Espresso- a Fast Food

Guest Blogger: Karly  Berezowsky

The word 'espresso' translated from Italian into English literally means fast. The first espresso machine was invented in France in 1822 . A man named Luigi Bezzera experimented with ways to speed up the brewing process of coffee. In 1903 is when he discovered that by increasing the pressure, directly causes the brewing time to be significantly shorter. He invented the Fast Coffee Machine. However, despite his best efforts he did not have the money or financial backing that was needed to market his machine.


In 1905 Luigi Bezzera sold the rights and patent to the machine to a man named Desidero Pavoni. It was Pavoni that successfully launched espresso and the espresso machine to the Italian people. In Italy alone there are currently well over 220,000 coffee bars.

Today, espresso machines transfer the water at an increased pressure level through the espresso grinds, thereby forcing it through the metal filter and into a person’s cup. Some believe that espresso should be consumed very quickly after being made because shortly afterwards it begins to break down, thus explaining why it is served in small quantities in short cups.

Espresso quickly spread throughout the globe. It was then incorporated as the main ingredient of numerous coffee drinks such as the macchiato, cappuccino, mocha, various lattes, as well as other blended drinks.

Espresso has a unique taste that is both bittersweet and rich. If one dislikes the strong taste of the shot it can be combined with any type of creamer to create a lighter taste.

One of the problems facing coffee marketers today is that many people are choosing to buy coffee that is of less quality because it is less expensive instead of opting to buy the high quality brands due to the poor economic situation, therefore the sales of expensive coffee beans has been slightly declining over the last few decades.

In addition to this, much of the younger population, especially in the United States are so entrenched in drinking overtly milk/crème based blended medleys from coffee chains that produce a lesser quality brew, presumably because of the sweeter taste, that they have developed a misconception of what real coffee or espresso is supposed to taste like.

So if you want to know what a real espresso should taste like venture to one of Italy's famous coffee bars-even if only once- to find out what a real espresso was meant to be.



For great info and recipes get your copy of the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking : Holidays & Special Occasions

The Year of Caravaggio

copyright 2010 art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc.

Guest Post by : Karly Berezowsky
This is the year of Caravaggio, the famed Italian artist.. Here are some interesting facts about one of the many geniuses of Italian art..Recently, a Caravaggio painting has been recovered in Berlin, Germany, after being pilfered in 2008 in Odessa, Ukraine. The stolen piece was actually a modern replica of Caravaggio’s Taking of Christ. It has been proclaimed by art historians that the Taking of Christ was not painted by Caravaggio due to distinct differences in the painted figures. It may have been painted by one of his students; despite being manifested as an original Caravaggio by the Soviets in 1950.




But to understand how it was contrived a fake one must understand how immensely avant-garde Caravaggio truly was during the Italian Baroque period. Caravaggio was wholeheartedly innovative and anarchistic because he is taking off the blindfold and showing real issues like murder and squalor. This painting portrays an extremely traumatic murder.



Caravaggio was an Italian Baroque painter. He lived a rough life, he was arrested multiple times. He used ordinary common folk such as people in the streets as his models. He painted down-to-earth, real earthly people with real problems. The subject matter for the majority of his works was religious scenes. He committed a murder and there was a price on his head to bring him in alive or dead. His temper caused him to get into many fights and upset a lot of townspeople which forced him to flee to various areas of Europe. But a life on the run could only last so long.



Caravaggio was an innovator that used techniques called tenebrism and chiaroscuro throughout his work. Many of his pieces are considered to be Shock Theater because they are so dramatic and have theatrical elements to them. For instance, some of his paintings have spotlight lighting and drawn red curtains.



Caravaggio painted what he saw, using people on the streets as models. The Calling of St. Matthew depicted Jesus Christ pointing at Matthew in a dim dive of a tavern. The action starts to the left and then flies off to the right; this makes the composition dynamic because it forces your eyes to move with the unfolding scene.



Caravaggio had an interesting take on classical art which can be seen in his painting, Boy with a Basket of Fruit. In which he makes the God Baccus look sickly due to his greenish skin color, when he is supposed to be the god of wine and merriment. Caravaggio made the God Baccus look more earthly and unkempt. Caravaggio is in a way rejecting the classical form of art by making it more seedy and run-down.

Caravaggio was rejected after he painted The Death of the Virgin. One of Caravaggio’s most famous pieces was Death of the Virgin. It was commissioned for the Church of Santa Maria. His patrons hated it so much they actually returned it to him, totally rejecting his art and skill. It depicts the death of the Virgin Mary. Mary actually looks dead, her flesh is green and the body appears bloated; much like the dead deer do on the side of the road in the summer heat, limbs outstretched and fat. Caravaggio was totally radical painting the Virgin Mary like inflated road kill. It is rumored that he used a drowned whore from the morgue as the model for the Virgin Mary. Just imagine the riot that would ensue if someone painted her like a prostitute today and then plastered it onto the wall of the Vatican. And it is because of all of these clandestine features of the painting that the patron nuns returned it to him. They reasonably objected to the painting because they thought it was too unorthodox because she looks like a corpse which is an indecent image when she is supposed to be an icon of light, heaven and hope.



For recipes and charmingstories on life in Italy get your copy of the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Baba Ganoush-a Healthy Dip

copyright 2010 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc
Guest Post By: Karly Berezowsky



Baba Ganoush is an old world dish made predominately out of eggplant is a refreshing and simple dish to make with origins in the Middle East. It is still eaten today by the Turkish, Armenian, Greek, Romanian people, along with many of Mediterranean origin. Eggplant or aubergine is a popular ingredient in many Italian dishes as well, so this might be something worth trying out. This dish is especially superb for a vegetarian or for someone who is just trying to eat a little healthier.


One may describe it as an eggplant dip. Some people pair it with pita bread; but it is good enough to eat right off of the plate.


The list of ingredients is as follows:

1 pound of eggplant

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 handful fresh parsley, minced

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons lemon juice



Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Prick eggplant with a fork and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake the eggplant until it is soft inside, for approximately 20 minutes. Let the eggplant cool. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, drain off the liquid. Scoop out the pulp and place into a food processor. Process the eggplant until smooth and transfer to a medium bowl. On a cutting board, mince garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt together with the flat side of a knife, until it forms a paste. Add the garlic-salt mixture to the eggplant. Stir in the parsley, tahini, and lemon juice. Season with more salt, to taste. Garnish with additional parsley.



For more great recipes get your copy of the Award Winning Book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition winner of the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA by Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati & The Basic Art of Italian Cooking are touring the USA and Canada, upcoming appearances schedule:
Sept 11 & 12-Hudson Valley Wine Fest-Rhinebeck, NY, Dutchess County Fairgrounds. Maria will take center stage at 2 PM on both days and share recipes, stories from her new award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition recipes. Maria will be signing copies of the latest book throughout the weekend event.
For more info email: events@marialiberati.com

Eating Seasonally with an Herb Garden

copyright 2010, art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc

Guest Blogger: Rachel Floyd

We all appreciate a delicious and well-seasoned dinner dish. Herbs, usually used to season dishes, refer to any plant that provides its flavor and scent to prepared recipes, in addition to their medicinal, decorative, or aromatic value. Herbs and spices are necessary to so many dinner preparations, providing that extra boost of flavor for your family’s satisfaction or to make your dinner party dish that much more memorable on a special occasion.


Obviously, most kitchens have been equipped with a well-stocked spice cabinet. In addition, many of us scour specialty shops searching for the freshest possible spices, and, perhaps, those that are the least common. However, why spend the extra dollars when you can grow herbs in your own home. These days, all of us are trying to cut back on supermarket costs, and, in addition to growing fruits and vegetables in your garden, growing your own herbs at a very minimal cost is an easy way save.

You can plant your herb garden in either a small garden patch outside, or, for an easy way to bring some greenery inside your home, you can attach a small windowbox to your kitchen windows. Even individually potted herbs work well. Wherever you decide to plant your herb garden, the most important principle is that the area should be able to receive a lot of sun!

If you decide to grow your herb garden from seeds, focus on giving them the required amount of sun, well-drained soil, and water them regularly. Some great herbs to start with are thyme, bay leaf, basil, and parsley. Some other herbs are oregano, rosemary, and mint. You can even create a trend among your friends: by exchanging cuttings of your plants, you and your friends’ herb gardens can grow in variety (you can all save some more money, too!). There are certainly good reasons to invest in a herb garden: you will save money, partake in a fun gardening activity, and, best of all, have fresh and delicious herbs that will make your seasoned dishes even more excellent. And what could be better than that?

Want great recipes to go with your herbs ,get your copy of the award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition-selected as Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA
Share the Joy!- do you have a special Holiday food memory to share that you woudl like to see published. Share the Joy with our readers
 
Sept 9-12- Hudson Valley Wine Festival..Join Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati and The Basic Art of Italian Cooking as they take the stage for cooking demos and book signings.Rhinebeck, NY at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. For more info or to sponsor the appearances email: info@marialiberati.com

Cuisine of Bologna, Italy: No Baloney Here!

Guest Blogger: Emily Whalen

copyright 2010 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc


To the American public, the word “B-O-L-O-G-N-A” will conjure up pictures of sausages and hot dog commercials. But long, long before Oscar Mayer was a gleam in his mother’s eye – and even now, the word “Bologna” means something very different and bigger in regards to food than just an American sausage. It refers to a city – a city long renowned for its' cuisine, hospitality, and culinary tradition. So much is this the case that one of its nicknames is “la grassa” or Bologna the Fat. Bologna is a prosperous and ancient city in Northern Italy, nestled between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains. Even before the Romans, ancient Celtic tribes and Etruscans began to settle here, build home for their families – and grow food and cook.

The fertile valley it’s located in makes it the ideal spot for fresh delicious foods. The surrounding fields are lush with grains, vegetables, and of course grapes to make Italian wine. For centuries, visitors have remarked on the produce that has flourished here and the abundance of fowl and meat. Sausages are only one of the many foods Bologna is known for – and in fact- there is no sausage going by the name of “bologna” or “baloney.” That name is an American invention, and the sausage is a refined version of mortadella – a ground-pork sausage that originated in Bologna. Cured pork meats are an important local industry in Bologna and the surrounding area of Emilia-Romagna. In addition to mortadella, you’ll find prosciutto and salame.

Ready to hear about some mouth watering foods? Bologna recipes and culinary practices have been passed down through families through the ages, making for some delicious eats! For snacking, there’s crescentine – fried pizza dough that goes perfectly with those local sausages or some cheese. The meats are also used in the famous meat-based Bolognese sauce – which is usually just called “ragu” in the city. You’ll see spaghetti Bolognese all over Italy, but don’t be fooled! Residents of the city claim the sauce actually makes a tastier pairing with other pastas, especially tagliatele. The cooks of Bologna are expert in rolling out perfectly even, smooth dough for this rolled pasta. The pasta is a truly local dish – it’s said to have been created five hundred years ago at the wedding celebration for the Lord of Bologna’s daughter!

But what some say are the best symbols of Bologna’s cuisine are the tortellino and lasagna. With these dishes you have the flavorful fillings, the delicious pasta, and the history and the legends – tortellino is said to have been inspired by a beautiful lady’s bellybutton! In fact, these three ingredients do seem to represent what’s best about Bologna cuisine – fresh, rich, and local ingredients; skillfully rolled pasta, where that skill has been passed down through the years; and the rich history and long tradition which has kept Bolognese food as renowned today as it was five hundred years ago.

Eating Seasonal & Local

copyright 2010, art of living, PrimaMedia,inc.
Guest Blogger: Rachel Floyd

Numerous articles, messages, and trends advise us on how to eat nutritiously yet deliciously while also maintaining a “green,” environmental-conscience at the same time. But, out of all the various sources claiming precedence over the next, what advice should a good cook really pay attention to in order to fulfill this twenty-first century culinary criteria? Well, it may be as simple as pay a little more attention to certain trends—nature’s trends.


Typically, society has very specific connotations attached to the conception of the distinctly separate seasons. Shorts and tee shirts in the summer time, blooming flower buds in the spring, the white landscape of winter, and the leafy patterns of fall. However, one would not find it enjoyable or ideal to embrace the winter season with summer time’s shorts, tee shirt, and sneakers. The discomfort and lack of satisfaction of such a situation is blatantly obvious to all of us.

Each and every kind of plant, as with the typically associations with the various seasons, also has certain period of time and specific conditions that make it optimal growing. Similar to the way in which no one wants to wear summertime clothes during the dead of winter, each plant also carries a seasonal preference. For ecologists, seasons are considered a natural source of diversity and they also compromise the backdrop of cooking and eating. Changes in growing conditions throughout the seasons of the year are considered essential for balancing the earth’s resources.

And what might be the greater benefit of seasonal eating for you and your families? Well, more than you might have assumed. First of all, the taste of any food and the flavorful edge that it can add to any recipe is the main reason that most enjoy certain foods over others. At most large supermarkets, suppliers grow produce in a hothouse or ship it around the world. Crops are harvested prematurely and then refrigerated so that they will not rot during transportation and before being sold. Therefore, this produce does not ripen to full nutritional value as well as it would in its natural environment and is unable to fully develop flavor. Locally harvested food does not undergo such a process, and, as result, has its full, fresh flavors intact. Also important is the avoidance of pesticides and other chemicals usually added to aid the enhanced growth of crops for large suppliers. By eating seasonally and locally, you and your family can cut down ingestion of harmful growth substances.

The benefits do not stop there. With each fruit or vegetable comes a particular time of year for its harvest, a time most optimal to enjoy the food’s full nourishment. Generally, these guidelines can determine what’s best and most ripe during the four seasons. In the summer, light, cooling fruits like peaches,blueberries,watermelon, strawberries, pears, plums as well as vegetables like broccoli, corn, and cauliflower. In the fall, harvest foods such as garlic, sweet potato, onions, and carrots are in season. In the winter season, foods that take longer to grow typically fall into this category, like all of animal foods (fish, chicken, beef, lamb, and venison), apples,as well as many root vegetables including carrots, onions, and potatoes. For spring, leafy and tender vegetables are in season such as lettuce, fresh parsley, and basil. With the seasonal harvesting of plants at their prime, the additional benefit of a wider variety within a healthy diet is only one of many different benefits that seasonal eating can provide.

Finally, eating seasonally can help the environment as a whole. During the transport of produce, at times, farmers will use irradiation, or, the zapping of the produce with a burst of radiation in order to kill germs, and preservatives, such as waxs, to protect the refrigerated produce. Local eating is simply a better option. Because locally harvested, seasonal fruits and vegetables are not transported as widely as those being transported to large distributers, pollution can be cut down and local economies can benefit.

But where to start? First, visit a local farmers market or join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm that makes fresh, local produce available to members on a regular basis. Of course, growing fruits and vegetables in your own garden allow you to grow and pick your own food—and gives you the satisfaction of cultivating it yourself. By paying attention to what is in season and buying locally, you and your family will be rewarded with high quality, nutritious produce at a lower price.

Eating Seasonal
 
For recipes to eat seasonal and local gt your copy of the book selected as The Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA- The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

Saint Anna Di Stazzema-A Pillar of Remembrance

copyright 2010 art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc

Laying on the outskirts of the Apaun Alps, the village of Sant’Anna di Stazzema stands as a pillar of remembrance in Italy. The whole village now stands as a nobly divine memorial of an infamous World War II massacre in early August of 1944.


More than 560 people died in martyrdom at the hands of Nazi soldiers. The people, mostly women, children, and the elderly, were shot point blank in the town square, lined up against a church. The brutality of the attack struck fear, anger, and shock throughout the Italian people.

Today, Sant’Anna di Stazzema is a mended wound on the spine of the mountains, visited by many to see the memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives in the hatred. Although there are long-lasting scars among the family of those murdered, stitches are being threaded as an investigation takes hold. Up until 2004, the Nazi soldiers involved in the genocide of Sant’Anna were remained nameless. Investigations are surfacing, and the disrupted families of those lost are becoming content with the increasing justice.

Although the subject of the Sant’Anna di Stazzema massacre is a thick, horrific subject, tourists visit the village to marinate in its history, and its recovery. The village is making amends and friends of the Germans, as they gradually embrace forgiveness.

The village of Sant’Anna di Stazzema is an illustration of the metamorphosis of past to present, and a mark of Tuscany that will always be the bold mark on the map

Please Don't Take Away My Salt...

 copyright 2010, art of living, PrimaMedia, Inc.
Guest Blogger: Emily Brauchle

Since the recession, Americans have been forced to give up small luxuries in order to sustain themselves and their budgets. Small luxuries may be cutting down on the grocery list, limiting vacation time, or conserving energy to shrink the electricity bill. There are plenty of comforts Americans have slowly begun to live without, but the fine treat of salt is something Americans could not go without. Tuscans, however, are a different story.

In Tuscany, Roman soldiers were paid in salt for its high value and cost. Salt was extremely expensive in that era due to the high tax placed on it. Salt, or sale in Italian, is where the English language gets the word salary and the expression ‘worth your salt’. With the tax on salt, Tuscans learned to live without the delicacy and adjusted their recipes and cuisine, most significantly their bread making.

At present, Tuscan bread is still, as it has been forever, perceived as simple and satisfying. Now it is also known to be salt-free, as the change in tradition carried over from century to century unto the present day. Nowadays, Italians claim that they prefer their salt-free carbs, and wouldn’t have it any other way, as it acts as a host to its accompanying food and it’s spices.

Bread is served, not as a main dish or entrée, but as a side accompanying. The unadorned bread accentuates the flavor of the food it is served next to, and does not counterbalance any flavor or taste of the important part of the dish. Tuscans have mastered the balance between too little and too much, making absolutely sure the consumer is never smothered, but always satisfied.

Sept 9-12-Hudson Valley WIne Festival, Rhinebeck, NY, Maria Liberati & The Basic Art of Italian Cooking will be onstage doing cooking demos from the newly released  award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:  Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd Edition

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Go to http://www.marialiberati.com/  where food meets art, travel & life!

When in Tuscany...

copyright 2010, art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc
Guest Blogger: Emily Brauchle

In the beautiful utopia of Tuscany, thousands of places call out your name. You know that you can leave your boredom on the plane and release yourself into the paradise of Tuscany. You have countless places in Tuscany you’re just dying to see for the first time and breathe in all the artistry, history, and shopping. However, there are three places you must see during your holiday in Tuscany.


One is the beautiful city of Florence, or Firenze, where tourists flock to -like ants to a watermelon. Florence is the capital region of Tuscany, as well as the birthplace of the Renaissance. Being known as the ‘Athens of the Middle Ages’, Florence has a vast amount of architecture, music, art, culture, and cuisine wrapped up in the center of Tuscany like a gift. Florence was home to famous artists like Michelangelo, Dante, Botticelli, and da Vinci in older times, and is now home to the best modern art, courtesy of Prada, Cavalli, and Gucci. With one museum after another, and market after the next, no wonder it’s considered the art capital of Italy, and one of the most visited cities in the world. It’s an artist’s realm, and a shopper’s heaven.

Another gem to visit under the Tuscan sun is the famous Pisa. Yes, home to the ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’. All of those pictures you see with a person looking like a giant holding up a tall bell tower on an incline? Yes. That would be the Tower of Pisa. Not that you would travel half way around the world to see a falling building that is. The tower is company to the Duomo (neighboring cathedral rich in artistic works), the Baptistery of San Giovanni (which is rumored to cause bad luck among surrounding underclassmen who visit it), and the Camposanto (a monumental cemetery that is simple on the outside, and magnificently designed on the inside) in a beautiful square set apart form the rest of the town. Pisa is a pillar of necessity when visiting Tuscany.

Last, but not least, is Siena. Siena, along with it’s obviously desired cuisine, architecture, landscapes, and art, is widely known for its Palio di Siena. The Palio di Siena is a horse race held twice a year during the summer that attracts thousands to the city. The race has ten horses (symbolizing ten city regions in Siena) racing against each other, ridden bareback by jockeys. What makes this race unique is the requirement for winning. The only thing that needs to cross the finish line is the district’s horse, not the jockey! The excitement of the race is only amplified by the intensity of the jockey’s fate, as well as the fate of the district’s pride.

When in Tuscany, time can be passed by the years easily. The beauty of it is ravishing and divine, as well as its history and art. World-weariness is in short supply, so have fun! See everything, but be absolutely sure you see the three centered provinces of Florence, Pisa, and Siena.

For more Italian travel stories and recipe get your copy of the Award Winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition
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A Slow Food Journey to Florence

copyright 2010, art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc
Guest Blogger: Daniel Dorr

Let's  start our Slow Food journey  in the beautiful city of Florence. This cultural mecca has the hustle and bustle of New York City, but with thousands of years of high culture engrained in the historic marble lain structures that gleam in the Mediterranean sun. Generations of Florence citizens have been perfecting art, architecture, literature and of course, cooking. Exploring the streets of this art laden city can literally entrance residents and visitors alike in its beauty and aromas.

Since 1973 Fabio Picchi has helped maintain but established his own niche in Florence as a cultural institution, reviving traditional Italian dining. The exuberant reaction to his first restaurant, Cibrèo Restaurante, has allowed him to continue cultivating taste-buds throughout the region. Picchi expanded his presence in the city and has been esteemed by patrons from all over the globe – so much so that people wanted more. He decided to open three more locations, all bearing the name Cibrèo. One of these is a dinner theatre Teatro del Sale, in which his wife Maria Cassi performs for those who really want to experience an “old world” meal in an original Florentine theater. Each restaurant varies in theme and price range, but never leaves the customer with a bad taste in their mouth, as they consume fresh, organic and locally grown ingredients --- a standard kept in high regards to the Slow Food alliance.

Walking into the restaurant one will usually find a long line of anxiously awaiting patrons. Those who frequent the location will not be found muttering impatient gripes but absorbing the ambiance of an old Italian dining room with the sophistication of a 21st century tourist destination.

The waiting staff is multi-lingual, since there is no written menu -- Signor Picchi being too well-versed in Italian cuisine to limit his talents to a select few dishes. The entrees, while being traditionally inspired Tuscan dishes, are improved under the scrupulating hands of the owner/chef extraordinaire. There are no pasta dishes on the menu because traditional Tuscan meals did not include this. The customary Tuscan dishes are unsalted breads baked in garlic and dipped in homemade virgin olive oil, as well as a course of meat – the staple being wild boar, and a tomato dish infused with herbs and mushrooms. The native Florentine is making famous these and dishes that he grew up eating, such as stuffed rabbit, and calamari casseroles.

For recipes and more info on special places in Italy get yoru copy of the book selected as The Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA-
The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition

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Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati will be making an appearance at the Hudson Valley Wine Fest Sept 9th-12th in Rhinebeck, NY for info on attending and/or sponsoring Maria's appearance email: imailto:info@marialiberati.com