water container must be high enough to cover the whole fruit jar. Fail to do so, will result in leaving alive bacteria inside the fruit jar.

Another way of preserving fruit is adding fruit slices in to a fruit syrup. Fruit syrup is made from a mixture of water and sugar: 2 cups of sugar yields light syrup, 3 cups of sugar medium syrup, and 4 and ½ cups of sugar heavy syrup. The fruit slices and the syrup are put together in a boiling water canner and stirred.

Canning vegetables is a similar, yet somewhat different process. For the boiling process of vegetables, a pressure canner is more effective. Place the vegetable jar inside the pressure canner and allow boiling for the first 10 minutes and then block the steam so that the hot air does not escape. The water inside the pressure canner must only reach about half the jar in this case. Different fruits and vegetables require different boiling times to kill the many bacteria, which I will provide information later on.

Freezing

Freezing is relatively easy and there is no need for any equipment. Fruits and vegetables can be frozen in almost anything that you can get your hands on such as, cardboard boxes, plastic bags and aluminum foil. Freezing is healthier than boiling because it preserves the vitamins and minerals that are slightly loss during boiling. When freezing fruit, it is recommended to pour light syrup on the fruits to improve tastes before placing them in the freezer. Vegetables must be boiled first for a small amount of time; this is so that the vegetable is rid of damaging materials such as enzymes. After boiling, the vegetable must be submerged in cold water temporally and then placed on the desired container for freezing.

Drying

The cheapest way to dry fruits and vegetables is to place them under the sun. However, 5 consecutive days of 95 degrees or higher is needed for the drying process. An oven is a better choice but it is power consuming and if it can’t heat below 200 degrees, it is totally useless. Not to mention that the oven must stay open to allow the air to circulate. The best choice is a dehydrator, which must be set around 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit to dry fruits or vegetables. It is also possible to start at a higher temperature for a few hours and then lower the temperature until you reach 120 or 130 degrees, to achieve a good drying. Most vegetables and fruits need around 6 to 12 hours to dehydrate completely. During this time, is recommended to check for dry textures and cut small pieces to see if liquid is still present. In addition, it is essential to rotate fruits and vegetables often and leave plenty of room to breathe during the dehydration. Before dehydration of vegetables, the skin must be peeled off by boiling. For fruits, wash and cut them in to bite sizes, and for fruits like peaches, remove the core. After the dehydration is completed, fruits and vegetables have to be stored inside airtight jars and placed in a dark area with room temperature.

Pickling

Pickling is a good way to preserve, obviously, pickles but other fruits and vegetables can be stored in this way too. And the fruits won’t taste sour as long as sugar is added to the brine (a significant amount of salt with water). Onions, olives, peppers, watermelon rind, cauliflower, apples and pears are some fruits and vegetables that can be preserved by pickling methods. Be sure to use a pickling vinegar or one in which its acidity is at least 18%, to store the fruits or vegetables. For fruits, it is not recommended to decrease the amount of vinegar in the brine, since vinegar is essential, but adding enough sugar to sweeten the formula is needed. Vinegar is very important because it is self-preserving due to its natural acidity which prevents bacteria growth. By pickling, condiments such as Giardiniera (pickled vegetables), used mostly in Italian communities, and chile peppers from Mexico, are produced.

The aforementioned methods for storing a wide array of fruits and vegetables vary with each fruit and vegetables. Although the methods are very similar for each fruit and vegetables, boiling time and some additional ingredients differ. For this reason I provided two great sources which offer instructions in detail on how to preserve each fruit and vegetable, as well as making fruit juices and syrups. The National center for home food preservation (http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html) contains instruction on how to perform each of these storing methods efficiently and how to carry it out with different fruits. Another source for information is http://farmgal.tripod.com and it is much easier to navigate. Now that the storing methods have been revealed, perhaps it is a good time to do some harvesting.

 For recipes to use those fresh fruits and veggies, get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com

Join The Basic Art of Italian Cooking school at Whole Foods Jenkintown,PA on June 11th at 6:15 PM. Class on SUmmer ecipes with The Basic Art of Italian Cooking. Call store or email events@marialiberati.com for more info

June 15th- Willingboro Library, in Willingboro, NJ in the cooking cafe for Cooking on a Budget with The Basic Art of Italian Cooking. event is free and open to the public 7 PM. Call library or email events@marialiberati.com

June 20th on air on the Restaurant radio show in Chicago, Illinois foundo n the internet at www.restaurantradio.tv  Interview on June 20th at 2PM

Follow me at http://www.twitter.com/marialiberati

For more  articles & recipes

 Join me at The Basic Art of Italian Cooking School in Italy

 Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

 copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Editor: Erin Kuhn

Preserving fruits and vegetables is a very useful way to get the most out of your garden, or that great deal from the local farm. Unless you are planning on eating everything within the next few days, a better decision is storing everything for future use. While there are different methods for storing fruits and vegetables, no special equipment is needed to perform it. The main goal of storing fruits and vegetables is to inhibit bacteria grow, which is the major cause of food spoilage. Furthermore, it is vital to wash all harvested fruits and vegetables before storing them, and fruits must be place in lemon juice and vegetables in water with canning salt to prevent darkening after harvest.

Canning

For the storing of fruits and vegetables in cans, a boiling water canner, a pressure canner, and canning jars are needed. Fruits in jars have to be placed with water and ½ teaspoon of sugar. The most important step in canning is boiling the jars containing the fruits or vegetables for a certain amount of time to kill the bacteria. When the boiling water canner’s water is boiling, place the fruit jar inside the boiler for a while. The water in the boiling water container must be high enough to cover the whole fruit jar. Fail to do so, will result in leaving alive bacteria inside the fruit jar.

Another way of preserving fruit is adding fruit slices in to a fruit syrup. Fruit syrup is made from a mixture of water and sugar: 2 cups of sugar yields light syrup, 3 cups of sugar medium syrup, and 4 and ½ cups of sugar heavy syrup. The fruit slices and the syrup are put together in a boiling water canner and stirred.

Canning vegetables is a similar, yet somewhat different process. For the boiling process of vegetables, a pressure canner is more effective. Place the vegetable jar inside the pressure canner and allow boiling for the first 10 minutes and then block the steam so that the hot air does not escape. The water inside the pressure canner must only reach about half the jar in this case. Different fruits and vegetables require different boiling times to kill the many bacteria, which I will provide information later on.

Freezing

Freezing is relatively easy and there is no need for any equipment. Fruits and vegetables can be frozen in almost anything that you can get your hands on such as, cardboard boxes, plastic bags and aluminum foil. Freezing is healthier than boiling because it preserves the vitamins and minerals that are slightly loss during boiling. When freezing fruit, it is recommended to pour light syrup on the fruits to improve tastes before placing them in the freezer. Vegetables must be boiled first for a small amount of time; this is so that the vegetable is rid of damaging materials such as enzymes. After boiling, the vegetable must be submerged in cold water temporally and then placed on the desired container for freezing.

Drying

The cheapest way to dry fruits and vegetables is to place them under the sun. However, 5 consecutive days of 95 degrees or higher is needed for the drying process. An oven is a better choice but it is power consuming and if it can’t heat below 200 degrees, it is totally useless. Not to mention that the oven must stay open to allow the air to circulate. The best choice is a dehydrator, which must be set around 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit to dry fruits or vegetables. It is also possible to start at a higher temperature for a few hours and then lower the temperature until you reach 120 or 130 degrees, to achieve a good drying. Most vegetables and fruits need around 6 to 12 hours to dehydrate completely. During this time, is recommended to check for dry textures and cut small pieces to see if liquid is still present. In addition, it is essential to rotate fruits and vegetables often and leave plenty of room to breathe during the dehydration. Before dehydration of vegetables, the skin must be peeled off by boiling. For fruits, wash and cut them in to bite sizes, and for fruits like peaches, remove the core. After the dehydration is completed, fruits and vegetables have to be stored inside airtight jars and placed in a dark area with room temperature.

Pickling

Pickling is a good way to preserve, obviously, pickles but other fruits and vegetables can be stored in this way too. And the fruits won’t taste sour as long as sugar is added to the brine (a significant amount of salt with water). Onions, olives, peppers, watermelon rind, cauliflower, apples and pears are some fruits and vegetables that can be preserved by pickling methods. Be sure to use a pickling vinegar or one in which its acidity is at least 18%, to store the fruits or vegetables. For fruits, it is not recommended to decrease the amount of vinegar in the brine, since vinegar is essential, but adding enough sugar to sweeten the formula is needed. Vinegar is very important because it is self-preserving due to its natural acidity which prevents bacteria growth. By pickling, condiments such as Giardiniera (pickled vegetables), used mostly in Italian communities, and chile peppers from Mexico, are produced.

The aforementioned methods for storing a wide array of fruits and vegetables vary with each fruit and vegetables. Although the methods are very similar for each fruit and vegetables, boiling time and some additional ingredients differ. For this reason I provided two great sources which offer instructions in detail on how to preserve each fruit and vegetable, as well as making fruit juices and syrups. The National center for home food preservation (http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html) contains instruction on how to perform each of these storing methods efficiently and how to carry it out with different fruits. Another source for information is http://farmgal.tripod.com and it is much easier to navigate. Now that the storing methods have been revealed, perhaps it is a good time to do some harvesting.

 For recipes to use those fresh fruits and veggies, get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com

Join The Basic Art of Italian Cooking school at Whole Foods Jenkintown,PA on June 11th at 6:15 PM. Class on SUmmer ecipes with The Basic Art of Italian Cooking. Call store or email events@marialiberati.com for more info

June 15th- Willingboro Library, in Willingboro, NJ in the cooking cafe for Cooking on a Budget with The Basic Art of Italian Cooking. event is free and open to the public 7 PM. Call library or email events@marialiberati.com

June 20th on air on the Restaurant radio show in Chicago, Illinois foundo n the internet at www.restaurantradio.tv  Interview on June 20th at 2PM

Follow me at http://www.twitter.com/marialiberati

For more  articles & recipes

 Join me at The Basic Art of Italian Cooking School in Italy

 Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

Copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Editor:Erin Kuhn 

Spring is a time for renewal, fresh air and growth. Watching the trees bloom and tulips blossom stirs excitement in people after a dormant winter. For some, spring also opens the doors to fiddlehead season. These tightly coiled baby ferns are the first wild food of the season available for harvesting, and they make a lovely addition to an y spring meal.

Fiddleheads grow throughout the United States and Canada, but also in other parts of the world, particularly Asia and New Zealand. Although these fabulous little greens come from a variety of fern types, North Americans are best to stick to ostrich ferns for their fiddleheads. Some ferns are actually unhealthy to ingest; others are downright toxic. So it’s highly recommended that you know what kind of ferns you have in your area before you go hunting these tasty green shoots in spring.

When picking fiddleheads, go to an ostrich fern patch and look for tightly wrapped, bright green little heads. As the name suggests, they resemble the head of a fiddle-a stem leading up to the coiled baby fern. They’ll be poking out of the ground where last year’s ferns have keeled over. If they have unfurled to the point you can see the fern opening up in all its glory, then leave it be; it’s no longer an edible fiddlehead.

After gathering several handfuls of fiddleheads, rinse them well and be sure to remove the thin brown skin on them. They have a flavor similar to that of a blend of spinach and asparagus. They are versatile-you can toss them into a stir-fry, steam or boil them, or sauté them with some olive oil and garlic. If you are lucky enough to be overrun with fiddleheads, you can blanch and freeze them for later.

And as you can see from the photo above they are also great sauteed with fresh scallops.

The ideal way to usher in the spring is to hike out to your local fern patch and search through last year’s fallen leaves for those tender little fiddleheads. Then fire up the barbecue and serve a side of the first fresh harvest of the season.
If you are a garden fanatic or want to start to plant your own, here is a gret event coming up for those who will be in the Philadelphia, Pa area on May 8th and 9th 

If you are a gardening enthusiast or don’t know where to begin, here is a great event coming up on May 8-9 in the Philadelphia, Pa area http://www.burpee.com/contentarticle.do?itemID=100125

And keep in your thoughts and prayers all those who lost their loved ones as well as those that lost their houses and belongings and are now living in tent camps because of the devastating earthquake in the city of L’Aquila. Madonna, whose family originated from Abruzzo is donating a large amount of money to help the region so a special ‘mille grazie’ goes out to her.

And you can find out how to help out at http://www.italianamericanmuseum.org

Join me on May 2nd at:
*Whole Foods Market, Pennsylvania Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa for a book signing 1-3 PM.

 * 8 -11 PM-Book signing/wine sampling at Raya Coiffure/boutique for their Luxurious Grand Opening Celebration that will include a wine sampling by Terranova Wines http://www.terranovawines.comand a fashion show by Sonia Rykiel. Event is at 25 Haverford Station Rd, Haverford, Pa.  Call to RSVP at 215-478-1341

May 6th-Wine Pairing & Wine Dinner at Country Creek Winery

May 3rd, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking School at the Great Grapes Festival from 3-4 PM go to http://www.uncorkthefun.comMay 7th-Book signing and food sampling at Whole Foods Market, 5269 River Road, Bethesda, Maryland

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

Join me for a 7 day culinary experience in Italy

For more recipes/articles

If you have a blog or website and want to be part of my virtual book tour