copyright 2012 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

A delicious word I learned for  ordering dessert…for when a taste of one just won’t do…’tris’..

A table of 15..dinner in the seaside resort of Pescara..for an evening of local flavors..from the bottles of olive oil produced in the nearby town of Loreto-Aprutino,the bread from a local forno in Pescara, the lentils for the  soup and broccoli rabe grown in towns nearby, the Pecorino cheese (a specialty in Abruzzo and my favorite version of this old world cheese) made in a town in  the National Park of Abruzzo..(Parco Nazionale D’Abruzzo).

But now the crowning glory of the entire meal was about to arrive and the choices presented were a locally made torrone,  a locally made specialty known as Parozzo (chocolate almond cake), and a ricotta pudding made from locally produced ricotta  cheese. … After 5 minutes of major debating..(food is not an easy subject to make any decisions on when in Italy) ‘tris’ everyone exclaimed…’tris’??

‘

(Parozzo)

Tris’..explained to me..literally means 3 sample sizes of 3 desserts…and tris was the easiest solution to ending the  (what was now becoming) 30 minute decision making process..no need for anyone to make a decision or eliminate one luscious choice over the other…so “tris” it was…

(freshly made ricotta)

Ricotta Pudding

(photo credit: pianetadonna.it)

(from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition)

• 1 lemon peel
• ½ cup brandy
• 2 tablespoons candied dried fruit
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup fresh fruit in season

Serves 6.

• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 5 eggs
• Pinch of cinnamon
• ¹⁄³ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pass the ricotta cheese through a sieve to get a creamy texture. In a bowl, place the ricotta, 1 tablespoon flour, 2 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks (save egg whites for later use), pinch of cinnamon, powdered sugar, lemon peel, candied dried fruit, and brandy. Blend all together.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until peaks form. Fold gently into the ricotta mixture. Butter a glass baking pan, dust with remaining flour, and place in mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm.

When finished, remove from oven and let cool. When cool, take out of pan and place in serving dish. Serve with sliced fresh fruit on top.

For more great recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions here or in ebook version exclusively at Kindle

*May 3, 2012-Join me in Italy for a Luxury Cruise throughout the Mediterranean. GO here for more info

*March 24th see you in Charlottesville Virginia for the Festival of the Book-book signings and Cooking demos..Stay tuned for more info or email: events@marialiberati.com for exact schedule of events. The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style will be a featured book

copyright 2011 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc

(photo credit : www.olomedeia.it)

Post offices are becoming unbearable here,,today there were 100 people ahead of me in line at , my only salvation was that( since it is the Holiday season and everyone plays Tombola or bingo at get togethers) I could imagine myself playing the game as the  numbers appeared on a big screen in the  middle of  the post office..so my half day wait became a game of Tombola..I was number 262 and they were only up to 120….when we finally got to 257 I could yell out “cinquina” only 5 left to go…..and then finally 262,”Tombola” I yelled out ( to myself only)…

Finally out of the post office and it was 12:45..only 15 minutes  (stores close at 1 PM) to get to the fresh pasta store in town…not enough time to make the  fresh pasta..but their fresh pasta is the next best thing to home made..( it is called La Fraiola)… for a bean soup I planned for pranzo (lunch)..a  bean soup with freshly made egg noodles..couldn’t help but but have a hankering for soup since the temps are in the low 30’s and we are surrounded by snow capped mountains.. Here is today’s lunch..

Pasta e Fagioli Borlotti (Borlotti Bean Soup)

excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style available in print here or in digital version exclusively on Kindle

8 ozs. freshly made egg noodles

1 cup borlotti beans (dry and soaked overnight, cooked in water for 1hr)

2 carrots

2 tomatoes

1 leek

1 stalk celery chopped

2 whole cloves garlic

3 tblsps extra virgin olive oil

Place oil in a large pot and place in garlic and chopped leeks Then saute for 3 minutes.

Place in 5 cups (2 ½ liters) hot vegetable broth, carrots, tomatoes, bring to a boil and  simmer place in beans, cook till tender, at least 20 minutes. Boil again and then place in fresh pasta and cook for 5-8 minutes ,and cook for 20 more minutes. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve and top with a drizzle of olive oil. and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Torta Paradiso (Heavenly Cake)

1 cup (200 gr) butter

¾ cup (120 gr)confectioner’s sugar

¼ cup(60 gr) flour

1/3 cup (70 gr) potato starch

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

grated zest of one lemon

extra confectioner’s sugar for topping

Place softened butter in a bowl and whip till a creamy consistency, add in confectioner’s sugar a little at a time. Beat 1 egg + 1 yolk in another bowl till creamy. Add in butter mixture. When well blended add in grated lemon zest, then sift into mixture the flour and potato starch. Mix till well blended.

Butter a 9” cake pan.  Pour in batter. Bake in oven preheated to 350 F (180C) for approx. 1 hour or until cake is firm in center. remove from oven, let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

**Get more recipes from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style here or available in digital form exclusively on Kindle

**See you on March 24-25 in Charlottesville, Virginia at the Virginia Festival of the Book.  The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style is one of the books selected to be featured in this year’s festival

*May 3, 2012 join me on a luxury cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean

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

A perfect Christmas  concert at Santa Prassede in the center of Rome, was an unexpected surprise as I arrived on Sunday. I have heard about this church before but it has always been closed..what a hidden gem.

Outside it is plain and doesn’t beckon to come inside, but once inside you are splendidly surprised with so many frescoes and mosaic tiles and balconies in marble. Your mouth will drop in awe as your head spins around savoring every beautiful bit of color…

The Christmas concert just happened to be an extra something..with the International Choir of Rome and pieces from Mozart and Bach….

But of course my favorite part was getting home to enjoy a pre –Holiday dinner with friends and a dish of pasta with lobster, it has become a favorite for dinner and is excerpted here from my Award Winning book The Basic Art of  Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Pasta Shells with Lobster and Spinach

First Course

Serves 4.

• 8 ounces cooked lobster meat
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces dried mushrooms
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 pound washed and chopped fresh spinach
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• ¼ Cup cream
• 1 pound pasta shells
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

  Cut lobster meat into small chunks. In a bowl, blend lemon juice with 4 tablespoons olive oil. Let stand for 15 minutes. Place dried mushrooms in 1 cup warm water and let sit for 15 minutes.

  Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in sauté pan with chopped onion and spinach. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add in mushrooms, lobster meat, pinch of salt and pepper, and cream. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

  Cook pasta until al dente, then drain. Place pasta in sauce and toss.

  Serve on individual plates. Drizzle with olive oil/lemon sauce and sprinkle fresh parsley on top. Serve with a dry white wine or even a sparklling Prosecco.

For more recipes get your copy of the Gourmand World Award Winning Cookbook The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special  Occasions-2nd edition you can still get a copy rushed for a Christmas gift or get a Kindle or ebook version

May 2012-Join me in Italy for a luxury cruise across Italy and parts of the Mediterranean. it is an all inclusive cruise… so even your flight and luxury suite, food ,tips, excursions are all included..makes a great Christmas gift also!

March 24-25, 2012- see you at Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville, Virginia. The latest release The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style was just selected to be part of this amazing festival celebrating the written word. If you are in or near Charlottesville, Virgina, stop by! For more info and/or to be included as one of the sponsors of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm email: events@marialiberati.com

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

I have been receiving requests from the media asking for recipes that are unique for Thanksgiving dinner. This  dessert that comes form Siena, Italy, is an interesting cross between a rice pudding and a cake. It’s not your typical Thanksgiving day dessert but one that will make it a memorable one and this will bring Siena, Italy close to your dinner table for one day…

And if you love to cook here is a resource for finding cooking classes

Torta Alla Senese (Siena Style Cake)

excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style

½ cup (100 gr) milk

1 ½ cups (300 gr) rice

1 cup (200 gr) sugar

3 eggs

1/3 cup(70 gr) raisins

8 hazelnuts

¼ cup (50 gr) pinoli nuts

1/3 cup (70 gr) butter

1 tsp baking powder

zest of ½ lemon grated

Boil milk. Add in uncooked rice and sugar. Cook till liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool. Add in eggs. raisins, hazelnuts, pinoli nuts, softened butter, baking powder, grated lemon zest. Blend all together. Butter and flour an 8” cake pan, pour in batter. Bake in oven preheated to 400 F (200C) and bake for 30 minutes. Serve chilled.

For more great recipes get your copy of

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci  Style

Join me in Italy on May 3, 2012 for an exicting all inclusive luxury cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean. A few spots remaining, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to expereince the delights of the Mediterranean, including to onboard culinary events and visits to vineyards as wel as other excitign excursions. Call Julie at Rosenbluth Vacations at 1-800-257-8279 to reserve your spot now! Hope to see you there!!

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

“Take pleasure in your dreams, relish your principles and drape your purest feelings on the heart of a precious lover”

Giotto

A beautiful quote from a man who was also known for creating beautiful things. However, he,apparently had a sense of humor as well. In a fresco he was commissioned to paint in the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi , a faint figure of the devil was recently found in the middle of the clouds..possibly his way of getting back at one of the Popes who commissioned that painting…

Known for creating things of beauty, however his children were known to be very plain looking. When asked by  the famous writer Bocaccio, how  he could create such beautiful paintings but such plain children..Giotto responded “ I made them(my children) in the dark”.

Torta Alla Zucca (Pumpkin Cake)

(photo credits  www.tortaalcioccolata.com)

( recipe excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style

16 ounces(500gr) pumpkin mashed

2 lbs (250 gr) peeled, shelled almonds

1 ½ cups(300 gr) flour

1 cup (200 gr) sugar

4 eggs

4 juicing oranges

1 tblsp honey

Chop almonds. Place almonds, pumpkin in bowl, add in honey, juice of oranges, egg yolks and sifted flour Blend. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites till firm and fold into pumpkin mixture. Place in buttered 12” pie pan. Bake in oven preheated to 375F (180C) degrees for 30 minutes/

If you are interested in  finding  culinary arts classes, look into online schooling

**Join me in Italy on May 3,2012 for an all inclusive 10 day luxury cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean.  Only a few more spots left, call Julie at Rosenbluth Vacations at 1-800-257-8279

copyright 2011 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,inc/Maria Liberati(except sorbet photo)

Cranberries are here..and these health filled beautiful red berries can be used in so many ways…. to dress up a meal, to accompany a poultry dish or in a dessert. One of my favorite desserts this time of year is a (very easy to make) cranberry sorbetto (sorbet). A dish that adds a lot of color to your table but also one that brings a lot of antioxidants your way

(photo from:countryliving.com)

Cranberry Sorbetto

• 1 pound fresh cranberries
• 10 cups water
• 5 ½ cups sugar
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin with 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 4 egg whites

In large saucepan combine cranberries, 1 cup water, 2 cups sugar.Bring to boil and cook just until berries pop open. Cool then place in food processor to puree. Add orange and lemon juices and zests to puree. In a deep saucepan, boil 9 cups water and remaining sugar for 20 minutes over medium heat. Dissolve gelatin in small bowl with 2 tblsps cold water. Stir gelatin into hot water/sugar mixture. Add in cranberry mixture and blend together.

Pour this mixture into two flat pans. Freeze till slushy consistency, approximately 30 minutes.

Remove from freezer and place slushy mixture into lareg bowl and break up. In a bowl beat egg whites till fluffy. Fold ½ of cranberry mixture into egg whites and blend together. Then ad this into the remaining cranberry slush. Pour this back into flat pans and freeze again for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer, stir. Freeze again til firm. When completely frozen, serve and//or store in containers and freeze for serving. Garnish with orange peel.

For more colorful recipes that are truly a work of art, but easy to follow…..Get your copy of the newly released The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style and follow Leonardo DaVinci’s travels to some of Italy’s most delicious regions, including recipes from those regions.What recipe did DaVinci use for The Last Supper meal? Why did he only spend a short time in Bologna and quite longer time in Venice?? Find out why and get some great easy to cook recipes Get your print copy or a Kindle edition

Join Me in Italy on May 3 2012 for an all inclusive Mediterranean cruise starting in Venice going to Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Portofino, Sicily. Tuscany, Rome, Ancona, then to Monte Carlo, Corfu. Montenegro and Dubrovnik.I ncludes a  visit a vineyard in  Sicily and I will be doing onboard cooking demos and events.Everything is included from all your food, tips ,transfers, excursions to those beautiful cities, flights to and from, even your first night will be a stay at a luxury hotel in the city of Venice Italy before we board. Only a few spots left, reserve your place now, call Julie at Rosenbluth Vacations at 1-800-257-8279 or email us at events@marialiberati.com

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