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

To express my love for  Cooking,nothing is more appropriate than an Italian word-Cucinami (made up of the words for kitchen-cucina- and Love-Ami) Cucinami!

But then a famous person once said

“One cannot live without food and love”

So it is an appropriate word that combines 2 important essentials of life!

As I dwell on my love for cooking in 100 degree weather on the East Coast, thoughts also trickle to a cool gelato..and making something that takes me away from the heat…better even yet if you can get fresh,local lemons.

Gelato Di Limone

*3 fresh,fragrant lemons

*3/4 cup sugar

2 cups milk

1 egg white

Squeeze lemons. Add sugar to lemon juice. Whip with wire whisk till sugar has melted into the juice. With a wire whisk quickly blend  in the milk. In  separate bowl, whip the egg white till firm. Fold beaten egg white into mixture. Place into gelato or ice cream maker according to directions on machine. Enjoy with sprig of fresh mint, grated lemon peel

For more recipes, get your copy of the award winning book selected as the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions

Sept 9-12 see you at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival in Rhinebeck, NY at Dutchess County Fairgrounds. For sponsorship info email:info@marialiberati.com

Upcoming Articles:

Tramezzini-The Elegant Sandwich

The History of Cappuccino

The Rossini Cocktail

Maria

www.marialiberati.com

where food meets art, travel & life!

Is it just me?  or does it really make sense when someone says “ I  don’t know how to cook anything”..is that possible? Every day you must eat, speak, walk and enjoy life…those are all things that come naturally..like cooking..it should just be an everyday natural function. (Unless you have a physical limitation)..does it make sense to say I don’t know how to walk or to speak or to enjoy life??

Cooking is so strongly related to daily enjoyment, pleasure and the passion of food!!If you don’t enjoy the simple pleasure of cooking you are missing out on one of life’s simpler pleasures!

Many even say that they think of cooking as work or as a job…. well I would like to totally change that sentiment..that cooking is work..

Cooking, eating and food should be a passion…. Don’t just eat the first thing you find to satisfy your hunger. Take the time to really savor what you are eating..and make it something that can be savored.

Be passionate about everything you do..especially eating and cooking

Here  is a recipe to be passionate about:

Strawberry & Spumante Mousse

(serves 4; 385 calories per portion)

1/2 cup Spumante

3 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablspoons powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tablspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons of cream

8 ounces amaretti cookies

juice of one fresh orange

Place Spumante in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Beat eggs,vanilla, corn starch with granulated sugar in a bowl . With wooden spoon,  gently fold  in hot spumante.

Blend until creamy and smooth.

Place mixture into a saucepan and beat over low heat, stirring. Mixture should thicken while stirring. Remove from heat  just before boiling.

Sieve cream through a cheesecloth and let cool. Place plastic wrap on top of cream to avoid forming a skin.

Prepare strawberry mixture by washing and hulling strawberries. Cut strawberries into small pieces. Place cut strawberries and orange juice into a saucepan and let boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Place in food processor with pinch of powdered sugar and blend.

Whip cream till firm and fold with wooden spoon into the spumante cream (already cooled). Divide into 4 dessert or spumante glasses-first a layer of crushed amaretti, then strawberry compost then top with spumante cream. Repeat, ending with spumante cream on top and garnish with fresh mint leaf.

visit me at OpenSky

May 8th- 2 PM- book signing, sampling for the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-Borders, Warrington, Pa.  Hope to see you there!

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

Mint, another flavor of Spring and Summer…a flavor we want to remember all year round..

….that the mounds of ices, and the bowls of mint-julep and sherry cobbler they make in these latitudes, are refreshments never to be thought of afterwards, in summer, by those who would preserve contented minds.”
Charles Dickens, while traveling in America (1842)

Mint syrup is has become ‘de rigeur’ or a something we can’t do without in my house during  the warmer months..to refresh..cool down and create all sorts of drinks and desserts..

Mint Syrup

3 lbs of fresh peppermint leaves (no stems)

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 fresh lemon

1/2 cup water

Wash and clean peppermint, remove leaves from stems.  Dry carefully. Pass leaves through  a potato ricer..  Place  this compost with juice from  the mint in a ceramic or glass bowl with juice of one lemon and peel of one lemon.. Let  sit ,covered for approx 2 hours. Place water and sugar in a saucepan and let bring to a boil, remove from heat let cool and before it thickens, pour into mint juice and stir. When syrup is cool, sieve out the peppermint leaves,  remove lemon peel and place in jars, top.

For more recipes get your copy of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards Winner- The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions

April 14th-Book signing at Free Library of Philadelphia

Visit me at OpenSky

copyright 2009, art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc

Maria Liberati

If you are planning your Holiday menus here is one for a light Holiday appetizer, it’s from my latest book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays &Special Occasions.

In the summer, this would probably be a light, late night dinner.

From The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays &Special Occasions by Maria Liberati

(Publisher : art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc; ISBN1928911021)

Perfect Tuscan Salad

¼ lb of dried white cannelini beans

1-16 ounce can or jar of albacore tuna in extra virgin olive oil

2 celery stalks finely chopped

juice of one lemon

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

8 ounces of arugula leaves

Red onion cut into rings for decoration

2 tsps Tuscan Picnic Spice Blend

Soak cannelini beans overnight. Then boil for approx 1 hour or until tender with 1 tsp Tuscan Picnic Spice Blend and 1 clove garlic. Drain and set aside. Drain tuna and flake in a small bowl, add in chopped celery. Whisk lemon juice olive oil together with 1 tsp sapori in small bowl. Add warm beans to tuna mixture, pour dressing on top, toss. Serve warm on top of arugula leaves and red onion rings on top as garnish.

 Book signings and appearances coming up:
 November 14th at 2PM-Warren Twp Library,  Warren Twp, NJ 2PM

December 12th-Franklin Twp Library, Franklin Twp NJ-12 noon

Spaghetti al Pescatore will be on schedule tomorrow in The Basic Art of Italian Cooking kitchen tomorrow. I know it’s Labor Day back in the States and most are planning a picnic but this is ‘do-able’ even for an ‘al fresco’ meal..

Planning a fresh seafood meal always means waking  up at the crack of dawn to get the best choices at the fresh seafood market here in town..fresh mussels, and the small tiny clams are going into the dish..If you want to cook along here’ s the dish..

Spaghetti alla Pescatore

1 lb spaghetti

1 lb fresh tiny clams

1 lb fresh mussels

1 lb cherry or grape tomatoes-red ,ripe

1 handful fresh parsley leaves

4 tblsps exra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 cup dry white wine

Wash clams and mussels, submerse in cold water a few times and take off any sand. Steam clams and mussels for a few minutes, those that don’t open should be discarded.

In saute pan, place in olive oil garlic, saute till garlic begins to turn golden. Place in tomatoes that have been washed and dried. Saute for 3 minutes, place in steamed clams and mussels and white wine, saute for 5 minutes. Add in chopped parsley. Set aside, cook pasta till al dente. Drain, and add into clams and mussels and toss. Serve immediately.. Great with a dry white wine..

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/marialiberati

Get your copy of The Basic Art of  Italian Cooking:Holidays & Special Occasions with 140+ recipes and menus especially for the Holidays along with short stories of Holidays spent in Italy.

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

A dinner of freshly prepared seafood and linguine is always on the menu when I am at  the beach and this weekend was no exception.  Eating grilled fish and pasta alla vongole  outside overlooking the beach adds so much to the meal…

Our meal was accompanied by a locally made Pecorino wine from a small town called Offida in the province of Le Marche.. The sky above us was the perfect ‘ceiling’ of brightly shining stars and half moon the scene below us was gently rolling waves and a quiet sandy beach dotted by empty chairs and closed beach umbrellas waiting for tomorrow’s visitors..

To finish up the meal and refresh from the warm August breezes rolling in off the shore was a lemon sorbetto made with limoncello-a refresher for the taste buds and the perfect ending to a meal in 3 acts..linguine alla vongole..grilled fish (caught fresh that day)..lemon sorbetto..

Here’s the recipe be sure to use the smallest clams you can find)..  clams are best when bought freshest and prepared the same day as purchased or caught ..

Linguine Alla Vongole

2 lbs of freshly washed clams

a small handful of parsley leaves

3 cloves garlic

1 small onion

1 lb linguine or spaghetti

½ fresh lemon

1 cup dry white wine

2 tblsps extra virgin cold pressed, olive oil

Immerse clams in fresh, clean water and remove taking out the sand, brush as well with small brush, repeat this till sand is removed.

Bring water to boil in separate pasta pot. Place in pasta and cook till al dente.

In a pot , place in the white wine and all clams. Bring clams to a boil, let boil for 5 minutes. Discard any clams that have not opened up. Remove from heat. Filter the liquid and set aside to be used as cooking liquid.

Chop parsley, onion and garlic. Place all in saute pan with olive oil and cooking liquid made from wine. Add in juice squeezed from ½ fresh lemon, pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper and clams.

Saute for 5 minutes. Lower heat and toss in cooked pasta. Toss and serve.

And how was your weekend..did you do anything special for the end of the summer or making plans for your last summer picnic..share your plans and recipes with us!

Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking for Holidays & Special Occasions before the mad Holiday rush with over 140 recipes, menus and more..

Mangai Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

htp://twitter.com/Marialiberati

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati 

Last  night ended with the best refresher of all..a slice of locally produced watermelon…

Not a fan of air conditioning and at home there is not one in sight..the month of August you will always find a watermelon in our refrigerator..our natural way of cooling down from a hot August day or night or both.

August is always hot and temperatures ranging from hot to sweltering..with a beautiful sun. ..almost everyday. But the sun is so vibrant and alive in August and is rumored to make people do some crazy things..from political decisions to happenings..in the month of August when someone does something unusual or unexplicable the heat of the sun is always to blame.  In the month of August an important politician has decided that alll dialects (in Italy ) should be taught in the schools along with the regular language classes..blame it on the sun…

Really fresh, chilled watermelon is great by itself..but if you want to try another way to use watermelon before the  fresh ones disappear ..here is one of my favorite refreshing appetizers combining Japanese and Italian (wasabi and alici or snchovies) healthy for you also..

Watermelon Sushi  & Fizz Cocktail

*1 lb fresh strawberries

*rind of one lemon for decoration

*8 ounces plain seltzer water (gazzosa)

*2 lbs fresh watermelon

*8 anchovies marinated in extra virgin olive oil

*wasabi sauce

*leeks

Wash watermelon and cut ‘meat’  into 8 square slices, remove rind on each piece. Place some wasabi on each slice and on top of wasabi, place 2 marinated anchovies.Cut leeks into small rings and decorate top of anchovies with leek rings. Wash strawberries. Set aside 4 whole strawberries. Hull the remaining strawberries and place in a food processor with a cup of chopped ice.  Blend till thick liquid. Divideinto 8 glasses and add seltzer to each glass.Top each with a strawberry on a toothpick. Add in some ice if desired and some lemon rind for decoration. Serve with your watermelon sushi…Italian style..

For the  digital magazine edition of August/Sept 2009 The Basic Art of Italiain Cooking    ezine go to

Gelato-The Perfect Summer Dessert

Travel Column: “The Florentine Tradition”

Q&A with Aida Mollenkamp  from CHOW.com

Finger Food Italian Style Recipes 

**For more recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking : Holidays & Special Occasions before the mad Holiday rush..great for your own kitchen for recipes ideas or for gifts..140+ recipes ,menus, short stories on Holidays spent in Italy..

Spend Christmas in Italy..don’t need a passport for this one.  Spend a weekend of cooking classes,. culinar yh tours, wine pairings with recipes from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions at the Harvest Moon Bed & breakfast in Lancaster, Pa.  Places are limited..email :events@marialiberati.com t oreserve your spot or for more info..

Mangia Been, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Buying fresh fruit in the summer is one of my favorite things to do..the aromas of the freshly picked fruits are so hypnotic (especially if you are buying locally grown produce). The colors are so vibrant (or they should be).

Yesterday, I observed how people pick out their fruit while at a supermarket that does carry local produce.  Maybe I make too much of a ‘ceremony’ out of picking my fresh fruits..but  In oticed that most people seem to just quickly get the fruit …throw it in the bag and they are off.. no smelling, looking at the fruit to make their choice..

Smelling the fruit is one of the great pleasures of the summer..and if the fruit has no perfume.. it has been sitting on shelves or in a truck somewhere for a long  time &  does not have any flavor…like eating a piece of wax fruit.

So when selecting your fruit, although each fruit has some of their own characteristics you need to look for, pick it up and smell it..the first test.

Peaches,lemons, nectarines, plums ,cantaloupes,strawberries,apricot should have a fresh aroma  at this time of the year.

Oh well so much of my rumblings on how to choose fruit..

Here is one of my favorite appetizers or light lunch dishes to make with fresh lemons. perfect to eat ‘al fresco’:

Stuffed Lemons

For 4

*4 fresh lemons

*16 ounce can of tuna in olive oil

*2 hard boiled eggs

*1 tablespoon of green olives

*1 tsp of capers

*1 tsp of extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil

Wash lemons and cut in half. Scoop out pulp. Place in food processor- drained tuna pieces, capers, pitted olives, yolks of hard boiled eggs. Blend till consistency of a smooth paste. Place small bed of lettuce or baby spinach or salad greens on 4 small appetizer plates. Slice egg whites. Place 2 lemon halves on each plate. Fill with tuna mixture. Garnish with egg white slices and whole green olives. Drizzle olive oil on top. Serve

July 31-August 2- Atlantic City Food & Wine Shos- Bally’s Casino Come to The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm booth. For more info email: events@marialiberati.com

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

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• Recipe: Spinach and Strawberry Salad Fruit Slinger, Chicago (thekitchn.com)

 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.