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

When it is cold outside, it’s time to enjoy the inner warmth of your home..sitting by the fireplace..or by the light of a beaming candle and rediscover the simple things you have right there..reading that novel you have been wanting to finish, write..if nothing creative comes to mind..keep a daily journal or diary, or sit and enjoy a hot cup of tea..simple but all beautiful things to be savored in the warmth of your own home…oh I guess it is the beautiful  simplicity of a country house here in the mountains of Italy that has taught me the beauty of simplicity..

A piece of cheesecake makes a perfect accompaniment to that hot cup of tea…

Ricotta Amaretto Cheesecake

*4 eggs

* 10 ounces of crushed amaretti cookies

*7 graham crackers crushed

*8 ounces cream cheese

*1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup whipping cream

*3/4 cup sugar

*1/2 cup unsalted butter

*1 tsp vanilla

Let cream cheese sit a t room temperature for 20 minutes. Crush amaretti and graham crakers. Melt butter in pan. add in crushed cookies to butter. Blend until a smooth paste. Cover 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and arrange crumb mixture on botom and sides of pan as crust. Set aside

In a bowl blend cream cheese ,ricotta, sugar and vanilla, until well blended. Separate the eggs. Place egg yolks cream  into cream cheese mixture, blend in by hand with spatula.  In a separate bowl whip egg whites till peaks form,then blend into cheese mixture. When unifrmly blended, place int ocrust and let cook in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 1 hour. remove from oven and let cool for approximately 4 hours. Serve with a glass of Prosecco

For more great recipes, get your copy of the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

What a fitting place for a Roman banquet, at the top of the Spanish Steps in the heart of Rome, the same site where the ‘art of the banquet ‘was practically invented by one Roman General/Politician from an aristocratic family-Lucio Lucini Lucullo….a mere (approximately) 2,000 years ago. Lucullo was very well known for his lavish banquets, filled with many elegant courses, he was quite an epicurean for his time. But he loved to dine lavishly whether dining alone or dining with friends. 

 He was also famously  known to order his servants to prepare a sumptuous feast for himself only… when asked by the servants who was coming to this banquet that night, he replied “tonight Lucullo is dining with Lucullo”

Il Palazetto in Rome is a luxurious boutique hotel, restaurant and wine bar at the very site of Lucullo’s famous banquets..I will be experiencing a Roman feast there shortly..you can explore more on Il Palazetto online..

 Here is a traditional recipe for a dish you will also find at Il Palazetto, it is a simple dish, only a few ingredients..people from the region of Abruzzo will tell you it was invented there, but the Romans claim it to be a Roman dish…the dish is a delicious one no matter who invented it. 

Cacio & Pepe

*1 lb of spaghetti (made from durum wheat)

*1/2 cup pecorino romana cheese freshly grated

*dash of freshly ground black pepper

*Extra Virgin Oilve Oil

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water. The cheese you will be using is salty so in this case you only want to lightly salt the water and don’t want to give the pasta an overly salty taste. It will disrupt the balance of the taste combination of the pecorino and spaghetti. Cook spaghetti for time indicated.

Drain pasta, but reserve a few tablespoons of the cooking water. In a bowl add some of the reserved cooking water (a little at a time ) to the grated pecorino cheese. Stir till you get a smooth sauce  and cheese is melted.  Toss in the pasta. Top with a dash of freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and your dish is ready. Please serve hot!

For more recipes and tips get your copy of the best selling book at The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition  

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

And the week continues on as one long Festa..today is Santo Stefano ( Saint Stephen).. this day has been a national Holiday here in Italy since 1946. But this is also non-officially known as the ‘day of leftovers’ and a day to relax from all the ’madness’ in the kitchen… besides everyone is usually ‘cooked out’ after Christmas….

And that is just fine with me..there is nothing better than leftover lasagna..and as I looked in the fridge this morning attempting to piece together a coordinated menu from all the leftovers (one never knows what one will find still in fridge with so many overnight guests at home)

Ahh… I am pleasantly surprised to find  3/4 pan of one lasagna .. sardines..fresh tomatoes..fresh arugula..fresh mushrooms..parmigiana-reggiano..locally made Pecorino from Abruzzo and a loaf of bread ( in the bread cupboard) from our local ‘forno’..

Menu:
*Lasagne

*Baked Mushrooms

*sardines

*Pecorino cheese

*Fresh arugula, tomato, salad topped with shaved parmigiana-reggiano cheese and drizzeld with extra virgin olive oil

*An opened, but half full, bottle of Prosecco (perfect to accompany the second course and side dishes)

Unlike my Christmas meals this one will come together quickly.. and I will still be able to get to the Santo Stefano Christmas Mercato (Market) in the piazza for a stroll,,,, but don’t forget the fresh fruit, Panettone and torrone for dessert..and the ever obligatory game of Tombola (Bingo) ..but Panettone always takes a central place on the table nop matter what is going on during these festive days..

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

Favorite thing I enjoy  about  being on my book tour for my latest release The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition  is meeting so many ..and hearing of new little towns and places and traditions and foods..most Italian and some from other parts of the World..every culture in the World is somehow related to food.

At an event last weekend someone shared with me their Romanian grandmother’s recipe for a type of eggplant dip..A pizza maker,so proud of his pizza told me  a story of how he found out that one of his customers enjoyed his pizza with ketchup on it..so insulted he was that he told this customer he would never sell him pizza again…and on and on the food stories go…

My second favorite part is that I get to share my knowledge of wines and cooking with wine recipes and tips.. And when speaking about wines..my first suggestion is to read the label of the wine..just as if you would read a food label.. But I realized that many terms used on wine labels are in Italian and some terms are technical similar to  musical terms…you know Allegro…con vivace…con dolcezza…and not always easy  to decipher.

Here are some of my favorite wine terms you can find on bottles or  or you may over hear these terms at your next wine tasting:

Abboccato- lightly sweet

Amabile-semi sweet

Azienda Agricola or Vitivinicola-the farm or estate that produces all or most of the grapes for wine sold under its’ label

Cerasuolo- cherry-hued rose wine

Chiaretto-deep rose

Dolce- sweet

Consorzio-consortium of producers

Enologo-an enologist with a university degree

Fattoria-farm or estate

Invecchiato-aged

Frizzante-bubbly,sparkling

Imbottigliata- bottled

Passito or Passita-partially dried grapes and the strong sweet wines made from them

Rosso-red wine

Secco-dry

Spumante-sparkling dry or sweet wine

Uva-grape

Vino Novello- literally means new wine. But it is a wine that must be bottled and sold within the year of it’s harvest.

Vino da Tavola-table wine, not usually with a DOC or trademark. Most homemade wines are vino da tavola

Vendemmia- harvest

See you: 

November 13th at Borders Express in Woodbridge, NJ

December 3rd -Feast of the Seven Fishes Dinner and Book signing at Copper Fish Restaurant in Cape May, NJ

Peace, Love & Pasta,

Maria

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

My better half arrived from Italy a few days ago, had to catch a bus from our ‘pied a terre’ in Rome to catch an early plane at the airport.

When he hopped on the bus in front of the Coliseum at 4:30 AM-he was the only person there..he said  “for the first time ever it  felt like it was just  me  and the Coliseum  that were the only two things in the center of Rome”…..”Io & the Coliseo” were his exact words..I think that would make a great title for a movie…not sure yet what it would be about. …Any film makers out there/?Any ideas??

Well, on the other side of the world, here,  cauliflower is everywhere!  Take advantage of the fresh, local cauliflower available now and use it in a pasta dish. Orecchiette (little ears) pasta pairs great with this dish.And lunch was an absolutely delcious one with this dish…

Orecchiette Pasta with Cauiflower & Pecorino

*1 lb Orrecchiete Pasta

*1 lb fresh, red, ripe tomatoes (plum or vine ripened)

*1/2 lb fresh cauliflower-(florets only)

*1 clove garlic

*1 small onion finely chopped

*1 sage leaf

*1/4 cup freshly  grated pecorino cheese

*pinch of dried thyme

*pinch salt and pepper

*2 tablespoons olive oil

Finely chop garlic, onion, place in saute pan with olive oil. Saute for 30 seconds. Filet tomatoes and place in saute pan, add in thyme, pinch of salt and pepper.

In a pot of salted boiling water, place in pasta, after 5 minutes place in cauliflower, cook till pasta is al dente. Drain in colander. Place pasta  in sauce and toss gently. Sprinkle on pecorino cheese and freshly grated black pepper,serve.

Oct 29-31 see you at the Philly Gourmet Food & Wine Show at Valley Forge Convention Center.

November 2nd-Fair Lakes Public Library, Fair Lakes NJ- Book signing and sampling

November 13th-Book signing-Borders Express store at Woodbridge Mall, Woodbridge, NJ

For more info on events email: events@marialiberati.com

Visit OpenSky

Get your copy of the book selected as the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA-The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Peace, Love & Pasta,

Maria

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

Tomorrow’s  menu I will be cooking on the NBC-TV !10 show at 11 AM is Cod in Acqua Pazza (Cod in crazy water) and   ‘Gatto” or what I like to refer to  as a  ‘heavenly version of mashed potatoes’…once hooked on this dish, regular mashed potatoes will be too plain and ordinary. This is a true Neapolitan dish. And both recipes are from my latest book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition. Gatto is on page 103  of the book, but Cod in Acqua Pazza is below and see me cook it tomorrow  (see you tomorrow on the!10 Show on NBC-TV at 11AM.

Recipe for Cod in Acqua Pazza (Crazy Water)

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. Garnnish with  fresh parsley on side.

Couscous is a pasta too!..Most of us  don’t think of it as one. But in Sicily a dish of couscous is commonly served as  first course as is a pasta dish. Here’s my  recipe for an  easy to make, bright, fragrant couscous dish. Use  Meyer Lemon oil to emphasize the fresh lemon taste.

Lemony Couscous

1 cup couscous

1 1/4 cups water

1  teaspoon Meyer Lemon  Oil

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3/4 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

1/2 cup shopped scallions

1/4 cup chopped leeks

1 fresh garlic clove minced

finely grated peel of 1 fresh lemon

1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

In a saucepan (2-3 quart size) heat water till boiling. Add in couscous when boiling with sea or kosher salt. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes, stirring once.

Place Extra virgin Olive Oil in small saute pan. Place in scallions, leeks, garlic and saute on low to medium heat for 3 minutes or until leeks & scallions, garlic, have just begun to turn golden. Stir in lemon peel. Remove from heat.

Drain couscous. Place couscous in saute pan with garlic mixture. Toss gently, drizzle with Meyer Lemon Oil.Serve and top with freshly ground black pepper. For garnish decorate plate with long strips of lemon peel or fresh lemon slices and fresh ,torn mint leaves.

Shop for yummy specialty oils and Balsamic vinegars to liven any dish

For lots of Holiday Ideas, Recipes, Tips, get your copy of the book selected as The Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA- The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

*October 14th-Lower Southampton Twp Library-book signing and Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar tasting and presentation

*October 27th-11AM-NBC TV !10 Show (morning magazine show-0check your local paper for listings)

*October 29-31- Philadelphia Gourmet Food & WIne Show-Culinary Book Signing event-signing copies of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

*Nov 2nd-Franklin Lakes Library-Book singing and Olive oil sampling & Tasting

*Dec. 4th-Borders Princeton, NJ

 Shar Family food memories right her on our blog in our Share the Joy Feature

Peace, Love & Pasta.

Maria