Italy's Beaches & Their Flavors

Guest Blogger: Lisa Zatulovsky
Copyright 2011, Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc.
Nestled amongst four seas, the grandiose beaches of Italy look like storybook paintings come to life with water infused sapphires and emeralds, amidst imposing mountains and sherbet colored sunsets. Artfully sprinkled with natural rock formations and crashing waves, Italy’s breathtaking beaches look as though a hypnotic mermaid might sit atop a rock at any moment, waiting for her next sailor to enchant.
Aside from having some of the most popular historical sights in Europe, Italy presents some of the worlds most incredible beaches, frequently populated during peak summer season. Visiting one of Italy’s beaches not only has unreal picturesque sights, but light, appetizing and healthy Mediterranean cuisine. Fresh fish, colorful salads and delectable fruits and vegetables are everywhere you turn. The idyllic serenity of Italy’s coastlines is perfectly reflected in the Mediterranean cuisine. Take notes from the healthful Mediterranean diet and let it play a starring role in your cooking this summer.
Visit the Island of Capri and you may feel like an extra on the set of the latest “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. Located off of Southern Italy’s Amalfi Coast, tourists flood Capri every summer taking in all that this magical Island has to offer. From white sand beaches to mild 70-degree temperatures, the Island of Capri has remained one of Italy’s most popular beach destinations. Seaside restaurants line the edges of the island, with locals and tourists enjoying the island’s delicacies, while swirls of salt-kissed breezes gracefully dance through the air. Order from one of Capri’s many restaurants and try authentic stuffed Calamari with a Caprese salad. Taking advantage of the bountiful amounts of fish, chefs will often times serve you fish caught a few hours beforehand. The pairing of Calamari stuffed with mushrooms, garlic and creamy cheese with a light Caprese salad made with whole slices of tomato, mozzarella, and basil, drizzled with olive oil completely embody the flavors of Capri.
Even further south, the island of Sicily has an overwhelming selection of beaches to choose from. From fine white sand to black sand volcanic beaches, small fishing towns to glamorous resorts, this large island rich in tradition has a personality all its own. Like Capri, Sicily uses many of the islands amazing fruits, vegetables and fish into their diet. However, Sicilian cuisine also merge’s hints of neighboring countries and Middle Eastern spices, nuts and fruits into a cuisine all their own. To soak up the special flavors of Sicily, try pasta with prawns and pistachio pesto. This dish incorporates Arabic influences with rich pistachios, a hint of Spanish spice and the heartiness of prawns. Cooked with penne and a garlic tomato sauce with white whine and olive oil, this Sicilian pasta dish represents the variety of flavors and distinct tastes of the island.
Whether you bask in the sun at your neighborhood pool, float down a lazy river in an innertube, or have a chance to experience Italy’s many beaches for yourself, incorporating a Mediterranean diet into your summer meals is a healthful and fresh way to celebrate a season full of life, warmth and sun. From a Caprese salad to Sicilian pasta, dishes inspired by the plentiful resources off of Italy’s coasts can be easily transported from the Mediterranean Sea to your kitchen.

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Delicious Wonders of Sicily..

Sicily is famous for many things but the two most delicious things ( In my opinion) are the blood oranges and the cannoli (more on the cannoli later)...

If you have never tasted a blood red orange from Sicily you are really missing out on one of life's wonders. They are worth a trip to Italy just to taste them or savor freshly squeezed juice..nothing like it...it is like eating orange candy..so sweet..and now is the season..

I remember the first few times I had breakfast in a coffee bar here and began seeing the barristas squeezing thes oranges for fresh orange juice during the seaason. I decided to try a 'spremuta' (fresh juice) myself one day and became hooked. When assembling The Basic Art of Italian Cooking Kitchen here in Italy-that was one of our first appliances- a stainless steel orange juice squeezer..so that we could use the fresh juice in many recipes.

Everyone seems to be praising them and their virtues...

Here is a recipe to try, if you can't get the blood oranges of Sicily- navel oranges should do.. (certainly won't be the same but can be an acceptable substitute)

Braised lettuce with Oranges
For 4 people

1 head of romaine lettuce (1 pound)

1 can of chick peas

1 tblsp of extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

pinch of red hot pepper

4 fresh oranges

fresh coriander

salt and pepper to taste

Peel oranges and cut or break into sections or slices. Keep the juice that comes out of the oranges while cutting, in a glass.

Wash ,dry and chop the lettuce. Place 1/2 tblsp olive oil in saute pan, heat, place in chopped lettuce, pinch of salt, 2 cloves of garlic and pinch of hot red pepper. Place chick peas in food processor with 1 tsp of olive oil, pinch of salt ,reserved orange juice and blend into a cream. Place cream on a flat dish.

Top with braised lettuce and top with orange slices, coriander leaves, drizzle with remaining olive oil adn a pinch of freshly ground black pepper.

Do you have any favorite recipes or foods from Sicily you can share with us..we'd love to hear...

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

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Here is a recipe for a lower calorie verison of the cannoli
http://notecook.com/desserts/pastries/making-italian-cannoli-lower-calorie-
version/#comment-8901

Join me on March 12th at 6-8 PM at the Harleysville Book Shop, 674 Main St, Harleysville, Pa for a special Welcoming Spring Book Signing of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking and a cooking demo. Free and open to the public. For more events go to :
http://www.marialiberati.com/appearances.php

Sicilia

The largest island in the Mediterranean, the Italian region of Sicily (Sicilia) has successfully meshed together aspects of several Mediterranean cultures (Greek and Roman, Arab and Norman, Spanish, French, and Italian) to form its own unique identity. Aside from its eclectic culture, Sicily boasts many frozen impressions of times past, as well as Etna, the highest volcano in Europe, standing 3,323 meters tall.

Situated in southeast Sicily, Siracusa (Syracuse) is a place where history is extremely visible. Once a powerful Greek and then Roman city, temples and theaters from ancient times still stand to remind Siracusans of their past. The Tempio di Apollo (Temple of Apollo) is one site that truly reflects Siracusa’s complicated history. The temple was built in the 6^th century BC on Siracusa’s island of Ortygia and stands as the oldest Doric peripteral temple in the world, according to www.Sacred-Destinations.com. Originally, the temple is said to have been built to honor Apollo, though Cicero wrote that it was in dedication to Artemis. Before long, the temple was converted
into a Byzantine church, then into a Muslim mosque, and then back into a church.

No matter where you are in Sicily, there is one distinctive feature of the region that cannot be avoided: the food. Sicilian cuisine is treasured worldwide. Due to its numerous outside influences, the cuisine is an interesting mix of fish, homegrown foods, Italian pastas, and foreign ingredients.

Oranges to Your Health....

Here in Italy we are getting ready for the Appointment with Oranges for your Health (L’Appuntamento con L’arance della Salute). This is held every January 26th to emphasize the health benefits of eating oranges, but not just any oranges these are the ones that are produced this time of year in Sicily.
I have been enjoying their benefits for over a month now, it is hard to have a day go by without eating an orange or two-so sweet and luscious.
But these oranges are rich in antioxidants, thanks to their vitamin C content which is 40% higher than the other citrus fruits. But their benefits don’t stop there- they help fight free radicals, are also rich in vitamins A and B and flavonoids- all the substances necessary to maintain your immune system.
In celebration of these wonderful little packages of delight, the association for prevention of cancer here in Italy jointly will be offering cases for sale in all the piazzas in Italy. A percentage of the profits go to the Cancer Society here in Italy.
And as the Cancer Society reminds us that colorful fruits and vegetables provide many health benefits and the health benefits are doubled when you eat different fruits and/or vegetables together.
If you can get your hands on an orange from Sicily it may be well worth a try. But you can use any orange for the recipe below; by the way another ingredient with many anti-aging properties is also included-sardines....
Hope you enjoy it, this will be today’s ‘pranzo’ (lunch)
Orange & Sardine
2 lbs of fresh sardines, cleaned
½ cup of green olives, pitted
2 tblsps of pinoli nuts
1 large organic lemon
2 oranges
1 small dried hot pepper
2 tblsps of extra virgin olive oil
½ cup plain bread crumbs
1 small handful of fresh Parsley (leaves only no stems)
Pinch of salt
In a small food processor or chopper place olives, pinoli nuts and half of small handful fresh parsley, hot pepper. Chop finely.
Cut lemon into thin slices.
Drizzle olive oil to coat the bottom of round pie pan.
Place one layer of cleaned sardines, pinch of salt, remaining parsley chopped finely, cover this with thin lemon slices. Repeat with another layer of sardines, but cover this layer with juice of one orange, then drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil and top with the bread crumb mixture.
Place in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Let cool before serving. Cut second orange into slices and serve with orange slices as decorations. If you would like more recipes from Italy in the winter go to:
http://www.trifter.com/Europe/Italy/Winter-in-Italy-with-Winter-Recipes.66858
http://www.trifter.com/Europe/Italy/Friuli-Venezia-Giulia-The-Overlooked-Region-Of-Italy.60609
http://www.gomestic.com/Cooking/Traditional-Italian-Feast-of-the-Seven-Fishes.58592

http://www.notecook.com/Bread/Panettone-for-Christmas.57131

Check out my new blog at:
http://mediterraneandiet-healthy.blogspot.com/
Get your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking http://www.marialiberati.com and get $5 off retail price and free shipping.