Polpettine di Paolo

What I love also about blogging is meeting other bloggers as we share and break bread with recipes! My new blogger cumara is Adri Barr Crocetti. She purchased Breaking Bread in L’Aquila and loved my meatball recipe. Check out Adri’s blog.

Adri writes her lovely commentary about this tasty dish!:
http://thefrontburner.us/main/2010/09/29/breaking-bread-in-laquila/

What do you think? Would love to hear from you!

Pasta alla Chitarra con Polpettine di Paolo/(Pasta alla Chitarra with Paul’s Meatballs)

Paul’s meatballs were famous-not only for their flavor, but also for their size: he liked them small! Though, he was a fabulous cook, once he let me in the kitchen (and taught me how to make his favorites), he didn’t come back in. As queen of the kitchen, I began making his favorites, like this one. We would sometimes serve these meatballs on top of pasta alla chitarra, Abruzzo’s famous pasta. This is made with a pasta guitar (it looks like a harp) to produce squarish-shaped spaghetti. You can also use spaghetti or your favorite pasta. Growing up, my mother would serve it with our favorite rigatoni or penne pasta.

a presto,

Maria

Sweet Memories of Wine Making

I’m here in Toronto at Pusateri’s to demo/book sign at the Avenue Road Location. The staff not to mention the customers are world class – very warm, friendly and welcoming!

During my three day stay with my parent’s, catching up with neighbors and friends brings back wonderful memories. Not to mention, it’s that time of year where the garages turn into wine making magic. Everybody has cases of grapes ready for grinding as they hose down the driveways from the excess fruits and those nasty fruit flies!

As a child I remember our families all made their own wine. My dad would use and then loan out his grape grinder, as well as offer free consultation about the lunar cycle and when to add sulphites. This traditional process, which he swears by, was successful for all, year after year.

I also remember my grandfather would treat us to slices of our homegrown peaches, gently dipped in his homemade wine. The perfect wine pairing from organic and local fruits in our back yards!

This is the perfect time of year to check out your local wine shops as we get ready for the beginning of the Holidays!

In my book, Breaking Bread in L’Aquila, my dear friend Jocelyn Klemm (www.thewinecoaches.com) was very helpful with summarizing the many attributes and characteristics of wines in Abruzzo. Like me, Jocelyn feels that you should be informed, but let your taste—as opposed to trends—dictate what wine you enjoy. So, if you don’t particularly enjoy white wine, choose a red that would complement your dish (and vice versa). Though we’ve suggested wines that match the meals, we suggest that you also explore and experiment.

L’Aquila is situated in genuine wine country, within the province of Abruzzo, between the sea and the mountains. Though not as well known as Tuscany or Veneto, Abruzzo places fifth in terms of production among Italy’s wine regions. And while the flagship Montepulciano d’Abruzzo has had a reputation as a mass market wine, this prolific, plump and juicy grape makes good, even great, wines, with its deep color, lower acidity, and soft, sweet tannins.

Abruzzo wine styles range from dry “still” wines (bianco/white, rosso/red, or rosato/rosé) to sweet passito (dessert) wines. The wines feature indigenous grapes of the region: Montepulciano, Trebbiano, Pecorino, Passerina, Malvasia and Cococciola, as well as international varietals like Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

In white wine, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo is most prominent; a light, neutral wine with higher acidity.

The red wines of Abruzzo are distinctive. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo comes in two main styles of red wines: the first is young, fresh-tasting, robust, fruity and uncomplicated.

There’s a third style of wine made with Montepulciano, the appealing rosé wine Cerasuolo, named for its cherry-red color.

Drink wines that you and your guests enjoy! Here’s to a glass of your favorite vino and appetizers!

If you are in Toronto – I’m at Pusateri’s from noon to five pm. I will be featuring pasta and two types of tomato sauce (one plain tomato sauce and the second, I add pancetta)!

a presto,

maria

The American: Review By Rule-Breaking Filice

Hi Everybody,

A couple of days ago, I saw a preview of the new George Clooney film The American. The movie is filmed in Abruzzo, and of course I couldn’t wait to see it! Abruzzo is unusually atmospheric and beautiful, with the sophistication and Baroque elegance of L’Aquila at its center. Like the film’s setting, the recipes in my book Breaking Bread in L’Aquila are both classic and contemporary.

The scenes in Abruzzo, such as when the main character Jack (played by Clooney) makes his temporary home in Castel del Monte, brought back a lot of memories. I remember visiting a lot of the small villages nestled in Abruzzo’s Gran Sasso mountain, a medieval hill town. At its opposite side stands Rocca Calascio, high up in the mountains. It was on my first visit there that I was accused by my late husband of eating the rest of his prescutto sandwich while he was taking a quick power nap after our romantic picnic, overseeing the sky, clouds, and stars. The truth is that I did eat what was left from “our shared sandwich.” Shortly afterwards, we had our own prescutto sandwiches. A girl’s gotta eat too!

The scenery throughout the movie left me thinking about my memories over the last few days. Bittersweet, but how lucky I was to explore the nooks and crannies of this beautiful region with my love!

In one of the scenes, where Jack and his girlfriend met for dinner, they ordered a bottle of Montepulcano. If you’re not familiar with Montepulcano, it comes in two main styles of red wines. The first is young, fresh-tasting, robust, fruity, and uncomplicated. The second style has more intensity of fruit, and is it more concentrated and often oak-aged.

My guess is that they ordered the second style, as the scene was pretty intense. I certainly would have ordered the second one if I were having dinner with George (where was I?). I didn’t see food on the table, but what did they order? Might they have had pasta alla chitarra, Abruzzo’s famous pasta, for primi? This dish is made with a pasta guitar (it looks like a harp) to produce squarish-shaped spaghetti. Or perhaps they ate the grilled lamb chops that I have on the focusfeature.com website? Of course, I’m sure that food was the last thing they were thinking about (if you know what I mean).

The village procession reminded me of the one I attended in the town of Celano, la Festa Santa Martiri. It takes place on the last weekend of August. What’s fantastic about this festival is that everybody gets involved. Procession during the day, and music and dancing at night with the stars (the ones above). The town overlooks Lago Celano, which was drained in the late 19th century and then named conca fucino. Can you imagine?

If you’re a Clooney fan with a taste for beauty and thrillers, go see this movie! To view the three regional recipes that I contributed to the article “The Cuisine of Abruzzo,” please visit the Focus Features website at http://focusfeatures.com/article/the_cuisine_of_abruzzo?pageref=4

a presto,

Maria

A lovely Review!

check out this lovely review by: Robin Locker Lacey, Italy & France Travel Consultant ~Travel Writer ~Photographer
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http://mymelange.net/mymelange/2010/06/laquila-cookbook-giveaway.html

It’s been a great experience to share my book across the globe!

warm wishes to all,

maria

Photos Taken in Santo Stefano di Sessanio

Hi Everybody,

I wanted to share some photos from the event in Santo Stefano di Sessanio, May 18th. Gorgeous photos taken by Peter Austin, who came all the way from the UK with his lovely wife.

Peter was the winner of a copy of my cookbook, a photography contest that was run by good friend Sammy Dunham.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53366513@N00/4635934701/

cheers!

maria !