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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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

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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

As  I was reading my emails I couldn’t help but get distracted by the news of an impending special tax in specific States in the USA on Pizza calling it a Junk food.. I didn’t know whether to cry or feel offended or hurt or just disbelief…. How could this food, with such history..and  with healthy ingredients be insulted and called a junk food!

Since when are tomatoes, olive oil, mozzarella cheese, flour- a junk food. It is a healthy food and is a staple in the Italian, Italian-American and now American diet. Junk foods are foods made up of mostly chemicals or saturated fats..not pizza. Pizza is a healhty food and if they need proof,we can show it to them. If you would like to join me in the Pizza is a Health Food   Movement..please write your congressmen and congress women and governors and tell them that Pizza is a Health Food and you are offended that they would  even considering discouraging people from eating this healthy food by putting a special tax on it. If you would like a letter to email to your congressman,please email me at info@marialiberati.com and we will send you a pre made letter to educate your congressmen and  congress women and legislators on the health benefits of this Slow Food!

copyright 2010, Maria Liberati

My visit  to the medieval Abbey of Casamari in the province of Frosinone was a visit back to the medieval  pharmacies where many of the medicinal herbal formulas were discovered by the Benedictine monks here and brought to the world. The liqueurs and honeys  are all produced at the Abbey in a traditional way, all fruits,herbs, plants used are all grown organically by the monks there..a virtual trip back in time.. After Sunday mass (said by the monks in Latin), and a visit to the Abbey’s pharmacy and store the open air market beckoned.

The fragrance of freshly made (locally) made ciambella were almost calling my name. These particularly local ciambella made with anise seeds and boiled then baked (like  a bagel) are a typical product from  this region, but  are an artisan food that are not so easy to find..probably since they are not so quick to make and are made in an artisan way…

They bring back memories of my grandmother (who made her own delicious version of these for breakfast) telling stories of how she would go to her local town bakery ( in the town of Venafro, Italy) in the morning and get them freshly baked for breakfast… my great aunt (her older  sister)  owned the bakery and made these for her…. These locally baked treats have been almost impossible to locate ..so this was a real trip back in time..and an unexpected culinary treat..mmm..a piece of local  cheese with a  hot,freshly baked ciambella..could not have dreamed of a better lunch…can not even describe the experience..it was one to be savored….

Here is another version of a classic ciambella, known as a ciambellone, similar to  a pound cake, delicious also and a little bit easier to make..while I pull out my recipe for the ciambellone I feasted on today..and put on the great new apron I just found that includes a towel attached zipdry

Ciambellone Classico

(from the Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winner The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays &Special Occasions

2 cups all purpose flour or cake flour sifted

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

½ cup melted butter

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

peel of 1 lemon

extra flour and butter for greasing pan

Work together the sugar and eggs. Blend in flour and melted butter. Work the dough till it is a smooth blended dough and add in the baking powder and salt and lemon peel. Butter and flour a cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Should be golden on top. Remove from oven and cool. You can decorate the top with a dusting of powdered sugar or shaved dark chocolate.

Mangia bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

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 copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

After many of my posts praising the little known Italian cornetti (as compared to its’ French cousin -the croissant) and how  my long flight into Rome is spent with my mind pondering  which coffee bar I will get to first to  have my first cornetto.  After landing, once I find my luggage, my goal is to have a cornetto and cappuccino to wake me up.. it seems that I just can’t function without that first cornetto and cappuccino..once  downed they are like a magic potion to wake me up for no matter how long my day is………. filled with meetings or functions or events.

Here is the recipe so many of you have been emailing and requesting for- fresh cornetti to make at home. If this  is your first time making these be sure to have a few hours to try this recipe out.  Sorry for taking so long to put this up here, but it takes almost as long to write out the  recipe as it does to bake them. Of course there are many versions, this is just one home made version, but I think it is the easiest for the home cook to try.

Cornetti

3 cups flour (can use whole wheat flour  for a whole wheat version)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp honey

4 tblsps sunflower seed oil

1 cake yeast or 1 packet powdered yeast

1 cup tepid milk

3 eggs

pinch of salt

1 tsp real vanilla

Brush on topping:

2 egg yolks

2 tsps sugar

pinch of milk

 Melt yeast in tepid ( warm not hot) milk. Place flour in center of large bowl or wooden board, make a well, place in center the dissolved yeast/milk mixture, and all ingredients. Mix for approximately 20 minutes till you have a smooth dough, then cover dough and let rise in a warm (not hot place) for approximately one hour.

Cut the dough into triangles and place a spoonful of honey or marmalade in the center. an easy way to do this would be to first form dough into a circle by using a large plate to cut a large circle of dough,.The cut circle into triangles, place a spoonful of marmalade or honey on center and let triangles rise this way for approximately 40 minutes.

To top cornetti before baking

In a bowl., mix another 2 egg yolks, 2 tsps of sugar and a drop of milk.

roll up the triangles into the shape of a cornetti. Place parchment paper on baking sheet, place cornetti on top, brush this mixture on top of each cornetti and bake in oven preheated to 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden.

 If you’d like to serve them with cappuccino- here’s how to make it at home

Hope to see you at upcoming book signings/cooking demos:

Nov 14th-  Warren Twp Public Library, Warren NJ

Dec 12th-Franklin Twp Public Library, Somerset, NJ

 or at the  upcomimg wine dinners and pairings. Did you ever think of having a wine dinner or wine pairing dinner for an upcoming event or a corporate team building event? Email The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by  Maria Liberati tm for info on booking one for your next event.

Email: events@marialiberati.com

Get The Basic Art of Italian Cooking : Holidays & Special Occasions filled with Holiday recipes ,menus and wine tips.

 Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

These cookies are one of my favorite..sort of like an Italian style comfort food. I can remember having these after school with a glass of milk with my mom while discussing my day at school, and then with a cup of tea on Sunday mid mornings while visiting with my grandparents after church and while waiting for the big Sunday afternoon meal. And finally with a cup of coffee visiting with family and friends or alone. Sharing freshly baked anginetti and a cup of coffee with my mom, today, is still one of my favorite things to do.

The perfect sweet to bake on a fall Sunday afternoon. or for any Holiday.

from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati.art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc: $19.95; ISBN 1-928911-02-1)

Anginetti (yields approximately 40 cookies)

Cookies:

1 tsp vanilla extract

Grated peel of one fresh lemon

6 tbsp butter

½-cup skim milk

½-cup sugar

3 whole eggs

3 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Icing:

1 tsp real vanilla extract

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1-cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees while lining large cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and non-stick coating.

In large mixing bowl, beat vanilla, zest, margarine, milk, and sugar with electric mixer on medium setting until texture is well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating each addition, and then continue to beat mixture for 1 minute.

On low speed, blend flour (1 cup at a time), powder, and baking soda until consistency becomes firm, sticky dough. If needed, have wooden spoon available for mixing. Dust hands lightly with additional flour, rolling dough into bite-sized balls. Place approximately 20 onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing 2 “apart.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Icing: While first batch is baking, combine vanilla, lemon juice, sugar, and water into a small mixing bowl, whisking ingredients until mixture is completely blended. Remove cookies from oven, placing a sheet of wax or parchment beneath wire rack. Using a small pastry brush, frost the tops of each cookie with icing, sprinkle with additional confectioners’ sugar, and transfer to rack for cooling. Begin second batch.

For more recipes and Holidaystories get your copy of  the newly released

 The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions, with over 140+ recipes, menus, wine pairings and short Holiday stories

Book Signings/Cooking demos/appearances:
*Oct 5th-Horsham, Pa, Horsham Twp Library

*Oct 9-Souderton, Pa, Indian Valley Library

*Oct 10-Warrington, Pa, Borders

*Oct 16-18-Philadelphia Food & Wine Festival

*Oct 21-Feasterville, Pa, Lower Southampton Twp Library

*Nov5-7-Christmas in Italy weekend, Harvest Moon Bed and Breakfast- Lancaster, Pa for reservations:

info@harvestmoonbandb.com

For details on any of the above events or to attend email: events@marialiberati.com

Mangia Bene,Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com

http://mariaandco.blogspot.com

copyright 2009, art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc

Someone once said that ‘poetry is made up of memories and the act of recalling a special moment and without remembering or the act of  recalling experiences  there is no poetry’

A pizza is a pizza or why all pizzas are not the same…or   where have all the great pizzas gone… Last night I had dinner with friends in a local pizzeria. As is typical to have before a pizza ..an appetizer known as a a ’suppli’ which is sort of a fried rice ball with mozzarella cheese in the center and sometimes a sauce inside. As I don’t like a meat sauce in my suppli I asked if they are made with meat sauce ..I knew we were in trouble when the waitress told me that she must look on the box they were packaged in to see if they have a meat sauce inside. (Pre-packaged ’suppli’) not a good sign…not freshly made…

The local pizzerias that were run by families always made everything from scratch..nothing prepackaged.. the pizza I must say was a disappointment..my stomach this morning reminds me of the acidy flavor left over from a wood burning oven that may have not been properly cleaned and the ashes left over leaving a bitter taste to the pizza…no olive oil on the pizza..no flavor..just the flavor of flour, water ,mozzarella cheese…

Unfortunately this is the way things are going here..many restaurants are opting for cheaper ingredients and compromising flavors..with most restaurants and eating places not using extra virgin olive oil because of the price of olive oil today, the flavors of the foods have been really compromised..or should I say not many flavors seem to be present..except in a few restaurants that are ‘die hards’ and insist on not compromising quality for cost.

I fear I have become my grandparents..preferring to eat mainly at home..knowing that all the ingredients I use will be ingredients I choose…and so returns another ‘old fashioned’ but so timely habit of preferring to eat at home.. now where did that come from? And how boring and old fashioned I used to think of that when my grandparents used to profess to the advantages of preparing things fresh at home..’so slow’ I would think..my grandmother spending all day to make a great tomato sugo to sit atop our pasta or the dough for a ‘tomato pie’ as they would translate ‘pizza’ in Engllish.

Never understanding why they couldn’t just go out and ‘grab a bite to eat’ like the rest of the families I knew.

 So this situation brought to me many memories of full mornings of preparing a meal by a team of people (aunts, parents, grandparents) then sitting down to eat the highly anticipated meal..stomachs growling in anticipation from the odors coming from the kitchen and then remaining there at the table for hours with courses almost never stoppping..of course this was Sunday or Holiday meal.

“Memoires are like poetry and without memories there is no poetry”

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions with over 140+ recipes, menus and short Holiday stories

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking kitchen here in Italy was busy with many recipes today, although still hot,hot, hot and no desire to use an oven or a stove but preparing for some end of summer picnics to take advantage of the summerl iek weather that will be ending soon (I think).

Of all the recipe swe worked on my favorite is a sort of cheesecake made with fresh ricotta..my faovrote part of making the cheesecake was taking a walk to the local place in town where they produce the fresh ricotta.. Here it is ..

Ricotta Raisin Cheesecake

1 1/4 lbs (fresh, if possible) ricotta

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

6 eggs

1/4 cup raisins

peel and juice of one fresh lemon

1 tsp of orange flower water

a pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

Place raisins in a small bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. Place ricotta in a bowl with sugar, blend with wooden spoon until you it is a smooth creamy mixture, add in egg yolks. Sift 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and add into ricotta cream. Blend, then  and add in orange flower water and juice and peel of lemon. Blend

Beat egg whites till firm  with pinch of salt. Add t oricotta mixture blending in with wooden spoon. Drain raisins, dry with paper towel and dust with remaining flour. Add into ricotta cream. Blend in with wooden spoon.

Line a pie pan with baking paper. Place in battter, eve nout batter with wooden spoon. Cook in ove npreheated to 360 degrees for 55 minutes or unti ltop is golden in color.

Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays & Special Occasions before the holidays with 140+ recipes, menus, Holiday stories and more!

Mangia Bene, Viv Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

 copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Where did this messsage come from..all of a sudden in my e-mail  mailbox after a trying day.. a well needed message to remind me to look for the rainbow outside ..such a metaphor for I really did need to find my rainbow by the end of today…

The timing was perfect..Look for the rainbow..”that’s it Maria” (I said to myself)..”always look for the rainbow”. There is usually a rainbow amidst a cloudy, dark  sky you just have to look for it.. If you don’t look for it you will never find it…

First of all a special thanks to a special friend who sent this message ..

A perfect way to end a not so perfect day!

And it also reminds me of a favorite saying of my better half

“Rosa di sera, bel tempo si spera” he will remind me after a particularly rainy night and the sky will open up with this beautiful red color to remind us that the weather tomorrow will become beautiful

Roughly translated means that ‘the red evening sky will bring beautiful weather tomorrow’.

Where is this leading to…….. anginetti cookies…something else that really cheers me up when I have had an unuusally stressful day. They are light little angel puffs…Baking up a small batch of these brings the sunshine back into a dreary day. And oh yes ,eating them are just as much fun..and put that lightness back into your spirit…

Hope you got to see a rainbow today….
Anginetti Bite-Sized Cookies: (yields approximaely 40 cookies)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon zest

6 tbsp butter

½-cup skim milk

½-cup regular or organic sugar

3 whole eggs

3 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Icing:

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1-cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees while lining large cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and non-stick coating.

In large mixing bowl, beat vanilla, zest, margarine, milk, and sugar with electric mixer on medium setting until texture is well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating each addition, and then continue to beat mixture for 1 minute.

On low speed, blend flour (1 cup at a time), powder, and baking soda until consistency becomes firm, sticky dough. If needed, have wooden spoon available for mixing. Dust hands lightly with additional flour, rolling dough into bite-sized balls. Place approximately 20 onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing 2 “apart.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Icing: While first batch is baking, combine vanilla, lemon juice, sugar, and water into a small mixing bowl, whisking ingredients until mixture is completely blended. Remove cookies from oven, placing a sheet of wax or parchment beneath wire rack. Using a small pastry brush, frost the tops of each cookie with icing, sprinkle with additional confectioners’ sugar, and transfer to rack for cooling. Begin second batch.

Still have a sweet tooth? Check out Maria Liberati’s delicious Cannoli recipe… http://marialiberati.com/blog2/?p=221

Be sure to visit http://www.marialiberati.com and get your copy of the bestselling book, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking, by Maria Liberati.

copyright, 2009, Maria Liberati, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking 

My weekend was filled with pizza making in The Basic Art of Italian Cooking kitchen here in Italy, or should I say inside the kitchen and outside..as you can see, yours truly getting our new outside brick oven ready.. Nothing like the flavor of pizza cooked in a brick oven..

  Pizza makes great food for a lazy Sunday afternoon dish..But it also provided us with a great way to work with the locally produced ingredients here in Abruzzo-the locally produced Pecorino D’Abruzzo to the fresh mozzarella produced in the little (nearby) village of Rocca Di Mezzo. And a radicchio produced at this time of  the year in Treviso, Italy..a little far from Abruzzo but many local produce stores get theirs fresh from Treviso..makesa great topping for a pizza..

Italy rejoices in the pizza and has made pizza making an art as well..championships in pizza and many competitions in pizza making..to the World Championship pizza making team.. who would have thought that a food made by the poor  people in Naples to make us of inexpensive ingredients-flour, yeast, tomatoes and make something substantive would become such a world renowned food…

So many toppings, so difficult to choose from,,we chose to do an arugula with shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese, then one with a tomato topping wiht the Vesuviana tomatoes from the Mt Vesuvio region (they are an interesting tomato and one of the few varieties that grow without water. As a matter of fact the lesser amount of water they have the better they grow) with grated pecorino cheese.

The Vesuviana tomatoes led me to the story told to me by my friend, Velia, who works with us at The Basic Art of Italian Cooking Culinary School in Orvieto..she told me that her grandmother used to use the Vesuviana tomatoes as an example of life ..they grow sweeter and better with the more hardship the soil around them experiences since they grow better with drought. These are a tomato that grow without any water, And she went on to explain how hardships in life grow your character, just like they grow the Vesuviana tomatoes..that with perfect soil conditions the Vesuviana do not grow successfully and are not as sweet and plump as they are when they suffer a drought or the hardship of not having enough water…a life lesson to learn from this delicacy and they are a superior tomato as well..not just your average tasting tomato..

Then there was Pizza Margherita for those that want the traditional tomato (using the Vesuviana tomatoes) basil and mozzarella tomato..and since truffles are also found in many parts of Italy this time of year-a scamorza and shaved truffle pizza… and lastly we had to make a potato with fresh rosemary pizza since we have an over abundance of fresh, organic rosemary here in the garden..

Pizza is best made  fresh and is worth the extra time it takes…If you put your mind to it you can make a ball of dough in the morning before you head out to work, cover carefully with a towel and place in a warm place to let it rise..when you come home it will be ready to place in a pizza pan or pizza stone stone and add  topping. 10-15 minutes in the oven (can be your own indoor oven) and you have a quick, healthy meal..

Pizza….can be used to teach healthy eating and a philosophy for life…a wondrous thing that pizza……

Find more pizza tips here: http://tinyurl.com/djd29w