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

copyright, Maria Liberati, 2008

Enjoy Spring & Asparagus ..here is one of my favorite Spring recipes for Asparagus. This is from my upcoming book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking Holidays and Special Occasions

Crespelle agli Asparagi

(Asparagus Crepes)
For 4
For the crespelle:
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup milk
4 eggs
Pinch of salt to taste
Filling:
1 cup of fresh ricotta cheese
1 lb of fresh asparagus steamed
1 egg and 2 egg whites
1/3 cup of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Pinch of salt to taste

Wash, clean and steam aspargus. Cut off tips. In bowl, place in ricotta, yogurt, grated cheese, 1 egg and 1 egg white, asparagus tips. Blend with wooden spoon and set aside.
In another bowl place all ingredients in for crespelle (Italian version of crepes). Belnd with wire whisk. Heat non-stick crepe pan and cook crespelle, like crepes. Use one tablespoon per crepe. When finished with batter, stuff crespelle with ricotta mixture. Lightly butter a casserole dish, Place filled crespelle in casserole dish when filled. Top with freshly grated cheese. Bake 10 minutes or until top of crespelle are golden.

Spring is here..ahh Primavera

copyright, Maria Liberati, 2008, Editor Lauren Scheller

Ahh... it is beginning to feel like 'Primavera' ..if not in the air at least in my mind.. Nothing makes you feel like Spring more than a special dish or treat in the kitchen....

Fast Forward to Spring With this Sea Inspired Salad


Spring is in the air, but, while we patiently wait for it to arrive, here’s a great recipe to beat the winter blues and combat cabin fever. If you scroll down the list of ingredients for Insalata Profumata di Mare, you can’t help thinking of a warm, beach breeze and summer sun. While this salad is actually a traditional Italian dish on Christmas Eve, the presence of the shrimp, mussels, and calamari make it perfect reminder of seaside flavor and fun anytime of the year. Combine these fresh ingredients to create a light, tasty insalata that is sure to make your spring arrive a little faster!
Insalata Profumata di Mare
(Flavors of the Sea Salad)
*1 lb of steamed, cleaned shrimp
*1/4 pound cleaned, steamed mussels-shelled
*1/3 lb of calamari-cleaned and cooked
*1 red onion
*2 red, ripe tomatoes
*4 parsley sprigs chopped finely
*1 tablespoon of olive oil
*1 fresh lemon
*salt and white pepper to taste
Directions:
Clean and slice the onion into round slices. Separate slices into separate rings. Wash and clean the tomatoes, cut in slices. Clean and chop parsley finely. Wash and cut lemon in half. Squeeze lemon with juice squeezer, remove seeds. Place fish in bowl and dress with lemon juice olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top and stir. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes in refrigerator.

On a large plate, arrange tomato slices. Place marinated fish on top and then top off with onion rings.
~ For this delicious recipe, and many others, be sure to check out Maria Liberati’s The Basic Art of Italian Cooking and one of her newest cookbooks-Holidays and Special Occasions from The Basic Art of Italian Cooking... Coming to you soon! Go to http://www.marialiberati.com/ to order your copy now..