copyright 2011 Maria Liberati

On the road again”….that winsome, Willie Nelson tune just seems to pop out at me as my book tour unfolds. An invitation to appear at the Utah Humanities Festival found me in Salt Lake City this past weekend. After a long flight, the calm relaxing pace of that city as well as a landscape filled with mountains and sky provided a bit of tranquility.

And even though Salt Lake City is certainly not a hop,skip and a jump from the east coast, it reminded me in some ways of home in the mountains of Abruzzo. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, fresh spring water,fresh air. It was almost like I was there in my little town in Abruzzo but supersized with multi lane highways instead of 2 lane highways going through town, skyscrapers instead of old country villas and terracotta glazed buildings.

But no need to look too far for great food, I was scheduled to do another event (A book signing and recipe demo from the book) at Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli. I call this place a little piece of Italy in the West. With am Italian market, a deli, a fresh fish market and restaurant, I didn’t need to look any further. The recipe was a Risotto with fresh porcini mushrooms and truffles and Caputo’s had all the perfect ingredients that are not always so easy to find. Ingredients like carnaroli rice, frozen porcini mushrooms from Umbria, Italy and black truffles from Burgundy, France, butter from Parma ,Italy and Olive Oil from Tuscany..The ultimate ingredients like this always make for an ultimate food experience

P.S. Only use a pinch of truffles to top off this dish, truffles are wonderful only when used correctly, not over used.. And if you can’t find a truffle, a drizzle of truffle infused oil on a finished risotto will work as a substitute.

.

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Truffles

(from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:DaVinci Style, published by art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc

*4 cups vegetable broth

*3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

*2 leeks chopped finely

*1 cup arborio or carnaroli rice

*1 tablespoon unsalted butter

*1 cup dry white wine or Prosecco

*1 ounce dried procini mushroom

*1-2 tswps grated truffles

*2-4 tablespoons freshly shaved or grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese

Place dried porcini mushrooms in small dish of warm water and let soak for 30 minutes, set aside. Heat vegetable broth till boiling, then simmer. Place olive oil in large saute pan, place in leeks and saute till leeks become transparent. Place in soaked porcini mushrooms and set water they soaked in aside. Saute for a minute. Place in rice and toast til rice is coated with oil. Add in dry white wine, wtir till liquid is all absorbed,then add in liquid from porcini mushrooms, stir and then when liquid is absorbed, add in another ¾ cup broth and repeat this till rice is al dente (about 18 minutes). When finished, remove from heat and place butter on top, stir in and then plate the rice and serve with grated or shaved parmigiana-reggiano on top.

Serve with the wine you added into the risotto for cooking, if you’re not sure, Est!Est!Est!,Falenghina, Pecorino, dry Prosecco all make great white wines for a risotto dish-to cook with and pair with at dinner

*Join me in Italy on an all inclusive luxury cruise to Italy and the Mediterranean. We will explore the sights and tastes with visits to vineyards, on board culinary events and more. Only a few spots left. Call Julie at Rosenbluth Travel at 1-800-257-8270

*October 12th at 9:30 AM if you are in Philadelphia, listen in to WBEN 95.7 FM radio as Marilyn Russell interviews me for her Woman of the Week show and hear about my latest book and special projects.

*October 21-23-Suburban Home Show at the greater Philadelphia Convention Center in Oaks Pennsylvania. Join me for on stage cooking demos of my latest book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style and find out how you can join me on my upcoming luxury cruise to Italy. For more info email:events@marialiberati.com

 copyright 2010, Maria Liberati

August 15th is the most loved Holiday in Italy..especially when the sun is bright and temps are hot..no better way to enjoy  the last of summer or a day at the beach or in the sun or eating outdoors…nothing beats eating watermelon outside on a hot summer day in August.. Italians are more passionate about this Holiday then Christmas….which is also a day to enjoy great food with family and friends..but in August you can feast outside  under the glow of the sun, the moon and the stars on the beach or on outside

But my favorite way of ending the 15th, is sitting around a large picnic table with family and friends for a plate of Spaghetti at Midnight..sometimes it is spaghetti with garlic and olive oil..this year it was Spaghetti al Tartufo (Spaghetti with truffles). After a day of eating from afternoon to evening…you always have to remember to somehow leave room for this delectable dish..a small serving just to celebrate summer’s ending with friends and family.

It’s easy to make and if you can’t find truffles, drizzle pasta with truffle oil before serving.

Spaghetti al Tartufo

(serves 8-10 people)

1 lb spaghetti

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small black truffle

pinch of salt to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain. Place in bowl,drizzle with olive oil and shave 1/4 of truffle on top (you only need a little to get a lot of flavor) Toss. Seerve hot with grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese. Pair with a chilled white wine (Falenghina, or Est!Est!Est! make great choices)

Get your copy of the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

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Truffles and Meats: Two Staple Foods from Umbria

copyright2009, Maria Liberati

Editor: Christa Gutzler

Is your mouth watering for a meaty truffle? Well, as distinct as the cooking is in Umbria, you won’t find a chocolate truffle infused with pork, but separately these two items top the list of famous specialty foods coming from the beautiful Umbria region in Italy. With its tree-laden grounds scoured by uniquely trained “truffle dogs,” Umbria maintains favorable conditions for which wild mushrooms abound during truffle season. The soil created by oak and willow trees are said to be rich in Norcia, one of Umbria’s most reliable areas for bountiful truffle raising and famous for its black truffles and flourishing truffle trade industry.

Coming to a close at the end of March, truffle season harvests Umbria’s most sought after and expensive treat starting in December each year. Secretive and mysterious, the professional truffle harvesters of Umbria, known as the trifolau, partake in festivals and other celebrations throughout truffle hunting season seeking truffles of all sizes and shapes and pungency. Once these truffles are found, they are cooked and stored, or sold to restaurants and added to high cuisine recipes.

Eaten alone or thrown into a pasta dish, truffles are a delectable addition to various Italian dishes including but not limited to roast squab, mayonnaise, cakes, rice, fondue and a variety of spreads and sauces. The legacy of the truffle is attributed to its versatility and flavor. No other terrain in the world produces as many truffles as Italy does and 80% of Italy’s truffles come from Umbria. Gastronomes around the world agree that Italian truffles possess a earthy and heavenly taste, though black truffles from Norcia are known to be less aromatic than its white complement. The truffle is not the only hot commodity in Umbria, as there are just as many butchers as there are truffle hunters in this extraordinary region.

If you’ve ever been to an open market in Italy, you are sure to have been surrounded by the various meats that have been butchered, prepared, and sold for generations. Most commonly in the form of salami, sausages, and ham, Umbria’s primary meat is pork. Dishes such as mazzafegati (pig’s liver sausages), porchetta (pork roast), and Umbrian mortadella (seasoned sausage mixed with pork and bacon) are recognized as flavorful, sweet, and savory. It’s said that Italian butchers do not hold back when it comes to the pig, doing everything and anything that can be done to them in the name of cooking. From the pig’s feet and cheeks to the ox’s tongue, the Italians are creative and ingenious in how they approach the livestock from which they create their specialty foods and dishes. Umbria’s conscientious cooking processes, embedded in history and perfected through experimentation, continue to provide pleasing treats and meats.

Villa LaVeranda Interview and Tour-Umbria Italy

it is breathtaking ,the villa that I just fell in love with enough to have my culinary tours there for The Basic Art of Italian Cooking. Here is video of my visit there and the interview with Susan Evans-who headed the transformation of this once animal stall into the beautiful villa it is today. Watch!
If you want to join our next culinary tour and stay there ..see more info at http://www.marialiberati.com/blog2/page_id=542 or look below

Check out my informal interview inside the kitchen of La Veranda here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTXrY_th7MA

**Please keep your thoughts and prayers with the people of central Italy who were hit with the devastating earthquake on April 6th. Hardest hit was the city of L’Aquila and towns nearby. Since L’Aquila is the capital city of Abruzzo I have been there for many events many a time. You can put the name L’Aquila in the search engine of my blog to find past posts on this medieval town. But here is one of the posts:
http://www.marialiberati.com/blog2/?p=341

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Risotto with White Grapes is a delicious recipe and great with Orvieto wine from Umbria

1 cuo rice for risotto-arborio or carnaroli

½ lb white grapes (seedless)

1 slice onion chopped finely

4 ounces parmigiana reggiano cheese

1 tablespoon butter

3-6 cups vegetable broth

1 cup dry white wine or champagne

2 tablespoons olive oil

In saute pan, saute olive chopped onion in olive oil. When golden put in rice and saute for 2 minutes, Place in wine or champagne. When liquid is absorbed, pour in ¾ cup broth. Stir and when liquid is absorbed pour in another ¾ cup of broth. Repeast this processs for approx 15 minutes or until al dente. Half way during cooking time. Place in washed grapes. When finished, top with butter, and parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Join me at for book signings and cooking program events at (email events@marialiberati.com):

 Whole Foods Jenkintown, April 4th

Whole Foods, Philadelphia, May 2

Whole Foods Bethesda, Maryland on May 7′

May 6th, Wine Pairing Dinner at Country Creek Winery in Telford, witha 4 course authentic Italian sampler dinner and 4 wine samples..join us at an authentic rustic vineyard voted as Montgomery County’s Best. Fee is $39.95 reservations are limited ,call the winery at 215-723-6516 for reservations.

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More articles and recipes

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

copyright, 2009, Maria Liberati, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking 

My weekend was filled with pizza making in The Basic Art of Italian Cooking kitchen here in Italy, or should I say inside the kitchen and outside..as you can see, yours truly getting our new outside brick oven ready.. Nothing like the flavor of pizza cooked in a brick oven..

  Pizza makes great food for a lazy Sunday afternoon dish..But it also provided us with a great way to work with the locally produced ingredients here in Abruzzo-the locally produced Pecorino D’Abruzzo to the fresh mozzarella produced in the little (nearby) village of Rocca Di Mezzo. And a radicchio produced at this time of  the year in Treviso, Italy..a little far from Abruzzo but many local produce stores get theirs fresh from Treviso..makesa great topping for a pizza..

Italy rejoices in the pizza and has made pizza making an art as well..championships in pizza and many competitions in pizza making..to the World Championship pizza making team.. who would have thought that a food made by the poor  people in Naples to make us of inexpensive ingredients-flour, yeast, tomatoes and make something substantive would become such a world renowned food…

So many toppings, so difficult to choose from,,we chose to do an arugula with shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese, then one with a tomato topping wiht the Vesuviana tomatoes from the Mt Vesuvio region (they are an interesting tomato and one of the few varieties that grow without water. As a matter of fact the lesser amount of water they have the better they grow) with grated pecorino cheese.

The Vesuviana tomatoes led me to the story told to me by my friend, Velia, who works with us at The Basic Art of Italian Cooking Culinary School in Orvieto..she told me that her grandmother used to use the Vesuviana tomatoes as an example of life ..they grow sweeter and better with the more hardship the soil around them experiences since they grow better with drought. These are a tomato that grow without any water, And she went on to explain how hardships in life grow your character, just like they grow the Vesuviana tomatoes..that with perfect soil conditions the Vesuviana do not grow successfully and are not as sweet and plump as they are when they suffer a drought or the hardship of not having enough water…a life lesson to learn from this delicacy and they are a superior tomato as well..not just your average tasting tomato..

Then there was Pizza Margherita for those that want the traditional tomato (using the Vesuviana tomatoes) basil and mozzarella tomato..and since truffles are also found in many parts of Italy this time of year-a scamorza and shaved truffle pizza… and lastly we had to make a potato with fresh rosemary pizza since we have an over abundance of fresh, organic rosemary here in the garden..

Pizza is best made  fresh and is worth the extra time it takes…If you put your mind to it you can make a ball of dough in the morning before you head out to work, cover carefully with a towel and place in a warm place to let it rise..when you come home it will be ready to place in a pizza pan or pizza stone stone and add  topping. 10-15 minutes in the oven (can be your own indoor oven) and you have a quick, healthy meal..

Pizza….can be used to teach healthy eating and a philosophy for life…a wondrous thing that pizza……

Find more pizza tips here: http://tinyurl.com/djd29w

copyright, 2009, Maria Liberati, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking

 After our cooking program in a little town called Baschi, right outside of Orvieto (more on that tomorrow) and meeting with my good friends there Domenico and Paola at Borgo le Fontanile and Velia & Gianluca at La Champagnerie in Orvieto we headed for the Autostrada to continue our visit in Umbria..We headed in the direction of  Todi- to  a nearby little village called Sismano. A ‘piccolo paese’ of only 300 residents. Most of the land is still owned by a Contessa. part of the town is a beautiful natural reserve that has been preserved for truffles and hunting. Some of the old buildings are being renovated into private villas.

 As I was there to visit a friend of mine Susan Evans at her villa- La Veranda, once owned by an Italian Contessa. Susan is an American who fell in love with the beautiful scenery of Umbria. She is the real life version of the ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ story of finding an old building and renovating it into a beautiful villa.

Needless to say my stay at La Veranda this weekend was wonderful…we  could only visitifor 2 days but they were filled with everything possible..cooking in the beautiful kitchen at La Veranda to relaxing outside and taking in the view of the Umbrian Hills on a warm January day to a walking tour of a natural reserve and a  view of wild cinghiale (boars)  to a tour of the castello of Sismano and its’ renovation  and getting a taste of local foods.

But my visit was also to map out the site of The Basic Art of Italian by Maria Liberati tm Cooking school.  La Veranda not only has a large open kitchen for the cooking classes but also a wood burning oven outside in the courtyard  perfect for cooking pizza, chicken, bread.  The setting is perfect for giving anyone an experience of eating outdoors in Umbria at night or under the Umbrian sun for an afternoon picnic.

The villa is a perfect way to experience living in a true Italian villa and getting the full experience of the beauty of not only cooking Italian food but eating at  home (and a beautiful one I might add)..

Our last lunch was held at on Osteria de la Posta..that was opened by a former postman (hence the name  ’de la posta’) that loved to cook. But while waiting for our lunch we were entertained with some history about the ‘Osterie de le Poste’ that were once typical places to be found throughout Italy. They were places that you would travel to in horse and carriage- to get your mail, send your mail and also get feed and water for your horses but also stop to have a meal. And sometimes ,yes, the mailman might also have been your chef…

Umbria is famous for Tartufi (truffles) my favorite dish this weekend there  was a plate of Fettucini al Tartufi.  This recipe is sometimes made with a pasta that is traditional to Umbria (known as Strangozzi) because there is an Umbrian legend connected to it.

Legend has it that during medieval times, in a castle in a town called Pissignano, the conqueror Barbarossa was there because he was planning to destroy Umbria. But legend has it that the cook in the castle served Barbarossa a plate of Strangozzi al Tartufo so good that it convinced him not to destroy Umbria (or something like that)…

Here is the recipe, but if you can’t find trufffles- use a drizzle of truffle oil to add some truffle flavor..

Fettucini al Tartufo

*1 lb of fresh fettucine pasta

*1 black truffle-(finely chopped)

*3 tblsps olive oil

* 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

*1 clove garlic (whole)

Place extra  virgin olive oil in a saucepan and heat, place in cloves of garlic. Saute garlic till just about golden. Remove garlic. Place in chopped truffles and let saute for approx 3 minutes. Remove  from heat. Toss in cooked pasta. Serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

And for a perfect accompaniment-serve with Orvieto Classico white wine.

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene

Maria

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

 copyright, 2008, art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking

Tartufi (truffles) are considered by many to be  a ‘mystery of nature’.  Gaio Plinio Secondo known as Plinio il Vecchio, born in 79 AD  wrote in Naturalis Historia- ‘that tartufi are born spontaneously and not from seeds and they live without roots’, according to Plinio the origin of tartufi   remain always in an ‘aura of mystery’ and to this day that remians true..

According to botanists tartufi (truffles) are categorized as a ‘fungus’ that live under ground that is rich in water, minerals and near the roots of a tree. They live in symbiosis with the tree root.

Tartufi are rich in fiber ,a complete protein and easily digested.

Truffles have long been a part of the history of the gourmet table. It was said that Lord Byron kept a truffle on his desk, he believed that the perfume of the truffle ignited his creativity. Alexander Dumas (the writer of The Three Miusketeers) described tartufi as one ofthe most maginifient ingredients of the table.

You can find truffles in many regions of Italy-Abruzzo, Tuscany, Umbria and others. For this a national association known as the”Associazione Nazionale Citta di Tartufo” (National Association of Truffle Cities) has been formed to discover new ways of finding and growing this ‘mystical fungus’.

Truffles (tartufi) come in black and white. The white truffle is the more delicate and costly. Most gourmet stores carry truffles But if you canlt find fres htruffles, you can find them jarred in olive oil or truffle oil.

Truffles have a strong taste and a very little goes a long way. To experience the taste of truffles, drizzle (sparingly) some truffle oil on top of a plate of risotto or grate (sparingly) some fresh truffle on a plate of pasta or pizza. Not even a full teaspoon of grated truffle is needed to experience the flavor.

Since we live in a region where truffles are found- I always find presents of a tartufi or two left for me at home in the winter. Truffles have become my favorite present and I use them to flavor everything.

Here is a recipe we have been working on in The Basic Art of Italian Cooking kitchen here in Italy to experiecne the truffles in season now:

Risotto con Tartufo

*1 cup of rice (carnaroli or arborio)

*2  tblsps + 2 tsps extra virgin olive oil

*2 scallions

*4 large oysters-steamed

*1 white truffle

*3 tblsps parmigiano cheese grated

* 2 quarts Vegetable Broth

*1/2 cup dry white wine

Heat vegetable broth till boiling, lower heat and let simmer. 

Cut scallions into small rounds. Place olive oil in saute pan and heat, place in scallions and saute till just about golden. Place in rice. Saute for 30 sedonds.   Add in white wine,  consistently stirring. When liquid is absorbed begin adding in broth approx 1/2 cup at a time and stirring till liquid is absorbed. Repeaat till rice is cooked till al dente (approx 18 minutes). Stir in parmigiano cheese and drizzle approx 2 tsps on top, stir risotto. Remove from heat.

Divide into 4 portions and place on 4 plates. On top of risotto, place an open steamed clam and on top of this place a few very thin slices of white truffle.

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

“Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene”
Maria

I am excited  and looking forward to being a special guest at the Le Cordon Bleu School in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday for a special event that was organized by The Italian Culinary Foundation. It is a wonderful foundation that was organized to promote the authentic flavors and history of real Italian Cuisine.

In the US we have become very used to calling  what is really Italian-American cuisine - authentic Italian,but it really is not authentic Italian. For instance a  simple dish of spaghetti and meatballs is not authentic Italian.   In Italy .. Spaghetti (in a small portion ) is eaten seperate as the first course of a meal and the meatballs (polpette) are eaten seperately as the second course.  And the pasta is not served in a gigantic bowl but in a small dish for one portion size.

These are all part of what the Italian Culinary Foundation hopes to make people aware of in order to promote what is really Italian cooking and so that everyone undestands why the Italian diet is so healthy.  Real, authentic cuisine is high quality ingredients in small quantities and not covered up with  lots of  heavy processed flavors but letting each flavor shine through and using light amounts of sauces to dress your dish and not cover it up.

Anyway, I will have more on this upon my return on Saturday. But as an added bonus I will also be attending a cooking  demo by one of Italy’s top chefs from Assissi, Italy-Enea Barbanera.

In honor of this event I am going to include some of his recipes on my upcoming posts. Here is one to start with,enjoy..:

Potato Gnocchi with Fava Beans and Black Truffle

“Gnocchetti di patate con fave e tartufo nero”

by Chef Enea Barbanera

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins in lightly salted water or cook them in a steam oven. Peel and mash the potatoes on a marble surface while they’re still warm.

2. Add the flour, egg, a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg to the mashed potatoes and gently combine. Form the batter into gnocchi according to the traditional method.

3. Saute  one minced scallion in a saucepan; add ¼ of the beans and finish cooking with a little vegetable broth. When the beans are tender, pureè in a blender with olive oil.

4. In a saucpan, heat some olive oil and sweat the remaining scallion with the branch of rosemary. Add the remaining whole beans and the tomato concasse; cook for a few minutes over low heat, adding vegetable stock if necessary.

5. Cook the gnocchi in abundant salted water, removing them as soon as they come to the surface and transferring them directly into the prepared sauce. Finish the plate with a grating of black truffle and garnish with a small piece of rosemary. (Alternative: serve in parmesan crisp or potato bowls.

For more great recipe stay tuned to this blog i nthe next few days and also get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com or    http://stores.lulu.com/marialiberati

“Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene”

Maria