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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

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*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!

The souvenir  I am sending from Italy is the fresh summer meal eaten outside on the terrazzo under the warm August sun. Our terrazzo overlooks the mountains of Abruzzo so the calm and quiet of a Saturday afternoon in the dead of summer is especially relaxing..only the sound of the birds chirping in the background and an occasional car and vespa driving by interrupted the quiet. The peaceful quiet made it easy to meditate on the beauty surrounding me, nothing artificial all  created by mother nature..the trees, the grass, the roling hills and mountains in the landscape, the chirping birds, the shining sun.   Makes you wonder what else could one need here? Think about it ,the relaxing quiet of no clutter just the things nature has given us,,

 The wine that acompanied the meal was a Cerasuolo-made in Abruzzo. But the best part of the meal was the dessert-fresh figs from our garden-we just had to reach up and take our choice of  the ripes ones.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could pick all of our foods that way-just go in your backyard and pick what you want-the fruits and vegetables still full of vitamins and minerals and flavor.. 

Cerasuolo, fresh figs and a terrazzo…and the August sun..what a day’s memory..

I will be posting many of the recipes for dishes I prepared each day while here later on in the next two weeks.  The next two weeks are a whirlwind of interviews and appearances for me- Umbria, Chieti, Pescara, Rome,Abruzzo.

I will be bringing back fresh memories and recipes from all places that is one thing for certain aside fro mthe fascinating people and places I will visit..

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