copyright 2009, art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc, Maria Liberati

Special gifts are sometimes the simplest things… At The Basic Art of ItalianCooking  by Maria Liberati tm we are getting ready to release our Holiday Guide of 2009 with some fantastic gift ideas.

I do  enjoy material gifts, but  I am so enamored with gifts that can’t be wrapped up in a package.. There are so many special gifts that come to mind that I could never put a price on and everyone has those gifts that are not appreciated enough for those are the gifts that are the real treasures..the gifts that we are not thankful enough for..Think about it…

In one of my online chats with my significant other yesterday   evening…while he was in Rome, he emailed  me a photo of a colorful sunset in Rome he experienced that day and he told me how much he wished I was there to see it.. and I wished I was there so much to see it as well. But the photo really brightened up my evening..just imagining myself  being in Rome to see another beautiful sunset there..with this photo..if only for a minute I could take myself there.. this photo and thought was my favorite gift of  the day… I have included it here to share with you.

A purchased gift is a nice thought as well, but remember all the gifts you have all throughout the day.

As we are getting ready for the Holiday  Gift Guide we have gotten to work with many an exceptional olive oil in The Basic Art of Italian Cooking kitchen. Here is a recipe  that put the olive oil to good use:

ORZO e GAMBERETTI (orzo pasta and shrimp)
(from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:Holidays &Special Occasions

½ lb orzo pasta

1/2 lb broccoli-cleaned, cut into florets and steamed

½ lb shrimp

1 pouch of saffron

2 scallions

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed

Vegetable broth

1/2  cup dry white wine or sparkling white like Franciacorta

Fresh parsley

Place 2 tablespoons olive oil in sauté pan Chop scallions finely. Heat oil and place in scallions. Saute till they begin to turn golden. Add in ½ of teamed broccoli, uncooked orzo pasta to toast, stir with wooden spoonPour in white wine let liquid evaporate. Then add in 1 cup vegetable broth and stir with wooden spoon. Uisng the same technique as cooking risotto, add in ½ cup of vegetable broth when liquid evaporates and repeat until orzo is al ‘dente’ (following cooking time directions on orzo package). Five minutes before cooking time is up- add in remaining steamed broccoli, steamed, cleaned shrimp, packet of saffron. Stir until saffron is well blended in.

When finished cooking, remove from heat. Place 1 tsp butter on top, stir in. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Stir. Let sit one minute before serving. For serving idea, serve in small glasses. Top with one whole shrimp and a broccoli floret for decoration

Serve with Franciacorta white wine.

 Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking : Holidys & Special Occasions   just in time for the Holidays with over 140 recipes ,wine pairing tips, menus and more.

Hope to see you at my upcoming book events/ cooking demos/ tastings at:
December 9th-Girls Night Out- Chestnut Hill Business Association, Chestnut Hill, Pa

December 12th- Franklin Twp Library, Franklin Twp, NJ at 2 PM

To schedule a cooking class , wine pairing event or  a culinary tour  in the US or Italy with The Basic Art of Italian Cooking  by Maria Liberati tm  email us at events@marialiberati.com

For more appearances and upcoming events go to http://marialiberati.com

“L’appetito vien mangiando”

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

A day in the city.Rome that is..always makes me hungry..and hungry enough for a plate of pasta with tuna and a tomato sauce.

Best served with spaghetti or linguini.

Really a light dish ..no cheese since there is fish on top..served with a chilled refreshing dry white wine to make this a perfect lunch or dinner. I prefer my pasta meals in the afternoon..gives me more energy for the rest of the day. 

A handful of  fresh parsley adds a perfume to this dish and a trip  to the local open air market here in Rome was a necessary trip..no garden here at the city house.

The recipe is a simple one..

Pasta with tuna

1 lb spaghetti

1 can Albacore tuna

1 clove garlic

2 lbs fresh, red ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut

3 tblsps extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil

1 handful chopped parsley leaves

Place olive oil in saute pan. Place in garlic. When garlic begins to turn golden, place in tomatoes and wine, let simmer down, When sauce has reached its consistency thickened, place in flaked tuna. remove from heat, toss  in pasta cooked  al dente.

Serve with sprinkled parsley.

A chilled bottle of Fallenghina wine is what we are enjoying with this dish…

Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions before the Holiday rush. With over 140 recipes, menus, wine pairing tips and short stories of Holidays spent in Italy this book makes a perfect gift for a special person or yourself!

Join me for upcoming events & apearances:
Sept 23rd- The Big Blend Radio Show

Oct 3rd- Book signing 11-1 PM-Collingswood Book festival, Collingswood, NJ

October 5th-Book Signing & cooking demo with dinner-Horsham Library. Horsham, Pa

October 12th- Book signing, Borders Book Store, Warrington, Pa

October 21, Book singing, cooking demo with smapling at Lower Southampton Library, Feasterville, Pa.

See you then

Mangia Bene ,Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Today as I finished up a panel discussion at the Chestnut Hill Book Festival in Chestnut Hill, Pa on writing  your own cookbook (with  noted cookbook writers’ ) someone in the audience came up to thank me for noting that cookbook writing and cooking should be a passion.  But he also put it more succinctly…… that cooking and eating a meal should be more than just putting ingredients together..it should be an experience no matter how simple!
Think of  eating a meal as an experience..an experience to try a new food  or a new flavor combination. It can be a simple dish..bruschetta with fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella..a truly delicious experience of  true flavors! An fun experience to lift up your spirits..to give you something to look forward to at the end of the day!

Here are some great recipes to experience:

Zucchini Parmigiana Frittata

*6 eggs

*2 small zucchini, chopped

*4 tblsps of olive oil

*4 tblsps of parmigiana-reggiano cheese grated

*handful of fresh parsley finely chopped

*salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in saute pan. Place in chopped zucchini. Saute for 5 minuts. Break eggs in a bowl. wisk with a wire whisk, place in chopped parsley, grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese wisk together. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Place in saute pan with zucchini. When all sides are dryu and top does not have runny liquid, flip over with a plate on top and place back in sauce pan. Brown on that side, take out of pan and slice and serve.

Panzanella (tuscan bread salad)

*4 slices of thick crusty bread

*1/2 cup  extra virgin olive oil

*4 plum tonatoes chopped

*1 cucumber peeled and chopped

*1/2 red onion peeled and chopped

*handful of fresh basil leaves chopped

Tear bread slices and place in bowl with chopped cucumber and chopped onion. In  small bowl whisk together olive oil and red wine vinegar. Pour over bread and salad and let marinade for 30 minutes.

Then place in tomatoes, and toss, top with chopped basil leaves and serve.

Hope to see you at the upcoming The Basic Art of Italian Cooking events at:
July 16th- Annapolis, MD- Whole Foods Market, Annapolis Culinary Center, 7 PM- A Tuscan Picnic cooking demo and book signing. Call store for info or email events@marialiberati.com

July 18th- Fair Lakes/Fairfax, Va., Whole Foods Market, A Tuscan Picnic  and Wine Pairing, 1PM. Call store for info or email:events@marialiberati.com

July 31st-August 2nd ,Atlantic City Wine and Food Festival. Email:events@marialiberati.com

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

http://twitter.com/marialiberati

http://mariandco.blogspot.com