Strawberries...the Tears of Venus

Spring is almost here and that means the appearance of this beautiful red fruit.

Legend has it that when Adonis died, Venus shed tears that turned into strawberries..for this reason they  were  enjoyed by Romans at feasts held in his name. Shakespeare called strawberries food worthy of  fairies..and King Louis XIV had them planted in the gardens of  Versailles...

Anticipation..anticipation..for Spring and Strawberry season..
Here is a recipe from the Gourmand World Cookbook Award winner The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays &Special Occasions

Risotto alla Fragole (risotto with strawberries)


4 cups vegetable broth

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 leeks chopped finely

1 cup arborio or carnaroli rice

1 tablespoon butter (unsalted)

pinch of salt

1 cup Prosecco, Spumante or dry white wine

10 ounces fresh strawberries, washed and cut in half

Heat vegetable broth till boiling. Place olive oil in large saute pan. Place in chopped leeks and saute till leeks are just about golden. Place in rice and toast till rice is coated with oil and all liquid is evaporated. Add in wine or Prosecco. Stir till all liquid is evaporated. Place in ½ cup of vegetable broth and stir till all liquid is evaporated and repeat placing in ½ cup liquid til evaporated till rice is al dente (approximately 15 minutes).


Puree strawberries. When rice is almost done, place in strawberry puree. Stir in well. Remove from heat. Let stand for 2 minutes. Place 1 tablespon of butter on top and stir till melted. Serve ,top with grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese. Decorate plates with strawberry garnish.



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Ciambellone & A Trip Back in Time

My visit today to the medieval Abbey of Casamari in the province of Frosinone was a visit back to the medieval  pharmacies where many of the medicinal herbal formulas were discovered by the Benedictine monks here and brought to the world. The liqueurs and honeys also have medicinal properties to them and they are all produced at the Abbey in a traditional way, all fruits,herbs, plants used are all grown organically by the monks there..a virtual trip back in time.. After Sunday mass (said by the monks in Latin), and a visit to the Abbey's pharmacy and store the open air market beckoned.
The fragrance of freshly made (locally) made ciambellone were almost calling my name. These particularly local ciambellone made with anise seeds and boiled then baked (like  a bagel) are a typical product from  this region, but now they are difficult to find.
 They bring back memories of my grandmother (who made her own delicious version of these for breakfast) telling stories of how she would go to her local town bakery ( in the town of Venafro, Italy) in the morning and get them freshly baked for breakfast... my great aunt (her older  sister)  owned the bakery and was the head baker there.... These locally baked treats have been almost impossible to locate ..so this was a real trip back in time..and an unexpected culinary treat..mmm..a piece of local  cheese with a  hot,freshly baked ciambellone..could not have dreamed of a better lunch...can not even describe the expereince..it was one to be savored....
Here is another version of a classic ciambellone that is like a pound cake, delicious also and a little bit easier to make..while I pull out my recipe for the ciambellone I feasted on today..

Ciambellone Classico

2 cups all purpose flour or cake flour sifted

¾ cup sugar

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 asmooth 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.

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Herb Cheese Muffins

One of my favorite recipes for winter menus are these herbed cheese muffins..great to accompany dishes or serve as an appetizer or alongside cheese or a salad for a light meal.
This weekend was spent shopping at some of the local farmers markets..my stylish shopping bags were great..I could be stylish and help the environment at the same time. Get $25 off any purchase use coupon code :maria2509 when shopping/..no minimum purchase required
Herb Cheese Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour


½ scallion

4 ounces of fontina cheese (can substitute provolone or asiago cheese also)

tsp of fresh thyme

tsp of freshly chopped parsley

2 tblsps of grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

4 ounces unsalted butter

1 tsp of baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

3 eggs

dash of white pepper

dash of slat



Chop parsley and thyme together. Chop finely. Chop scallion finely and add to the herbs.

In a bowl place in flour, baking powder, soda, grated parmigiano cheese, white pepper ,salt. Mix with wooden spoon. Set aside.



In another bowl, whisk the eggs with a wire whisk. Add to that melted butter, milk. Add in chopped herbs and blend with wooden spoon. Add in the fontina cheese cut into small cubes. Blend with wooden spoon.



Pour flour mixture into egg mixture and blend lightly with wooden spoon. Butter muffin cups and place 2-3 tblsps of muffin mix in muffin cups. Cook for 25 minutes at a preheated oven of 400 degrees.