copyright 2010, art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc

In honor of the official release of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition (ISBN 978-1928911-19-7) the award winning recipe novel that includes recipes and Holiday food memories- we will be posting one story a week from our readers about their favorite food memory and why it holds a special place in their heart. This is the first, and we will be posting one new story each week till December 31st. Thanks Jennifer for sharing this great story with us!

From:  Jennifer Reich, co author of the new book The Mommy MD Guide to Pregnancy and Birth and cofounder of www.MommyMDGuides.com

“My husband and I honeymooned at Walt Disney World in 2002. We were married in their beautiful wedding pavilion with a view of Cinderella Castle. That night , we enjoyed a great meal at the Italian restaurant in Epcot. I had their delicious Fettuccine Alfredo, one of the best meals I’ve ever had. A few weeks after we got home, I found the recipe online for that restaurant’s fettuccini alfredo. Now I’m not the best cook ever–a passable cook at best. But there must have been a little pixie dust included with that recipe because I managed to recreate dish just as I remembered it from my honeymoon!”

 Here’s a Recipe for a Lighter version of Fettucini Alfredo

Be a Guest Writer:If you have a special food memory and would like to share it with our 100,000+ subscribers from all over the world, email the story to: sharethejoy@marialiberati.com  For more details

Get your copy of the book that was selected as Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA- The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Filled with recipes, charming stories and food memories from a country house in the mountains of Italy and Holiday ideas.

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copyright 2010 Maria Liberati

As I remembered the song from my favorite musical The Sound of Music..I thought to myself as we drove along the hills in Chianti…these hills are alive with the beauty of the  grape vines( filled with beautiful plump black grapes)..almost ready for the vendemmia

I don’t think I can ever look at another hill again without remembering the beauty of Chianti..it’s green, rolling hills, decorated with tall, proud cypress trees and sunflowers that seemed to smile and greet you as you drive by..as we drove the sharp curves and winding roads a calm came over me..the beauty and serenity of the hills seemed to put me in a trance..albeit a relaxed one…

When we arrived at Castello D’Albola at the top of the hill I could barely speak..I think I became drunk with the beauty before I drank a drop of Chianti…a medieval castle that was built somewhere in the late 1400’s..and may have been worked on by craftsman taught by Michelangelo or DaVinci or Bernini…

More on Chianti and Castello D’Albola soon…One of the wines in they expertly produce there is Vin Santo..a wine that is served at the end of a dinner and cantucci biscotti are dipped into a glass filled with this sweet liquid.. If you are eating dinner in Tuscany and a bottle of Vin Santo is placed on the table with cantucci biscotti-this means dinner is finished and this will be the last course.

Cantucci Biscotti

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.

For more great recipes get your copy of the book selected as Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA- The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Visit OpenSky

September 10-11..see you at Hudson Valley Wine Fest in Hudson Valley, Rhinebeck, NY. I will be onstage with The Basic Art of Italian Cooking from 1-2 each day. For more info email: Info@marialiberati.com

Be a Guest writer and Share the Joy! In honor of the release of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition- we are inviting our readers to also share their special Holiday food memories for any Holiday and any nationality. Email your story of 300 words or less and we will be selecting one story a week to publish on the blog and to be part of a nationally published book. All stories become property of art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc Email your stories to

sharethejoy@marialiberati.com

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

Castello D’Albola is a medieval wonder..in Chianti…a  castle with a vineyard  that produces award winning wines and the castle is filled with so much history dating back to many a noble family. In honor of my visit there this weekend a traditional Tuscan soup..that dates back to the cucina povera (peasant kitchen) times in Italy..how times have changed ?   Today this is considered a gourmet dish.

Ribollita (literally means boiled twice)

1 lb of cannelini beans (dry)-soaked overnight, then cooked for approx 1 hour

1lb red cabbage

1 lb savoy cabbage

1/2 lb fresh spinach-cleaned

1/2 lb of red, ripe tomatoes

1 potato

1 stick  celery

1 carrot, peeled and cleaned

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves

dash of thyme

dash of salt

1/2 lb of crusty bread sliced thick

grated pecorino cheese

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

8 cups vegetable broth

handful  fresh parsley leaves chopped

Place beans in cold vegetable broth and cook till tender. Finely chop onion, garlic, celery, carrot and parsley, place oil in saute pan and place in chopped veggies. Saute till golden brown, then add in thyme and the other vegetables-cut into large pieces. Add in salt,pepper and tomatoes. Add in some liquid from the boiling beans. When beans are tender, add in about 1/3 of them to the saute pan. Place 1/3 of bean mixture in food processor and blend. Set remaining third of beans to the side.

Add processed beans to saute pan. Simmer for approx 5 minutes. Place slice of bread at bottom of terra cotto or earthenware serving bowls and ladle soup on top of bread.Garnish with remaining third of beans and serve.

This soup is typically eaten the day after it is made (That is why it is called ribollita-twice boiled) and served with a drizzle of olive oil.

My interview with the wine maker at Castello D’Albola will be published here shortly..

For more great recipes get your copy of  the award winning The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition winner of the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA by Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

See you at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival on Sept 10 & 11

Days are filled with much to do here..from tending our little farm..to planning out the day’s meals using the freshest ingredients or should I say creating recipes around the ‘pick of the day’. Lots and lots of fresh tomatoes, fresh carrots,fresh parsley..all I need to add is  some red  garlic (from a town nearby-Sulmona) ….fresh eggplant..combine that with some locally produced fresh mozzarella and today will be a penne gratinate con melanzana (penne pasta baked with fresh eggplant). It is basically a layered eggplant parmigiana baked and made  with penne pasta…. the food is always real, uncomplicated and most importantly-delicious.

Not all tomatoes are created equal ..we have two types of tomatoes..one that has a lot of liquid inside and the other that is ‘fleshy’ inside with little liquid..The fleshy ones are the best for sugo (sauce)..more flavorful..but they must be ripe and red to insure a sweet sauce arrives at the table.

The only thing that will take a bit of time is grilling the eggplant..but it is worth the extra flavor..

Baked Penne Pasta with Eggplant (Penne Gratinate con Melanzane)

1 lb of whole wheat penne pasta

1 lb of fresh,red ripe tomatoes for sauce

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

handful of fresh parsley leaves

1 fresh carrot

1 small stalk  celery with leaves on top

8 ounces fresh mozzarella

1/4 cup freshly grated parmigian-reggiano cheese

1 lb fresh eggplant

Wash clean and slice eggplant into 1/4” slices. Grill each slice with a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly torn parsley leaves and set aside. Clean and filet tomatoes, remove seeds. Place 3 tablespoons olive oil and 2 cloves garlic in saute pan, saute for 1 minute or until garlic is just beginning to become golden. Place in  tomatoes, saute ,after 5 minutes place in cleaned whole carrot and one small stalk of celery,saute for approx 20 minutes or till most of the liquid has disappeared. Remove from heat. Set aside. Boil water for pasta and cook till al dente (should be approximately 11-12 minutes). Drain. Place in tomato sauce and toss lightly till all pasta is coated with tomato.

Cover baking dish with baking paper. Lightly drizzle olive oil on bottom of pan. Layer penne pasta, then layer of grilled eggplant slices, then some slices or torn pieces of fresh mozzarella, a sprinkling of parmigiana-reggiano cheese, and repeat. Top layer should be pasta topped with fresh mozzarella and grated cheese. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven of 425 degrees and for place under broiler for another 5 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Serve with a Chianti or Montepulciano..

After a plate of this you will see the rest of your day or evening through rose colored glasses…’la vie en rose’….or a t least for a few hours while the flavors still linger…

For more recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition-winner of the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA

Appearances coming up:
Sept 9-12-Hudson Valley Wine Fest- Rhinebeck, NY, Dutchess County Fairgrounds. Maria Liberati and The Basic Art of Italian Cooking take center stage for 2 on stage cooking demos from the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition.  To attend or for sponsorship info email :info@marialiberati.com

October 3rd-Sacramento California, Sacramento Italian Cultural Center

October 14th-Lower Southampton Library, Featerville, Pa- Book Signing and Olive oil tasting

October 29-30-Philadelphia Gourmet Food & Wine Fest-Valley Forge Convention Center-Book signing and cooking demos for mMaria Liberati and The Basic Art of Italian Cooking

November 2nd-Franklin Lakes Public Library, Franklin Lakes, NJ 7 PM- Book Signing and cooking demo

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where ox-lips and the nodding violet grows;
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.

From William Shakespeare’s  “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”

copyright 2010 Maria Liberati/Art of Living.PrimaMedia,Inc

A trip to the grocery store today brought thoughts of Shakespeare’s Masterpiece of A Midsummer Night’s Dream….in desperation and short on time I went to the closest little neighborhood grocery store for some fresh thyme for today;s lunch of Riso Greco…but was told by the clerk that they only sell dry thyme in ‘bustine’  (packages).

“Especially” she told me “because the best and freshest thyme is found growing abundantly ready for picking if you take a walk to the mountains here..she instructed me to just inhale the air and follow my nose and I will find the freshest thyme growing on the side of the walkway there..it is found on the way to the Santuario (Sanctuary)..

A quick trip to the mountains for a fresh supply gave me enough for the dish..and she was correct..fresher than this thyme one could not find…now I too ‘know a bank where the wild thyme blows’

(sorry I don’t have a photo of the dish..it was  eaten before we could take one..but it is simply delicious)

Riso Greco

1 cup of parboiled rice

1/2 cup passata di pomodoro (plain tomato sauce)

1/4 cup chopped onion or shallots

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup chopped,pitted black olives

In saute pan place olive oil and chopped onions or shallots, saute for 30 seconds ,add in tomato sauce, then rice and broth, stir till cooked, approx 14 minutes. Then add in olives, and finely chopped fresh thyme. Stir and serve hot> Top with freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese..

For more recipes get your copy of the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Visit me at OpenSky

See you at Hudson Valley Wine fest  (Rhinebeck, NY)on Sept 9-12.  I will be onstage with The Basic Art of Italian Cooking demos and booksignings of the latest book all weekend.

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

Excitement is in the air here in anticipation of August the 15th…the beach resembles a large restaurant in the open with long tables set up everywhere and families and friends enjoying meals of large pizzas,fresh slices of watermelon and bottles of wine and Brachetto (A sparkling red wine) overflowing…the beach has become a piazza by the sea where people now linger from morning till sunset with food, friends, family..while the sounds of the sea keep the atmosphere relaxed..

I am keeping it cool and fresh…and in the morning..before getting to the beach, finding my local produce and creating recipes to use and share on the beach.. to use the fresh, local produce ..while it is still fresh and local..

Baked Fruit Kebabs with Gelato

4 tablespoons brown sugar

dash of freshly ground black pepper

small handful of fresh mint

4 apricots

4 fresh peaches

4 fresh strawberries

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut pineapple in uneven rectangular shapes.  Peel peach and remove pit. Cut peach into quarters. Remove pit from apricots and cut in half, Hull strawberries, cut in half. Alternate fruit slices on four fruit sticks. After arranging fruit on them, place sticks on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper.

In a bowl place brown sugar and, finely chopped mint leaves and a dash of black pepper. Mix with wooden spoon.  Sprinkle on fruit sticks and place in preheated oven for approximately 7 minutes.. Remove from oven, place each fruit stick on a single plate accompanied by a scoop of gelato and a fresh mint leaf for decoration

 For more recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Why can’t basil and parsley simply be torn into pieces..why all the clutter of the knife and cutting with some type of skill?..besides a torn piece of basil or parsley looks much more beautiful than one that has been expertly cut…minimalist cooking is what I call this..using the least tools necessary to create..The Basic Art of Italian Cooking…

Maybe it is because I am at our beach house (on the Adriatic coast) where we keep the cooking fresh, healthy but simple..besides who wants to have to worry about all that clutter  in the kitchen when there is a beautiful beach to enjoy. I am inspired by summers of yesteryear spent with my grandparents at their beach house and remembering the very way they did things..simple and basic…more time to enjoy the beach and look for fresh,local produce and specialties..and meals are always delicious..from fresh tomato sugo made with local tomatoes to pannini made with freshly baked focaccia bread and stuffed with frittata flavored with fresh mint to cold Italian style potato salad made with locally grown tomatoes and potatoes, locally grown string beans,tuna, fresh parsley,dash of olive oil and white wine vinegar (produced locally)..

Try tearing your fresh herbs next time..it’s easy…less clutter in the kitchen, quicker and a fresh experience when you tear the leaves and release the oils of the herbs, the aroma is hypnotizing!.

I know that many years ago, people could not afford special knives and would do this out of necessity but now minimalism in the kitchen is in style..less clutter =less space used..and more open space…besides who needs all that clutter..keep it simple and basic!

For more recipes get your copy of the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

 copyright 2010 Maria Liberati

“An honest laborious Country-man, with good Bread, Salt and a little Parsley, will make a contented Meal with a roasted Onion.”
John Evelyn (1620-1706)

Parsley is the herb in fashion as it seems everyone is using it on everything..it is at its’ freshest now and most flavorful but where once we were using fresh rosemary it is now fresh parsley…

My morning today was pretty uneventful in this resort on the Adriatic coast..filled with fresh sea air,the sun providing her warm summer rays..On my stop at the local farm market after weighing my zucchini and eggplant, the woman at the counter told me (in Italian but I have translated here)  “parsley is like a perfect friend it makes room for all the other flavors..and rosemary ..is like a bully..crowding out some flavors.so if I want to get the full flavor of all these local veggies and just enhance them I should use fresh parsley when roasting..Rosemary is best to use in the winter when the freshness of the flavors of the veggies are not so intense..

Parsley has now become my best friend..if you take a bunch home from the market place it in a glass vase filled with water and change the water everyday..

For more recipes get your copy of the award winning The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Visit OpenSky

Sept 9-12 see you at Hudson Valley Wine Fest in Rhinebeck, NY. For more info email info@marialiberati.com

Oct 29-30 see you at Philadelphia Gourmet Food & Wine Show, Valley Forge Convention Center, For more info email: info@marialiberati.com

copyright 2010 Maria Liberati

My flavors have all been packed..well at least the dried ones..my fresh ones will have to wait till early tomorrow morning. I am packing for a week at the beach house..

Dried pepperoncini, dried rosemary, black pepper and its’ grinder, sea salt from Sicily..tomorrow morning awake early and grab a handful of fresh, organic rosemary from the garden,fresh parsley and fresh basil..some fresh lemons from Sorrento..a bottle of organic olive oil from Le Marche..a bottle of balsamic vinegar.

My suitcase of flavors always follow me to wherever I go..so that I can experience the local cuisine. One of the dishes will surely be a linguine with clams-those tiny little clams they have at the sea, a handful of freshly chopped parsley and a spritz of lemon to brighten the dish..

For more recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking : Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition winner of the best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA

Visit me at OpenSky

Guest Writers Share your Joy with us..deadline July 31http://www.marialiberati.com/share-the-joy

It pays to listen to gossip and conversation in the town piazza at night..some more than others..from overheard conversations last night was a variety of talk about family riffs going on..to the latest couple breaking up in town because of a cheating husband and those disagreeing on whether the wife should forgive and take him back..and then the most useful piece of gossip was overheard at midnight a woman speaking in detail about the fresh parsley in her garden this year and how she used it to flavor roasted potatoes instead of Rosemary (which is the usual here) and how delicious they were..of course she mentioned how her husband did not like Rosemary much so she decided to substitute, This was my favorite piece of gossip and the only one I care to remember in detail…I knew I would eventually hear something of true interest!

Today’s lunch will be a variety of roasted vegetables including roasted potatoes with parsley and locally produced fresh mozzarella..the bread from our local baker or ‘forno’..it is bread made from potatoes..a specialty of this region where potatoes are cultivated..I guess we could think of this area as the Idaho of Italy. Potatoes from the Fucino valley are known throughout and even the headquarters of Micron for Italy (also in Idaho) is located here

Roasted Parsley Potatoes

1 lb of peeled potatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 handful chopped parsley leaves

Boil potatoes for 5 minutes. Peel. Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil on bottom of pan. Cut potatoes into quarters, place in pan. Drizzle remaining olive oil on top. Sprinkle on chopped fresh parsley. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees ,then place under broil for 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with a chilled white wine-Trebbiano D’Abruzzo

For more recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Visit OpenSky

Sept 9-12 Rhinebeck, NY, see you at Hudson Valley Wine Festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. I will be bringing the Basic Art of Italian Cooking on stage with recipes and stories from the book series and book signing event will be held all weekend. For more info or to sponsor the on stage cooking demos email: Info@marialiberati.com

Oct 29-30-Philadelphia Gourmet Food & Wine Show , Valley Forge, Pa. The Basic Art of Italian Cooking will take center stage throughout the event and book signing swill be held throughout the show. For more info or to sponsor on stage demos contact: info@marialiberati.com