copyright 2010, Maria Liberati

August 15th is the most loved Holiday in Italy..especially when the sun is bright and temps are hot..no better way to enjoy  the last of summer or a day at the beach or in the sun or eating outdoors…nothing beats eating watermelon outside on a hot summer day in August.. Italians are more passionate about this Holiday then Christmas….which is also a day to enjoy great food with family and friends..but in August you can feast outside  under the glow of the sun, the moon and the stars on the beach or on outside

But my favorite way of ending the 15th, is sitting around a large picnic table with family and friends for a plate of Spaghetti at Midnight..sometimes it is spaghetti with garlic and olive oil..this year it was Spaghetti al Tartufo (Spaghetti with truffles). After a day of eating from afternoon to evening…you always have to remember to somehow leave room for this delectable dish..a small serving just to celebrate summer’s ending with friends and family.

It’s easy to make and if you can’t find truffles, drizzle pasta with truffle oil before serving.

Spaghetti al Tartufo

(serves 8-10 people)

1 lb spaghetti

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small black truffle

pinch of salt to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain. Place in bowl,drizzle with olive oil and shave 1/4 of truffle on top (you only need a little to get a lot of flavor) Toss. Seerve hot with grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese. Pair with a chilled white wine (Falenghina, or Est!Est!Est! make great choices)

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

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The excitement of summer is almost gone for most of us..with about a month to go..but here in Italy the excitement of summer has been re-ignited with the anticipation of the summer’s biggest crescendo.. August the 15th. A holiday that dates back to the Ancient Romans.

August the 15th reminds us that summer is almost gone and this is her last hurrah!! to celebrate the brilliance of the sun..the food.the sea, the beach ,the carefree relaxed feeling..

Today starts the anticipation with just a week to go..the beach has become one big block party..children running all over..people congregating in small groups everywhere on the beaach, taking a passeggiata from one beach to the next while taking in the fresh sea air and meeting friends along the way… talking, laughing,sharing recipes, making plans for the 15th..smiles abound everywhere..it is as almost as if Christmas is coming in the  Summer..well of course watermelon has replaced panettone (at least for this for season).

One of our favorite dishes to bring to the beach is Eggplant Parmigiano. It travels well, we can leave it in the glass dish it is baked in, slice it before taking it to the beach. Bring some paper plates, napkins, plastic forks, one spatula. And no need to worry about refrigerating leftovers..there are never any leftovers.. Slice up a watermelon for dessert, a bottle of mineral water and you have a great meal

Eggplant Parmigiano

2 lbs fresh eggplant-cleaned, sliced

1 lb scamorza cheese

1 lb red ripe plum tomatoes

3 leaves fresh basil

2 cloves garlic

1 fresh carrot, cleaned,peeled, cut in two

1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1 slice fresh onion

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Filet fresh tomatoes. In saute pan, place 3 tblsps olive oil,  whole garlic cloves, slice fresh onion. Saute for 2 minutes, place in tomato pieces, carrot pieces let simmer for 20 minutes.

In glass baking dish, layer, eggplant slices with tomato sauce, sliced scamorza cheese, sprinkle of parmigiano cheese. Top with scamorza cheese and grated parmigiana reggiano cheese and a sprinkle of breadcrumbs,. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven, when cool, slice, and it is ready to go-wherever your lunch will be.

For more recipes get your copy of 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

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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/art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc

Continuing my ‘Gastraonaut’ travels in Italy..in Pescara to experience some of the artisan foods, but also to view the new pedestrian bridge that was opened  this year…

But on the way made a stop in Rapino, a medieval town in the province of Chieti..Besides the ancient ruins..the menus that 4 of the restaurants there offer for lunch or dinner were spectacular..but since I could only stay for lunch and experience one menu it was a difficult choice and I spent an hour on the important decision.. but in an hour you can reflect poetic on the splendid view from Rapino a city that is’ media montagna’ (in mid mountain)….What would you choose?:

Menu 1-Potato & Truffle  mini gnocchi,Pappardelle pasta, palotte cace e ove (‘meatballs’  without meat made of cheese and eggs) fresh fruit in season

Menu 2-Cavatelli pasta with beschamel sauce, with zucchini and saffron from Navelli ( a town nearby),Pappardelle pasta with tomatoes, Raosted rabbit with roasted potatoes with rosemary and fresh mixed greens,fruit in season

Menu 3-Ravioli with nut sauce, Pasta alla Chitarra with meat sauce (ragu),Roasted lamb and roasted potatoes,mixed fruit in season

Menu 4-Pasta alla Chitarra with bacon (pancetta) and arugula, roasted wild boar, roasted peppers, fresh fruits in season.

A lot of eating for one lunch..but after a long reflection and a visit of the Grotto del Colle and the church of San Giovanni… I chose Menu 1 because of the appetizer of mini gnocchi (Gnoccchetti)  and the local specialty of ‘pallotte cace e ove’ (Meatless meatballs made with cheese and eggs). I slowly savored every bite of this meal, that was certainly a 100 mile meal (all ingredients came from nearby-100 miles or less) so everything was fresh and flavorful… after the meal a long walk around the  mercato for artisan crafts  (held in August) to relax

Here’s a recipe for a local specialty from Menu 1-

Palotte Cace e Ove.

(this is in dialect of region of Abruzzo, palotte means small balls and ‘cace’-short for ‘cacciocavallo’ –a type of cheese;ove is dialect for uove-which means eggs

2 whole eggs

1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese or a mix of pecorino and romano or parmiggiana cheese.

2 garlic cloves

handful of fresh parsley leaves chopped

bread crumbs  (freshly made)

pinch of salt

pinch of baking soda

4 tablespoons olive oil (for frying)

In a bowl place in chopped garlic, eggs, grated cheese, chopped parsley, pinch of salt and baking soda. Mix with a fork. Little by little place in bread crumbs and mix by hand. Place in enough breadcrumbs to be able to roll the mixture into the consistency of firm meatballs. Heat oil in frying pan and fry till brown. Serve plain or with some tomato sauce (sugo).

For more great recipes and stories on out of the way place in Italy get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions- 2nd edition

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Sept 9-12-Hudson valley Wine Fest,Rhinebeck, NY. For more info or to sponsor The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm onstage demo email: Info@marialiberati.com

Oct 29-30th- Gourmet Food & Wine Show, Philadelphia at the Valley Forge Convention  Center, Valley Forge ,Pa The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm will be onstage. To attend or sponsor one of the onstage cooking demos email: Info@marialiberati.com

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

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

Some of the new exciting happenings here in Italy while I have been gone..the invention or creation of a  gelato sandwich (because of the hot hot summer temperatures). it consists of gelato made of creamy parmigiano reggiano cheese, a slice of prosciutto ,a brush of hazelnut mayonnaise all served on white bread with crusts removed..sounds refreshing but I have not been able to find one… If anyone out there  can tell me of a  coffee bar serving this, please let me know!   Hopefully my ‘gastronaut ‘skills will lead me to one this summer. I think they are all the rage in the North… but now I am off to the local fish market for fresh clams and the local market to find a lemon from the Amalfi Coast..what would a plate of linguine alla vongole be without a spritz of the fresh juice of a lemon from the Amalfi coast??…not worth eating

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

Sept 9-12-see you at Hudson Valley Wine fest in Rhinebeck NY at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. For sponsorship info for The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm booth and on stage cooking demos- email: info@marialiberati.com

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

As temperatures hover over 100 in most of the USA a cold dish of pasta is a perfect way to have A cool evening meal..or take it to work for a healthy lunch. A cold pasta dish is not just about throwing cold pasta together with anything you find in the fridge.

There are some chef secrets to the art of cold pasta dishes and here they are, making cold pasta dishes is a simple, basic art….easy to do but you must follow specific rules to have the perfect summer dish…and experience the most flavor.

*As with all pasta dishes –hot or cold-always use pasta made of 100% durum semolina wheat cooked to ‘al dente’

*Use one principal ingredient-a meat, or cheese, or tuna or other seafood, then 1 or 2 other secondary ingredients-vegetables make good choices..i.e. tomatoes, peppers,  eggplant, peas, zucchini, or even olives. For optimum taste choose veggies that you can find grown locally and in season.

There are so many combinations for any palate and you can mix and match using those rules..Farfalle Primavera, cold pasta with vegetables, fusilli pasta with eggplant and fontina cheese, penne pasta with mackerel, celery and olives and the list continues. But keep it simple, pasta plus 2-3 other ingredients. Of course don’t forget to drizzle with extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil, and a pinch of salt.

*My last secret…once pasta is cooked to ‘al dente’ no need to add ingredients in immediately. best to add in ingredients a half hour before serving. Did you know that after an hour of being cut-tomatoes lose most of their original flavor..so best not to keep your tomatoes or pasta dish waiting around..

Make your cold pasta dish an eating experience!

For more tips and recipes get a copy of the book selected as the Best Italian Cusine Book in  the USA-The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition.http://www.marialiberati.com/products-page

Visit me at OpenSky

Sept 9-12-Hudson Valley Wine Fest, Rhinebeck, NY at Dutchess County Fairgrounds-Maria Liberati will be bringing The Basic Art of Italian Cooking to center stage with cooking demos from the award winning new book release and a book signing. For more info or to sponsor this appearance email: info@marialiberati.com

Oct 29-31-Philadelphia Food & Wine Festival at Valley Forge Convention Center. Maria Liberati will be bringing The Basic Art of Italian Cooking to center stage at this Gourmet Food and Wine event. For info or to sponsor this appearance email: info@marialiberati.com

Maria

www.marialiberati.com

where food meets art, travel and life!

Each region and city in Italy has their own flavors and tastes to discover..and on a recent trip there I had a flavorful experience discovering the tastes that give Genoa its’ flavor…and secrets of it’s world famous pesto.

In Via San Bernardo, parallel to via Giustiniani, a small metal sign in a miniscule window is the front of Drogheria Torielli. But be careful, if the sun is very strong, you may miss it since the glare of the metal sign on the window will hide this little shop. But it’s name is known by gourmets throughout all of Italy. Why?? well it is here that you will find the best zafferano (saffron) both from Abruzzo and Sardinia. An assortment of the best coffee and teas and 200 types of medicinal herbs exotic and local and any spice you can imagine. Each spice is kept in a large glass jar.

The fragrant odor that fills the air is made up of thousands of different scents and you feel as if you are in a pharmacy instead of a spice shop. Many fo these spices are found in the artisan produced chocolates of Viganotti. It is there that a master chocolatier utilizes apparatus from the ‘800’s to produce sublime chocolate bars and chocolates Chocolates that are crunchy, soft, filled with nuts from Piedmont, covered with dark chocolate, filled with creams made from old artisan recipes and more. Eve nth shop itself has remained in some of its’ original style with its old wooden shelves and counter and the air filled with the smell of sugar, cocoa.

Pesto is a famous dish from Genoa,  with basil, grown famously there, it’s principal ingredient. And the microclimate of Genoa as well as the soil there is perfect for growing basil, but it is also the years of experience of the basil growers in Genoa that produces a  basil of superior qulaity.

This Pesto recipe is similar to that which is used for official tasting courses while in the Province of Genoa and is considered the official Pesto recipe of Genoa, sort of their secret recipe… however I have substituted ingredients that are more easily available for those which are local to Genoa which would be difficult for someone to acquire if not located in close proximity to Genoa. Also the original recipe is done in a pestle and mortar not a food processor as indicated here:

*1 large handful of Basil leaves only (stems removed)

*3 garlic cloves

*1 tablespoon of pinoli nuts

*2 tblsps of Parmigiana Reggiano (Aged for 24 months) grated

*1/2 tblsp of Pecorino Sardo

*pinch of sea salt

*7-8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil ( I recommend an artisan extra virgin olive oil-Badia a Coltibuono)

Remove leaves from stems of basil. Wash and dry gently. Finely chop the garlic. Finely grind the pinolli nuts. Finely chop the basil. In food processor, place in basil, garlic, pinoli nuts, cheeese. Place in olive oil a little at a time. If the pesto is too thick add in a bit of water to thin out.

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene….

Maria

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For more recipes get the book that won the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards as teh Best Italain Cuisine Book in America 2009- The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions

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 There is this  saying in Italy ”E Dolce Far Niente”, in English it means ‘How sweet it is to do nothing’. It is a difficult phrase  for a ‘hyperactive’ person like me to understand unless I am  in Italy…

 Yesterday was the last day of the Christmas Holiday season here known as La Befana or the Epiphany.  It was a day to appreciate that aforementioned saying..filled with going out for a stroll for a morning cappuccino..then coming home and spending time preparing the 2 pounds of  fresh broccoli rabe   I bought from  an outdoor farm market  yesterday. My intention was to add it to  a Holiday  lunch of polenta with broccoli rabe and fontina cheese melted on top. But broccoli rabe takes some time to clean and cook…. and in between the waiting there is a lot of relaxing and sitting and drinking another espresso and watching  and relaxing and chatting and a lot of ‘doing nothing’ but waiting for the broccoli rabe to hurry up and cook and be tender. Anyway, here is the recipe we had for lunch and the rest of the day was spent relaxing in front of the fireplace..and yes it is so sweet to just ‘do nothing..You must try it sometime..

Polenta with Broccoli Rabe and Fontina Cheese

2 pounds of fresh Broccoli Rabe-cleaned

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 small dried red hot peppers

pinch of salt

1 cup of cornmeal

8 ounces of fontina cheese

Wash and clean broccoli rabe, cutting off the bottom, hard part. Place in boiling water and cook till tender- about 30-40 minutes. Drain well. Place olive oil in saute pan with garlic cloves and dried red hot peppers (pepperoncini). Saute for about 30 seconds. Chop cooked broccoli rabe  and place in saute pan with olive oil. Place in approx 1/2 cup water. Saute for approximately 15 minutes.

Cook polenta as directed on package. Place polenta in oven proof dishes. Place broccoli rabe in center of polenta, place grated fontina cheese on top of broccoli rabe, place a drizzle of olive oil on top and place under broiler till fontina cheese is bubbly..

You may want to have a  simple dessert like a piece of handmade chocolates  after this dish..

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria