Cetara's Ancient Sauce | Colatura di Alici (Garum)


copyright 2014 Art of Living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati
So continuing on my trip through Amalfi and filming of the first episode of my new PBS TV show.. the story I want to share today comes from the little town of Cetara.. a fisherman’s village and a little gem on the Amalfi Coast. one of the towns we stopped in..Here is where I discovered an ingredient that comes from the ancient Romans but still exists here..the liquid the Romans made was called Garum..here in Cetara they call it Colatura di alici.. One of the  ancient cookbook authors Pliny referred to Garum as ‘an exquisite liquor’.  Modern day Worcestershire sauce does contain anchovies so the ancient Romans were definitely on to something with this sauce.
Now for those of you that have never dined with the ancient Romans, ( I’m guessing that is all of us) garum or colatura is a tasty liquid that is made up of anchovies that have been cured in layers of salt for 8-9 months.  It is an anchovy sauce and no one does it better than the residents of Cetara.  For them it is a passion. The process of making the colatura di alici  is handed down from generations of families here, from the  wooden barrel that the anchovies are cured in to the recipe to the type of anchovy that is used. It is more than just a sauce in Cetara it is a tradition. it is meant to be a seasoning not to be used as a sauce on its’ own.
One of the local chefs who helped prepare an ‘oh-so-delicious’ pasta  dish with this sauce is a local chef who just happens to own one of the best restaurants there-Franco
You can catch a clip of Franco making a pasta dish with the colatura sauce in this trailer..The full episode will be airing later in 2014 on PBS. Contact your local PBS station to find out dates and times
the show  The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm will be airing.
Close your eyes and pretend you are now in the beautiful paradise known as Amalfi and enjoy this clip
http://thebasicartofitaliancooking.com/2014/05/04/trailer/
A special thank you to everyone that attended my ‘Cooking Authentic Tuscan Class and Dinner” at the Culinary Center in Lansdale Pa. It was a sold out event!
May 24th- Casa Casale (the ultimate Italian foodie store and more) , located in Lahaska, Pa- book signing and cooking demo  the Gourmand Award Winning Book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays and Special Occcasions-2nd edition.  Casa Casale is located in Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, Pa, event will take place between 12 and 3 PM. Event is free and open to the public and includes sampling. For more info call Casa Casale at 215-794-1474 or go to www.casacasale.com See you there!
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* May 31st-June 1st Join Me at Great Grapes in Hunt Valley, Maryland :
Festival is from 12 pm to 6 pm 
Cooking demo is on Saturday, May 31st at 4 pm and Sunday, June 1st at 1 pm.
http://www.uncorkthefun.com/hunt-valley-maryland/entertainment-schedule
Oregon Ridge Park, 13401 Beaver Dam Road, Hunt Valley, MD 2103
Great Grapes Wine & Food Festival  http://www.uncorkthefun.com/hunt-valley-maryland/site-info
Saturday, May 31st, a Book Signing/Sampling/Cooking Demo at  12 PM to 2 PM,   E•N•Olivier extraordinary oils & vinegars,
1407 Clarkview Road, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD, 21209 (across from Princeton Sports),
E•N•Olivier extraordinary oils & vinegars  http://enolivier.com/
* July18-20.. FESTA ITALIANA, Milwaukee Wisconsin. …counting down to my appearance at the biggest Italian Festival in the USA> Hope you can join me for a Celebration of all things Italian! Get discounted tickets here
http://www.festaitaliana.com/tickets.html
http://www.festaitaliana.com/la-cucina-showcase.html
 

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