Historic 16th Century Villa Giona in the gastronomic heart of northern Italy

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Cooking with Olive Oil

March 10, 2011

The smoke point for good quality EVOO is around 200o C, which is more than hot enough for frying. The interesting thing is that the cheap oil you are recommending has a lower smoke point than EVOO. …Do you know what really matters in the end? It’s how the food you cook tastes. There is no more powerful agent for good flavor than genuine EVOO.

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Extra Virgin Olive Oil Giveaway

March 1, 2011

When Italians use olive oil in cooking it is for the flavor it gives a dish. It is not just a base lubricant; therefore, the highest grade or extra virgin is always used. True extra virgin olive oil is made with olives that were picked just at the ideal degree of ripeness and then immediately taken to the mill for processing. It is a labor-intensive product that is expensive to produce. Please don’t compromise; good olive oil is critical to good cooking.

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The Medici Archive

January 27, 2011

The name Medici is intertwined with Florence.  It is a name that connotes intrigue, romance and drama.  The family members, ruling as the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, were inspired patrons for some of the greatest artwork of the Renaissance.  However, their might extended far beyond their borders, they produced four Popes and the Medici Bank [...]

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CRUISING THE BACARI, VENICE’S WINE BARS

January 13, 2011

The wines bacari dispense by the glass are of the kind Italy excels in making: very young, light-bodied, exuberantly grapey, inexpensive and deliciously gulpable. Many are produced in the Veneto itself, including the most popular white, the fresh, soft, and gently sparkling Prosecco, and the most popular red, Merlot, produced in a simple, tenderly fruity style.

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Italian Ceramics

January 13, 2011

Italian pottery is prized for its beauty and individuality. Many people have heard of Deruta wear but there are so many other designs that are both historic and beautiful. In our house we use a classic ceramic design from the region of Giuliano’s family in Emilia Romangia.

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The Easy Way to Finely Chop an Onion

January 7, 2011

You can quickly and easily very finely dice an onion with only two cuts. A horizontal cut is not necessary as long as your lengthwise cuts follow the shape of the onion and resemble the spokes of a cartwheel. The important thing is to make all your cuts close together.

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Honoring Venetian Traditions and Looking Towards the Future

January 6, 2011

The art of voga alla veneta the Venetian rowing style – standing up, facing forward – is unique and rowing the gondola is a respected craft passed proudly from father to son throughout the generations. Recently, a group of women have joined the ranks of the Venetian Regattieri, and while honoring tradition, they have taken their place among the Venetian rowing champions.

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Peeling a Raw Pepper

January 5, 2011

There are two reasons why Italians peel peppers.  The first is that the skin is tough no matter how long the pepper is cooked.  The second, and more important, is that the skin has a bitter flavor that can permeate a dish when peppers are cooked with their skins on. 1.  Cut the pepper open [...]

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Giuliano Shows You How to Make Homemade Pasta

January 3, 2011

Pasta making authority Giuliano Hazan shows you how easy it is to make homemade pasta dough

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Marcella and Victor Hazan on NPR

January 2, 2011

Recently Linda Wertheimer interviewed Victor and Marcella Hazan at their home on Longboat Key for NPR’s Morning Edition series the Long View.

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Panettone with Dessert Wine Giveaway

December 21, 2010

In Italy Panettone, Italian Celebration Cakes, are a specialty of the season and eaten at both Christmas and New Years. Perhaps our family’s favorite panettone is the one infused with Maculan’s sweet Torcolato dessert wine. This year, they are making available one of these precious, not usually available to the public, panettoni, for you. In addition, they are including their book, Mille e un Panettone (A Thousand and One Panettone).

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Panettone Giveaway

December 16, 2010

If you don’t win the giveaway, you can still get the Loison products onlne at Life Style.  However, Loison wants to give you an opportunity of tasting panettone for yourself and are sponsoring a giveaway of their products.

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The Intersection of Culinary Cultures

December 3, 2010

And so, although our backgrounds were religiously and in many other ways diverse, there were moments at table where they coincided.

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Spaghetti with Melon on Daytime

October 26, 2010

Giuliano makes spaghetti with melon on Daytime

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Making Penne all’Arrabbiata on Daytime

October 26, 2010
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Fusilli with Broccoflower

October 1, 2010

When asked about her favorite food, our six-year-old daughter, Michela, invariably names broccoli. The broccoli she’s so fond of is the Romanesco variety. Although it’s fairly new to suburban supermarkets in the United States, Romanesco broccoli has been known in Italy since the 16th century. Grown in the region of Lazio, of which Rome is [...]

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Penne with Peppers, Fresh Tomato and Basil

October 1, 2010

I often make a risotto with red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, and basil whose enticing colors and aroma make it one of my family’s favorites. The fresh and fragrant combination of flavors makes this dish a great light summer meal.

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Penne with Spinach and Ricotta

October 1, 2010

It occurred to me that it would make a very nice pasta sauce, so I added a little cream to the mixture and it was delicious — so much so that I’ve been making it just to use as a pasta sauce.

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Tagliatelle with Peas

October 1, 2010

One of our favorite recipes comes from a restaurant in the Veneto named Il Pompiere. The chef/owner Marco makes an egg pasta dish that is infused with the luscious pea flavor, but only when the peas from Peseggia are in season.

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Ode to the Peach

September 26, 2010

There is nothing edible from the earth, the sea, or the sky that tastes so wonderful to me as a fully ripe, soft, sweet, and yes, messy fruit

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THE FLAVOR OF SARDINIA

September 17, 2010

We had our first taste of Sardinia some years ago at the Rialto food market in Venice, and it had the quality of revelation. Daniela, whose vegetable stall is our favorite, offered each of us a small, round, deep red tomato, about 1½ inches in diameter, its top dimpled and marked by splotches of vivid malachite green. “These are from Sardinia” she said. “Pop one into your mouth as though it were a cherry.”

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Making Spaghetti alla Carbonara on Daytime

August 26, 2010

Making Spaghetti alla Carbonara on Daytime

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The Easy Way to Finely Chop an Onion

August 22, 2010

from How to Cook Italian, by Giuliano Hazan 1.  Cut off the top of the onion, but not the root end with a chef’s knife, then cut the onion in half lengthwise and remove the skin. 2.  Place the onion cut side down and use the tip of your knife to make lengthwise cuts close together, [...]

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Peeling and Deveining Shrimp

August 22, 2010

from How to Cook Italian, by Giuliano Hazan 1.  Pry open the shell from the belly of the shrimp, working your way to the tail. 2.  Snap the center part of the tail back then gently pull the shell off by grabbing the very tip of the tail.  You should end up with the flesh [...]

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Increasing and Decreasing Number of Servings

August 22, 2010

from How to Cook Italian, by Giuliano Hazan When a recipe serves 4 people but you want to cook for 2 or maybe 8 or 12, you don’t simply divide or multiply the quantities of ingredients.  In general, the ingredients that make up the bulk of the dish, meats, vegetables, tomatoes, can all be multiplied, as [...]

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How to Cut a Chicken into 12 Pieces

August 22, 2010

from How to Cook Italian, by Giuliano Hazan 1.  Pull the legs away from the body and cut at the upper joint with a heavy knife or cleaver to remove the leg and thigh from the body. 2.  Run your finger on the inside of the leg to find the joint that attaches the drumstick [...]

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Basic Techniques for using a Chef’s Knife

August 22, 2010

from How to Cook Italian, by Giuliano Hazan 1. Hold the knife close to the blade with your index finger on the blade itself for better control 2.  Hold the food with your fingers curled in so that your knuckles are touching the blade, not your fingertips. 3.  Always move the knife in a back [...]

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