Italy Retreat

photo: Italian Cookie Booth at All Things Italian Street Festival, 1st Fridays Art Walk, Fairfield, Iowa 2007

This biscotti recipe is from my friend, Virginia, who adapted it from an original recipe on the Epicurious Blog. She made them for our local All Things Italian Street Festival that takes place annually on the first Friday of June.

Anise-Almond Biscotti
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons aniseed, ground
1 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped

Preheat over to 350°F.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Mix sugar, melted butter, 3 eggs, vanilla extract and ground aniseed in large bowl. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir with wooden spoon until well blended. Mix in almonds.

Divide dough in half. Using floured hands, shape each dough half into 13 1/2-inch-long, 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer both logs to baking sheet, placing them apart (I like to cover mine with parchment paper). Wet hands with water and pat over dough.

Bake logs until golden brown (they will spread), about 30 minutes. Let cool completely, about 25 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Transfer logs to work surface. Using serrated knife, cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes. Turn biscotti over; bake until just beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

Yield: 36 cookies

You can vary this recipe with the flavorings. The first batch Virginia made she didn't have anise seeds so she added some almond extract; that was great too.

My son, David, and I at the Italian cookie booth.

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When my husband, Jay, and I visited San Giovanni di Fiore in Calabria, Italy, near the Sila National Forest, we were on a search for black anise seeds that all my aunts in the United States begged us to find. We easily bought the regular anise all over Italy, but not the prized black ones, until we met a friend of a friend of a friend in this small mountain town. He met us on the side of the highway and we bought the prized tiny black seeds from him in a pound plastic bag for a lot of money. He also would not say where he got them, but that he collected herbs from many people and he had his sources. Without a doubt, I must say, those black anise seeds are the most potent fragrance and taste you can imagine. I gave most of them to my mother my aunts so they could make Easter Bread with it, and what I have left we keep under lock and key. Not really, but it is a prized spice. We actually add a pinch to our spaghetti sauce as Jay's Sicilian grandmother used to do.

We have not used these black seeds for biscotti though. As you probably know, biscotti are wonderful for dipping into your morning coffee.
Do you have any other biscotti recipe that you like?

Photo: Rosemarie on left, I'm in pink on your right, and Camille behind me. We met at our local bookstore cafe, Revelations, to discuss the Italy book we read this Spring called The Reluctant Tuscan--How I Discovered My Inner Italian, by Phil Doran. He was also a writer and producer of the popular television shows, The Wonder Years and Who's the Boss.

Our Italian Book Club only consists of the 3 of us because we meet randomly, calling and emailing back and forth until we figure out when we're all in town, with a book we are excited about reading. This would drive most book club members crazy.

This is a book I highly recommend for anyone, and especially the women who are joining me at the La Dolce Vita Italy Retreat in Monterosso, on the Italian Riviera September 12-20. Actually, the book is not just for women. Our husbands really liked the book too.

I enjoyed this Book Review by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, author of Pen on Fire

"The Reluctant Tuscan is the sort of travel narrative that is both hilariously funny and informative, comic and poignant, savory and sweet.
Think Frances Mayes and Dave Barry, sprinkle with parmesan and olive oil, and you'll soon know the irresistible quality dancing on Doran's page."

I loved this book for 3 reasons:
1.) It made me laugh out loud, actual belly laughing repeatedly throughout the book. How often does that happen? That's easily worth the $15!
2.) Phil Doran's descriptions of the people, culture, and idiosyncracies are so perfect. His writing puts you right into the scene, and is written extremely well. I read half of the book on the plane from New York City back to the Midwest, and when I exited the plane, I had been so absorbed into Italy, I was surprised (and disappointed) when I looked around and realized I was in Iowa.
3.) The book ends with him spending some time in Monterosso al Mare in the Cinque Terre, which is where we are staying during our La Dolce Vita Workshop!

Here is one of my favorite sections in the book. To read another excerpt check out Phil Doran's site.

".....I understood why I felt such hostility toward the Italians. I never cried, I rarely screamed, and I didn't even laugh that loud. Whenever I came up against the vast range of their feelings adn the unfiltered intensity of their emotions, it made me squirm. All the while, I wasn't even aware of how much I envied their ability to participate in their own lives. It took a near-death experience for me to fel even a tiny fraction of what the acerage Italian experiences every time he hugs his mamma, gazes at a sunset, or tickles a baby.Her words were the single stone that started the aalanch. My chin began to tremble and there was a pinprick of tears behind my eyes. I was connecting with my inner Italian, that deeply buried part of each of us that craves to savor life to its fullest."

Let me know what you think of it. Do you have other favorite books about Italy? Check out more of my favorites on the right column on this blog.

Photos: On Left, Author and Italy Expert, Fred Plotkin. Right, Steve Boss in the studio of KRUU, 100.5fm grassroots radio station in Fairfield, Iowa. Steve is one of the hosts of Great Taste Radio/Cooking Show aired on KRUU every other Wednesday at 7pm. I'm at the orange microphone.
You can learn more about Steve Boss' Great Tastes and more about Fred Plotkin and his upcoming travels on Great Taste Facebook.
A wonderful piece of advice from Fred was that since the Italian people are very generous to visitors, it is a nice gesture to acknowledge their generosity and give something to them--something that you bring from your country to share--tee shirts, baseball cap, handmade items from your hometown. Of course, the tee shirts would not be proper to give to everyone in Italy. My friend, Diana, grows flowers, presses them, then designs greeting cards. On the back of her cards is written the names of the flowers from Iowa. My friend, Rosemarie, suggested dish towels that have one of our states on it with cities and notations by each of them.

Fred is an expert on Italy--her food, culture and music. Although I love his cookbooks he also has written books about italian opera. We can actually listen to the Metropolitan Opera or listen to WQXR.com Saturday afternoon from 12:00-12:30 central time.

Of course a good portion of the show aired on May 20 (repeated on Friday, May 22 at 7am central)was spent talking about food. When I asked him what his favorite food in Italy is, he said, 'pesto.' I, myself, grow huge amounts of basil in my garden, and then make pesto with parmigiano or pecorino cheese, pine nuts, excellent olive oil. Then I pour the mix into ice cube trays. After they freeze, I store the cubes in double plastic freezer bags, and use throughout the winter in stir fries, sauces, soups etc. I told Fred that I would wear basil as a perfume if I could. He said there was a time when the young girls tucked small basil leaves in their bras! Italians usually use the small leafed basil for their pesto as it's more fragrant.

Any ideas for gift to easily take and give to our friends in Italy?

Rio Maggiore is the southernmost town of the Cinque Terre (five villages). It is often a stopping place for youth and student travelers because they can stay at a hostel owned by Mamma Rose. Of course, there are also hotels to stay in. One of the enjoyable things to do is walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola on the Via Dell'Amore (the street of love). This is a paved hike that takes about 20 minutes to walk. Watching the sunset is a wonderful event to enjoy each night from one of the Mediterranean towns.

This is a post from EGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters.

"High above Riomaggiore (you’re in the upper vineyards and the sea is far below), is the hamlet of Groppo. High up in the hamlet is the restaurant Cappun Magru.
We were there for the first time five months ago and the meal was so good we decided to go back (it is about an hour plus from Forte dei Marmi). It didn’t disappoint.

The dining room is on a promontory, almost cliff like, overlooking vineyards and vegetable gardens. Spectacular view. It holds at most 20 people. Typical husband and wife team, Cristiane in the sala, Maurizio in the open( to the dining room) kitchen.

Very carefully prepared Lugurian food with vibrant flavors. No modern nonsense (read that to be, no foams, no experiments, no Fernand Adria school of cooking), you’ll recognize everything on your plate and it will taste delicious. A real cut above most anything in Luguria and certainly a far cry from the usual Cinque Terre menus and execution.

Yesterday we had Cappun Magru and filetto di Lanzardo al vopore as antipasti; tagliolini di faro con scampi, seppioline in a salsa di ricci… and Ciuppin (with a lattughe ripiene of fish) as primi; for secondi, polpette di manzo con crema di borlotti freschi and filetti di Nasello con purea di sedano rapa e zucchini in fiore. Dessert was a torta di fichi freschi, which was excellent as well. A great bottle of a Walter Batte white and a glass of his Sciachetra' for dessert.
A very good wine list, with very moderate pricing. The list reflects the Bordoni’s taste and travels (and they have great taste in wine), in Italy and France. Very friendly service, but not of the fawning kind. An absolutely delightful place with wonderful food and wine."
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CAMOGLI: Another beautiful small town that we'll visit during the Retreat is north of the Cinque Terre towns. You may read a wonderful article at the Italian Notebook

Recently, I organized a cooking class sponsored by our local Italian American Group (SOFIA, or Society of Fairfield Italian Americans).Top photo shows some course participants of our cooking class, at the At Home Kitchen Store in Fairfield, Iowa (I'm in the back on the right with the green vest). Middle photo is the penne pasta with salsa rosa (red sauce). See the recipe in this post. In the bottom photo, you'll see our cooking instructors, Steven Boss and Kathy Dubois, laughing it up surrounded by fresh local vegetables that Kathy helped pick at the CSA (community supported agriculture) at the Vedic City Greenhouses.



With Steven's permission I am sharing the spaghetti sauce recipe that originated from La Chiusa organic farm Agriturismo in Umbria, Italy, where Steven and Kathy attended some cooking classes in the past.
Of course Steve and Kathy have lots of experience cooking. They are part of the trio that hosts a cooking radio show, called Great Taste, on the local grassroots radio station, KRUU. They both have a real love and passion for creating miracles in the kitchen. Steve even twitters about his cooking. Connect with him if you're on twitter, @stevenboss. While you're at it, follow me on twitter too, @lenoraboyle.

La Chiusa is an organic farm with farmhouse and restaurant in Umbertide near Perugia. As they mention on their website:: "At La Chiusa, like in a time long past, food which has primarily been organically grown on our own land, is prepared fresh, in a simple mode, so that the real flavors can be recognized. The bread is made with our own organic flour and eggs from our chickens, and then baked in our wood-burning oven."

Sauce for Spaghetti: (simple and delicious)

Melt 2 TBL butter
When you smell butter add:
1-2 cloves minced garlic and quicly add
2 C tomato sauce with basil (prefer farm fresh, but can use whole tomatoes in a can. Blend it.
Basil leaves chopped and some whole leaves for garnish
Bring to a boil
Add salt to taste
Add 2 TBL cream

Serve over pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese (NOT KRAFT CHEESE). Simmer for 30-60 minutes
Remember to use the freshest most locally grown ingredients. It does make a difference.

Any food tips or recipes you'd like to share?

My husband and I experienced so much beauty in Italy that we felt faint and overwhelmed at times. Then my friend, Diana, who travels often to Italy, said there was a word to describe it: stendhal syndrome.
Stendhal's Syndrome is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and even hallucinations when exposed to art.

It's also called Hyperkulturemia, or Florence syndrome, is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly 'beautiful' or a large amount of art is in a single place. The term can also be used to describe a similar reaction when a person sees immense beauty in the natural world.
It is named after the famous 19th century French author Stendhal (pseudonym of Henri-Marie Beyle), who described his experience with the phenomenon during his 1817 visit to Florence, Italy in his book Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio.

Although there are many descriptions of people becoming dizzy and fainting while taking in Florentine art, especially at the Uffizi, dating from the early 19th century on, the syndrome was only named in 1979, when it was described by Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini, who observed and described more than 100 similar cases among tourists and visitors in Florence. The syndrome was first diagnosed in 1982.

Have you every felt faint around art and beauty?

photo: Lago di Garda, Lake Garda, Trento, Italy

Monterosso al Mare
The La Dolce Vita Women's Retreat will be here in Monterosso al Mare, the most northern town of the Cinque Terre. Beautiful beaches, rugged cliffs, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and plentiful small hotels and restaurants make Monterosso al Mare, the largest of the Cinque Terre villages (population 1,730), busiest in midsummer. The village center bustles high on a hillside. Below, connected by stone steps, are the port and seaside promenade, where there are boats for hire. Of course, the extraordinary hiking trails are easily accessible from the town connecting all the other four villages that comprise the Cinque Terre.

The medieval tower, Aurora, on the hills of the Cappuccini, separates the ancient part of the village from the more modern part. The village is encircled by hills covered with vineyards and olive groves, and by a forest of scrubby bushes and small trees.
Monterosso has the most festivals of the five villages, starting with the Lemon Feast on the Saturday preceding Ascension Sunday, followed by the Flower Festival of Corpus Christi, celebrated yearly on the second Sunday after Pentecost. During the afternoon, the streets and alleyways of the centro storico (historic center) are decorated with thousands of colorful flower petals set in beautiful designs that the evening procession passes over. Finally, the Salted Anchovy and Olive Oil Festival takes place each year during the second weekend of September.

This year, the Salted Anchovy and Olive Oil Feast will take place during the last day of the La Dolce Vita Italy Retreat, on Saturday, September 19, 2009 so we'll be participating with the locals during this celebration.

Have you traveled to any of the Cinque Terre villages? Would you like to join us Sept 12-20?