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

Visit me at OpenSky

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

Take a trip right from your own computer over to open sky to see the new design of my store with all the interesting products I have  found for those that enjoy The Basic Art of Italian Cooking. Please let me know how you like the new design and let me know if there are any products you would like to see or those you may be looking for. Visit here http://tinyurl.com/ygtqgcm

 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

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

Hope you enjoy our continuing posting of  yummy Holiday recipes. Share your favorite Holiday recipe with us here or email to us at editor@marialiberati.com

 Here is the perfect main course for one of your Holiday meals, thanks to Fred Cohen of J & A Culinary Arts School in Philadelphia, the recipes use   Sempre Sapori-Tuscan Picnic  Spice Blend,all natural spices with Tuscan flavors, that  I developed in Tuscany, you can still get them for the Holidays here    and enjoy our Holiday Gift Guide, products that were selected by our staff for their exceptional artisan quality and for the experience  they provide consumers. Find a special coupon offer for the open sky store on the last page!

Holiday Gift Guide 2009

Tuscan Roasted Chicken with Savory Herb Bread Pudding and Buttered Cauliflower

*Bread Pudding*:
Serves 6:
One large crusty loaf bread (crust removed)
1 t Sage leaves chiffonade
1 T chopped parsley
2 t chopped chive
1 egg yolk
3 oz chicken stock
1 oz heavy cream
1-2 oz milk
2 t Tuscan spice mix

*Tuscan Spiced Chicken*:
2 Cornish Hens, halved, serves  2 – 4:
2 oz butter
1 T Tuscan Spice Blend

*Procedure*:
-Remove the crust from the bread and cut into small dice. Place into a deep
dish container. Combine remaining ingredients to form a creamy batter. If
batter seems too thick, thin it down with a little bit of water, stock, or
milk to reach a creamy but not heavy consistency. Place mixture over the
bread and mix well. Allow to soak for 1 – 2 hours.
-In the mean time, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
-Create a compound butter by mixing the spice mixture into raw butter. Smear
the mixture over and under the skin of the Cornish hens.
-Place the chicken onto a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 35 – 40
minutes.
-Pack the bread pudding into ramekins that have been lightly sprayed and
bake for 20 – 30 minutes, depending on how brown you want it to be.
-To plate, take the bread pudding out of the ramekin and center it in the
middle of the plate. Lay the chicken on the side and on the opposite side,
lay some buttered cauliflower. Drizzle some parsley oil (or any oil of your
choosing) onto the side of the plate.

UPCOMING EVENTS

See you on Saturday December 12th in Somerset NJ at the Franklin Township library at 2 PM.. Cooking demo and book signing will feature my latest relaese The Basic Art of  Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions- winner of The Best Italian Cuisine Book of 2009 from Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

copyright 2009, art of living,PrimaMedia, Inc.

The Holiday Season is in full blast , especially  now that much of the US got their first dose of  Holiday snow this weekend. Here is a perfect recipe for a Holiday appetizer or light course for a brunch or light dinner. Special thanks goes to Fred Cohen a culinary student at J & A Culinary Arts school in Philadelphia for coming up with this Holiday recipe using Tuscan Picnic Spice Blend

The 2009 Holiday Gift Guide has 27 pages full of our Best of 2009 Products selected for their artisan quality and the experience they provide for the consumer. See it here:

Holiday Gift Guide 2009

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1jim0/HolidayGiftGuide2009/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=

*Roasted Fig Salad with Crispy Prosciutto and Parmigiana cheese (served with
a Tuscan spiced crouton and reduced balsamic dressing)**Dressing*:* *
Serves 6:
1/2 c balsamic vinegar reduced by half to make 1/4 cup of  balsamic syrup
2 t chopped parsley
3 T extra-virgin olive oil (check out our selections of  olive oil in the Holiday Gift Guide)
1/2 – 1 t dijon mustard
Salt  & Pepper  to  taste

*Figs*:
Black figs sliced in half lengthwise
Coarse Sea Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A sprinkle of sugar

*Other:
Salad Greens
Crusty Loaf Bread
Shaved parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 tsps Tuscan Picnic Spice Blend 

Proscuitto slices cut into  julienne strips

*Directions*:
-Combine the reduced balsamic  syrup with the chopped parsley, olive oil, and dijon
mustard. Whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper and hold to the
side.
-Slice thin slices of crusty loaf bread and brush with olive oil. Season
with the Tuscan Picnic  spice blend and toast in the oven (or grill/broil if
desired) until toasted. For dryer croutons hold them in the oven (heat off)
until they cool.
-Lay the figs in a roasting pan and sprinkle with olive oil and the coarse
salt. Roast in the oven at 375 degrees until cooked. If desired, sprinkle a
little bit of sugar onto the figs three – five minutes before the figs are
done.
-Lay the prosciutto slices on a sheet pan and crisp in the oven, roughly 1 -
2 minutes.
-Gather the shaved cheese and assemble the salad. Lay the crouton on the
plate, topped with the salad tossed in the dressing. Lay the roasted figs on
the side and top the greens with the prosciutto and then the shaved cheese.
For garnish, paint some of the remaining balsamic syrup with a spoon on the
side of the plate.

Form more recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays & Special Occasions- winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards as Best Italian Cuisine Book in America in 2009. Thanks for all those that voted for the book and have purchased copies of the book and have been ‘spreading the word’.

Hope to see you on December 12th at the Franklin Township Library at 12 noon for a Holiday book signing and cooking demo!

Thanksgiving is upon us again and in Italy it is known as Ringraziamento..well anyway you say it still means ‘to give thanks’ . Here is one of my favorite recipes for an appetizer for  Thanksgiving or anytime and a video of  Thanksgiving decorating tips from Design2Share.com

Also as a special Holiday gift here is a coupon for some Holiday shopping at my new store at the openskyproject.com  hope you will visit and check out  the interesting products we found for you. We are adding new products every day..

So many times we take for granted everything we have. but remember to be thankful for whatever you have ….food on the table..a roof over your head..a kitchen to cook in..friends and family to share with..the sun, the sky…the stars. the moon…we all have something to be thankful for…

 Avocado Italiano  

*2 ripe avocados

*juice of 1 lemon

*4 tablespoons grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

*1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

*3 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil, drained)

 Mash the avocado. Add in all other ingredients.

If you are taking this spread with you to someone else’s house, place in plastic container and place plastic wrap against surface of avocado spread before you close container

You can use this as a dip for breadsticks, cut vegetables, tortilla chips.

Thanksgiving decorating tips video

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ie3mMY_emk

Happy Thanksgiving

Get your copy of  The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays & Special Occasions

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria 

Mille Grazie!! to everyone at Le Cordon Bleu in Boston and Chef Enea Barbanera for hosting a wonderful event with the Italian Culinary Foundation  to promote the simplicity and flavors of authentic, original Italian cooking. Many thanks for having me there as a special guest.  The only other place I could have witnessed an event like this would have been in Italy…

I must also give a special thanks to  Mr.  & Mrs. Frankie & Maureen  Imbergamo for being such wonderful hosts for my visit. Frankie is the author of The Good Life cookbook  and  frequent guest of The Emeril Lagasse Show and is famously known around Boston for  award winning meatball recipes. They insisted that we see a little bit of Boston’s North End or Little Italy section before we left and assisted in getting us a quick tour

Yesterday’s cooking demo with Chef Barbanera was the culmination of a week of cooking demos and events with the chef promoting the authentic style of Italian cooking by the Italian Culinary Foundation at Le Cordon Bleu. They were one of the few culinary schools in the US selected for this event.  He also educated everyone with a quick lesson on flavors and how flavors must not overpower but compliment each other in a dish. His cooking stresses fresh, natural ingredients -fresh herbs, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, artisan cheeses like Grana Padano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Asiago and others as well as meats, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Chef Enea Barabanera has graciously shared his recipes with us, here is the first one (this recipe serves 8):

Sformata di Grana Padana con Pomodoretto Fresco

(Grana Padana Pudding with cherry tomatoes)

1 liter cream

14 eggs

10 1/2 ozs grated Grana Padano cheese

1.5 ozs butter

10 1/2 ounces cherry tomatoes

3.5 ozs extra virgin olive oil

1 small sprig rosemary

salt to taste

3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

8 muffin tins

Butter 8 muffin tins and sprinkle sides and bottoms with bread crumbs. In bowl place cream, eggs and grated Grana Padano cheese. Whisk till well blended. Pour into muffin tins, bake for 20 minutes in oven preheated to 350 degrees. Remove from oven and set aside till warm

In saute pan, place 3 tblsps of extra virgin olive oil, sprig of fresh rosemary, cherry tomatoes that have been quartered, pinch of salt. Saute for 3 minutes. Place on individual serving plates.  unmold the muffin tins on side of the tomatoes on each individual plate. Place  small sprig of rosemary in center of souffle and drizzle olive oil on top, serve.

This makes a great antipasto or even a light first course. Serve with a 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 and http://stores.lulu.com/marialiberati

“Mangia Bene,Vivi Bene”

Maria