copyright 2010, Maria Liberati

I think we should make the ‘Day after Valentine’s Day’ a  Day to celebrate!! … boxes of chocolates are still there to be enjoyed.. half opened bottle of  Prosecco still in the fridge waiting to be finished..so there… you have  some of the makings for one special meal-Prosecco and chocolates.

So celebrate..the “Day after Valentines’ Day” ..as a special Occasion.. Tonight’s meal is Farfalle with Gorgonzola cheese served  with Prosecco (left over from last night’s dinner) and chocolates for dessert..and to keep things warm..and light- chocolate truffle coffee for an after dinner drink.

Farfalle (bow tie pasta) in Gorgonzola

Copyright 2009-2010 from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese

1 tablespoon +  ½  tblsp butter

3 tablespoons cold milk

1 lb of farfalle (bow tie) pasta

4 tblsps of  pasta cooking water

Place gorgonzola in saucepan with butter and milk, melt over low to medium heat. Add in pasta cooking water to thin sauce. Cook farfalle till al dente. Toss pasta  in Gorgonzola sauce. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with a glass of  Santa Margherita Prosecco.

For more recipes and menus to make any day a Special Occasions

visit me at OpenSky

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

.

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Fall is here..or almost and there are so many appearances coming up..just wanted to let you know about some exciting events and happenings .hope you can join us. First here is one of my favorite fall recipes..pumpkins are everywhere and we have gotten our supply for The Basic Art of Italian Cooking kitchen here and getting them ready for some pumpkin risotto for tomorrow. Here are some other ways to use your pumpkins..coming up will be my  recipe for pumpkin risotto ..but let’s begin with this..and some exciting events! 

Pumpkin seeds provide a great source of potassium and many other essential nutrients- potassium, manganese, copper, zinc ,selenium, copper, chromium and molybdenum. They are also a great source of fiber and healthy unsaturated fats. To roast pumplin seeds, roast at a low oven temperature (250 to 300 degrees) to protect their good fats. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet, tossing about halfway through.

Or toss seeds in olive oil and sprinkle with your favorite spices. Try cumin, coriander, rosemary, cayenne, garlic salt. Fro a sweeter taste, try tossing with melted butter the nsprinkle with cinnmaon,nutmeg and ginger.

 But pumpkins can be used for more than just pumpkin pie. Roast pumpkin by peeling and cutting pumpkin into wedges and roast with sliced garlic, onions, potatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with rosemary.

Or try this, pour pureed pumpkin into ice cube trays and then store in zip-lock bags in your freezer. Add the cubes to soups and stews throughout the winter for a flavorful and nutritious boost.

 Enjoy a culinary Christmas in Italy weekend in Lancaster, Pa with me in November!

For those of you that have not been able to join my culinary tours in Italy..we have created a weekend of cooking at a beautiful Bed & Breakfast in Lancaster,Pa. no passport needed to get there..

It is the Christmas in Italy weekend celebrating the release of

 The Basic Art of Italian Cooking-Holidays & Special Occasions.

November  6-8,2009

BELLA LUNA – A CULINARY JOURNEY THROUGH REGIONAL ITALY

THE NEW ITALIAN COOKING VACATION;
 NO PASSPORT REQUIRED

LIMITED RESERVATIONS,fori nfo or reservations:
1-888-824-3763

A Journey with Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati as She Explores the Italian Holidays

New Holland, PA. – With the excitement of the 2009 season in full swing, Chef/Innkeeper Carl Kosko has teamed up with Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati to bring to you a taste of the Old Country; Passport not required!  In a weekend filled with not only cooking advice, but fine dining experiences and informative tours, Harvest Moon B&B’s, “Bella Luna Weekend” (Beautiful Moon) along with Maria Liberati offer the ideal “edutaining” hands on getaway without having to board a plane to Europe.

  Learn how to expertly prepare the simplest of ingredients into a work of art in your kitchen.  The Harvest Moons Bella Luna Cooking Class is scheduled for Nov. 6th & 7th 2009.  This weekend packages include recipes for traditional takes on classic Italian Cooking and hands on demonstrations on how to prepare them. Extend your stay the day before and enjoy a tour to the Central Market where the Amish sell their produce and meats each morning.  All of this is set at The Harvest Moon B&B, in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, where the clip clop of Amish buggies is heard in tune with the chopping of fresh herbs, and both combine to offer the perfect culinary excursion.

At the heart of Harvest Moon’s Bella Luna Cooking Weekends are demonstrations of wonderful new ways to prepare traditional Italian dishes.  Watch as Maria Liberati prepares unique holiday recipes. All participants will receive copies of recipes prepared.

Guests who take part in the weekend package will enjoy Maria’s fine cooking here at the Harvest Moon and also a wonderful Antipasti/cheese tasting here at The Harvest Moon.  Suggestions for pairings with wines will be included, and guests are welcome to bring their favorite wines to enjoy with the Antipasti tasting.  

Top this culinary adventure off with romantic accommodations including two-story suites and Jacuzzi tubs, and the Harvest Moon B&B’s “Bella Luna Weekend” will be the perfect way to enjoy your culinary vacation. 

The “Bella Luna Weekend” includes:

Breakfast each morning   
A collection of Italian Recipes extracted from personal travels and well loved cookbooks
“Bella Luna” cooking demonstration
Meal prepared by Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati
Cheese and Wine Pairing
Antipasti Demonstration and Tasting
Tour of Lancaster’s Central Market (with extended stay)
A fine gift from your host at The Harvest Moon

All for $200.00 per person (not including tax)

In order to keep the weekend personalized, limited space is available. Book now by calling 888-824-3763.

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati 

I have  always thought of Italian cooking as just that… always making something ordinary into something extraordinary..day old bread becomes an elegant appetizer with just a drizzle of extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil..tomatoes are transformed into a savory condiment for pasta using a few simple ingredients-fresh San Marzano tomatoes (and right now I am up to my elbows in San Marzano tomatoes..it is the season and we are preserving them for the winter) fresh basil, fresh garlic, extra virgin,cold pressed olive oil.

Here is a recipe from The Basic Art of Italian Kitchen here in the mountains of Abruzzo..making ordinary out of the extraordinary with local potatoes, organic rosemary from our garden and locally produced extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil.

Tuscan Roasted Potatoes

*1 lb of red or Yukon Gold Potatoes or locally grown potatoes

*3 stalks of  fresh rosemary

*4 tablespoons extra virgin,cold pressed olive oil

*salt to taste

Wash potatoes, boil  for 10 minutes. Drain, peel. Cut into quarters. Drizzle half of olive oil on bottom of roasting pan, place in potatoes. Drizzle remaining olive oil on top, Salt to  taste, take some rosemary off branches and place on top of potatoes. Place 1 branch of rosemary on top and bake for 30-40 minutes at 450 degrees, place under broiler for 2-3 minutes when finished to brown top.

Serve with a white wine..my choice today will be a chilled Vermentino from Sardinia.

Buon’appetito

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions just in time for the Holidays with over 140 recipes, menus, tips for the holidays, short stories about Holidays spent in Italy and more

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Life seems to be broken up into chapters that could be described in tastes–sweet, salty, bitter..think of all the experiences in your life that can be described  per  these tastes..

Now that you have had some food for thought..here are the recipes I promised from some of the cooking programs and book signings in the past  few weeks.

Insalata di riso con rucola e pomodori

2 cups of short grain brown rice

8 red, ripe plum tomatoes-chopped with seeds removed

4 ounces arugula chopped

1/4 cup shelled pistachios chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tsps balsamic vinegar

4 ounces parmigiano-reggiano cheese, shaved

Place chopped tomatoes, chopped arugula, olive oil, balsamic vinegar in bowl and let marinate for 30 minutes.

Boil rice till al dente as directed on package. Add to tomato mixture. Add in pistahchios, shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Stir serve.

Tuna & Beans Tuscan Style

1 6 oz can albacore or yellow fin tuna packed in water

1 can  cannelini beans drained, rinsed or 1/2 cup dry cannelini beans soaked over night, cooked till tender

1 fresh lemon

4 tblsps olive oil-extra virgin, cold pressed

2 slices of red onion finely chopped

Drain tuna and place in bowl, flake with fork and drizzle approx 2 tsps on top and blend in. Add in cannelini beans, chopped onion and remaining olive oil, Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

Ricotta e Frutta

3/4 cup freshly made ricotta

3 tblsps sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tablespoons dark semi sweet chocoalt e chipps or shaved chocolate

1 lb fresh strawberries hulled ,washed and quartered

8 ozs fresh blueberries  washed

Place fruit in bowl, sprinkle 1 tblsp sugar on top, stir gently. Place ricotta in bowl. Place in remaining sugar, cinnamon. Divide fruit into 8 serving dishes, top with a dollop of ricotta cream and 1 tblsp chocolate chips or shaved chocolate and serve .

June 15th  Willngboro Library, Willingboro, NJ 7 PM- Cooking on a Budget with The Basic Art of Italian cooking. Join me for a fun book signing and cooking demo. Open to the public. Call library for info or email events@marialiberati.com

Get a copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at www.marialiberati.com

Mangai Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/marialiberati

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Life seems to be broken up into chapters that could be described in tastes–sweet, salty, bitter..think of all the experiences in your life that can be described  per  these tastes..

Now that you have had some food for thought..here are the recipes I promised from some of the cooking programs and book signings in the past  few weeks.

Insalata di riso con rucola e pomodori

2 cups of short grain brown rice

8 red, ripe plum tomatoes-chopped with seeds removed

4 ounces arugula chopped

1/4 cup shelled pistachios chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tsps balsamic vinegar

4 ounces parmigiano-reggiano cheese, shaved

Place chopped tomatoes, chopped arugula, olive oil, balsamic vinegar in bowl and let marinate for 30 minutes.

Boil rice till al dente as directed on package. Add to tomato mixture. Add in pistahchios, shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Stir serve.

Tuna & Beans Tuscan Style

1 6 oz can albacore or yellow fin tuna packed in water

1 can  cannelini beans drained, rinsed or 1/2 cup dry cannelini beans soaked over night, cooked till tender

1 fresh lemon

4 tblsps olive oil-extra virgin, cold pressed

2 slices of red onion finely chopped

Drain tuna and place in bowl, flake with fork and drizzle approx 2 tsps on top and blend in. Add in cannelini beans, chopped onion and remaining olive oil, Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

Ricotta e Frutta

3/4 cup freshly made ricotta

3 tblsps sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tablespoons dark semi sweet chocoalt e chipps or shaved chocolate

1 lb fresh strawberries hulled ,washed and quartered

8 ozs fresh blueberries  washed

Place fruit in bowl, sprinkle 1 tblsp sugar on top, stir gently. Place ricotta in bowl. Place in remaining sugar, cinnamon. Divide fruit into 8 serving dishes, top with a dollop of ricotta cream and 1 tblsp chocolate chips or shaved chocolate and serve .

June 15th  Willngboro Library, Willingboro, NJ 7 PM- Cooking on a Budget with The Basic Art of Italian cooking. Join me for a fun book signing and cooking demo. Open to the public. Call library for info or email events@marialiberati.com

Get a copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at www.marialiberati.com

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/marialiberati