When the Ordinary Becomes the Extraordinary..

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

I have always thought of Italian cooking as just that; always making something ordinary into something extraordinary! Day-old bread becomes an elegant appetizer with just a drizzle of extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil..tomatoes are transformed into a savory condiment for pasta using a few simple ingredients-fresh San Marzano tomatoes (and right now I am up to my elbows in San Marzano tomatoes, it is the season and we are preserving them for the winter) fresh basil, fresh garlic, extra virgin,cold pressed olive oil.

Here is a recipe from The Basic Art of Italian Kitchen here in the mountains of Abruzzo, making ordinary out of the extraordinary with local potatoes, organic rosemary from our garden and locally produced extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil.

Tuscan Roasted Potatoes

*1 lb of red or Yukon Gold Potatoes or locally grown potatoes

*3 stalks of fresh rosemary

*4 tablespoons extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil

*salt to taste

Wash potatoes, boil for 10 minutes. Drain, peel. Cut into quarters. Drizzle half of olive oil on bottom of roasting pan, place in potatoes. Drizzle remaining olive oil on top, Salt to taste, take some rosemary off branches and place on top of potatoes. Place 1 branch of rosemary on top and bake for 30-40 minutes at 450 degrees, place under broiler for 2-3 minutes when finished to brown top.

Serve with a white wine, my choice today will be a chilled Vermentino from Sardinia.

Buon’appetito

Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,

Maria

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