copyright 2009, art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc

by Maria Liberati

My recent trek to the region of Ancona in the province of Le Marche led to the discovery of a few culinary delights.. Il Lacrima di MorroD’Alba …the locals call it  the ‘little prince’ of red wines in the region..

You can find the vines for this particular wine grown in the hills of Morro D’Alba and nearby towns of Senegallia and Jesi. Il Lacrima is really unique and different from the more well known reds, not full of tannins but very fragrant. More of a new wine ,not particularly aged. It is not presented as  a noble wine but considered the ‘little prince’ of wines..’profumatissime’ (very fragrant) and charming, endearing to the senses..

When it comes to wine not everyone appreciates those characteristics..but many are curious to taste it and slowly fall in love with this wine’s endearing qualities.

At one time, Il Lacrima, in the ‘novella’ stage, was the wine of the peasants,they would use it to accompany their grilled meats eaten while on break working in the fields. They could not wait for the juice to finish aging and would pour it directly from the barrels into bottles. So it is popular to this day as a new wine…more remnants of cucina povere…

Il Lacrima can be found for sale usually after the 15th of December quickly after the vendemmia of that year.

Great wine to accompany local pasta or meat dishes..recipes to follow soon..

Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions before the Holiday rush. With over 140+ recipes, menus, wine parings and short stories of Holidays spent in the mountains of Italy.

have any questions on wine or Holiday celebrations..call in tonight to Celebrations trasio show and I will answer your questions or just listen in http://tinyurl.com/lkxl2v
 

 October 5th.. 7 PM- Sampler Dinner and Cooking Demo. Horsham Library, Horsham Pa. Join me for a Dinner/cooking demo at the  Horsham Library in Horsham Pa for a sampler 4 course dinner including specialties from  The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions  Email:juzz@aol.com for reservations or email events@marialiberati.com Places limited!!

Nov. 5-7th- Christmas in Italy weekend..join me for a culinary weekend complete with cooking classes with fresh produce from Lancaster County and wine pairings using menus from

 The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions

at the Harvest Moon Bed and Breakfast

Experience Italy for the Holidays with no passport required in Lancaster, Pa… Spaces limited,

call 1-888-824-3763  or email info@harvestmoonbandb.com

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

A morning of mentuccia (mint) and rosmarino(rosemary) ..a day in the country. One last day at the coutnry house before fall really sets in..the days and the nights have become so  chilly. What shall it be for lunch today? A sack of local potatoes we picked up at the open market yesterday..some extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil and the best ingredient …organic rosemary from our garden here.

And for dessert an apple torte made with apples from Trentino.

We set out early and after opening up the house made a quick dash to the garden with a big scissors to cut the rosemary..how much do you want??more , more” I said since I tend tol go  a bit overboard when cooking with fresh rosemary. It has such a hypnotic scent and enhances the flavor of potatoes so well that I can’t imagine cooking roasted potatoed without rosemary.

Ready to leave the garden but can’t resist the fresh mint..ahh perfect for a simple egg fritatta tonight and to flavor some spring water and to scent the house..pick a bouquet for me” I said as I began returning to the house to prepare the lunch.

But first I had to locate a vase just the perfect size to hold a bouquet of mint to place on our mantle by the front door..no luck in finding a vase but jar used for preserving marmelade will suffice..and when my beautiful mint bouquet arrived the fresh, crisp mint scent seemed to quickly fill the room..and soon our little house in the country was brimming with scintillating scents..potatoes roasting in the oven with fresh rosemary stalks and extra virgin cold pressed olive oil from a local olive oil press..an apple torte baking in the second oven..a large bouquet of fresh mint ..

What a fragrant way to begin the day and wake up all the senses….stay tuned for a recap of tonight’s fritta with fresh mint leaves..recipe will be included..

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Tonight, I finished up one of my  wine education and wine pairing events at one of my favorite vineyards. Something that no one seemed to have a clue about was what temperature should their wine be served at. Ahh.. this brought to mind my good friends GianLuca  and Velia from  the famous wine bar in Orvieto (Italy)- the Champagneria!!
A little wine bar in the main piazza of Orvieto but a place where one can get an education about wines from all over the world. Here is some information that I have learned from sommeliers like GianLuca and vineyards that I have trained at in Italy.

 The temperature that you serve the wine is just as important as the quality of the wine itself. You are making a grand mistake is you serve a great wine at the wrong temperature, the special qualities of that wine will not be evident .

Here are the perfect temperatures the different type of wines should be served:
*Champagne-8 degrees C

*Dry white and rose wines- 10

*Light red wine- 14 degrees

*Aged red wine-18

*Sweet wines and liqueuers- 8

If the wine is too cold, pour iti n the glass and leave for a few minutes to warm up.

The glases the wine is served in is just as important. Clear, transparent glases are the best so that one can experience the wine. But also a glass that has a long stem is best to serve wine so that your fingers do not touch the part containing the wine and do not modify the temperature of the wine in any way.

 Dry spumante and champagne should be served in a flute so that one can see the bubbles and the perfume of the wine is released slowly.

However, sweet champagne and sweet spumante should be served in a cup like glass.

This is the season for grapes and they are at their best. My favorite recipe for taking advantage of the luscious grapes of Fall is a risotto with white grapes and white wine.

It reminds me of being at the being at the farm in Tuscany where I do all my cooking programs-the crisp autumn evenings and the warmth of the risotto..

“To make a friend, a glass of wine is enough, to maintain the friendship you need a whole bottle” as an old Italian saying goes..

Risotto all’uva Bianca (risotto with white grapes)

* 1/2 cups rice for risotto (carnaroli or arborio)

*1/2 lb firm white grapes 

*1 small white onion

*4 tblsps parmigiano-reggiano cheese

*1/2 cup dry white wine

*2 tblsps butter

*1 quart vegetable broth

Wash grapes , cut in half and take out seeds. Melt butter in saute pan, then place in chopped onion. When onion is transparent add in dry rice and let toast for a minute. Add in wine, and when the liquid evaporates place i n 3/4 cup vegetable broth. Stirring constatnly. Repeat until rice is al dente-approx 18 minutes. However, at mid cooking, add in grapes and stir in. Then remove from heat and add remaining butter and top with  greated parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Serve immediately. Serve with glasses of dry white wine.

For more great recipes, get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking  at http://www.marialiberati.com

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