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.

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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 understand what DaVinci saw in the quiet, tranquility of Tuscany. Any time I need a break from my hectic life, I sit down and watch a  snippet of a drive through the mountains of Chianti, and I can relax for a few brief seconds. Better than any drug,it is Tuscany. Try this:

Driving through Chianti

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style is officially being released at the Utah Humanities Festival this weekend and Suburban Home Show in Phladelphia on October 21-23 and Philly Gourmet Food Show on October 23.

You can find the book on Amazon.com and Kindle but here’s a recipe to go with that Tuscan snippet

Cantucci Biscotti

(excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style; copyright 2011 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc)

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 cup whole almonds

4 whole eggs beaten

1 tsp of grated orange peel

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place whole, unpeeled almonds on cookie sheet, place in oven and toast for 3 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and chop in large pieces.

Sift flour into a bowl. Place inside sugar, eggs, baking powder, orange peel, pinch of salt. Blend well till dough is smooth, but not too soft., then add in  almonds and blend in.

Cover cookie sheet with baking paper. Form dough into a long roll, the form of a long finger. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and cut diagonally to form biscotti. Cover cookie sheet with baking paper, place single biscotti on baking paper and bake for approx 25 minutes or until crispy and golden. Remove.

*May 3, 2012 Join me in Italy for an all inclusive luxury cruise. Call Julie at Rosenbluth Travel at 1-800-257-8270

When leaving Rome, Italy, in the airport there is always a holdup with tourists trying to smuggle jars of Nutella in their carry on luggage to take home. Not sure why they just don’t wrap the stuff well and put it in their checked in bags. Americans seem to have grown fond of this Italian staple.  My last memory of Rome, as I left last week was a half hour hold up in line because someone in front of me had 10 jars of  Nutella in their carry on luggage..10 jars!!!

I can understand bringing the stuff back from Italy since, the Nutella they sell in the USA is different and not as good as the one sold in Italy..but check in your bags..please…all 10 jars were taken away from them!!not because it is contraband simply because you can not bring that type of creamy substance on the plane…

However, it is one of the few things Italians are famous for that is processed and contains a lot of unhealthy for you fats..read the label and you will discover..however if you really love the stuff..there is a healthier way to get your Nutella fix by making it yourself.. Joy Johnson , a Canadian nutritionist came up with this healthy recipe..and I agree it is yummy just like Nutella, slightly less creamy, but healthy for you.. And if you don’t have an addiction yet to this creamy, heavenly mixture..try it on toast instead of jam..this is a real wake me up..have a cup of coffee with that toast and you are in for an ultra wake me up to get your day going..the caffeine in the cocoa plus the coffee make for the perfect morning ‘cocktail’.

Let’s hear from you if you try this..we worked up a batch in my test kitchen this morning and it went in a few hours…. Besides it is easier to whip up a batch at home than try to get the stuff past customs at the airport and carry the stuff all over the Eternal City..

Homemade  Chocolate/Hazelnut Spread

Ingredients

1/4 cup hazelnut meal*
1 tbsp raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
2.5 tbsp real maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp of organic coconut oil

Method

*Take about 1/2 cup hazelnuts and food process them until they form a fine ground meal. This makes about 1/4 cup. If you can find hazelnuts already ground, more power to you!

Combine the ground hazelnut and cacao powder in your food processor until blended completely. Add the remaining ingredients, process until combined, and enjoy!

You won’t get a smooth finish like you get with processed hazelnut spread, but it will be free of refined sugar and additives.

Spread this dish on toast, add to a smoothie, slather it on a crepe or a pancake. Just be sure to use in moderation — this is meant to be a sweet treat!

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/09/27/hazelnut-spread-recipe_n_927201.html

* October 2, 2PM  The Basic Art of Italian CookingaVinci Style will be released on Oct 2nd at a presentation  for the Utah Humanities Festival at the Salt Lake City Library, downtown, 2PM> For further info go to www.utahhumanities.org- Hope to see you there

*Join me in Italy, May 3 ,2012 for an all inclusive luxury cruise to the Mediterranean leaving from Venice and stopping at many Italian landmarks. I will be doing culinary demos and dinners onboard and will  be hosting a tour of a vineyard in Sicily while cruising. Even your flight to Venice from wherever you are is included (from a key city). For more info call Julie at Rosenbluth Travel at 1-800-257-8279

*Oct 21-23rd see you at the Suburban Home Show at Greater Philadelphia Convention Center in Oaks, Pa..Culinary demos and book singings from my latest book on Friday at 1:30, Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 and 4:30 PM.

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

Lemons have been used in many ways throughout history. During the European Renaissance, the fashionable ladies used lemons as a way to make their lips red and pronounced. In the early 1900′s , an elixir of warm water, fresh lemon juice and sugar was thought to help digestion. Today, a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice is said to relieve extremely rough, dry hands.

But for me fresh, fragrant lemons signal summer. The bright yellow peel resembling a bright summer sun and the fresh, hypnotizing perfume of the juice all make this one of the summers symbolic fruits.

Oh yes, you can get lemons all year round but not like the fresh summer lemons here in Italy, especially in Sorrento. The simplest way to brighten up any dish and really wake up the taste is by adding in lemon zest and/or lemon juice. For a quick,light, refreshing summer dessert to eat alone or with some vanilla gelato or ice cream mix a pound of fresh strawberries (hulled and cut in half) with the juice of one lemon and a tablespoon or so of sugar. Let marinate for one hour and serve.

The perfume of this lemon torta wafting through my kitchen, always reminds me of summer stays at a small Bed and Breakfast (called Agriturismi in Italian) in Sorrento ( the town that is famous for their trademarked lemons)- where fresh lemons infuse the air in the summer. The view of the bay of Naples, the perfume of fresh lemons and the vibrant colors all combine to make a resplendent experience.

Torta al Limone

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

Ingredients for 6-8 people

2 cups flour (sifted)

1 ½ cups sugar

4 fresh lemons

½ cup butter (unsalted)

1 cup (warm) milk

4 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

6 fresh lemon slices

1 cup candied fruit

6 maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in saucepan and set aside to let cool. Juice 4 lemons into a small bowl ,set aside. Grate peels of 4 lemons, set aside. Cut candied fruit into small cubes, set aside.

Separate eggs into two bowls. With a hand mixer, whip egg yolks together with sugar until well blended and creamy. Add lemon peel and lemon juice ,a little at a time to the egg yolk mixture while blending in. Add in sifted flour ¼ cup at a time, blending in after each addition. Add in warm milk and melted butter, a little at a time.

Beat egg whites till peaks have formed. Fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture.Add in baking powder, candied fruits,vanilla. Butter and flour (or cover with parchment paper) the pan. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove cake from oven and let cool. Place on serving dish and decorate with lemon slices and maraschino cherries. And serve.

** May 2012-Hope you can join me on a Culinary Cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean which will include a visit to a vineyard in Sicily. The cruise is all inclusive, so even airfare is included, all your food, tips, excursions with me and more! Only a few places left,  and you can join me from anywhere in the world, as long as we can fly you to the destination city of Venice. email:events@marialiberati.com or call Rosenbluth travel 1-800-257-8279

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Here’s my suggestions for a great trip to Little Italy in NYC

Join me on a luxury culinary cruise to the Mediterranean. Visit a vineyard in Sicily with me and be part of my culinary demonstrations and dinners on board. And it is all inclusive, even your flight ticket is included from wherever you are leaving from in the world to join us in the departure city of Venice. To join me call Rosenbluth Travel   at 1-800-257-8279 or email: events@marialiberati.com and reserve your luxury cabin, reserve your place now before they are sold out!