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"Buon Giorno!" Welcome to another recipe edition from Adriana's Italian Bakery!

This week's Italian recipes:
  -Carciofi in Olio d'Oliva e Aglio
  -Parmigiana di Zucchine
  -Zabaglione

Try the fabulous Sicilian pudding, Zabaglione. The delicious foam is very rich and best accompanied by fresh fruit. It was once prescribed by Italian doctors as a pick-me-up. Enjoy the recipes and the complimentary news article report from "Only In Italy.com".

Enjoy the issue!

Yours Truly,              
Adriana Ciccarello       

Impt: Italian cookies for the Easter Holidays

Make this Easter Holiday a memorable one by adding an assortment tray of our scrumptious Italian "dolce" at the table. Enjoy them with a bottle of Prosecco. It will give a wonderful touch to your holiday feast, a proper ending with a touch of Sicilian sunshine.

If you would like to order for Easter (April 8) please keep in mind the following deadline:
All orders must be placed by Monday, March 26, at midnight EST.

Click here to order!

Recipe: Carciofi in Olio d'Oliva e Aglio

Carciofi in Olio d'Oliva e Aglio
Artichokes Steamed in Olive Oil and Garlic

Ingredients:

4 fresh, firm artichokes
1 lemon, cut in half
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice or balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions:

To prepare the artichokes, first remove the stem. Pull off any small loose leaves at the bottom. Cut about 1 inch off the top and rub with the lemon. This prevents browning. With a kitchen shears, cut the points off all the leaves. Rub additional lemon over the entire artichoke. If desired, you can stuff some sliced garlic into some off the leaves.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a pot large enough to hold the artichokes in one layer and cover them.

Add the minced garlic and saute about 1 minute.

Place the artichokes, stem-side down, in the pot. Baste with the garlic and olive oil. Add enough water to come up about 1 inch. (The less water you use, the tastier it will be. However, it will also take longer to cook.)

Cover; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the leaves pull off easily, about 1 hour depending on size and freshness of the artichokes. Baste occasionally with the liquid. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place each artichoke on a serving plate. If desired, sprinkle with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. Serves 4.

Note: For those of you who have never eaten a whole artichoke, it is simple and lots of fun. Just remove the leaves, one at a time. Place the meaty part of the leaf against your bottom teeth and then scrape to remove the flesh. If the flesh on the outer leaves seem dry, just discard them and continue. After all the leaves have been removed, use a spoon to scoop out and discard the fibers from the bottom, which is all flesh, and eat that as well.

That's it!

Recipe: Parmigiana di Zucchine

Parmigiana di Zucchine
Zucchini and Parmesan Pie

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 lb (750 grams) zucchini (courgettes)
2 cups (16 fl oz / 500 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes "polpa di pomodoro"
8 fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 oz / 90 grams) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
7 oz (200 grams) Mozzarella cheese, in thin slices
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Wash the zucchini and trim the ends. Slice lengthwise in 1/4 inch strips.

Heat the olive oil in a deep-sided skillet (frying pan) until very hot and fry the zucchini in small batches until golden brown. Drain well on paper towels and set aside in the warming oven.

Saute the garlic and onion over medium heat in a skillet with the olive oil. Remove the garlic and add the tomatoes, basil and salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon.

Grease an oven proof dish with a little olive oil and cover the bottom with a layer of tomato sauce.

Add a layer of zucchini slices, another of tomato sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and cover with a layer of Mozzarella slices. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up, leaving a little Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese for the topping.

Dot with the butter and grind a little black pepper over the top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350° degrees F (180 degrees C) for 15 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.

That's it!

Recipe: Zabaglione

Zabaglione

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons (30 ml) superfine sugar
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Marsala wine

Directions:

Put the egg yolks in a large, heatproof bowl or in the top pan of a double boiler and whisk together. When the mixture starts to thicken, place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water.

Add the Marsala wine and whisk together continuously until the mixture becomes thick, hot and foamy.

Spoon into serving dishes and serve at once. Serves 2.

That's it!

Submit Your Thoughts

 

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Only In Italy!

"Only In Italy" is a daily news column that translates & reports on funny but true news items from legitimate Italian news resources in Italy. Each story is slapped with our wild, often ironic, and sometimes rather opinionated comments. And now, for your reading pleasure:

Italian Hang Glider Pilot Hangs Out In Tree for Three Days

March 4 - Florence - A hang glider pilot was plucked from a tree in Tuscany on Sunday, three days after he crashed into a tree and just dangled there helplessly.

Antonio Montagno, 47, was hanging head down in the branches when a rescue team from the Italian fire brigade eventually located and freed him.

"He was completely weak and had to be taken to hospital," a spokesman for the rescue team told Italian television that featured the story of the "Prisoner in the tree" quite prominently.

The experienced hang glider pilot had taken off from a hill in Florence on Thursday.

After sailing for several hundred meters, he encountered a sudden gust of wind and became entangled in the branches of a tree.

Even though a friend had seen him take off and then start to go down, it took days before firefighters, civil servants and volunteers finally managed to find him.

"The unfortunate victim was hanging at a height of about 10 meters and was practically completely entangled in his red and white hang glider," a firefighter said.

"Aiuuuuuuuuuto..."

There's plenty of time to reflect on one's life while dangling head down from a tree for three days. For instance:

"Who would go hang gliding in the middle of winter?"
"I really have too much free time."
"I think Bocce playing and sheep-back riding is safer than this."

It's hard to believe the audacity of certain people. They're always looking for the ultimate excitement by defying mother nature.

One of the definitions of excitement is when the batteries are low in the TV remote control and you have to yell at someone in the family!

"Where are the double AA?"

"Only In Italy" Subscribe today and you'll discover why the last improvements to Italy were made by Julius Caesar and why it's been downhill ever since!  Click Here to Subscribe!

 
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RECIPES

 Arista di Maiale con Cannellini
 Calamari Fritti
 Chicken Scaloppini with Oregano
 Cozze alla Marinara
 Insalatona Pantesca
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 Tagliatelle Ai Funghi Porcini

 More Recipes!

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Questions: Need more Italian recipes? How about Italian gift ideas? Or just plain Italian fun?

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