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

Lord Byron once said: “ A woman should not be seen eating and drinking unless it is lobster salad and champagne, the only true feminine and becoming viands”

 (A plaque on a building in Italy where he lived for sometime)

Well we shall pardon him, for he was Lord Byron, after all…who was  inspired by Italy and lived here for some years while working on some of his mastepieces…a true romantic at heart.. Recently I have passed many of the very places he lived in and his writing has also inspired me…here is a lobster recipe (unfortunately not a salad). But you can serve this with champagne or a dry Prosecco.

Velvety Lobster & Fennel Soup

*2 celery sticks, chopped

*2 lbs fennel

*1 onion

*2 tblsps unsalted butter

*4 ounces steamed lobster meat

4 cups vegetable broth

*1/4 cup cream

*zest of 1 lime

*salt and pepper to taste

 Wash and finely chop celery, peel onion and dice. Chop ½ of the fennel, setting aside the green top part.

Place 1 tablespoon butter in a soup pot, saute chopped fennel, onion and celery till golden brown. Place in broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

 Cut the rest of the fennel (except top green parts) into small stick like slices. Place in saute pan with 1 tblsp butter, saute for 4 minutes.

Place soup in food processor till it is a velvety, creamy mixture. Pour into  soup pot again  and add in cream. Simmer over low heat, stirring every so often.

Add lobster meat to sauteed fennel. Saute for 2-4 minutes over low heat. Add in lime zest and dash of salt and pepper to taste. Chop green part of fennel bulb and set aside.

Divide soup mixture into 4-6 soup bowls. Top with lobster meat mixture and sprinkle with chopped fennel greens.

Serve with dry Prosecco or dry Champagne.

 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

“You needn’t tell me that a man who doesn’t love oysters and asparagus and good wines has got a soul, or a stomach either. He’s simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed.”

Saki, (pen name of Scottish writer Hugh Henri Munro)

Food should always be an experience..not merely to be eaten but savored.. a Royal Scottish experience of oysters, champagne, fine music wines and everything in between.. in the heart of London. Combine London jazz. Scottish food and history to make for this recipe of a dining treasure at Boisdale

Food is a only a word that needs to be given meaning..by those that can bring life and excitement to them like Sauce Communications

The perfect food pairing is words and food…what could more eloquently express a sumptuous dish…words that describe the nuances in every morsel..bitter..sweet, bubbly..What goes better with food than words? a taste, a savor, a flavor and conversation… a Wild Card

In our American culture we tend to consider things that are not  pristine and spanking brand new less than worthy..but if you are planning a trip to Italy you will need to change your frame of mind… Italy is like a woman that has aged  beautifully..yes there are wrinkles and the foundation is not perfect but the history she has lived through and experienced all contribute to a different type of beauty. It is a type of beauty that you can’t purchase in a makeup bottle.. a beauty that is not achieved  easily..one that takes years to develop..like a fine bottle of wine or aged cheese.

ahh..fine aged cheese..gruyere cheese and potatoes and the perfect ‘pranzo’ (lunch)…working on this easy recipe for lunch for our first course..a change instead of pasta..great with a bottle of chilled Prosecco. You can also have these as a ‘chic’ appetizer…

Crostatine di Patate e Gruviera (Potato & Gruyere Tarts)

1 lb of gold potatoes

1 cup flour (unbleached)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1 egg

1/4 lb of gruyere cheese (Or substitute fresh mozzarella cheese) cut into small pieces.

Homemade breadcrumbs (put day old bread in food processor,grind to crumbs and place in oven on cookie sheet till toasted)

dash of nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Peel, clean potatoes,place in boiling water and boil till tender-approximately 20 minutes). Place in food processor and mash. Place in bowl while still hot and add in butter, parmigiana-reggiano, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Blend with a wooden spoon, add in some breadcrumbs to make the mixture firm.  Divide mixture into small meatballs-the size of small peach. pat down slightly to make small pizza shapes.  Place on cookie sheet or grill pan that has been lightly coated with olive oil.Cover top of patties  with gruyere cheese. place under broiler for approximately 4 minutes or until cheese has melted and slightly golden. Serve hot with some freshly chopped parsley leaves and or top each little pizza with some chopped ,fresh tomatoes.

Buon Appetito!
Serve with a chilled white wine,Prosecco or Champagne

As Napoleon once said “one needs to drink champagne to celebrate  victory or to console oneself  upon defeat” .

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

Visit me at OpenSky

Sept 9-12-see you at Hudson Valley Wine Festival in Rhinebeck, NY. I will be bringing The Basic Art of Italian Cooking to center stage with cooking demos, wine pairings from the latest book release.  For info or to sponsor on stage apperances email us at: info@marialiberati

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Tonight, I finished up one of my  wine education and wine pairing events at one of my favorite vineyards. Something that no one seemed to have a clue about was what temperature should their wine be served at. Ahh.. this brought to mind my good friends GianLuca  and Velia from  the famous wine bar in Orvieto (Italy)- the Champagneria!!
A little wine bar in the main piazza of Orvieto but a place where one can get an education about wines from all over the world. Here is some information that I have learned from sommeliers like GianLuca and vineyards that I have trained at in Italy.

 The temperature that you serve the wine is just as important as the quality of the wine itself. You are making a grand mistake is you serve a great wine at the wrong temperature, the special qualities of that wine will not be evident .

Here are the perfect temperatures the different type of wines should be served:
*Champagne-8 degrees C

*Dry white and rose wines- 10

*Light red wine- 14 degrees

*Aged red wine-18

*Sweet wines and liqueuers- 8

If the wine is too cold, pour iti n the glass and leave for a few minutes to warm up.

The glases the wine is served in is just as important. Clear, transparent glases are the best so that one can experience the wine. But also a glass that has a long stem is best to serve wine so that your fingers do not touch the part containing the wine and do not modify the temperature of the wine in any way.

 Dry spumante and champagne should be served in a flute so that one can see the bubbles and the perfume of the wine is released slowly.

However, sweet champagne and sweet spumante should be served in a cup like glass.

This is the season for grapes and they are at their best. My favorite recipe for taking advantage of the luscious grapes of Fall is a risotto with white grapes and white wine.

It reminds me of being at the being at the farm in Tuscany where I do all my cooking programs-the crisp autumn evenings and the warmth of the risotto..

“To make a friend, a glass of wine is enough, to maintain the friendship you need a whole bottle” as an old Italian saying goes..

Risotto all’uva Bianca (risotto with white grapes)

* 1/2 cups rice for risotto (carnaroli or arborio)

*1/2 lb firm white grapes 

*1 small white onion

*4 tblsps parmigiano-reggiano cheese

*1/2 cup dry white wine

*2 tblsps butter

*1 quart vegetable broth

Wash grapes , cut in half and take out seeds. Melt butter in saute pan, then place in chopped onion. When onion is transparent add in dry rice and let toast for a minute. Add in wine, and when the liquid evaporates place i n 3/4 cup vegetable broth. Stirring constatnly. Repeat until rice is al dente-approx 18 minutes. However, at mid cooking, add in grapes and stir in. Then remove from heat and add remaining butter and top with  greated parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Serve immediately. Serve with glasses of dry white wine.

For more great recipes, get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking  at http://www.marialiberati.com

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*

 copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Editor: Erin Kuhns

Easter Sunday is usually a never ending meal, like all holiday meals in Italy. This
year in Abruzzo, still stunned by the earthquake the week before, families managed
to pull together whatever they could. All whilst knowing that the aftershocks could
hit at any moment.   Unless you were in the city of L’Aquila the aftershocks
(luckily) did no physical damage  and were just constant reminders of the
devastation they caused to the beautiful historic city of L’Aquila.

But fear is an awful thing and unfortunately occupied the minds of everyone during
Easter dinner.

While usual Easter dinner banter is about what everyone is doing for “Pasquetta”
(Easter Monday holiday), conversation was filled with ‘what were you doing when the
quake struck?” and all the precautions to take for the coming week..just in case..

Pasquetta plans were curtailed. While this is one of Italy’s biggest Holidays that
marks the start of Spring and people usually to take to the mountains, the sea or go
for a picnic..most in Abruzzoo stayed close to home Most took ‘staycations’ at home.
Automobiles parked outside in the open fields  dotted the landscape.. automobiles in
an open field can provide a safe refuge in case of an earthquake.

Through it all,  the meal began with a Holiday lasagna, traditional easter lamb and
Pizza di Pasqua (Easter bread made with candied fruits and a light touch of
cinnamon) and dark chocolate easter eggs.

To start off the meal, an aperitif -the Rossini cocktail..yes that is Rossini… as
in Giacomo Rossini-the famous composer.   Of course..how could you begin a meal with
a Rossini cocktail without breaking into songs from The Barber of Seville…. at
least those of us that are ‘opera diva wanna be’s'….  could only hum the William
Tell Overture… but at least a fun way to lighten up the conversation… . Here’s
the recipe .

(Keep the city of L’Aquila in your thoughts and prayers, I will be posting more info
on how you can help and the rebuilding of this art filled city in near future posts)
The Rossini is another version of the Bellini cocktail. It began to become popular
in the last century. Prepared with puree of fresh strawberries and Prosecco or
Champagne. Serve this cocktail in a fluted glass and you will have an elegant and
refreshing drink.
 
Recipe for the cocktail is 1/3 fresh strawberry puree to 2/3 cold Prosecco or
Champagne. The preparation consists of the simple union of the ingredients in a
glass with some ice.
 
The most complicated part of this (if you can call it that) is making the strawberry
puree. The only way to do this is to put in a blender or small food processor. Once
pureed, mix with a few drops of lemon juice and some sugar syrup (made by mixing
water and sugar over low heat till sugar is melted)
*Wine Pairing Dinner-Join me on May 6th for a wine pairing dinner at Country Creek
Winery in Montgomery County,Pa. I will be preparing an authentic Italian sampler
dinner, 4 courses, and pairing it with 4 of their wines. Reservations required and
spots are limited. Call the winery at 215-723-6516 or email at
events@marialiberati.com for info
*May 11th- 7PM I will be bringing The Basic Art of Italian Cooking School from Italy
to  Whole Foods, on Pennsylvania Avenue in Philadelphia, Pa We will be doign a
sampler picnic in Tuscany-recipes from the best selling book The Basic Art of
Italian Cooking and cooking school in Italy. To reserve your spot email us at
events@marialiberati.com
Get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at
http://www.marialiberati.com
Join me in Italy at The Basic Art of Italian Cooking School and Experience Italy at
our villa in Umbria/Tuscany on Sept 23-Oct 6th. Spaces limited. Includes all cooking
classes, your stay at the villa, all meals, excursions and transport to and from
airport. Limited to only 12 participants. Call 1-800-581-9020 to reserve your spot
or email: events@marialiberati.com 
For more recipes and articles
Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,
MariaLink to the post: http://marialiberati.com/blog2/?p=594Link to Maria Liberati:
http://marialiberati.com/blog2

Buon Ferragosto Picnic (Second Part)

copyright, 2008, Maria Liberati,

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm

Editor: Michela Pompeo

Here is the second part of the recipes for a great Ferragosto, or August 15^th Picnic. You don’t have to be in Italy or in Nice, France to watch the fireworks on the beach to celebrate. Make your own August 15^th celebration wherever you are. Bring along some of the dishes suggested here and in part 1 of the article.

The beaches and the lakes are beautiful with the Italian sun shining down. I wanted to also leave you with this photo of a town called Limone sul Garda which is a popular spot also for Ferragosto. (see photo above) 

Number three is Vitello tonnato, the main course. Buy 2 poundsof veal in one piece. Put a large pan filled with water, salt, a carrot, an onion and a stick of celery (everything cut into three or four big pieces) on the stove. When the water boils, throw in the meat and let it cook for about 1 hour (or more, if the piece of meat is very thick). Take it out and leave it till cold: two or three hours should be sufficient. Then with a sharp knife, cut thin slices and place them on a dish in such a manner that they do not overlap. Prepare a purée with: 4 ounces tuna fish (canned is ok), some mayonnaise, some capers; mix all together in the mixer till you obtain the purée with which you will cover every single slice of veal. Decorate with capers. Keep it in the fridge and take it with you to the picnic; it is to be served cold.

nutmeg,

oil to fry

Boil potatoes in abundant salted water, drain, peel and smash them. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1 whole egg + a yolk, and Parmigiano. Stir carefully. Make small round disks and flour them. Then fry in hot vegetable oil (sunflower oil is all right). Dry them on kitchen paper. Do not put them in the fridge. They can be served the following day at the picnic!

Now, it’s time for fruit. Here the thing is very simple: in Italy everybody eats watermelon in August, but especially during picnics. You can prepare it the day before by cutting the two ends of a watermelon; then, keeping it upright make slices, cut the red pulp into pieces, put them into a suitable container, keep it in the fridge and then put in the cool bag till the moment of eating it.

Vai a: Navigazione, cerca

Finally, your perfect picnic should finish with a small glass of Sgroppino. This is a kind of dialect term and the nearest translation is ‘sorbet lemon’ just to give you an idea of what it is. We usually buy it (it comes in bottles) already frozen, we keep it in the freezer till a couple of hours before of drinking it. If you want to take it to the picnic, put it in the cool bag until the moment you need it. It will have melted a bit, but it will still retain its cold, creamy thickness, which would be a pleasure to drink. (if you can get some lemons from Sorrento to garnish this- it will be even better)!!

Of course you can do it at home, because it is very easy. For 4 people you need:

12 ounces lemon ice-cream

2 glasses of Prosecco wine (sparkling)

2 small glasses Vodka lemon

Mix everything in the mixer for some minutes, pour into a bottle and, if you want to use it for the picnic, freeze it; if not, you can directly drink it, served in flutes.

Enjoy your picnic!

Buon Ferragosto

For more recipes and tips get your copy of the best selling book- The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com

Stay tuned next week for part two of my visit to Umbria. and my memoirs from a farmhouse in Umbria. You will get a special sneek peak into recipes from my first cooking tour in Umbria, the farmhouse, the feast , the beautiful feast eaten under the shooting stars for the feast of San Lorenzo, the cooking class we did  with Velia and  Gian Luca the Champagneria in Orvieto and my beautiful farmhouse with photos and of course we will include recipes as well!! The food was wonderful as well. Special thanks to Domenico and Paola at  www.borgofontanile.com

 We are now planning the second cooking tour to Orvieto, the farmhouse and the Champagneria, the lodging will be at the beautiful farmhouse in Orvieto where we cook with the fruits and vegetables, herbs, picked there that morning.. Stay tuned for more info on the cooking tour.

Ciao for now and an ‘abraccio forte’ to all my new friends in Orvieto, Baschi, Todi ….