Editor: Laura D’Alonzo

copyright 2010, art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc

See the Fiorano vineyard here (click the link below):

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Upon hearing “Pecorino,” you may immediately think of an Italian staple- Pecorino Cheese. However, in the Le Marche region of Italy, in a town called Ofida, Pecorino has quite a different meaning.

Pecorino is a crisp white wine made from the Pecorino grape. These grapes are mostly grown in Le Marche, a region neighboring Abruzzo.

 On my last culinary tour through Le Marche, a stop was at the   organic vineyard named Fiorano, I hosted  a wine tasting there  and  sampled  some of this magnificent wine. Walking around the rolling vines and olive groves that make up this vast, but artisan style property, truly makes you feel as though you are a part of nature. Tasting the  organic Pecorino wine enhances this earthy experience, since the wine  is made organically. The wine goes well with so many main dishes, and is not your typical white wine. it goes well with meat dishes since it is more robust than many white wines.

If you like what you see and can taste the wine and olives already you may want to join my culinary your there in October 2010. Email: events@marialiberati.com

Spaces are limited and will include cooking classes and truffle hunting!

For more great recipes to go with Pecorino Wine get your copy of the Gourmand World Cookbook Award winner: The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions

Hypnotized or somewhat like Pavlov’s dogs..embarrassingly I am always making bowls of Macedonia (an Italian style fresh fruit salad)  for  an after lunch and dinner dessert…. I didn’t realize how much of the stuff I was always making..until my better half suggested that “we should maybe just have some pieces of fresh fruit after dinner once in awhile”

I realized my dilemma there..Macedonia..which is a fresh fruit salad..was the way we always ended dinner at my grandmother’s house when I was younger and my mother did the same..

Not that I am complaining..I love fresh fruit and because of them I am conditioned to always have fresh fruit after my meals…but it has become more than that is almost as I have been conditioned to end a meal this way.

When dinner was over.. nonna (grandmom) would automatically get up from her seat and everyone knew she was going to the little cool wine cellar in back of the kitchen (the kitchen was under the house) and would come out with a bowl of freshly made macedonia..to the “oohs” and “ahhs” of everyone at the table.. since it was much anticipated after a full meal..something sweet but light and something that seemed to help digest the meal…made with whatever fruits were in season. It almost seems that being in Italy I am now conditioned to feel that my meal is not complete without a dish of fresh macedonia.. Dinner was always filled with opera and singing and freshly made plates of pasta,artisan cheeses, freshly made breads, wine and well here in Italy meals are the same..and the feeling that they are not complete without the grand ending of a bowl of fresh macedonia..

In Italy the tradition is to end the everyday meals with fresh fruit and nuts..and that is a healthy habit..but the macedonia..I think I am hypnotized..anyway here is a recipe for a winter macedonia..see if it becomes one of your after dinner favorites..In the meantime, I am going to make the same for lunch today..I can’t help myself……macedonia obsessed it seems…..

Macedonia

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

*1 whole fresh lemon

*1 whole fresh pineapple

*1/2 lb of red grapes-washed

*2 fresh oranges

*2 bananas-peeled and sliced into 1″ thick slices

*4 fresh kiwi-peeled and sliced

*1 tablespoon sugar

Peel and cut fresh fruits into chunks. Place in bowl. Cut lemon in half and squeeze both halves over fresh cut fruit. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of  sugar. Stir, let marinade covered in refrigerator for 1 hour. Serve with a sprig of fresh mint.

Hope to see you on Saturday May 8th at the Borders Store in Warrington,Pennsylvania.

visit me at OpenSky

Get more recipes in The Basic Art of Italian Cooking Holidays & Special Occasions

Coming up..a culinary truffle hunting trip to Italy in October 2010

Innamorata

copyright, 2010, Maria Liberati

I am in love with the sun … it gives me warmth

I am in love with the wind… it caresses me

I am in love with life… it makes me laugh

I am in love with flowers.. they make my mind drunk with beauty

But chocolate..I am ‘innamorata‘ ( the Italian word meaning’ to be in love’) with because of infinite  reasons and those of you who have a passionate palate will agree that dark chocolate, hot,cold ,or any temperature.. (containing a minimum of 65% cocoa) is the ultimate in comfort food!

Use some of those winter pears for this Torta Di Pere, that mixes dark chocolate and fresh pears for a scrumptious taste experience!  One bite of this and you can not help but utter  the Italian word  ‘innamorata’ from your lips

Torta Di Pere

(from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions 2009;art of living,PrimaMedia, Inc; winner of the Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2009)

2 fresh pears-peeled, cored and cut into small cubes

5 dried dates chopped

2 tablespoons of Cognac

2 tblsps of unsalted butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 -1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites beaten or whisked till firm

16 ounces baking or dark chocolate (minimum 65 % cocoa)

For decoration

1 fresh pear ,peeled and sliced thinly

1 tablespoon butter melted

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons of pear or apple jelly

In a food processor place in the chopped dates and pears, and Cognac, blend well, do not liquify. In a bowl, place in  2 tablespoons of unsalted butter,sugar,flour, baking powder,egg yolks, fruit from food processor with liquid and whipped egg whites. Blend well. Butter and flour an 8 ” cake pan and pour in the mixture. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 45 minutes. remove from oven and let cool

Melt baking or dark cocoa in double boiler and use this to  glaze  top of cake. Measure butter and melt, add in sugar. Dip thinly sliced pear in butter and sugar  and  then dip one side of pear slice  in pear jelly  and arrange as a  decoration on outside of cake with pear slices placed all around, stuck to border of cake. Place in fridge till chocolate  glaze is hardened and become……. innamorata …..

Get more recipes to make any day a Special Occasion in The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions

Visit me at OpenSky

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

My trip to Terni, Italy -(where Valentine’s Day gets it’s origin from St Valentine-who lived there) was not filled with decorations of hearts and flowers  as I had imagined. ..just a  simple town with signs that lead to the church once  led by St Valentine. So what would Valentine’s Day be without hearts and flowers and chocolates  and presents? just a day as it was originally intended -filled with love..

For Valentine’s Day gifts there are so many to choose from..well here is a recipe  to enjoy while opening those gifts..

This is  one of my favorite cocktails made with  Santa Margherita Prosecco and keep your Prosecco cool by using the VinoTemp champagne cooler. Nothing makes a meal more festive than a sparkling fabulous wine.

Valentine’s Day Cocktail

this cocktail is similar to a Bellini but the blood red orange juice gives it a Valentine’s Day twist.

3 ounces Santa margherita Prosecco

1 ounce of blood red orange juice

1 ounce of  regular orange juice

Blend juices together. Divide into two champagne fluted glasses. Pour in Prosecco and stir gently. Garnish with a slice of blood red orange.

Get more recipes for Valentine’s Day and Holidays in the Gourmand World Cookbook winner : The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions

Visit me at the open sky project

Thanks to everyone who watched and assisted  at my appearance on NBC the !10 show on February 2nd. A special thx to makeup person-Cathy Lee Carpenter & Hair Person- Kamilla Florczak and my assistants Patricia Bontempo and Frederick Cohen for your assistance in making the appearance a success!

Follow me on twitter for other recipes and traveling tips

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

Fine music and fine wine make the perfect pair and so the Rossini Cocktail was born..make it with Santa Margherita Prosecco and you have the perfect opening to a dinner or a party..

The Rossini is another version of the Bellini cocktail. It began to become popular in the last century. Prepared with puree of fresh strawberries and Prosecco. Serve this cocktail in a fluted glass and you will have an elegant and refreshing drink. This cocktail is named after the composer Giacomo Rossini.

The Barber of Seville , The William Tell Overture penned by Rossini make perfect background music while serving and sipping….

Recipe for the cocktail is 1/3 fresh strawberry puree to 2/3 cold Prosecco or Champagne. The preparation consists of the simple union of the ingredients in a glass with some ice.

The most complicated part of this (if you can call it that) is making the strawberry puree. The only way to do this is to put washed, cleaned strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Once pureed, mix with a few drops of lemon juice and some sugar syrup (made by mixing water and sugar over low heat till sugar is melted

If you are in the Philadelphia, Pa area tomorrow -February 2nd tune into the !10 show in the morning I will be cooking up a lasagna with porcini mushrooms and truffles..Santa Margherita Prosecco pairs with this dish for a a festive dinner.

More recipes in the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions that just won The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

http://marialiberati.theopenskyproject.com

copyright 2010, Maria Liberati

Godere -the verb that can be translated to ‘intensely enjoy with pleasure’… but it means more than that…we don’t have one word in english to express the profoundness of this verb. It means to enjoy, but with all your heart and soul, to get lost in the pleasure..

“Mi sono proprio goduto la Domenica”..a phrase told to me by an astute 11 yr old..wise beyond his years about last Sunday and what we should strive for every Sunday… Sunday is meant to be enjoyed..there is only one Sunday per week… So Carpe Diem!

Wise words to follow..just think of what a wonderful week you will have if you have a Sunday to look forward to… a Sunday that you know you will really enjoy

 Sundays are my favorite Holiday! Make it a day to treat yourself to something that you will really enjoy, even if it means just taking a break from your regular routine..but Godere means more than just sleeping late..no sleeping late means that you are letting many beautiful things pass you by..the sun the sky, the museums,a trip to an open air market..a trip to a local coffee bar..a park….somewhere that will be a treat for yourself to go to…

And to begin a beautiful start for a day that is to “godere” here is a recipe for a typical light Italian style pound cake known as ‘ciambellone  classico” and then off to a beautiful day…

Ciambellone Classico (Classic Italian Pound Cake)

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

2 cups all purpose flour or cake flour sifted

¾ cup sugar

3 eggs

½ cup melted butter

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

peel of 1 lemon

extra flour and butter for greasing pan

Work together the sugar and eggs. Blend in flour and melted butter. Work the dough till it is a smooth blended dough and add in the baking powder and salt and lemon peel. Butter and flour a cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Should be golden on top. Remove from oven and cool. You can decorate the top with a dusting of powdered sugar or shaved dark chocolate.

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://marialiberati.theopenskyproject.com

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

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

Take a trip right from your own computer over to open sky to see the new design of my store with all the interesting products I have  found for those that enjoy The Basic Art of Italian Cooking. Please let me know how you like the new design and let me know if there are any products you would like to see or those you may be looking for. Visit here http://tinyurl.com/ygtqgcm

 There is this  saying in Italy ”E Dolce Far Niente”, in English it means ‘How sweet it is to do nothing’. It is a difficult phrase  for a ‘hyperactive’ person like me to understand unless I am  in Italy…

 Yesterday was the last day of the Christmas Holiday season here known as La Befana or the Epiphany.  It was a day to appreciate that aforementioned saying..filled with going out for a stroll for a morning cappuccino..then coming home and spending time preparing the 2 pounds of  fresh broccoli rabe   I bought from  an outdoor farm market  yesterday. My intention was to add it to  a Holiday  lunch of polenta with broccoli rabe and fontina cheese melted on top. But broccoli rabe takes some time to clean and cook…. and in between the waiting there is a lot of relaxing and sitting and drinking another espresso and watching  and relaxing and chatting and a lot of ‘doing nothing’ but waiting for the broccoli rabe to hurry up and cook and be tender. Anyway, here is the recipe we had for lunch and the rest of the day was spent relaxing in front of the fireplace..and yes it is so sweet to just ‘do nothing..You must try it sometime..

Polenta with Broccoli Rabe and Fontina Cheese

2 pounds of fresh Broccoli Rabe-cleaned

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 small dried red hot peppers

pinch of salt

1 cup of cornmeal

8 ounces of fontina cheese

Wash and clean broccoli rabe, cutting off the bottom, hard part. Place in boiling water and cook till tender- about 30-40 minutes. Drain well. Place olive oil in saute pan with garlic cloves and dried red hot peppers (pepperoncini). Saute for about 30 seconds. Chop cooked broccoli rabe  and place in saute pan with olive oil. Place in approx 1/2 cup water. Saute for approximately 15 minutes.

Cook polenta as directed on package. Place polenta in oven proof dishes. Place broccoli rabe in center of polenta, place grated fontina cheese on top of broccoli rabe, place a drizzle of olive oil on top and place under broiler till fontina cheese is bubbly..

You may want to have a  simple dessert like a piece of handmade chocolates  after this dish..

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

copyright 2010, Maria Liberati

New Year’s Day always means a day of relaxing around the kitchen of our ‘piccolo villa’ here in the mountains of Abruzzo with family and friends that drop by as the day lingers on and  the Vienna Philharmonic on TV with the famed New Year’s Day concert and all kinds of chocolate delights to munch on around the table. From locally produced chocolate torrone, to gianduia torrone, to a type of Panettone filled with chocolate. This year the Philharmonic even put footage of Vienna’s best chocolatiers creating some luscious chocolate creations in sync  to one of the symphonies. But the Raditzky’s March signals the end of another New Year’s Day concert, and the start of another New Year of great food, recipes and places to discover.

Here is a  chocolate recipe ..simple but delicious..one of my Holiday favorites that I picked up the first time I spent some of the Christmas Holidays in Venice. A Chocolate Salami..

http://quazen.com/recreation/food/love-chocolate-try-chocolate-salami/

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

The Holidays always have me daydreaming about my visits to the Christmas markets in Vienna and Strasburg, in Austria.  On New Year’s Day I am always in Rome where we eat New Year’s day dinner at home  with the traditional New Year’s Day concert from Vienna on TV… So Vienna always brings back special memories for the  Holidays and besides the spiced wine you drink whilst strolling in the main squares in Vienna  and Salzburg..there is Viennese coffee.  If you can’t get to Vienna for the  Holidays you can have a  Viennese experience in your kitchen with a cup of this hot tasty drink (for the full effect, play some Mozart while enjoying this):

If you missed our Holiday Gift Guide, here it is http://tinyurl.com/yzyb4r4

Viennese Coffee

(serves 4)

4 ounces of dark chocolate- melted

1/2 cup of whipping cream

4 cups of dark espresso or espresso style coffee

1 tsp sugar

powdered cocoa

cinnamon

In large heat proof pitcher - blend cream and melted chocolate till creamy.  Add in boiling hot coffee, sugar, stir and divide into 4 coffee cups, top with some whipped cream, dash of powderd cocoa and dash of powdered cinnamon..don’t forget the Mozart!

You still have time to get a copy of the award winning book 

 The Basic Art of Italian Cooking-Holidays & Special Occasions-winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for Best Italian Cusisine Book in America for 2009.

If you missed our Holiday Gift Guide for best products selected for their artisan quality and the ultimate experience they provide the consumer, here it is:

Holiday Gift Guide 2009

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1jim0/HolidayGiftGuide2009/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=

 Tanti Auguri (Best Wishes) for a Great Holiday

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati