Homemade Farfalle Pasta Salad for July 4th

Cookouts are being planned for July 4th and summer outdoor celebrations. Tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil and pasta are all that is needed for this fresh pasta salad that you can prepare a day ahead.

I got this recipe from a small restaurant in Rome called Santo Padre many years ago. The key is to allow the aroma of basil, finely chopped garlic, olive oil and the pasta meld together overnight. The next day when you are ready to serve it, remove the basil and add freshly chopped basil and chopped tomatoes with the pasta and salt to taste.

Now of course I never do things the easy way, I like to make my own farfalle. A good store brand works well also. The fresh pasta flavor does make a difference and also it looks so much prettier when you make them a little larger then the store bought.

Pasta Dough

4 cups flour (all purpose, or half all purpose and half semolina flour)
Pinch of salt
4 medium eggs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Water (tepid) as required

Place the flour mixture on a pastry board and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs, olive oil, salt and a small amount of water (if needed). Begin to stir the flour from the outside of the well into the wet ingredients. Continue this process until the dough holds together in a ball.

The dough should seem as if it is too dry, it should just stick together and the kneading should allow you to make a ball. Once it is rolled out in a pasta machine it will hold together. If the dough is too wet, rub a little flour on it, as it will be difficult to handle and too sticky to roll through the pasta machine.

Knead the dough for at least 10-15 minutes, and allow it to rest covered with a clean kitchen towel at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

Farfalle

Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Yield: 6–8 Servings

After allowing the dough to rest, cut a piece off large enough to roll out to about 1’ long and 6” wide (these measurements are only a guideline, you can make it larger, this size is easy to work with). Roll the dough out until the dough is thin. Try to get a feel for the dough as you are rolling it out. Rub just enough of flour to allow you to work with it if it is too sticky. If you are using a rolling pin get a sense of the thickness by feeling the dough. Repeat the same thickness with each section that you roll out. Because there is egg in this dough the pasta will swell when cooking.

A pasta machine works very well as the consistency will always be the same. The process of rolling the dough through the different thickness settings also kneads it.

Cut strips about 1 1/4” wide with a clean cut lengthwise (you can use a pizza cutter). Make vertical cuts about 1” wide with a cookie cutter which has a fluted edge. When you have all the cuts made, pinch the middle of each one forming a bow.

When ready to cook, place the farfalle directly into salted boiling water. Fresh pasta takes only a few minutes to cook check after 3-5 minutes. The time will depend on whether you cook them fresh or dried. Remove them when they are al dente. Drain them and run them under a little cold water if you are going to use them for pasta salad.

Trofiette Liguri and Genovese Pesto

The basil of Liguria is intense in aroma. They produce small leaf basil that I haven’t seen anywhere else. The essential oils of basil are in the veins of the leaves. I was told that making pesto requires patients and love. The motion of the wooden pestle against the stone mortar brings out the oils. Add the leaves a little at a time, listen to the sound of the pestle as you move it against the mortor. The aroma is intoxciating. I love the way Italians talk about food, it is always so sensual.

I make Genovese pesto without cheese, pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it for soups or sauces. I store it in a glass jar, topped with olive oil and refrigerate it. Top it off with oil each time to assure it doesn’t oxidize. It is at my disposal whenever I want to add it to a dish such as chicken salad or drizzled over fish and always ready for pasta.

Often in Liguria the cheese is left out and used to flavor many other dishes. Soup, sauces, vegetables, topping for pizza, tossed with pasta, drizzled on fish, salads, a little pesto wakes up the flavors.

Mix the pesto with cheese such as Ricotta or Pecorino are also used. One of my favorites is a soft fresh chèvre with freshly ground pepper tossed with pasta. There are some lovely formaggi di capra made in the Alpe Liguri.

Trofiette Liguri is the traditional pasta with pesto and is served in every restaurant and household. Thank goodness you can buy trofiette packaged because hand making this pasta would truly be a labor of love.

Basilico Pesto
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients
4 oz. fresh basil
4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pinoli nuts (pine nuts)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (light in flavor)
Salt to taste, (Don’t use large grain salt)

Wash the basil leaves in cold water and dry them on a towel. With a marble mortar and wooden pestle pound the garlic into a paste. The garlic should not overwhelm the basil. Add some salt and grind it into the garlic paste. Add the basil a little at a time and with a gentle swirling motion grinding it into the garlic. You get the best taste by gently grinding the leaves. At this point add the pine nuts, a handful at a time. When the nuts are soft and incorporated start adding the cheese. Begin to add the extra virgin olive oil. It is important the flavor of the oil is light so that it doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the basil. The light olive oil of the Luguria blends perfectly with the basil mixture.

The preparation should be done at room temperature and as quickly as possible to avoid oxidation.

Trofiette Liguri is served everywhere and is a specialty of this region. Boil the water salting it sufficiently and drop in the trofiette. It will take longer then most pasta to cook, about 19 minutes. Toss it well with the pesto and serve the grated cheese either Parmesan or Pecorino on the side. Drizzle the same light extra virgin olive oil over the top.

Assunta’s Italian Stuffed Biscotti

My grandmother came from Campania, Italy. At the age of 15 with her husband, my grandfather, never to see her parents again she started a new life in America. She was the inspiration for all of us, as a perfect roll model, a grandmother, and for passing down the wonderful dishes she prepared and baked. On her little white sideboard she made the most beautiful biscotti. She was a perfectionist and her creations were rewarded by all of her family leaving her table totally satisfied and letting her know it. Luckily she also loved to teach us with great patients.

We never knew the names of the dishes she made because I guess we just never asked. We just ate, enjoyed and left everything else up to her. The date and cherry stuffed cookies I’ve just named Assunta’s Italian Stuffed Biscotti. I remember them as a child and luckily my mother had the foresight to write down many of her recipes. Today we are able to recreate some of the goodness she brought with her from Italy in 1912 and remember her.

I like to save these biscotti for special occasions because their elegance is truly fitting for those special moments. I make them for family gatherings and think they are a nice summer biscotti because of the ingredients of dates; pineapple, Maraschino cherries and walnuts. They make a very pretty summer cookie tray.

Assunta's Italian Stuffed Biscotti

Assunta’s Italian Stuffed Biscotti

Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes @ 375º F
Yield: 10 dozen

Dough Ingredients
5 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
4 eggs
1 orange, juice and zest
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable shortening

Filling
1 pound pitted dates, chopped
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup Maraschino cherries, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

FROSTING
Confectionary Sugar Frosting
Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients
1 cup confectionary sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons milk
2 drops of lemon juice
2 drops of extract (of your choice)
Sprinkles or jimmies (optional)
Food coloring (optional)

DOUGH
Prepare the dough by mixing the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the eggs, shortening and remaining wet ingredients into the flour. Combine all the ingredients and form it into a ball. This can be done in a food processor or by hand. The dough will be soft. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

FILLING
Cook the chopped dates in water and lemon juice until they are soft; about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter and let it cool. Add the chopped cherries, crushed pineapple and chopped nuts. Set aside.

ASSEMBLY
Roll the dough in long strips similar to a strudel; about 15” x 4 1/2”. Place the dough on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Place the filling in the center and overlap, tucking the seam under.

BAKE
Bake at 375º F for 12-15 minutes. Let the loaves cool.

FROSTING
Add lemon juice and extract to the confectionary sugar. Slowly add in the milk until all confectionary sugar is mixed in and frosting is smooth. It should not be too thin or it will drip off the cookies and dry transparent. The frosting should be thick enough so that it sits on the top of the cookie, some can dripple down the sides if that is the look you want.

APPLYING THE FROSTING
Frost the top of the loaves. Candy sprinkles should be added immediately after the frosting if desired. Place frosted loaves on counter or flat surface until frosting has hardened. Another option is to dust the cookies with confectionary sugar after you have cut them.

In Search of the witches of Triora – Alpe Liguria

We started out in Dolceaqua in search of more medieval stone villages and came across Pigna just a few miles from Apricale. The village is beautifully restored with many apartments renovated into full time or vacations getaways occupied by dwellers in search of the past. Many people had witches (le streghe) hanging above their doors or in the apartments. This of course coming from New England was rather strange. I assumed that it must be that they are meant to keep evil away. As we walked through the narrow caruggi (paths) we met up with one of the locals who was entering his apartment and had a witch hanging above his door. He explained that the witches bring good luck to the family. An odd concept we thought as they are considered shadowy figures working their potions and strange ideas in dark rooms somewhere to us. But not here, as the village of the witches here is Triora he told us and suggested we visit this interesting stone medieval village. So off we went in search of the story.

Back to Pigna for a moment as it is too pretty to just pass by. The large spa of The Grand Hotel Pigna Terme is cradled just below two medieval villages with breathtaking views. Hidden just below the Toraggio mountains the views of the ancient villages of Pigna and Castle Victorrio, the green plateaus and centuries of history and art are surreal. The Grand Hotel Pigna Antiche Terme offers just about everything for relieving stress and beauty treatments in harmony with nature.
http://www.termedipigna.it/

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From there we headed up winding roads, sometimes hairpin turns into the mountains with views covering miles of forests and olive groves out to the sea to Triora. The small village is truly fascinating, as the world’s technological advances have not reached it as yet. Some locals and a few vacation apartments have been renovated, but if you want to get a true idea of what life must have been like during the 14 century you can find it here. It is hard to call the spaces apartments – they are really caves carved out of the mountains with walls built of layered stone. A simpler construction then their neighbors, it reaches down into your physic with wonderment of what life must have been like and how lucky in many ways we are today. Hard to contemplate living in this cold yet imaginative environment. The village was very poor as we were told by one of the local woman. She went on to say that the women were the center of life with great power over the family. As in many cases the mystic overtook reality and those who didn’t understand their world considered the women witches. They were burned alive during the Inquisition; Troira was the site of the last witch trails. Today the witches are thought to bring good luck to families. Troria has a witchcraft festival in August and Halloween. It was selected as “I Borghi Piú Belli d’Italia”, (The most beautiful villages in Italy). We didn’t find any witches, but I’m sure there are some behind the old wooden doors along the caurggi.

As usual we were taken up with what we were doing and lost track of time as we began our decent to San Remo. We needed to find a restaurant before 2PM when the restaurants close for the afternoon. As we entered Moiline Di Triora we came across a very small restaurant along the side of the road. We know that they usually don’t have a menu but this has never stopped us in the past, and we always enjoy the interaction with the local people. This was no exception as we listened to the two main courses and the pasta of the day, we made our selection and enjoyed some wine as we waited for the fresh tagliiatelle with pesto Liguria, now going on at least 3-4 times we have ordered it. The homemade pasta was delicious (pesto Liguria is made without cheese) and shortly came the Cinghiale di Liguri (wild boar) and the Coniglio di Liguri (rabbit) that my husband ordered. These are typical dishes of the Alpe Liguri and we had to try them at least once.

The stews were simple and the meat just fell apart. Knowing that not many people would have access to wild boar, I asked the owner for the rabbit recipe. This is always interesting as everyone in the restaurant usually has his or her idea of how to prepare a dish. As she explained how to prepare the rabbit and left to serve another customer, our neighbors began to explain that she had not told us the most important part. The rabbit must be browned to a crisp and not to add too much olive oil or wine as it should not be steamed or it will get too dry. The conversation went on for quite some time as they ate their panna cotta with chocolate sauce and a shot of Vodka poured over the top. Seeing that I was a little surprised, they explained that this was how people in the mountains eat – they drink a lot! We had a good time talking to them except by the end of the discussion we had eaten all the boar and rabbit and I forgot to take a picture. So here is the recipe without the picture.

Cinghiale Bianco Ristorante
Molini DI Triora
Via Regina Margherita 77
Tel: 0184.94868

Coniglio di Liguri

1 rabbit cut into pieces
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 whole cloves garlic
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup white wine
Vegetable bouillon, as needed
Mixture of herbs: thyme, sage, rosemary, chopped
Black Taggia olives
Large grain salt
Crushed pepper
Extra virgin olive oil, light

Other things needed:
Terra cotta pot

Put a small amount of olive oil in the pot and sauté the onions and garlic until translucent. Add the rabbit pieces and brown until a crust has formed. This step is very important, as the rabbit will dry out during the cooking if it is not properly browned. Add the herbs and wine and salt and pepper. About 1/2 hour into the cooking add the olives. Let the stew cook for about 40 minutes. Add the broth as needed.

Dolceacqua & Apricale -The Riviera dei Fiori

The medieval village rests on a small hillside 7 km from Ventimiglia in the Val Nervia dominated by the ruins of the Chateau des Doria. The medieval bridge stretches over the Rio San Rocco river connecting the two sections of the town and is a symbol of Dolceacqua. Terraces (fasce) are carved into the hillside where olive trees, vineyards, flowers and eucalyptus grow. Art and history create a visual feast of beauty that caught the eye of Claude Monet who painted Dolceacqua and who said that it was an “extraordinary picturesque village”.

Dolceaqua at night

Dolceaqua bridge

Dolceaqua, Castle Doria

The sunny Piazza Garibaldi acts as the theater for feasts and events in the village such as the Festa dell”Olio Nuove (Festival of the new oil), and is lined with restaurants where you can enjoy the famous pizza made with the local light olive oil. Stone pathways with arches connecting the buildings called “caruggi” (narrow paths) wind upwards through the stone village that protected its inhabitants from invaders and the weather. Small shops tucked along the caruggi house workplaces of the carpenters, electricians, galleries, small B&B’s and agriturismi that cater to today’s residents and guests. Each day as we passed we could hear the sound of classical music combined with the workmen’s tools as they go about their tasks.

Although the ancient village is slowly being renovated into charming apartments, rough stone spaces still await a loving owner to bring them back to life. Many French come over the boarder to enjoy the views, the famous pizza at one of the 15 restaurants, and mountain breezes that provide a naturally cool and pleasant environment during the summer months. This is mountain life and the pace is slow and peaceful. People meet in the café’s, drink cappuccino reading the newspaper in the mornings and socialize with friends over a glass of wine in the afternoons. The fish man comes along in a small truck selling fish from the sea as people go about their business working in the shops or greenhouses that ramble along the hillsides and olive groves that seems almost impossible to reach.

Dolceaqua restaurants

The region has a culture of roses and floriculture with tangerine trees lining the streets and the sweet aroma from the multitude of flowering bushes. Although the region has been deeply affected by difficult economic times, 80% of Italy’s flowers are grown here.

Dolceacqua means “Sweet Water” maybe named after the very nice red wine called “Rosses di Dolceacqua”, that has the deep red color of roses. Made from grapes grown in vineyards where their roots cling to the hillsides, it was highly revered by Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Paul III who made sure that casks were shipped home.

Dolceaqua greenhouses

Olive trees

Maybe it is the olive oil that is the sweet water of Dolceacqua. The silver green leafed olive trees covering the hills produce light yellow oil perfect for the fish, wild boar and rabbit dishes typical of the cuisine of Liguria. Beer is also brewed here, and is deep yellow, served very cold in glasses similar to a Bordeaux glass. The beer is a perfect accompaniment to the thin-crusted pizza made in wood fired ovens covered with local dried salumi, porcini, fresh vegetables or shellfish, the best pizza I’ve had in Italy.

Pizza

Just up the road about 4km is Apricale, one of the” Rock Villages”. Stone houses and alleys lead around the castle housing artist’s workshops and painted murals. Paintings and stone carvings can be seen along the caruggi and doorways decorated with flowers add color to the cold stone structures. The village is also well known for its summer theater. There are a few B&B’s and restaurants in the center of the piazza where there is a washing trough and along the caruggi you can see the old village central oven. Cats roam around the village paying little attention to strangers. A local Balu tournament is held in June and July with 16 teams taking part. A popular Ligurian game using an elastic ball is played against the walls of the ancient village. The local players are even more popular then football players.

Apricale

Apricale village oven

Apricale wall paintings

Sun showers light into the dark covered caruggi during the day lighting the painted and carved murals walls. At night it is the stars that light the ancient village, which seems to sit just below the sky. The villages were owned by the Counts of Ventimiglia, captured by Grimaldi until Andrea Doria liberated them. Apricale even has an American history as Giovanni Battista Martini fought at Little Big Horn and was the only living survivor.

Aquila is known for its cats

Apricale doors decorated with flowers

Both Apricale and Dolceacqua belong to the prestigious “Associatione dei Borghi piu belli d’Italia”, (The Association of beautiful villages in Italy) and there is no doubt why many foreigners have bought apartments in appreciation not only of the villages but the life style of the mountains.

Ventimiglia is 7km, San Remo is 14km and the French boarder is 16km from Dolceacqua making this little village a perfect base for visiting the Alpe Liguri – the backdrop of the Riviera dei fiori and a refuge from the crowded beach towns along the Riviera. There are many apartments for rent by the week or weekend. Renting an apartment offers you the opportunity to experience village life and select some of the local cheeses, salumi, wines, foccica, bread and pastries to enjoy at home. The local merchants are very helpful and always happy to recommend specialties you should try. French and Italian are mostly spoken here and even though only a few people speak English you can always find ways to communicate with the friendly locals. There is little night life except for the restaurants, yet you are a very short distance to the sea side towns.

Cars are not allowed into the old villages anywhere along the Riviera so be prepared to walk up hill or steep steps to reach an apartment or B&B. Villages have parking lots; some are free at the bottom of the village. Summer months are crowded with heavy traffic clogging narrow roads through the towns along the sea. The best time to visit the area is in May to Mid June or from September through the fall.

Pizza Verde Dolceaqua
6 servings
Cook time: 200c (400ºF)
Time: 20-30 minutes

Pizza Verdi, Dolceaqua speciality

500g flour (1.1.lb)
5 tablespoons extra virgin ‘Taggiasca” olive oil
250gr water (1 1/4 cup)
40gr yeast (1 1/2 oz.)
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch salt

Filling
2 whole eggs
750gr chard (1 lb. 10 oz.)
150gr Parmesan cheese (10 1/2 oz.)
1 1/2 onions
Extra virgin olive oil
Black Taggia olives
Garlic cloves

Dough

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and a teaspoon of sugar and allow it to rest in a warm place.

Pour the flour onto a work surface and add the yeast mixture, and salt to the flour. Bring it together into a ball and knead it. Let it rest under a clean cloth, preferable woolen, of a bowl until in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Take the risen dough and knead a second time until your have soft dough and let it raise again under the cloth for another 2 hours.

Roll it out and put it onto a pan greased with olive oil and let it rest again before covering it with the greens.

The Greens

Chop the uncooked chard and add the oil, salt, eggs, onion and cheese. Spread the prepared mixture onto the dough and sprinkle olives and whole cloves of garlic over the top. Cook in the oven at 200/300º (400ºF) for 25/30 minutes.

Michetta, The sweet bread of Dolceacquaa

Michetta, Dolceacqua sweet bread

The story of michetta:
The Marquis Doria sent a young bride who refused to give herself to him to prison to die. The population of Dolceacqua rose up and forced the Marquis Doria (1364) to stop this abuse of power and on the 16 of August there is a festival to celebrate the event. The women of the village created the “michetta” now the symbol of love and freedom.

Michetta, sweet bread of Dolceacqua

Ingredients
1kg flour, (2 lbs 3 oz.)
100g yeast, (3 1/2 oz.)
4 eggs
350g sugar, (13 oz.)
250g butter, ( 9 oz.)
Grated lemon zest,
Pinch salt
Warm water and Marsala

Bake time: 200ºc (400ºF). until they puff up and have alight brown color on top.

Dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the warm water and add it to the flour. Add the eggs, butter, lemon zest, salt and Marsala. Let the mixture rise for one hour and knead it. Shape it into an oval or knot shape. Place the michette on an oiled baking sheet and bake in the oven at 200ºc (400ºF).

Dampen the tops with a little water and dust with remaining sugar.

The polenta, porcini and truffles and Genovese pesto spaghetti were dishes we had for lunch at Locanda dei Carugi, Via Roma 12/14, Apricale, a small little inn and restaurant – they were excellant.
www.locandadeicarugi.it

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Alsace France, The Land of Castles and Half-Timbered Houses

It almost seems like a computer special effects studio created the make-believe villages for a movie. Narrow cobbled stone streets with neatly situated half-timbered houses form little villages in the middle of peaceful vineyards. Flower boxes filled with weeping red geraniums and flowers gardens disperse color everywhere. An annual competition for flower beautification in Alsatian towns takes place with a town being named the “Village Fleurie”. Giant weed nests settle snugly on chimneys and roofs with large white long necked storks perched atop. The white stork is protected here and takes up residency along with the rest of the population. Life seems simple as if to say don’t bother us with the trivial. Surly this can’t be real, it must be in the animator’s imagination – but it is real and this is the Alsace France.

Read the full article on the following link.

http://my.nowpublic.com/style/alsace-france-land-castles-and-half-timbered-houses-0