{"id":1095,"date":"2009-07-20T02:47:52","date_gmt":"2009-07-20T02:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marialiberati.com\/blog2\/?p=810"},"modified":"2009-07-20T02:47:52","modified_gmt":"2009-07-20T02:47:52","slug":"on-the-road-again-enjoying-local-produce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/2009\/07\/20\/on-the-road-again-enjoying-local-produce\/","title":{"rendered":"On The Road Again..Enjoying Local Produce."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Plumcots\"
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\ncopyright 2009, Maria Liberati
\nFrom locally produced zucchini and plumcots to heirloom tomatoes..my trip to Annapolis<\/a> ,Maryland<\/a> down to Fairfax Virginia…was a\u00a0delicious \u00a0one.\u00a0
\nTraveling by car (in the US) when possible is a wonderful way to discover not only new places but new local produce wherever you are. Stop at local farm markets or stores that carry local produce. If you can find a hotel room with a kitchenette-even better- you may be able to make a dinner or lunch using your local finds.
\nA simple lunch -of yogurt and locally produced fruit was a refreshing lunch to enjoy -without having to cook. Local\u00a0\u00a0plumcots were juicy and sweet and made the yogurt ever so luscious….\u00a0the perfect\u00a0way ot make\u00a0\u00a0a container of yogurt into \u00a0a meal. Fresh local zucchini cut up and put on top of a pre prepared salad made it into a local summer treat..a drizzle of olive oil<\/a> and balsamic vinegar<\/a> and that was all I needed for a light summer dinner. (sorry no wine<\/a>…\u00a0I was driving, so I had to skip the wine)
\nThanks to \u00a0the Tuscan Picnic and wine pairing event I\u00a0hosted \u00a0at Whole Foods- Fair Lakes, Virginia<\/a>–\u00a0I also discovered some new great wines. I asked for the white wine Est!Est Est! for the appetizer\u00a0 course\u00a0 I prepared and they didn’t have that but substituted\u00a0a \u00a0Tuscan wine called Vernaccio. It complemented the Tuscan \u00a0bean salad so well..
\nA Barolo<\/a> Rose was served with the Insalata di Riso con Rucola e Pomodoro (Cold rice salad with arugula and tomatoes). Light and refreshing as well.
\nBut the star of the event was the Casorza served with the dessert course which was a crema di ricotta con frutta (ricotta cream with fruit). I had selected a Braccheto D”Acqui that I know so well from many a special occasions we have celebrated and many dessert and wine pairings I have hosted at\u00a0 vineyards in Italy<\/a>.\u00a0 I was disappointed to hear they did not have that and would need to choose a substitute..but the substitute wine\u00a0 was definitely a ‘twin’ of Bracchetto and paired<\/a> so well with the desseet.
\nCasorza is from Piemonte (the Piedmont<\/a> region of Italy (like\u00a0 Bracchetto) and it is bubbly, light, red ,and has\u00a0 tinge of sweetness but fits just as well with appetizers as desserts. The bubbles\u00a0 and its’ tinge of sweetness just float along your tongue and produce a yummy combination\u00a0when paired with\u00a0a light dessert! A festive wine that makes any occasion..even an afternoon \u00a0Tuscan Picnic-a special one..
\nThnaks to all 84 of you that came out to share the picnic with us at the Fair Lakes Whole Foods, I so enjoyed sharing the\u00a0event with\u00a0you and meeting you all……\u00a0and for those of you that\u00a0tried to register\u00a0after the class sold out..put your name on the waiting list\u00a0 (before my next event sells out) I will be back to do another dinner and wine pairing event from my best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking and the new release (released in Sept 2009) The Basic Art of Italian Cooking -Holidays and Special Occasions.
\nIf you that were not able to make it out to the Fair Lakes Whole Foods The Basic\u00a0Art of Italian\u00a0Cooking-\u00a0Tuscan Picnic event, here are the recipes..<\/a>don’t forget to pair them with the wines suggested and if you are near the Fair Lakes Whole Foods you can\u00a0get your copy of \u00a0The Basic Art of Italian Cooking there.
\nMangia Bene, Vivi Bene
\nhttp:\/\/twitter.com\/Marialiberati<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/mariaandco.blogspot.com<\/a>
\nMaria
\nHope to see you at The Basic Art of Italian Cooking events.\u00a0 Come join us for the book release at :
\nJuly 31-August 2-Atlantic City Food & Wine Show-email:events@marialiberati.com<\/p>\n

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