Mussels & the South of France

copyright 2010 art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc

The thought of a dish of Mussels always brings back my memories of  summer trips to the South of  France, where many restaurants serve them fresh from the sea..the thought of eating a plate of mussels in tomato sauce outside on a warm summer day in the hot summer sun brings me to a special place..  ..and maybe it is anticipation but with Spring just popping by it seems that summer can't be far off...but doesn't have to be summer to enjoy this.... it is from my latest book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions


Tagliolini Pasta with Mussels


(Tagliolini are egg noodle pasta traditional to the Region of Emilia-Romagna but are sold all over the world)

½ lb of egg noodles (tagliolini pasta)

1 lb of zucchini

1 ½ pounds fresh mussels

¼ cup chopped onion

1 scallion

6 tablespoons of extra virgin oilive oil

1 handful of fresh basil

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley leaves

salt

freshly ground pepper to taste



Chop onion and scallion. Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan.Saute on medium low heat for 5 minutes, do nor brown. Wash and slice zucchini into small sticks. In another saucepan,place in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, warm for 1 minute and place in zucchini, saute for 5 minutes,season with salt and pepper to taste. In another sauce pan place in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, place in washed mussels and chopped parsley. Cover and when mussels have opened their shells, remove from heat. Set aside. Remove mussels from pan and shell. Filter the water from cooking mussels and set aside. Place shelled mussels, cooking water , sauteed zucchini, in saute pan with onion.Saute together for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Place in chopped basil and remaining olive oil. Cover and set aside. Cook noodles. Drain. Place into saute pan with mussels, place over moderate low heat for one minute, toss gently. Serve

Booksigning at Free Library of Philadelphia-April 14

Leftovers Again??

All blogs copyright art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc 2008,2009,2010

What’s for dinner tonight? The answer is simple once you’ve mastered the quickstep approach in meal preparation, transforming tiresome leftovers into rock star dinners. Even if you can’t cook, have fun with it because these ideas are easy enough from start to finish. There’s nothing worse than finally sitting down after a long strenuous workday than to a repeat-offender of last night’s meal. Practically willing it to disappear, those Houdini techniques at dinnertime sometimes fall short due to rushing lifestyles and little time. You certainly don’t have to juggle yet another bag of groceries to achieve creative-greatness in the kitchen. So relax… open the refrigerator, allow its contents to inspire your inner-chef, and reinvent those weary leftovers. Everyone will think you’ve spent the entire day cooking, and only you will be the wiser.




Like many, the thought of food lingering from previous meals stirs visual doldrums that need not be recurring. With gas prices on the rise, ordinary provisions can become extraordinary cuisine without spending another dime at the local supermarket. Growing up, there were certainly times when money was sparse, and the invaluable lesson instilled was always the same, 'waste not want not'. When it comes to leftovers, anyone can present a versatile delicacy of options for turning just about anything into a forgivable next day feast. Sounds strange… but, in most cases, it’s actually true. Need proof? An American culinary staple is and will forever remain the hamburger, and while employing leftovers may seem a difficult task… those burgers can easily become a savory meat sauce for any pasta dish.






Pasta Surprise

Ingredients yield approximately 4 servings depending on ‘leftover’ amounts.

1 16 oz package of durum wheat or whole wheat spaghetti

Leftover hamburgers

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 -16 oz cans plum tomatoes

1 medium tomato, diced

1 tsp freshly chopped parsley

1 tsp freshly chopped oregano

¼ tsp garlic

3 basil leaves, chopped

Salt/pepper (to taste)

Grated Romano cheese (to taste)



Shred hamburger and place in a large skillet, stirring in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to remoisten meat. Cook on medium heat setting for 3-5 minutes or long enough to heat. Add plum tomatoes and diced tomatoes while blending in herbs/seasonings to enhance flavor. (This easy recipe is still ideal no matter what spices you have in your refrigerator and pantry.)



Bring meat sauce to boil then cover and reduce heat to simmer, allowing flavors to meld. Stir occasionally while preparing spaghetti. After draining al dente (firm) noodles. Place spaghetti in saute pan with sauce and toss, place on large serving platter, and sprinkle with grated Romano cheese. Voila, you’ve just reinvented your leftover hamburgers into a delectable Italian dish.

Still hungry?

Be sure to visit http://www.marialiberati.com for more great recipes, and get your copy of, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking, by Maria Liberati.
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The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions

Suitcase Full of Flavors

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Getting ready for a weekend at the beach. A suitcase full of flavors is what I am preparing...so many tastes and foods to cook with at the sea and I don't want to miss any. So I bring some flavors form home to cook with..organic rosemary from our garden..some golden potatoes grown locally..a few preserving jars in case it rains and I decide to preserve tomatoes
The tomatoes of Francavilla..ugly but are perfect for sugo (sauce).. the fresh fish market near home (at the beach) makes any seafood dish possible..

Menu for the weekend will be pasta asciutta (pasta with a freshly made tomato sauce) served with locally produced Pecorino wine. Linguine allla vongole (spaghetti with clams) tiny sweet clams from our local fish market....and served with a locally produced Trebbiano wine...bruschetta for dinner with locally produced mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil..side dish of the potatoes from home roasted with organic rosemary...and a weekend at the beach in the summer always means fresh watermelon for dessert and an evening passeggiata for gelato at our neighborhood gelato bar..can't substitute anything else..

Back to packing..and to make a quick run to our neighborhood forno (oven) to get some locally produced potato bread for a panino to take along for the ride..Not a fan of fast food 'on the road ' places.. A presto enjoy the end of summer weekend......
Get your copy of  the just released....The Basic Art of Holidays & Special Occasions
over 140 recipes ,menus, tips for the Holidays and more...


Mangia Bene, Vivi Bene,


Maria
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My Weekend with Pizza

This weekend we filled The Basic Art of Italian Cooking Kitchen here in Italy with the smell of pizza..follow our adventures here at http://www.marialiberati.com/blog2 and find many more tips on pizza making at http://tinyurl.com/djd29w

For more great recipes get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com

Today's Lunch is..

In ‘il mio laboratorio’ as we now call our cucina... filled with ingredients for testing of recipes for my upcoming books. For today’s lunch we had a choice of 4 different variations on the lentil soup that I and (my culinary assistant-Alessandra) prepared. The hearty recipe which is really more of a traditional one here in the mountains of Abruzzo this time of year- is what became our lunch..Alfonso and I enjoyed our heaping bowls with a glass of locally produced Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. Read about this heavenly juice here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montepulciano_d

Here is the chosen recipe..enjoy

2 cups of dry lentils soaked overnight in 4 cups of water
2 tblsps of extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 slice of fresh onion
1 small can of peeled tomatoes with juice or 1 lb of fresh plum tomatoes, peeled,seeded,cleaned
2 whole carrots
1 whole celery stick
Pinch of salt

4 slices of crusty bread broiled with drizzled olive oil, Sapori D’Italia spice blend on top

Saute olive oil, garlic and onion in soup pot and when just about golden add in tomatoes, lentils with water soaked in, whole carrots and celery. Cover and stir every so often. Cook until liquid just about evaporates and lentils are tender. If lentils have not finished cooking and liquid evaporates add in some water..

Arrange 2 slices of crostini bread in each soup dish, pour soup over bread and enjoy. You can even drizzle a little olive oil on top..

And if you want to know how healthy this dish is for you (too healthy for such a delicious dish) find out here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentil
http://www.foodsubs.com/Lentils.html
www.health.com/health/article/0,23414,1149140,00.html
italianfood.about.com/od/aboutingredients/a/aa012200.html


Buon Pranzo , enjoy your lunch..
Ciao for now, for more recipes go to http://www.marialiberati.com/
Get a free excerpt from the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com
Order your copy of the bestselling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati at http://www.marialiberati.com/ and receive $5 off retail price and free shipping..