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 2011 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

Today in my kitchen I opened up  the largest can of tomatoes (5 lbs 10 ounces)  I have ever opened. It was also the sweetest can of tomatoes I ever opened… not because they were  San Marzano tomatoes..but because they were one of the last ingredients found in my aunt’s kitchen the day she passed away, almost a year ago.

The can weighed just as heavy on my kitchen shelf as her loss weighed on my heart. It almost seemed that as long as the can was there ,she was here , at least in spirit. But today I was finally able to bring myself to open this 5 lb can of tomatoes and  making 10 small containers of sauce.

As the can opener whirled around this gigantic lid, I found myself staring inside almost thinking that something else would be inside. Her life ,her face, quickly glimmered in my mind. But all that appeared inside the can  were these beautiful fragrant, red ripe tomatoes. She would have approved these for a tomato sauce.The aroma was haunting. True to her last words, “Please don’t ever forget me”. This sauce will produce even more reasons to reminisce about her ..now I have this empty can that I absolutely can not trash.Who knows maybe I will put a tomato plant inside…

Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce

1 lb baby clams

4 tblsps olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

2 tblsps finely chopped parsley

1 14 oz can peeled tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 lb spaghetti

Steam clams for 2 minutes. Discard clams that remian closed.  Set liquid aside. Remove clams from shells, leavea few intact for plate  garnish.  Place oilive oil in saucepan with garlic. Saute till garlic begins to turn golden.  Add in chopped parsley, liquid from clams. Suate until liquid has evaporated. Add in clams, tomatoes. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Cook pasta in boiling salted water till al dente. Drain. Place in sauce ,toss and serve.  Garnish with parsley, and whole clams.

For more recipes get your copy of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award Winning Book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions.

Events:
June 11-12, Great Grapes wine tasting, food festival, Cockeysville, MD. The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati t mtakes center stage wit hcooking demos and book signings. Email: events@marialiberati.com for more info or sponsorship info

July 13- Harleysville, PA,  Girls Night Out in Tuscany-Cooking class/demo. Join The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm for a cooking class/demo and sample  a 4 course Tuscan picnic meal from the Gouramnd Award Winning book The Basic Art of  Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions. registration is limited. For more info, contact Sue Thomson at 215-436-9524 or events@marialiberati.com To be held at Agehman Remodelers Kitchen Showroom, 355 Main St,  Harleysville, Pa

July 21-24, Festa Italiana, Milwaukee Wisconsin, the largest Italian festival in the USA . This year Maria Liberati will be the Celebrity Chef along with PBS Chef Nick Stelllino. Maria will be taking center stage wit hcooking demos and book signings thorughotu the event. For more info or sponsorship opportunities contact: Sue Thomson at events@marialiberati.com

July 29-31 Gourmet Food & wine Show, Bally’s Casino, Atlantic City, NJ.  The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm takes center stage with cooking demos, book signings thorughout the event. For more info and sponsorship opportunities contact Sue Thomson at events@marialiberati.com

The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm produces culinary events, for your company, organization, Corporate training events with a culinary theme, fundraisers, meet and greets wtih Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati and book signings of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking, wine pairing events/classes. Let us design your nextspecial event with a culinary theme, anywhere in the world. For a free proposal email: events@marialiberati.com

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.

copyright 2010 Maria Liberati

After a colazione of a buon cappuccino and a cornetto, a walk surrounded by the  sea air, the sun, and a fresh August breeze is the perfect wake up for me. But preparing lunch takes up most of my morning and keeps me entertained in the morning..from a trip to the ‘forno’ (baker) for fresh focaccia and just baked biscotti for dessert….a trip to the cheese store  for locally produced Pecorino and lastly a trip to the local fruit and vegetable vendor for locally grown fresh veggies, locally grown tomatoes from Francavilla al Mare, fresh zucchini and eggplant and ‘odori’ (aromas) –basil, parsley, celery.

My bags were overflowing with so many aromas I couldn’t concentrate on my walk home with all the scents practically dancing around my head..a 20 minute walk home turned into a 60 minute one..but that was fine I had my the fresh scents to keep me company.

Today’s lunch was a mix of the fresh flavors I brought home..a ratatouille of fresh eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes with shaved pecorino cheese on top of focaccia bread..

Ratatouille

1 fresh eggplant

1 fresh zucchini

3 cloves garlic

1 slice fresh onion

3 red, ripe ,plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

pinch of salt to taste

Clean eggplant and cut into cubes,clean zucchini and slice. Clean tomatoes, and filet. Place olive oil in saute pan, place in whole garlic, onion slice, saute for 30 seconds. Place in zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, freshly chopped parsley. Cover, stir with wooden spoon every 5minutes. Cook for 30 minutes. Cut focaccia bread into serving sizes top with ratatouille and shave pecorino cheese or parmigiana-reggiano cheese on top.Serve with a chilled white wine.

For more recipes and stories of travels in Italy get your copy of The Basic Art of Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition (winner of the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA

Visit OpenSky

Be a Guest writer and Share the Joy

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

Continuing my ‘Gastraonaut’ travels in Italy..in Pescara to experience some of the artisan foods, but also to view the new pedestrian bridge that was opened  this year…

But on the way made a stop in Rapino, a medieval town in the province of Chieti..Besides the ancient ruins..the menus that 4 of the restaurants there offer for lunch or dinner were spectacular..but since I could only stay for lunch and experience one menu it was a difficult choice and I spent an hour on the important decision.. but in an hour you can reflect poetic on the splendid view from Rapino a city that is’ media montagna’ (in mid mountain)….What would you choose?:

Menu 1-Potato & Truffle  mini gnocchi,Pappardelle pasta, palotte cace e ove (‘meatballs’  without meat made of cheese and eggs) fresh fruit in season

Menu 2-Cavatelli pasta with beschamel sauce, with zucchini and saffron from Navelli ( a town nearby),Pappardelle pasta with tomatoes, Raosted rabbit with roasted potatoes with rosemary and fresh mixed greens,fruit in season

Menu 3-Ravioli with nut sauce, Pasta alla Chitarra with meat sauce (ragu),Roasted lamb and roasted potatoes,mixed fruit in season

Menu 4-Pasta alla Chitarra with bacon (pancetta) and arugula, roasted wild boar, roasted peppers, fresh fruits in season.

A lot of eating for one lunch..but after a long reflection and a visit of the Grotto del Colle and the church of San Giovanni… I chose Menu 1 because of the appetizer of mini gnocchi (Gnoccchetti)  and the local specialty of ‘pallotte cace e ove’ (Meatless meatballs made with cheese and eggs). I slowly savored every bite of this meal, that was certainly a 100 mile meal (all ingredients came from nearby-100 miles or less) so everything was fresh and flavorful… after the meal a long walk around the  mercato for artisan crafts  (held in August) to relax

Here’s a recipe for a local specialty from Menu 1-

Palotte Cace e Ove.

(this is in dialect of region of Abruzzo, palotte means small balls and ‘cace’-short for ‘cacciocavallo’ –a type of cheese;ove is dialect for uove-which means eggs

2 whole eggs

1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese or a mix of pecorino and romano or parmiggiana cheese.

2 garlic cloves

handful of fresh parsley leaves chopped

bread crumbs  (freshly made)

pinch of salt

pinch of baking soda

4 tablespoons olive oil (for frying)

In a bowl place in chopped garlic, eggs, grated cheese, chopped parsley, pinch of salt and baking soda. Mix with a fork. Little by little place in bread crumbs and mix by hand. Place in enough breadcrumbs to be able to roll the mixture into the consistency of firm meatballs. Heat oil in frying pan and fry till brown. Serve plain or with some tomato sauce (sugo).

For more great recipes and stories on out of the way place in Italy get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions- 2nd edition

Visit OpenSky

Sept 9-12-Hudson valley Wine Fest,Rhinebeck, NY. For more info or to sponsor The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm onstage demo email: Info@marialiberati.com

Oct 29-30th- Gourmet Food & Wine Show, Philadelphia at the Valley Forge Convention  Center, Valley Forge ,Pa The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm will be onstage. To attend or sponsor one of the onstage cooking demos email: Info@marialiberati.com

Saturday has always been one of my favorite days..it is market day..and I  always am too excited to sleep the night before anticipating  an early cappuccino and cornetto (Italian version of the croissant) at our local coffee bar..the best way to wake up for the long ..and continually growing market… and also pondering  what particular treasure (s) I may come upon.

Fresh speckled beans, zucchini, basil ,parsley,  tomatoes,celery, cucumbers and zucchini..the fragrance was hypnotizing as  I returned home on foot, carrying bags filled with these ultra fresh, local veggies…

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On a lazy summer Saturday..decisions are not easy to make..the brain isn’t in full focus..the sun,the fresh air, the fragrances..when will we be going to the beach house…all of  what seems to be (at least for the moment) summer’s most important decisions..but no, now the difficult choice of selecting today’s lunch.

A summer light pasta dish with an uncooked tomato sauce made with fresh red, ripe tomatoes, chopped (farm fresh) celery and celery leaves, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and pinch of salt. Let that all marinade..like a summer day marinates in the bright sunshine,fresh air and quiet…

For great recipes, get your copy of the award winning The Basic Art of Italian Cooking : Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition selected as the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA

Visit OpenSky

Sept 9-12 Hudson Valley Wine Festival

Oct 29-Philadelphia Gourmet Food & Wine Show

copyright 2010 Maria Liberati

Evenings here always include a walk in the piazza to chat with old friends, make new ones, catch up on town gossip, and share recipes. The best excuse to take a walk after dinner….going to the piazza. Last night, besides some fluff type conversation of ‘how are you doing?” and “how is the family?” we also caught up with an old friend of ours that runs a local trattoria and also has a small farm that produces many of the vegetables served there. He bragged about his  eggplant (melanzane) this year  and he shared a recipe for a specialty dish they are serving at the trattoria in honor of his successful crop of eggplants.

But even better yet, since I had such a ‘voglio’ to make this dish  for today’s lunch….this morning I was gifted with 3 fresh eggplants from Mario’s small farm…and am feverishly working on the recipe now….serve with a glass of Montepulciano D’Abruzzo and eat al fresco (if possible).

(So glad we went to the piazza last night!)  Please write and let me know if you get to try this easy recipe!

Pennette Alla Melanzane (Small Penne Pasta with Eggplant)

1 lb of pennette (small penne pasta)

1 lb of fresh eggplant-washed and cut into cubes

1 lb fresh plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion-finely chopped

‘1 tsp of capers

1/4 cup black olives ,pitted and chopped

handful fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

Place pennete in a pot of boiling water and cook for time indicated on package-till al dente.

Place olive oil in saute pan, place in chopped onion, saute till just before golden, place in cubed eggplant, diced tomatoes, add in pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute for 5 minutes ,add in chopped black olives and capers. Saute for 15 minutes over low heat ,covered.  Uncover and stir with wooden spoon every 2 or 3 minutes. Remove from heat, place in drained pasta toss. Serve hot ,cold or warm with a sprinkling of chopped fresh basil leaves.

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

Looking for Guest writers to Share the Joy. Do you have a favorite food memory of a Holiday you would like to share with our readers? Stories are being selected now  for publication

Visit me at OpenSky

Sept 9-12 –see you at  Hudson Valley Wine Festival in Rhinebeck, NY.  Join me for onstage demos of recipes from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking series.  For more info or for sponsorship info email: info@marialiberati.com

As  I was reading my emails I couldn’t help but get distracted by the news of an impending special tax in specific States in the USA on Pizza calling it a Junk food.. I didn’t know whether to cry or feel offended or hurt or just disbelief…. How could this food, with such history..and  with healthy ingredients be insulted and called a junk food!

Since when are tomatoes, olive oil, mozzarella cheese, flour- a junk food. It is a healthy food and is a staple in the Italian, Italian-American and now American diet. Junk foods are foods made up of mostly chemicals or saturated fats..not pizza. Pizza is a healhty food and if they need proof,we can show it to them. If you would like to join me in the Pizza is a Health Food   Movement..please write your congressmen and congress women and governors and tell them that Pizza is a Health Food and you are offended that they would  even considering discouraging people from eating this healthy food by putting a special tax on it. If you would like a letter to email to your congressman,please email me at info@marialiberati.com and we will send you a pre made letter to educate your congressmen and  congress women and legislators on the health benefits of this Slow Food!

copyright, 2010, Maria Liberati

“A torta (cake) made with love always bakes perfect and delicious!”..that was the conversation at a dinner we hosted . An acquaintance of ours recounted how she made a cake for her young son. Anxiously awaiting the freshly baked torta, sitting at the kitchen table and upon tasting the still warm, freshly baked sweet, he exclaimed “Mamma, the torta is ‘perfetta’ (perfect)!

So we all deduced that must be it ..the secret ingredient in Italian cooking.LOVE…

As we supped on the meal I made of Lasagne Melanzane (Lasagne with Eggplant), Zuppa di Pesce (Fish Soup), Insalata (salad), Macedonia (Fresh Fruit salad), Torta di Principe Eugenio ( Prince Eugenio Cake-chocolate and raspberries)..with dinner guests from not only Italy but Russia, Slovakia, France, Spain and other parts of the World…

The unanimous vote about the best ingredient for a recipe..from our United Nations confab of  ‘foodie’ dinner guests was always LOVE..

So here is one of the recipes from the dinner, but remember the only ingredient that you must put in that is not listed here is LOVE…….

Lasagne alla Melanzane ( lasagna with eggplant)

(from the  winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards-The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays &Special Occasions)

1 pound of fresh pasta for lasagna

2 lbs fresh eggplant- sliced and grilled

1 lb fresh mozzarella or scamorza

1handful of fresh basil

1 tsp dried oregano

2 lbs fresh tomatoes or 2-16 ounce cans of plum tomatoes

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

4 tblsps of grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese

2 cloves garlic-whole

In saute pan,  place in olive oil, 2 cloves garlic. Saute for 1 minute or until garlic is just turning golden. Remove garlic. Add in tomatoes and oregano. Stir and cook for 20 minutes.

In baking pan, place thin layer of sauce, one layer of pasta, one layer of eggplant slices, then thinly sliced mozzarella, sauce, freshly chopped basil. Repeast till all ingredients are used up ending with slices of eggplant,mozzarella, sauce on top.  Bake in oven preheated to 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then sprinkle grated parmigiana cheese on top and bake for another 20 minutes. Put under broiler for last 5 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Serve hot.

After a dinner like this serve artisan chocolates.

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene

Maria

http://marialiberati.theopenskyproject.com

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

Italian Cuisine

When thinking about Italian cuisine,  most people think about pasta, and pizza, pizza, pizza… but potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, and maize, introduced in the 18^th century, are often used in Italian dishes. The roots of Italian cuisine have been traced back to the 4^th century when it was influenced by the Romans, Greeks, and Arabs. During this time popular dishes included porridge (pulmentum- a mushy grain dish) and Fish chowder (brodetto). The Arabs influenced the southern part of Italy with dried pasta.

When the new world was discovered in the 18^th century, the cuisine began to change. This included the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, and maize to Italian dishes. Prior to the discovery, tomatoes were thought to be poisonous and were grown only for decorative purposes. Because there is a long growing season in Italy, there is an abundant amount of vegetables, dairy products, and meat. This may be the reason for Italy to have the 8th highest quality of life index rating in the world.

Before 1870, Italy was not a unified country. It was a collection of kingdoms and principalities. For this reason, along with the variety of climates and topographic regions, Italy has a wide variation of dishes. It was not until the work of Pelligrino Artusi that fostered a national Italian culture. In 1891, he published the first modern cookbook, La Scienza in Cucina e L’arte di Manginar Bene (The Science of the kitchen and the Art of Eating Well). He helped to create the Italian cuisine full of taste with ingredients and flavoring techniques. Italian cuisine has had a profound influence throughout Europe.

Here’s an authentic bruschetta  recipe:

Bruschetta Toscana (Tuscan style Bruschetta)

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

4 slices of Crusty Italian bread or 2 slices day old sliced bread (cut in half, crusts cut off)

*2 tsps butter

*1 small carrot

*1 stick celery

*1 small scallion

*2 tsps tomato paste

*1/2 cup white wine

*3 tsps extra virgin olive oil

*1 tblsp freshly chopped parsley

*1 tsp capers

Salt and pepper to taste

Wash, dry, finely chop carrot, celery, scallion. Rinse capers, place on paper towel to dry. Chop capers finely together with parsley.

In sauté pan, heat oil and 1 tsp butter, chopped scallion, chopped carrots, chopped celery. When just golden, add in wine, tomato paste and stir. Cook over low heat covered for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place bread slices on cookie sheet and toast in toaster or under broiler in oven on both sides till golden color.

Place tomato and vegetable mixture in processor and puree. Place puree in bowl and add in chopped capers, parsley and remaining softened butter. Place in sauce pan and heat for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and spread on hot bread slices.

For recipes get  The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays & Special Occasions 

Hope to see you at my appearances at:
Willinboro Library-Monday, Nov 2 at 7 PM, Willingboro, NJ

Warren Twp Library-Saturday Nov 14th at 2 PM- Warren NJ

Nov 5-7- Christmas in Italy weekend, Harvest Moon B &B in Lancaster, Pa

 Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati