Time is Only Ingredient in Short Supply,,,

Even though time is spent at such a slow pace here, it is in short supply. Before I know it it is 1 PM or a Holiday and all stores close down. So if you need any ingredients that you may have forgotten you can't get them until the re-opening of the store which can be in 3 hours or a day or two-depending on time of year and date of year.
Yesterday for instance -the 15th of August and a big Holiday here in Italy. I planned on making a chocolate ricotta cheesecake- so Friday ingredients were purchased-well all ingredients- but the dark chocolate pieces needed to mix into the ricotta. But someone must have chocolate bars-perhaps a coffee bar or small grocery store?
The difficult part was first to find something that was open on the 15th of August. Next did they have chocolate. Found 2 coffee bars that were (surprisingly) open. But they told us that even though they normally carry chocolate bars throughout the year, they don't have them this time of the year for fear that they may melt..

So the chocolate cheesecake would have to wait for one more day and it was a ciambellone classico for dessert. And yes, was able to find a small, local, candy store open today that did have the Dark chocolate bars. And the cheesecake will have to wait until tomorrow. Here is the recipe for the ciambellone and stay tuned for the cheesecake recipe in the next few days.
http://www.marilaiberati.com/blog2

The State of Coffee

Written/Edited by Eliza Chute

I do not claim to be a coffee connoisseur, in fact I am far from it. As a few of my friends put it, I don’t drink coffee, I drink caffeinated sugar milk. Because of this fact I tend to judge a coffee shop by its mocha. The mocha drink of Blue State Coffee on Thayer street, though a little more coffee and a little less sugary than I normally prefer, was quite delicious. However, Blue State coffee has a greater appeal than simply the taste of their coffee. Not only is the coffee both organically grown and fair traded, but after you buy it you are given a voting tablet, where you can then vote for which charity you would like them to donate 5% of their profits to. After purchasing my mocha I took my tab and put it into the Marriage Equality of RI slot, before tasting my drink and deciding not to add an extra packet of sugar.
Blue State Coffee was started by lawyer Marshall Ruben and his son, Drew. These men are on a mission, a mission which is four-pronged. First of all, they deal with only fair trade, organic coffee, and as they put it, “roasted to perfection”. Secondly, they donate 5% of profits that reflect their “progressive values”, some of those in Rhode Island include, Youth in Action, Southside Community Land Trust, RI family life center, and the previously mentioned Marriage Equality RI. According to their web-site they have already donated 78,000 dollars to various causes. If that isn’t noble enough, they also make an effort to “run a zero waste, environmentally sustainable business.” They take various measures to do this, from discounts for people who bring their own mug to their Providence location being completely powered by wind power. O yea, and they are also trying to bring everyone dedicated to bettering the country together through their shops. They say coffee is an acquired taste, one I have yet to acquire, but this is something I can definitely see myself getting used to.

All quotes taken from Blue State website http://www.bluestatecoffee.com/

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Il Perdonanza, Cafe torronata, L'Aquila...

(copyright 2006-2007, Maria Liberati)

One of the things I look forward to doing each year (if selected) is being part of a 700 yr old medieval event that is held in the capital city (L'Aquila) of the region I live in (Abruzzo).
Each year, a certain number of dignitaries and notable people - from not only Abruzzo but all over the world are selected to take part in this event. This year was the second year I was selected to be part of the 'sfilate' or parade along with many notable people from ambassadors and/or their wives from Bosnia, other parts of Europe, the Vice President of Italy, 5 bishops from the Vatican and all of the mayors from every town in Abruzzo.

I will do a sequence of blogs on this event since it is an important event and it has a lot of significance in the world today. The event was started by Pope Celestino- the Pope back in that time. The event is known as "La Perdonanza Celestiniana". It refers to an idea this Pope came up with to try to make peace in the world, because at that time many countries were also fighting against each other.
His philosophy was in order to try to make peace in the world- to forgive everyone and wash their slate clean from that day forward- no matter what they had done in the past. However, they must promise to mend their old ways and start anew and all would be forgiven. And amazingly enough, at that time this created peace in the world. A beautiful thought and a beautiful way to celebrate the idea of peace in the world
One of my favorite reasons to go to the beautiful city of L'Aquila- besides their beautiful churches, works of art, scenery and food is a special coffee drink called 'cafe torronata'. It is an espresso served up elegantly with a chocolate candy (a specialty made in L'Aquila) placed in the bottom of the drink and allowed to melt into the coffee. A dollop of whip cream on top and prepare to be mesmerized!!.
Here is my recipe for cafe torronato. However, to get the real thing, you should have a chocolate covered torrone from Fratelli Nurzia or Sorelle Nurzia. They invented these candies and are still making them in L'Aquila the same way they did over 50 yrs ago.

Cafe Torronato
Brew 1 cup of espresso. Place chocolate covered torrone at bottom of glass. Let stand for about 1 minute, stir gently, top with some fresh 'panna' or whipped cream. Dust with powdered sugar.

Mmmm!! Delizioso

Ciao for now!!
Maria
http://www.marialiberati.com