It was so nice to meet all of those that came out to my appearance at Bally’s Casino in Atlantic City Gourmet Food & Wine Show this past weekend..so excited to hear that some  will be coming on the culinary cruise with me in May 2012!

For those of you that have already made their reservations and those that may be thinking about it..we will be making a stop at a vineyard in Sicily to experience the wine and take a tour of the vineyard…for those of you that asked for some Sicilian flavor before the cruise..here’s one of my favorite Sicilian delicacies..Biancomangiare..a type of pudding..simple yet so delicious.

Biancomangiare

*4 cups almond milk

*peel of 1 lemon grated

*1 1/2  cups sugar

*1/3 cup cornstarch

*pinch of cinnamon

Place almond milk (leave 1/4 cup in glass for later) in a saucepan over low heat. Add in lemon peel, sugar and pinch of cinnamon. Place cornstarch in remaining 1/4 cup of cold almond milk and stir in till starch has dissolved.

Add into warm milk mixture and keep stirring till just before beginning to boil.

Remove from heat and place in a mold. Place in refrigerator till firm. Turn upside down onto serving plate and dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon, serve.

For more great recipes get your copy of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd

“You ought to have seen what I saw on my way
To the village, through Mortenson’s pasture to-day:
Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,
Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum
In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!
And all ripe together, not some of them green
And some of them ripe! You ought to have seen!”

Blueberries by Robert Frost

One of my favorite things about summer are fresh blueberries..all over the place..you can pick your own or find them at your farmer’s market or supermarket..almost everywhere there sits that box with a beautiful purple blue hue peaking out with  berries overflowing on top. My not so favorite part of  summer is traveling  to places that do not have local blueberries available. ( I so miss the little guys). You can only get the best, juiciest fresh blueberries in the summer..an experience not to be missed…and as the days of summer dwindle down so do the number of days that these bursts of flavor will be available at their best…. As summer goes on I find myself creating more ways to use them from simple salads to ice cream desserts and of course cakes and muffins. Popping a juicy berry into my mouth produces a burst of momentary euphoria..and they sometimes never make it into the recipe..

and wouldn’t you know it…. I had an inspiration yesterday ..combine blueberries with another one of my addictions…coffee..a great ending to an alfresco meal or a cooling, rejuvenating afternoon pause!

Blueberry Cream Frost

*1 tsp (3 gr) cinnamon

1 tablespoon (15 gr) honey

6 shots of espresso (measure with small espresso cups)

1/2 cup whipped cream

1 cup of frozen blueberries  (Place fresh blueberries in freezer for approx 40 minutes before making this)

1 cinnamon stick for garnish

unsweetened dark chocolate (minimum 65% cocoa) for garnish

Place cinnamon, honey in a shaker. Make the espresso and pour into shaker. With a small wire whisk, whisk all ingredients together.  Divide whipped cream into 4 ice  cream glasses (3 ozs each) filling each glass about halfway.

Place frozen blueberries in shaker with coffee mixture, cover and shake 8 times. Pour into ice cream glasses top with whipped cream,divide evenly between all 4 glasses. Garnish with cinnamon stick and shave dark chocolate.

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

July 21-24- See you at Festa Italiana, the USA’s largest Italian Festival . The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm will be hosting many on stage cooking demos throughout the event, Nick Stellino will be onstage as well.

July 29-31 Gourmet Food and Wine Show-Bally’s Casino, Atlantic City, NJ. The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm will be onstage throughout the weekend.

For info, sponsorship or advertising info  on any of these events, email events@marialiberati.com

For more recipes get your copy of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winning Cookbook at http:// www.marialiberati.com

**Free BOOK Offer..If you were not able to get to Book Expo America for the pre release book signing/event of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style, email: info@marialiberati.com and put free book in the subject and request the pre release mini version of the book. We will send a pdf  for download.

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

Editor: Lisa Zatulovsky

From June 17 to June 20^th incredible floral works of art will line the streets of the small town of Genzano, at the Infiorata 2011 Genzano di Roma. The Flower Festival in Genzano has a rich history, dating back to the eighteenth century. Originating in Rome, the Infiorata was designed to celebrate Corpus Christi, a Catholic Feast. The festival is one of the highlights for Roman’s during the summer, with its feeling of celebration and beauty, in lieu of the Catholic holiday. As a sight to behold, floral designs reminiscent of mosaics transform the streets of Italy into detailed depictions of famous paintings, laid out with an incomprehensible amount of flower petals. From deep scarlet reds to playful pistachio greens, intricate designs are first sketched with chalk and then filled in with petals. This year Genzano’s theme celebrates the 150^th anniversary of the Unity of Italy, dating back to 1861. Seen as a true celebration, locals host concerts, fashion shows, craft markets and painting exhibitions. On the last day of the festival children are allowed to run through the flower carpets and destroy the art, reminiscent of a chalk painting smeared with rain. Some of the elderly collect and dry the remaining petals, which symbolize blessings.

The festive and bright dessert Cassata Siciliana, is just like the celebratory spirit and beauty of the floral carpets. Originating in Sicily, this colorful candied fruitcake is a delectable sweet treat, rich in tradition just like the Genzano Infiorata. Cassata Siciliana is made with a sponge cake, ricotta cheese filling (very similar to Cannoli filling,) dried candied fruit and hints of dark chocolate. The cake is then covered in pastel colored marzipan and topped with candied fruits like cherries and oranges. Delightfully sweet, the dessert will soon disappear once you take your first bight, just like the children running through the streets of Genzano as they erase the last trace of flowers. Sicilian Cassata can be a laborious cake to make, but all works of art take time and patience to create!

Here is a less complicated version of the original recipe for those that want to try it but don’t have a lot of time:

Cassata

1 lb or 500 gr.of ricotta cheese
1 cup or 300 gr.of sugar
16 ozs. or 50 gr.of dark chocolate

2 tsps vanilla

1/2 cup apricot jam

1/4 cup or 50 gr.of  candied fruit
1 sponge cake ( diameter  12 inches or 30 cm)
3 tbsps of rum

For frosting: 2 cups (475 gr)confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons (30 gr) milk, 1  tsp (5 gr) vanilla, 1 drop of  pistachio green coloring. (If necessary add more liquid till spreadable but thick frosting is achieved).

Line a cake pan with parchment paper. Spread apricot jam on paper. Cut sponge cake in half diagonally. Place bottom layer on top of jam.

Sieve ricotta through cheese cloth to get a smooth creamy consistency. Add sugar, rum, chocolate in shaved or chopped pieces, candied fruit (cut into small pieces) and vanilla. Blend well and spread on layer of sponge cake. Cover with top layer and cover with a piece of parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

Once refrigerated, remove from pan by turning pan upside down onto a plate.

Blend 2 cup confectioner’s sugar with 2 tblsps milk and 1 tsp vanilla,  blend till  a thick, but spreadable icing. Add in  a pistachio green coloring. Spread on cake, decorate top with chopped candied fruit and refrigerate till icing is firm and serve.

This makes for an easier version for those not used to working with marzipan (almond paste).

July 21-24- Festa Italiana ,Milwaukee Wisconsin- The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm takes center stage on all 4 days for cooking demos and book signings. Hope to see you there.

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

copyright art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc

My favorite way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon is eating al fresco at home, so that I can have a leisurely, meal with a great bottle of wine, crusty bread. This past Sunday ,it was  a lazy, hazy day, and I was outside with  more than one bottle of wine at the Great Grapes Festival in Cockeysville, Maryland on stage cooking a dish from my latest book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition.  it wasn’t a lazy Sunday for me, but it was an enjoyable one.

I enjoyed speaking to everyone and answering questions about ingredients to use with recipes in my books and how to get to some of the out of the way places in Italy that are  mentioned in my books.  You can find a lot of info on those places here on this Blog

Never realized there were so many great wineries in Maryland.  But many states in the US are developing their own winemaking.  And with choices of wines produced locally, I receive many emails  asking me how to organize an informal wine tasting with friends and family. Summertime makes a perfect time to do an outdoor one and add that to your roster of activities for having a ‘staycation’

I am hired to do many formal wine tastings, pairings and dinners and the first thing we always decide on is (the most important guests) the wine that we will be tasting.

*Decide on a theme-wines from a specific state in the US or a region in Italy

*Red or white wines

*Divide wine bottle up into stations-tables that hold 1- 4 bottles of wine. Next to each bottle, have a card that tells name, and something about the wine or print up a list guests can carry around with them to take home.

*Each guest needs one glass for each wine he /she will use per each bottle of wine they will be tasting.

*For white wines,sparkling wines, roses, you will need buckets half filled with ice/cold water to keep wines in. Every so often you will want to remove wines so they do not become too cold.

*Have a spittoon on each table and give someone the task of emptying the spittoon every so often

*Include pitchers of water at each table.

*Have crackers and bread cubes or small pieces of bread at each table to eat with wine.

*If you want to make this into a wine pairing, pair  snack foods at each table with those particular wines-cheeses ,breads, crackers, nuts, etc.

*Lastly remember that it is a wine tasting not wine drinking event. So everyone should be prepared to taste a gulp of each wine, not to drink many glasses of each. The purpose of a wine tasting is to be able to discover new wines to try with upcoming meals.

Since mushrooms seem to be considered the meat of the vegetable kingdom, here is a grilling recipe to pair with a red wine

Grilled Porcini Mushrooms

from the upcoming book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style-2nd edition

8 large porcini mushroom caps
2 cloves of garlic
1 handful fresh parsley
4 tablespoons (60 gr) extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Clean the mushroom caps with a wet paper towel. Do not put under water, but clean delicately with damp paper towel. Chop fresh parsley and garlic. Place mushroom caps,olive oil, chopped parsley, garlic, salt, pepper to taste to marinade in a bowl for 3 minutes. Turn over and marinade for another 3 minutes. Place on hot grill for about 10 minutes-5 minutes for each side. Serve immediately.

See you at:
July 21-24 -Festa Italiana ,Milwaukee Wiconsin-The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm will be on stage doing  cooking demos all weekend

Editor: Lisa Zatulovsky

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

Saturated hues and bold color blocking are a dominant fashion trend for summer 2011. Fashion is celebrating the vibrancy that the season has to offer in their clothing and accessories. From a tangerine colored blouse paired with white denim cropped pants, to gold bangles and lapis colored earrings, the last few echoes of winter’s reign are nowhere to be found in the latest summer trends.

Take a nod from fashion and incorporate fun exotic colors into your cuisine this summer. A surplus of seasonal Italian vegetables such as peppers, squash, eggplants, tomatoes and zucchini should be readily available. Vibrant reds, greens, yellows and purples will transform your cooking into visual and delicious delights. Loaded with flavor and nutrients, Italian summer vegetables are wonderful for lighter yet flavorful options that allow you to feel guilt-free and satisfied.

Take advantage of the variety of summer vegetables by incorporating them into a simple Panzanella Salad. An Italian chopped vegetable salad is an easy and fresh alternative to a traditional greens salad. Basic Panzanella salad uses chopped tomatoes and any vegetables you may have at hand like peppers, olives or zucchini, lightly tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. You can add your favorite day-old crusty bread and add mozzarella for more heartiness, season with basil for added flavor.

For an appealing appetizer, bake stuffed Italian peppers or tomatoes with breadcrumbs, mozzarella, and oregano. For more ideas, replace hearty meat dishes by making eggplant parmigiano with fresh tomato sauce. Or make your own pizza with fresh sauce and top with ripe peppers and zucchini. Experiment with these summer vegetables by grilling, baking or frying and experience their unique flavors for yourself. Whether you go out and buy yourself a chic colorful blouse, or make a bright Italian dish, allow yourself to be inspired by the beauty of the warm summer months to come.

Excerpted from the upcoming book release-The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style

copyright 2011, art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc

Maria Liberati

Panzanella

(this is a traditional Tuscan salad that is  a clever way to use day or 2 day old bread).

12 slices day old crusty bread

4 tblsps (60 gr) white wine vinegar

1 cup (100 gr)extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lb (250 gr) red ripe tomatoes

1 red onion

1 cucumber

1 handful basil leaves

pinch of salt

freshly ground black pepper

Slice bread into 12 slices. Place bread in bowl with ¼ cup water and 1 tblsp (15 gr) vinegar. Leave for 3 minutes. Remove and squeeze water out from bread. Place wet slices on bottom of salad bowl. Place in tomato slices, sliced cucumber, sliced red onion. Drizzle in olive oil, 2 tblsps (60 gr) vinegar.Pinch of slat, freshly ground black pepper. Toss gently.

For more authentic Tuscan recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style

June 11 & 12-see you at the Great Grapes festival in Cockeysville, MD

July 21-24 see you at the largest Italian Festival in the USA-Festa Italiana in Milwaukee Wisconsin. I will be onstage thorughout the entire event. Hope to see you there.

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

Quote of the Day:
“ We all  exist under the same  sun, no matter where we live”

Did you know that...

When you make your own mayonnaise at home, the lemon and oil do not mix or blend in together, but when you add in egg yolks, because of their lecithin content, they act as a natural emulsifier and emulsify the oil and lemon mixture naturally..no chemicals needed. If you have ever made mayonnaise at home, share your tips and recipes here for home made mayonnaise..

 Lemons pair so well with seafood and this recipe combines both.. I use this dish as an appetizer or sometimes as a main course for a light dinner meal. Either way, it is easy and quick to make and will impress your guests. Serve with a glass of chilled white wine. It was certainly a welcome change today..,a light Holiday Lunch..after a full week of  multi course meals everyone seems without energy for cooking as well as eating..still 4 more days to go of Holiday celebrations here

Limoncini with Creamy Tuna

• 4 lemons
• 12 ounces of tuna packed in olive oil
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 4 ounces of green olives
• 1 tsp capers
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Cut lemons lengthwise and ‘clean out’ the pulp inside. In the food processor, place drained tuna, pitted green olives, hard boiled eggs, capers. Blend until creamy consistency. Placei n bowl and dilute with olive oil and juice of one lemon. Fill 8 lemon halves with this mixture. Place a bed of salad greens on a plate and place 2 lemon halves on top of greens on each plate, serve.

A day spent looking for’ funghi’ (mushrooms) for a dish of hot polenta on a cold winter day…..a fun day to look for mushrooms because I encountered so many friends and family in town while searching for the perfect mushroom..The 30^th of the year and everyone wishing “tanti auguri” (good wishes) and sharing their plans for a ‘capodanno’ (New Year’s Eve). Most spending a night at home with friends and family..others going to free concert in the Coliseum in the center of Rome..to a night in the discoteca and a grand ‘cenone’ (Dinner) in many different locations. But no one had definite plans yet. After all it is only the 30th and procrastination seems to be ‘de rigeur’ here when it comes to making final decisions.

 But my splendid day was ended with a cup of hot chocolate at a ‘chocolateria’ with friends..discussing plans..my mind was distracted by the thick, so chocolatey taste of this hot chocolate made with 90% cocoa..all chocolate..nothing else..as my mind wandered in and out of consciousness from the splendid taste to the plans..I seemed to lose track of the conversation…how can you concentrate on anything else?

One thing is for sure, tomorrow, December 31^st, Lentil soup will be the first course, 12 grapes will be eaten  and a bottle of Braccheto will pop open at the stroke of Midnight….that seems to be all you can count on in this little town where plans are always made at the last minute…but that’s okay..I like to be surprised!

Here’s a recipe for a quick appetizer for your New Year’s Eve party..I will fill you in on my menu as soon as it is figured out..that may be 10 minutes before the stroke of midnight..

This recipe makes a colorful dish and is an easy one as well. Here is a quick way to make use of leftover bread, or quickly put together a meal with things commonly found in the household pantry. An economical recipe that doesn’t taste economical. This recipe is for 4 people. The peppers can be used as a main course or as a side dish, or served with a salad. Serve with a dry white wine for a special added touch. You can even serve these stuffed peppers as an appetizer. These are great as leftovers too, so don’t hesitate to take these for lunch to work the next day, Place in a covered container and eat cold with a slice of bread or crakers or alone.

 Stuffed Peppers

 (excerpted/copyright 2010 The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2^nd edition)

*2 red peppers

*2 yellow peppers

*1 tsp capers,drained

*10 ounces of day old crusty Italian bread -cut into cubes

*1-16 ounce can tuna packed in olive oil

*1 cup milk

*4 garlic cloves

*salt

Wash and dry the peppers, cut off the tops and leave the stems on, set aside. Place bread cubes and milk in separate bowl,then add in tuna, capers and a pinch of salt. Mix together. Divide the mixture amongst all 4 peppers and stuff each one. Place a whole garlic clove on top of stuffing and then top with top of pepper that was cut off. Place in a baking pan and drizzle olive oil on top of peppers. Bake in oven preheated to to 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

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

Cassola is traditionally a Jewish dessert, but because the main ingredient is fresh ricotta cheese it is also a traditional cheesecake served in Italy. Simple, sweet and delicious as all Italian dishes are, this one only has 5 ingredients and is easy for even the novice cook to whip up. The trick to its’ creamy consistency is using freshly made  ricotta not ricotta that has been made in a processing plant or sitting in the refrigerated aisle of a large supermarket for many days.  Fresh ricotta is creamy, and smooth, and almost nothing like it’s factory made version.

Cassola

*2 pounds freshly made  ricotta cheese

*5 whole eggs

*1 1/3 cups sugar

* grated zest of one fresh lemon

*1/2 fresh vanilla bean, ground

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place riocotta cheese i na food processor and belnd with a steel balde until smooth. In another bowl, place in eggs, sugar, ground vanilla bean, grated lemon zest. Beat until a  smooth and creamy mixture.  Place into ricotta (already in food processor) about 2 tablesponns at a time.

Butter the bottom of 9 1/2 inch springform pan, then ocntinue ot line with parchment paper. Pour in mixture and place into the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes. When finished the outer edges will be firm but inside will be a bit soft and will not be firm. Turn off oven when done and continue to leave in oven for 15 minutes. Open oven door and let cool for 15 minutes in oven. This dessert can be eaten warm or cool.

For more traditional Italian Holiday recipes get your copy of the Award Winning Book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays &  Special Occasions-2nd edition

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

 Anticipating my Christmas in Italy this year and planning my menu…I am reflecting  (for lack of a better word)on(what will be) a  continuing 24 hour meal, from Christmas Eve to the end of Christmas Day. One feels as though they have just finished one meal and soon  starts another without a pause in between.  Christmas Day dinner ,which is usually eaten around 1 or 2 pm begins with a light soup. Although I know this soup as  Stracciatella- different regions have their own names for this dish as well as their own variations. This is a welcome  dish to start a meal on a cold, blustery day. This year, in many parts of the World, Christmas Day should be  a  snowy one..and   this soup (an Italian comfort food) always a ‘comfort food’ )adds to the warmth of the Holiday season..

Stracciatella Soup

This soup serves 4-6

*4 egg yolks

*¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese

*½ cup homemade breadcrumbs (no spices added)

*pinch of salt

*pinch of nutmeg

*grated zest of one lemon

8 cups chicken broth (can also use vegetable broth for vegetarians). Homemade broth is always best. (Check out The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition- for a recipes for Homemade Broth)

Blend together in a bowl the first 6 ingredients. Work them until they are well blended and a form mixture is formed. Simmer broth in a large pot. When broth is simmering whisk in egg yolk mixture with a wire whisk. Simmer for 4 minutes and serve immediately with freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese and finely chopped parsley on top.

 For  easy and festive Holiday recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

copyright 2010 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc.

Here it is..just in time  for the 12 Days of Christmas..our 2010 Annual Holiday Guide…filled with extra special ‘foodie’products ‘discovered’ by our  team of Editors (and me too!) while scouting for gifts. The Madame Alexander doll can be found at www.madamealexander.com

 We are hard at work already for the Spring Holiday Gift Guide, so if you have any gift or product suggestions email to us at editor@marialiberati.com If your product suggestion is selected you will receive a free ebook version of ‘ How to Make the Perfect Pizza’

and it’s not too early to plan your Feast of the Seven Fishes (for Christmas Eve)dinner..

Let us know what will be on your menu ..and tell us where you will be spending your Christams Eve or Holiday dinner,send jpegs as well..we will be selecting Holiday photos   to place on the blog. I’ll be spending my Christmas Eve in the mountains of Abruzzo and polsting photos and recipes as well!

Here’s a recipe from my Feast of the Seven Fishes menu…

Cod (Merluzzo) in AcquaPazza (Crazy Water) (for 2 people)

*Codfish  (fresh or fresh frozen) 1/2 pound divided into 2-3 pieces

*4 (fresh, red, ripe) medium size plum tomatoes or canned San Marzano  tomatoes (3 or 4 without the tomato juice) 

*2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

*2 garlic cloves

*1/2 t o3/4 cup dry white wine (or water) ‘

*3 tablespoons fresh chopped or torn parsley pinch of red hot

pepperoncino (red pepper )-optional

*2 thick slices of crusty bread-place under broiler till golden

Place in saute pan- olive oil, garlic saute for 1 minute, then tomatoes > fish, parsley and wine. Then cook 10-15 minutes or until fish is cooked.  Serve cod on top of bread slices and pour sauce on top. Garnish with  fresh parsley on side.

Don’t forget to enjoy  this year’s Annual Holiday Guide

Get more recipes for your Feast of the Seven Fishes Dinner  in the Award Winning Holiday Book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria