Italian Food and Wine Women I Honour On International Women’s Day

March 7, 2014 – 7:11 am

International Women’s Day makes me think of all the amazing women who welcome our Mama Margaret cooking tour clients so warmly into their homes, restaurant kitchens and wineries. Let’s go through seven regions from south to north in Italy.

In Sicily, in Linguaglossa (population 5000) a town in the foothills of Mount Etna, I admire Concetta. She’s incredibly joyful and full of fun all through our cooking class with her in their home and our dinner around the table with her husband, daughter and son-in-law. She’s multi-talented and shows us where she preserves vegetables, stores their cheeses, grows fruit in her garden.

 

making maccheroni with Concetta in her home in little Mount Etna town, Linguaglossa, Sicily

Concetta teaching how to make local maccheroni

 

In Puglia, I honour Giulia, who runs the kitchen so well and cooks divine, yet simple local dishes for small groups to large corporate functions at Masseria Provenzana, a beautiful country inn near Lecce. She teaches cooking to food lovers and plans and carries out the classes masterfully and cheerfully.

Giulia and our guide in the Masseria Provenzana kitchen

Giulia and our guide in the Masseria Provenzana kitchen

Near Sorrento, I admire Carmen at Hotel Oasi Olimpia, a luxurious  boutique hotel above Sorrento. As the manager, she heads a staff who gives extraordinary, thoughtful client service. As a cooking teacher, you can see her passion is cooking in her wonderful Neapolitan cooking classes where her students learn and laugh lots.

Carmen showing how to make pasta

Chef Carmen at work

In Pisa, Chef Stefania is so warm and welcoming as we arrive for a cooking class in her quietly elegant restaurant. She gives each cook personal attention and makes sure you participate, get questions answered and have fun.

Chef Stefania in her restaurant kitchen

Chef Stefania in her restaurant kitchen

In Emilia-Romagna I admire Elena’s skill in making so many kinds of silk-like pasta. She’s a real pasta expert ! In her kitchen in her 150 year old house away out in the country, she’s very patient in teaching you how to make more kinds of pasta than you ever knew existed. Big pasta sampling dinner after!

Elena teaching how to roll out pasta

Elena teaching how to roll out pasta

In the Veneto, I admire our guide, the multi-talented Laura. Her family owns an important Amarone winery and she’s also a sommelier. Her local knowledge is vast from the most beautiful backroads in the Valpolicella wine hills to the history of her native Verona to Verona’s best wine bars to how to match food with local wines. She’s fun and friendly, and invited our group to her home to eat her chocolate cake with Amarone, a special experience!

Margaret and Laura at 11th century church cloister in village, San Giorgio

Laura and Mama Margaret at a little church cloister

In Piedmont I admire the generation of daughters of well known fathers who own Barolo wineries. As their dads edge into retirement, these 30 something women are taking over the management of the winery businesses. They’re passionate about their wines, smart, knowledgeable, entrepreneurial.

Marta Rinaldi, left, of Giuseppe Rinaldi winery in Barolo

Marta Rinaldi, left, of Giuseppe Rinaldi winery in Barolo

What women do you admire in the food and wine world?

By Margaret Cowan | Posted in Amalfi Coast, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italy Wine, Piedmont, Puglia, Sicily, Tuscany, Veneto | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Linguine With Swordfish and Pistachio Nuts: Delicious Sicilian Pasta

March 2, 2014 – 5:30 am

This delicious pasta recipe, typical in eastern Sicily, comes from siciliancookingplus.com with a wealth of Sicilian and other Italian recipes compiled by a former Sicilian-American owner of a New York restaurant.

Serves 4

  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • ½ lb. swordfish
  • 1 leek or a small onion chopped finely
  • 12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1/2 cup of white wine
  • 8 shredded basil leaves
  • ½ cup pistachio peeled, toasted and chopped
  • 1 lb. linguine
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Basil or mint leaves for garnish
  • Red crushed pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Making the Sauce

In a large sauté pan, place the oil and the leek and cook until leek is light golden. Add swordfish and sauté for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the swordfish in a dish, remove the skin and cut into small cubes and set on the side.

Add into the frying pan the cherry tomatoes, the shredded basil, salt and pepper to taste  and sauté at a medium heat for 5 minutes and add the swordfish.

Add the wine and cook over high heat for about 2 minutes, until alcohol content in wine evaporates; then lower flame and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Making the Pasta

Boil 5 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of salt, and cook pasta al dente, following the directions on the package.

If sauce is cold, warm it on a medium heat.

Drain pasta and reserve some of the water.

3. The Assembly

Add pasta to the pan with the sauce, put in the pistachio and toss over a high heat to blend the sauce and the linguine. If pasta gets too dry add some of the reserved liquid. Remove from the flame and serve immediately.

Garnish each plate with the basil or mint leaves.

By Margaret Cowan | Posted in Italy, recipe | Comments (0)

Gioia Del Colle: Charming Base In Central Puglia For Exploring

March 1, 2014 – 11:00 am
a trulli house in Puglia

a trulli house in Puglia

Up on the Murge plateau, charming little Gioia del Colle, on the main train and bus lines, makes a good base for day trips to towns in central Puglia. Gioia del Colle’s lovely historic centre has a wealth of arches that were entrances to private gardens of noble families and now form a series of public walkways in courtyards. The imposing 12th century castle stands proud with two of its four towers intact.

Mama Margaret tour clients who are traveling on our tour in southern Puglia will explore on their own in Gioia del Colle. Here’s some suggestions we gave them to enrich their holiday in central Puglia.

To visit the city of Bari, it’s just a 35 minute ride on the main train line at www.trenitalia.com Stroll through old Bari’s maze-like centre, retaining its original medieval plan, and take in the lovely  Romanesque church, San Nicola, visit the castle, savour patate, riso e cozze—potato, rice & mussels –at a trattoria. Gelato in hand, get some fresh sea air as you amble along the promenade on the Adriatic.

Alberobello and the enchanting land of the ancient, gnome-like trulli houses, are just 36 km east. Buses run infrequently for a 50 minute ride and not on Sundays so check the bus schedules at www.fseonline.it/allegati/orari/160.pdf

To avoid getting stranded or having to cut your visit short, I suggest you rent a car. Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is quite touristy but very picturesque with thousands of white trulli houses with their pointed roofs. Walk around lanes winding along and down the slope in the Rioni Monti area or the quieter Aia Piccola residential area. See italyheaven.co.uk/Puglia/alberobello.html for an excellent summary on the what and why of trulli houses and some interesting, relaxing spots.

From Gioia del Colle a day trip west to Matera looks doable on public transport.  UNESCO World Heritage Site, Matera is famous for its “sassi”, habitations dug into the rock, originally a prehistoric settlement , that formed the ancient town. For an outstanding article on life there today and the restoration of the sassi, see smithsonianmag.com/travel/matera-went-ancient-civilization-slum-hidden-gem

Take the train for about 40 minutes from Gioia del Colle to Altamura (see www.trenitalia.com for Matera. See  http://ferrovieappulolucane.it/en/ for schedules. It makes for a long day. Check out renting a car to drive the 37 km distance for a more relaxing day.

 

 

By Margaret Cowan | Posted in Italy, Newsletter, Puglia | Tagged | Comments (0)

Go With The Flow Way Finds Great Restaurants

February 28, 2014 – 9:00 am
tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce, mushrooms and peas at Pronto Caffé

tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce, mushrooms and peas at Pronto Caffé

When you’re meeting a friend to eat in an area you don’t know, do you spend hours searching for and reading every last morsel of online restaurant reviews, and choose one recommendation?

Or do you just go with the flow, knowing in your gut that you’ll happen on the best eatery for you?

When my friend, Karen and I decided to see the Italian movie, Passione, we wanted to eat close to Granville and Davie Streets here in Vancouver. We’re both food lovers, so I devoured reviews of several restaurants on a few web sites. When we arrived at the restaurant we’d chosen, it was closed for holidays!

 “Let’s just go with the flow”, we said “and see what’s on Granville near Davie”. A new adventure!

That’s how we happened on the Stackhouse Burger Bar at 1224 Granville. We sunk our teeth into juicy, flavourful, high quality burgers with mushrooms and enjoyed a healthy salad with a great, tangy dressing. Service was attentive too. We didn’t care that most customers were wearing touques, that we could have been the mothers of any of them. I’d eat there again.

So when my friend, Janet and I decided to see the Italian movie, The Great Beauty, we decided to use the “go with the flow” way to lead us to the best dinner spot for us near Cambie Street and West 17th Avenue in Vancouver.

We got to the traffic light at the corner of these two streets and crossed with the first light to turn green. We walked a few steps and stumbled on Pronto Caffé, a down to earth, little retro style café specializing in Italian fare at 3473 Cambie Street.

The menu offered a tempting mix of traditional and creative Italian pastas, appetizers and salads. We shared an interesting plate of dates wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with gorgonzola. I loved my hearty hand-made tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce, mushrooms and peas, washed down with a Merlot from Italy’s Veneto region. Our server was helpful and very friendly, and even offered to store doggie bags while we went to the movie across the street. I’d happily dine there again!

Have you tried the “go with the flow” method in Italy? I think it would work best in less touristed areas.

 

By Margaret Cowan | Posted in Italy | Comments (1)

Semifreddo With Torrone: Delightful Piedmont Dessert

February 23, 2014 – 5:30 am

PiedBrezzasemifreddotorronesmallThis delicious recipe and great introduction come from cookingwithpatty.com where you’ll discover a wealth of Italian recipes and menus.

“Semifreddo means “semi-cold” in Italian and it refers to semi frozen desserts. They actually taste a little bit like ice cream but they don’t need any machine to be prepared. Most of them have whipped cream and egg whites.

Torrone is a delicious concoction of honey, egg whites, toasted almonds, hazelnuts and vanilla. It has antique origins and it seems it was first made in Cremona. There are different kinds of torrone and its characteristics depend on the geographical location in which it’s made: hard or soft with hazelnuts and almonds covered by a wafer thin sheet, some also have pistachios, hard  or soft covered by chocolate, soft with honey and walnuts etc. Nowadays the types of torrone have multiplied and I was really impressed when I went to get my simple classic hard torrone and it took me awhile to find it. The majority in fact were soft, which I like, but I certainly prefer the classic one as it reminds me of my childhood.”

  • 10 oz.  hard Almond Torrone or hazelnut (almond nougat)
  • 2 1/3 cups heavy cream
  • 3 pasteurized eggs divided
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • a pinch of salt

For the cream:

  • Semisweet chocolate (70% cocoa)
  • White chocolate
  • 1/4 + 1/4  cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 + 1/4  cup whole milk

Hard chocolate torrone or the classic one for decoration (optional)

Instructions:

For the semifreddo:

1. Coarsely chop the torrone and set aside.

2. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form and refrigerate.

3. Whip the heavy cream until firm and refrigerate until ready to assemble the dessert.

4. Beat the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla until foamy and pale yellow.

5. Add the whipped cream to the eggs and sugar, then egg whites mixing them gently from bottom to top and lastly the chopped torrone.

6. Combine well. Pour the preparation in a nonstick loaf pan previously wet with cold water.

7. Cover the semifreddo with tinfoil and freeze for 4-5 hours or overnight.

For the sauces: The sauces have to be prepared 20-30 minutes before serving the semifreddo.

1. Break the two chocolate bars in small pieces and place them separated in two double boilers, add heavy cream and milk to each chocolate. Melt the two chocolates at low heat mixing often to combine the ingredients well.

2. When melted remove the double boilers from the stove but leave the chocolate on the pot, so it will keep moist. At first the sauces will be really liquid, but they’ll get thicker in about 15 minutes

Presenting the semifreddo:

1. Dip the loaf pan in warm water for less than a minute. Turn it over on a rectangular serving dish and it should slide right out.

2. Decorate it with swirls of white and dark chocolate and bring it to the table.

3. To serve it, slice the semifreddo, top it with the two chocolate creams and sprinkle it with chopped hard chocolate torrone or the classic kind. If you don’t have it you can decorate the slice with some roughly chopped toasted almonds as well and some swirls of chocolate.

Mama Margaret note: In Piedmont, they leave out the decorations in steps 2 and 3. They just top the semifreddo with chocolate sauce.

By Margaret Cowan | Posted in Italy, recipe | Comments (0)

Fire Up Romance On These Cooking & Wine Tours In Northern Italy

February 23, 2014 – 5:30 am

Cooking, Wine and Walking In Piedmont’s Barolo Wine Country: We stay at the Barolo hotel I wrote about in this week’s article.

town of Barolo in the fall

town of Barolo & castle in valley with La Morra on hill

Cooking and Amarone Wine Lovers Tour In The Veneto: We stay at the San Giorgio hotel I wrote about in this week’s article.

view from hotel terrace in San Giorgio in Valpolicella wine hills

view from hotel terrace in San Giorgio in Valpolicella wine hills

By Margaret Cowan | Posted in Italy | Comments (0)

Fire Up Romance In Northern Italy: 3 Experiences In Small Towns

February 23, 2014 – 5:00 am
view from hotel terrace in San Giorgio in Valpolicella wine hills

view from hotel terrace in San Giorgio in Valpolicella wine hills

1. West of Venice, I’d take my love to San Giorgio, a quaint hilltop village of ancient stone houses in the Valpolicella wine hills near Verona. We’d stay at a charming little hotel run by one of the most hospitable, friendly managers I’ve ever met in Italy.

With a glass of cool local white wine, we’d sit back on the hotel’s terrace, soak up the breathtaking panorama of hills of vineyards all the way to Lake Garda and watch the sun set. I’d pinch myself—is all this for real?

Downstairs in the restaurant at our table with candles lit, we’d drink Amarone wine as we savoured divine dishes like ravioli stuffed with veal braised in Amarone wine topped with a rich wine sauce.

We’d start our day at the bountiful breakfast buffet and take our freshly baked croissants and cappuccino out to the same terrace to watch the morning unfold together.

Lerici's port

Lerici’s port

2. On the Italian Riviera Lerici sits across the Bay of La Spezia from Portovenere but is less touristed than Portovenere and Cinque Terre. We’d walk the quiet, scenic paths among olive trees along the hills with sea views from Lerici to Tellaro, poke around little Tellaro, sit by the sea hand in hand and return to Lerici by bus. In Lerici, we’d take a front row seat at one of the bars at the port, sip Prosecco, munch on snacks and watch the sun set over the boats and coast.

3. In Piedmont’s Barolo wine country, we’d stay in the town of Barolo in a local family-run hotel. With the philosophical, down to earth father in their winery’s cellar downstairs around an old wooden table with candles lit, we’d taste their fruity Dolcetto, robust Nebbiolo, and fine Barolo wines. Our conversation with him would run from family, to friends, to love.

town of Barolo in the fall

town of Barolo & castle in valley with La Morra on hill

Later we’d dine on their restaurant terrace with views of the ancient, imposing Barolo castle, little town and vineyards. I’d recommend my favourite dishes to my man: their veal roll simmered in Barolo wine, herbs and vegetables and their semifreddo with torrone (candy with local hazelnuts) with chocolate sauce, accompanied by aromatic Moscato wine.

Next day we’d get a ride up to town of La Morra and walk down pathways from La Morra to Barolo. We’d meander down among hills of vineyards, stopping to gaze at magnificent views of series of gentle hills falling at all angles and Barolo castle in the valley. Troppo bello—too beautiful…and romantic!

By Margaret Cowan | Posted in Barolo, Italian Riviera, Italy, Italy Vacation, Newsletter, Piedmont, Veneto | Comments (2)

Sharing Fun Experiences In Italy: An Investment In Your Relationships

February 21, 2014 – 9:00 am
family celebrating mum and dad’s milestone birthdays, cooking with Chef Roberto in Tuscany

family celebrating mum and dad’s milestone birthdays, cooking with Chef Roberto in Tuscany

Are you feeling you’re not sharing enough high quality times with those you love? With parents who are active now, but may not be soon. With kids who are free now before they go to college, get married or have kids. With long time friends who live near or far.

Traveling together takes you away from it all so you just relax and think only of having fun together.

Time runs by and runs out. I know this only too well.

In the 1960s my dad owned apartments in Vancouver, and hotels in B.C.’s interior and Grand Cayman. A sweet, quiet man with a dry sense of humour, but a workaholic who spent little time with my mum, brother and me.

One holiday, when we were 9 and 11, Dad was driving in a B.C. national park when Mum spotted a moose, “Stop the car! Let the kids see the moose.” Dad said stoically, “We have to get to the hotel in X town” and kept driving. They argued. Not exactly a family holiday sharing fun times!

We went on wonderful vacations to his hotels in Grand Cayman in 1964, 1965 and 1966. In 1965 Dad made it down for half our holiday. In 1966 he phoned us in Grand Cayman—he couldn’t join us after all.

In 1967 he died at age 54 of a heart attack, triggered by business stress. I felt he’d deprived me of his company, that I never really knew him.

On our cooking and wine tours in Italy, I’ve seen first hand how magical things happen for families, couples and friends. When they’re having fun creating something like good food together, they deepen their heart connections. Especially as they cook, eat, drink, laugh with and get to know lots of warm, local Italians.

I’ve seen couples re-connect and one marriage saved. I’ve seen a friend take her grieving, widowed friend on our tour and her joy of life flowed back. We’ve seen adult kids share our tours with parents to celebrate big birthdays or just their love for each other.

Last year we custom designed a two week trip for a Vancouver family with kids aged 6-12 and booked hotels, van and events they all enjoyed together. On their return, I talked with the ecstatic mum. “We had such a joyful time! Not one time when anyone said, ‘I don’t want to do that’. Everything went so smoothly!”

I felt a huge YES! I’d helped a mum, dad and kids to share a once in a lifetime holiday, have fun together and deepen their bonds. I couldn’t help my own family, but I can help other ones.

Please travel somewhere in 2014 with those you care about. The time is now.

By Margaret Cowan | Posted in Italy, Italy Vacation, Tuscany | Comments (0)

Enhance Romance in Central Italy On These Tours

February 16, 2014 – 5:58 am
couple in love in idyllic Tuscan valley near Montalcino, home of Brunello

couple in love in idyllic Tuscan valley near Montalcino, home of Brunello

Food Lovers’ Adventure in Italy’s Gastronomic Paradise: The Countryside Around Bologna
Winter & spring itineraries include a gala romantic dinner at Ristorante San Domenico. We can add it at other times of year if you wish.

Cooking and Brunello Wine in Tuscany’s Wine Country

By Margaret Cowan | Posted in Italy | Comments (0)

3 Experiences To Deepen Romance In Central Italy

February 16, 2014 – 5:55 am

1. Visit the Baci Perugina chocolate factory museum outside Perugia. When Italians think of love and chocolate, Baci (kisses) Perugina chocolates come to mind and heart first. A Bacio’s heart of gianduia—a lovely blend of chocolate and hazelnut cream, is covered by rich dark chocolate. They sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top and crown it with a whole hazelnut. When you open your chocolate Bacio, a love note pops out.

In Casa Del Cioccolato (house of chocolate), you taste many kinds of decadent chocolates and learn the fascinating 100+ year family history of the Perugina company including some iconic ads. Open your Bacio chocolates and exchange the love notes inside with each other. One I like from the Perugina site is “Passion dazzles lovers but love unites them forever.” (Anonymous)

Florence’s Arno River at night. Troppo bello---too beautiful!

Florence’s Arno River at night. Troppo bello—too beautiful!

The museum is a short taxi ride south of Perugia at Viale San Sisto. See perugina.com and click on “Visit us”.

Back in Perugia, relax together at an outdoor café on the lively main street, Corso Vannucci, sip your favourite drink and write more little love notes to each other, now that you’ve gotten inspired by your first exchange of love notes.

2. In Florence, stroll hand in hand along the Arno River at night with buildings illuminated and street lights shining and admire their beautiful reflections in the river. Stop at a particularly panoramic spot for a hug and a kiss. Simple, romantic!

3. East of Bologna in Imola, dine at Michelin star Ristorante San Domenico (sandomenico.it) for the dining experience of a life time. In their quietly elegant dining room, at civilized intervals, they serve you a series of little plates—works of art (almost) too beautiful to eat, accompanied by great wines their sommelier helps you to choose. Their wine cellar houses about 20,000 bottles. 

Some samples from their recipe book: warm grilled scallop and mushroom salad, garganelli (local pasta) in caviar and chive sauce, rabbit wrapped in smoked bacon with balsamic vinegar.

By Margaret Cowan | Posted in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Florence, Italy, Newsletter | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)
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