copyright 2011 Art of Living, PrimaMedia, Inc/ Maria Liberati

To quote Cezanne. “ I will astonish Paris with an apple”

and  recently I left Rome asotnished with  apples..

I was pulled out of line by a a security agent when leaving from Leonardo DaVinci International Airport ( Rome)..the culprit..a jar of homemade apple butter stashed in my carry on for on the plane snacking with crackers. I couldn’t figure out why I was being searched, interrogated, pulled out of line…ahh!! …until it was all over..when I asked why ..a small homemade jar of apple butter was held up by the customs agent.

Apple Butter is one of those foods that is still not possible to find in Italy and I do miss it so when there… though I set out to make it and preserve some jars to leave and one to take back ..an apple orchard filled with apples at our country farm..delicious, organic, pesticide free apples..just in time apple season had just begun..

Apple butter pairs well with a touch of mascarpone cheese on a slice of freshly baked crusty bread from the local forno in the morning for a true country farm breakfast…

Apple Butter

*7 cups of homemade applesauce (if you really must use store bought but homemade is best)

*2 cups of apple cider

*1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp allspice

Optional: 1 ½ cups honey

You need a slow cooker or crockpot for this. Mix all the ingredients and place in the slow cooker, cover and let cook on low heat for 14 hours or until the mixture is a deep brown color. While the mixture is hot, place into 4 pint sized jars that are hot as well. Place ina hot water bath. Once the water begins to boil after adding in the jars ,time for 10 minutes and remove jars. Cool jars upside down

t http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release-service/235980

See you at the Utah Humanities festival on October 2nd in Salt Lake City Utah

Join me in Italy in May 2012 on my all inclusive   luxury Mediterranean cruise

copyright 2011 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

My eyes open, awakened by that inspiring aroma of freshly ground coffee beans..my night stand full of books, 2 notebooks-one for dreams and one for thoughts.. From my antique window filter in a bit of the sun’s rays.

It is 8 AM..the breakfast table is ready fruit, cornetti (Italian croissant), cappuccino, juice..and a welcoming sight of   a ‘dolce al cucchaio’ ( a spoon dessert)..a delicious morning treat or dessert Bianco Da Mangiare (white pudding)…I prepared yesterday and

Bianco da Mangiare (White Pudding)

 excerpted from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

2 ounces( ½ dl) almond milk

4 ounces (1 dl) milk

1 tsp (5 gr) pure vanilla

2 tablespoons + 1 tsp (50 gr) sugar

1 cinnamon stick

peel of one half lemon-(in one or a few large pieces)

1tsp (5 gr) agar-agar powder or flakes or other gelatine substitute

Place almond milk, milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, vanilla and lemon zest in saucepan and heat on low heat for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Place in agar-agar powder and dissolve. Return to heat and keep stirring till becoming a dense cream. Take out lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Place pudding in a large mold or small molds. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with slivered almonds and strawberries or raspberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon,

A  morning exercise in concentration..taste the first spoonful with your eyes closed and let the gentle kiss of the lemon and cinnamon flavors caress your taste buds..

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

 Look for my new release at Book Expo America in NYC at the Javits Convention Center on Tuesday May 24th, from 3:30-4:30 PM I will be signing pre publication copies of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style.  recipes and an eating style that was influenced by Leonardo DaVinci, with 100+ recipes and DaVinci’s poems about food from his personal notebook..DaVinci was also a ‘foodie’.

 copyright 2010, Maria Liberati/artofliving,PrimaMedia,Inc

Those who travel have many a tale to tell …or something like that… as an old saying goes..not only stories of places and sights but of foods and new flavors experienced. Thomas Jefferson who not only served as President but also an international ambassador. He  had a knack for great food and wine… Just think of the stories he told of his journeys in Italy, and his love of Italian pasta so much that he is credited with bringing the first pasta or maccheroni machine to the US and  the first Italian winemakers to the US.

Oce can only imagine his tales of far off foods and wines from a far off land (Italy) and how fascinating those tales may have been back in the day or should I say his day..Thanks to the former Prez… pasta machines and Italian wines are very well known in the US.

But local regional specialties in many a small town  have still not made their way here. Make it a point to find them wherever you go and you will also have many a tale to tell and cook for friends and family.

Here’s one of my favorites..I think President T.J. would have loved it, don’t you? It’s from a region rich with culinary history-Emilia Romagna. It’s a perfect treat for this time of year-Pampepato and if you are fortunate to travel to Emilia Romagna and find a local bakery that makes this-be sure to savor the experience there! You can find this in some gourmet stores in the US-but just not the same as experiencing the flavor in it’s hometown..

This recipe serves 6

PAMPEPATO

1 cup flour

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup powdered unsweetened Dutch cocoa

1/3 cup candied fruit

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp chopped cloves

milk or water

Icing:

16 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl-except chocolate for icing. Add milk or water until the dough is smooth  and sticky with some substance to it. Place parchment paper on cookie sheet and place dough in shape of a round ‘cupola’. Or place in small cake pan covered with parchment paper. Place in oven preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for 90 minutes. Remove from oven. Place in a cool,humid place covered for 10-15 days. Then melt the dark baking chocolate in a double boiler and spread the chocolate on  tops and sides of the Pampepato  Serve when chocolate has hardened to form an icing.

Hope to see you at:

December 3rd-Copper Fish Restaurant- 6PM_ cape May NJ for a Feast of the Seven Fishes Dinner and book signing from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

December 4th-Borders, Mount Laurel NJ at 1 PM

Visit OpenSky

Peace, Love & Pasta!
Maria

.

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas in Europe with the Christkindlmarkts of long ago that still exist today. I love to discover new ones .  This year I did just that by stopping by the Christkindlmarkts of the Northern Italian towns of Bolzano, Merano, Bressanone, Brunico, Vipiteno- are 5 cities in Northern Italy with 5 different styles of  celebrating  the festivities of the Christmas Season. This typical Nordic tradition in Middle Europe of the Christkindlmarkt (that began in Germany in the 14^th century) continues till January 6^th in the Alto Adige regions of Italy. The markets are filled with Christmas decorations and gifts. The main scents are of cinnamon and spices, of the wood burning in the mountains and sweet gingerbread, of vin brule (hot spiced wine). And the tastes? Many sweet gifts for the palate, the typical ‘zelten’ with candied fruits, apple strudel, homemade cookies known as ‘Lebkuchen’ and a type of sugar cake soaked in rum known as ‘Feuerzangbowle’. These sweets represent the classic and genuine recipes from Christmas markets of the past but updated for modern tastes. This year these sweets were made in 5 different shapes each one representing something special from each of the 5 cities:

*little angel for Bolzano

*lamb for Bressanone

*star for Brunico

*bell for Merano

*tower for Vipiteno

These sweets were sold exclusively during this year’s Christmas Markets and in Limited edition collectables. And with the purchase of the homemade ‘Lebkuchen’ a donation was made to a new project called”Francisville-The City of Mystery” for the Francesca Rava Foundation that will be used aid the children in Haiti.

Here is a recipe, for traditional ‘Lebkuchen’.  You can use these cookies as ornaments and cut into different shapes.

Lebkuchen 

• 3/4 cup honey 

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp of powdered cocoa

•  1 tsp cinnamon,

•  1 tsp coriander  

• 1tsp cardamom 

• pinch of nutmeg 

• pinch of ground cloves 

•  Peel of one  dried lemon and 1 orange chopped finely 

• 1 cup flour

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 3 tablespoons of milk 
  1. Heat honey, sugar and butter in top of  a metal double boiler until sugar is almost totally melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
  2. Add in egg, cocoa and spices,dried orange and lemon peels, blend well. Sift flour and add in. Mix with wooden spoon till blended into a smooth dough.
  3. Dissolve baking soda in milk and add into this the dough. Blend in with hands till the dough is smooth. 
  4. Let pasta rest at room temperature overnight or for at least 24 hours.
  5. Place dough on well floured wooden board. Roll out to about 1/4  inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes.  If you want to use these as tree ornaments, place a hole in the top so that a ribbon can be strung through when cooked.

  Cover a cookie sheet with parchment or baking paper and arrange the cookies on the sheet leaving some distance between each of the cookies. Bake them in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until golden.

   

For more info on the Christkindlmarkets you can also go to www.suedtirol.info

Have you ever made Lebkuchen, do you have a family recipe for Lebkkuchen you want to share?  Post them here…

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati