Archives for June 2015

Gazpacho Italian Style

June 26, 2015 by Barbara Leave a Comment

The Best Gazpacho Recipe

I have never seen gazpacho served in Italy. There isn’t even an “h” in the Italian alphabet. When an Italian word requires a “ch” sound, the word contains a “c” followed by an “i” or an “e”. Note the word ciao. Anyhow, gazpacho is a dish from Andalusia. Spain not Alabama. And just because I haven’t seen gazpacho in Italy doesn’t mean that some restaurant there somewhere doesn’t serve it to an international crowd.

There are probably as many recipes for Spanish gazpacho as there are Italian recipes for ragu. I have had this recipe forever. It’s tasty–and versatile because it can be tinkered with in so many ways. And a cold, really refreshing soup like this one is perfect for summer.

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How to Make Limoncello

June 19, 2015 by Barbara Leave a Comment

Make your own limoncello at home this summer.

Ah…Italy, summer, a nice dinner just over. What are you going to have now? A limoncello, of course, Italy’s famous lemon-infused liqueur. Some of the best comes from the Amalfi Coast and Capri where locals grow those big, juicy, gnarled-looking lemons. But if Italy isn’t on your summer sked, do not despair. You can be anywhere to enjoy a chilled glass of limoncello. IF you can find it at home. Where I live in Northern Virginia, liquor is regulated by the state, so you have to schlep to a liquor store to see if it’s on the shelf. Our liquor store has one brand of limoncello and there were maybe two bottles on the shelf when I looked for it.

My cure for this outrage: how to make limoncello at home. This is one of those easy 4-ingredient Italian recipes. But it requires some patience–for a couple of weeks–as the alcohol steeps in wonderfully scented lemon peels. You can drink limoncello straight and chilled, over fruit, mixed with Prosecco or pour it onto your ice cream….

10 Mistakes Tourists Make in Italy (Oh My)

June 12, 2015 by Barbara Leave a Comment

Definition of a Tourist [too r-ist], noun: a temporary second class citizen in someone else’s country.

During my first trip to Italy back in the first Ice Age, I noticed the Italians doing something a certain way. I don’t even remember what it was that caught my attention. But when I asked my Italian tour guide why the Italians had this certain custom, he shrugged and said “Is the way.” And it still, in a lot of ways, “is the way.”

But truthfully, it’s not easy being a tourist in any country. No matter how smart or how educated we think we are, we all do a certain amount of bumbling around when we’re tourists abroad. I realize nobody likes to be told what to do or how to behave, but here are a few things I’ve seen tourists do, or even things I’ve done myself that, if we knew better, would make us better visitors to Italy. I will call them The Ten Little Boo-boos.

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Anise Biscotti No One Can Resist

June 5, 2015 by Barbara Leave a Comment

It’s hard to resist these anise biscotti.

As everyone knows by know, biscotti in Italian means “twice cooked”, once raw in loaf form and then sliced and baked again to give them that wonderful crunch. These anise biscotti have a wonderful licorice flavor that’s tempered with a slight kick of lemony goodness. Gosh, I sound like a commercial. My advise to you…after they’ve cooled and they’re ready to eat, grab yours first as they don’t last long on the table. I should have made a double batch!

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