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

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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

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

copyright 2010 Maria Liberati

Evenings here always include a walk in the piazza to chat with old friends, make new ones, catch up on town gossip, and share recipes. The best excuse to take a walk after dinner….going to the piazza. Last night, besides some fluff type conversation of ‘how are you doing?” and “how is the family?” we also caught up with an old friend of ours that runs a local trattoria and also has a small farm that produces many of the vegetables served there. He bragged about his  eggplant (melanzane) this year  and he shared a recipe for a specialty dish they are serving at the trattoria in honor of his successful crop of eggplants.

But even better yet, since I had such a ‘voglio’ to make this dish  for today’s lunch….this morning I was gifted with 3 fresh eggplants from Mario’s small farm…and am feverishly working on the recipe now….serve with a glass of Montepulciano D’Abruzzo and eat al fresco (if possible).

(So glad we went to the piazza last night!)  Please write and let me know if you get to try this easy recipe!

Pennette Alla Melanzane (Small Penne Pasta with Eggplant)

1 lb of pennette (small penne pasta)

1 lb of fresh eggplant-washed and cut into cubes

1 lb fresh plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion-finely chopped

‘1 tsp of capers

1/4 cup black olives ,pitted and chopped

handful fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

Place pennete in a pot of boiling water and cook for time indicated on package-till al dente.

Place olive oil in saute pan, place in chopped onion, saute till just before golden, place in cubed eggplant, diced tomatoes, add in pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute for 5 minutes ,add in chopped black olives and capers. Saute for 15 minutes over low heat ,covered.  Uncover and stir with wooden spoon every 2 or 3 minutes. Remove from heat, place in drained pasta toss. Serve hot ,cold or warm with a sprinkling of chopped fresh basil leaves.

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

Looking for Guest writers to Share the Joy. Do you have a favorite food memory of a Holiday you would like to share with our readers? Stories are being selected now  for publication

Visit me at OpenSky

Sept 9-12 –see you at  Hudson Valley Wine Festival in Rhinebeck, NY.  Join me for onstage demos of recipes from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking series.  For more info or for sponsorship info email: info@marialiberati.com

I always think of myself as a ‘gastronaut’- ( gastronomy + astronaut=gastronaut) someone that travels and explores through food..and I think there are many of you out there! 

Sundays in the center of Rome are my favorite way to spend a lazy summer afternoon,  exploring as a gastronaut..while many flock to nearby beaches I prefer to ‘sweat it out’ walking through the cobblestoned streets and admiring  the view and  some of the simple foods special to this city..gelato, pizza,cornetti, tramezzini..

You can find these in other places in Italy..but you will find the best of them here,in Rome.  And on Sundays if  lunch isn’t eaten at home in grand fashion,it is a casual lunch while making my way through this living art museum they call Rome. A tramezzini is my usual choice for lunch..I call it the elegant sandwich (If you have a favorite food from your trips to Rome, let us know!)

Tramezzini are beautifully decorated sandwiches usually placed in front in the glass cases at the coffee bars at lunchtime,sometimes even for breakfast and during happy hour eaten with aperitifs. When I’m not in Rome but longing for my days there, I make a tramezzini on a lazy Sunday afternoon-wherever I am and reminisce…

Tramezzini are great to bring to the beach or a picnic or even to the office. Who thought Italians use sliced bread? crusts are removed to make this an elegant sandwich

Tramezzini

serves 1

3 slices of thinly sliced white or whole wheat bread (crusts removed)

1- 3ounce can of tuna packed in water

*1 chopped celery stalk

*1 small tomato sliced

*1 tsp chopped red onion

*1/4 cup shredded romaine lettuce

*4 large green or black olives hulled and chopped

*2 tsps extra virgin olive oil

Drain and flake tuna, place in bowl. Add in chopped red onion, chopped celery,olives. Drizzle one tsp olive oil on top and mix.

Cut bread slices in quarters- triangle shapes. Brush both slices with olive oil, place in oven under broil for a minute to toast. Remove from oven. Make small sandwiches by placing tuna mixture on top of one slice then place a triangle on top, then place a slice of tomato, drizzle with olive oil, cover with another triangle. Now stick a toothpick through to hold it together. Place a grape tomato or olive on top of toothpick. Make 4 of these. You can use the same fillings for your sandwiches that you use for almost any sandwiches-cheeses, meats, roasted veggies

Garnish with parsley leaves,serve. No passport needed!

Any foods that take you back to a special place? Share your summer food memories here..or foods that bring you back to a special place…we would love to hear about them!

More on tramezzini

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

Sept 9-12-Hudson Valley Wine Festival- Maria Liberati and The Basic Art of Italian Cooking take center stage for cooking demos and book signings. Held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, NY. For more  info to attend or to sponsor the cooking demos, email us at : info@marialiberati.com

Visit OpenSky

Your Chance to Share your Holiday and food memories and see them in print!

Just a short note to invite you to Share the Joy! with all of our readers. In honor of the release of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition the Gourmand World Cookbook Award winning book which includes recipes ,menus and food memories  of the Holidays-we invite our readers to share their food memory stories of the Holidays! Submit your story of no more than 300 words about any special Holiday food memory related to any Holiday, can include but does not have to include a recipe, can be related to any nationality.

Each week from September 1st to March 30th a story will be selected to be published on the Blog here. Stories become permanently archived on the Blog and may become part of a national publication at a later date. Go to Share the Joy for more details or email: sharethejoy@marialiberati.com

Look forward to your Holiday stories

For recipes and Holiday stories get your copy of  the book selectedas the Best Italian Cusine Book in the USA -The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Sept 10-12 join me at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival. I will take center stage with Celebrity Chef Vincent Tropepe there at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. Book signing for The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd editon and recipes. For more info or to sponsor the cooking demos email: Info@marialiberati.com

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

As we are enjoying our evening meal alfresco with fireworks bursting below us…patriotic thoughts of one of my favorite signers of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson….he was so inspired by his travels to Italy that he gave a Tuscan winemaker some land contiguous to Monticello to cultivate. He also hired many vintners from Italy to cultivate his gardens..he illegally  ‘smuggled’ rice in his coat pockets on one trip back from Italy and he also carefully researched the olive production in Italy and recommended their cultivation to acquaintances in South Carolina.

So inspired by the works of architect Andrea Palladio that he consulted his books as bibles for the construction of Monticello.   Palladio was an admirer of ancient Rome as was Jefferson and he said that   “Roman taste, genius and magnificence excite ideas”

Also inspired by the Italian language ,he taught it to himself while a student at William and Mary but he made sure it was included in the languages studied at the University of Virginia in 1764.

While Ambassador to France he toured much of Italy-especially the north and spent some time finding out how Parmigiano-Reggiano was produced,he even looked for a machine to make macaroni to bring back to the US..

One of Jefferson’s favorite wines was a Montepulciano.So who would have thought that this pasta dish served with a Montepulciano could be considered patriotic? it is if you are  celebrating the Fourth with Jefferson in mind!

Pasta with Fresh Zucchini

2 ounces ricotta

2 cups white flour

1 ½ cups cold water

pinch of salt and pepper to taste

2 zucchini

10 cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons plain tomato sauce

Preparation:

Place flour on wooden board and shape into a well. Place water and salt in center of wekk. Blend by hand and work the dough till smooth and well blended. Let rest for 2 hours covered with a clean towel.

Divide pasta ball into 4 portions. Roll out each portion on well floured board. Cut into noodles that are ½ inch thick with the help of a pasta machine or by hand.

Cut each noodle into smaller strips. Sprinkle with flour, let sit.

Place olive oil in saute pan with the zucchini that has been cut into quarters. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes. Place in tomatoes that have been cut in quarters with the plain tomato sauce. Let simmer together for 5 minutes. Add in salt as desired. Turn off heat.

Boil water ion pasta pot. Place in fresh pasta, cook for 2 -4 minutes (taste after 3 minutes do not overcook). Drain. Place in saute pan with zucchini, toss, serve with grated dried ricotta

In honor of our founding fathers, serve with a Montepulciano and don’t forget the fireworks

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

Visit OpenSky

Sept 9-12 ,see you at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival in Rhinebeck, NY

Maria