Once upon a time in Ancient Rome, Terminalia, was celebrated on February 23rd to honor the God Terminus.   According to Ancient Roman mythology, Terminus, was the ancient God who protected boundaries and the feast was celebrated by landowners.  Terminalia was the feast created in his honor.

 Here is a  sorbetto cocktail (influenced by the Ancient Romans) to celebrate. It’s a healthy non-alcoholic cocktail. But I have added a touch of sage, in honor of the Romans, who introduced this herb as a medicinal plant to Europe from  Egypt..it was also known to have been touted as an overall tonic. 

Orange &  Sage Sorbetto

4 cups spring water

1 1/2 cups sugar

filtered juice of 2 fresh oranges

skin of 1 fresh orange and  extra for garnish

5 sage leaves

In a saucepan place water, sugar and orange peel. Boil for 20 minutes and until the sugar is completely dissolved. Place orange juice and sage leaves  in another saucepan and heat for 5 minutes over medium low heat to reduce the juice. Add in sugar mixture and stir over low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool. Then filter the liquid, removing sage leaves and orange peel.  Place liquid in a tight container, cover and freeze.  When frozen, place in food processor till ‘slushy’, then refreeze in a covered container. Take out approx 3-4 minutes before ready to serve. Serve in  chilled fluted glasses, decorated with orange peel and sage leaves. Serve….

Cin Cin to Terminalia!

For more great recipes, get your copy of Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winner The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that’s amore….

An overused song, I know, but when you are walking through the streets of Rome and you hear an accordion playing the tune, it seems so apropos and so romantic..it just seems to go with the scenery…  and  for Valentine’s Day- an acceptable excuse to quote the song..The easiest main course to do for a Valentine’s Day dinner is Pizza. Amateur cooks and expert cooks alike can master a pizza. As my grandmother once told me when I asked her for her recipe “it’s just a little flour, some yeast and water”..she knew how to master the dough by the touch,the weight, the feel. But for those who are just learning, never fear,   and topping ideas are endless..choose whatever suits you..but for Valentine’s  Day you may want to avoid  garlic and onions.

Bake in a heart shaped pan. If you are using a silicone pan, cover the pan first with alluminum foil and oil that foil. Leave enough foil on the sides so that you can cover the pizza while baking. If you use regular pizza pan, you can eliminate the aluminum foil. This recipe can be considered more of a focaccia type pizza or in the US we call it a deep dish pizza. I have  included these interesting pastes, Amore Pastes, that are available in the US,  just as they are in Italy. If you have never cooked with tomato paste in a tube, try it ,it is so…. Italian!   And once you have used the tube, you won’t want to go back to the canned stuff.

Amore Pizza

Pizza Dough

from The Basic Art of Pizza: copyright 2011 art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati)

6 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 cake of active yeast

2 1/4 cups tepid water

1 tsp sugar

For topping
1 tblsp olive oil

2 teaspoons of Amore Garlic Paste

1/3 tsp oregano

2 medium tomatoes

6 ozs. thinly sliced provolone cheese

Optional-3 ounces of cooked and drained Italian suasage crumbled or use a vegetarian substitute

5 tablespoons Amore Tomato Paste

2 teaspoons Amore Pesto Paste

12 ounces shredded mozzarella

Place yeast cube in tall glass, place in  1/2 cupwater and tsp sugar, stir.  Yeast mixture will become bubbly. In bowl place in flour and yeast mixture and blend by hand, as needed add in more water until dough is not sticky. Place flour on wooden board. Place dough here and continue mixing in until dough is soft yet not sticky, and a little  firm. Then cover and leave in warm place to rise.

When double in size, place into a pan and shape to fit. Oil your hands with olive oil, this will make it easier to lay the dough into pan shape. Press dough against sides and just over rim of pan,

Filet the tomatoes by cutting out the liquid part and slicing meat of tomatoes. In small bowl, add in tomato paste, garlic paste, oregano,olive oil. Place half the provolone on dough and spread tomato pase mixture on top. Layer sausage with provolone, dot wiht pesto paste. Place tomato slices on top and then top wiht mozzarella. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 monutes in a  preheasted oven at 425 degrees. Open foil to expose top of pizza and bake this way 5 more minutes or until top is golden brown. Wait 10 minutes before cutting.

Serve with a dry red wine.

For more pizza  recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Pizza, also available as a downloadable ebook

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

copyright, 2009, art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc;Maria Liberati

Editor: Marsha Baum

On a dreary, rather chilly day on the East Coast my therapy is to think about the colorful gardents of the Amalfi coast.

 The Amalfi coast, protected by the shoreline between the mountains and the sea, is formed by jagged cliffs overlooking the sea with wild growing Mediterranean shrubs. Everywhere seems to be the perfect scenery of sea and vegetation. Even the homes and villas are worked into the natural surroundings of the land and are placed between rocks or cut out into the cliffs. The villagers’ gardens co-exist with the natural vegetation of the land. An Amalfi garden is a connection of the house to the outside vegetation. The people are part of the land that surrounds them providing a sense of tranquility to travelers from all over.

The vegetation of the Amalfi Coast is typically Mediterranean and includes trees such as the orange, lemon, palm, olive, and citron along with poppies blooming consistently. The cliff road with its narrow lanes and hairpin turns offers a captivating view of the landscape and sea or you may choose to walk along the coast for an aspiring adventure. The smell of citric and the sight of rare wild flowers, herbs, and the sight of amphibians invite you to keep walking. The jagged cliffs have been terraced to cultivate lemon and olive groves contributing to this wonderful view.

The lemons are among the best in the world and they have been admired from poets and artists of the ages, who often mentioned them in poems and songs. The lemons have been popular since the Roman times when they were introduced during the Crusades to provide vitamin C on long sea voyages in order to prevent scurvy.

Upcoming appearances/book signings, for info email: events@marialiberati.com

* ThursdayOctober 15th- 7 PM-Words Bookstore-Maplewood, NJ

*Oct 16-18- Philly Food & Wine Fest at the Philly Expo Center, Oaks, Pa

* Monday,Oct 21, 6:30 PM- Feasterville, Pa-Lower Southamnpton Twp Library

Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions with over 140 recipes, menus, wine pairing tips and short stories about Holidays spent in Italy.

You can also add Horsham Township Library in Horsham, Pa to the places that you can purchase the bestselling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking. Purchases benefit Friends of the Library.

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene

Maria

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