Alpine Strawberries, Purple Figs
and Creamy Gelato...
The opening season rain seemed like it was never going to end, but when it did, a dazzling summer sun came out from hiding, dousing its rays on gentle green leaves in our Italian garden. And the heat has not let up since.
During these hot days of summer, we are growing gorgeous zucchini and pumpkins, onions, chives, sweet red peppers, hot chilli peppers, and a variety of black peppers too. Tomatoes of all kinds – San Marzano, cherry, black and red zebra and Sorrentino – are growing in straight lines held up by stick. There are artichokes, potatoes, ginger, dandelions, Swiss chard, spinach, and green Roman cauliflower and ginger growing green.
The peaches and figs are so plentiful they have to be picked every day, while the lemon and orange trees are brimming with citrus. There's basil, both green and black, Mediterranean herbs thyme – lemon thyme too – cilantro, parsley, wheatgrass and rosemary all growing copiously up to my waist.
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Alpine strawberries are my favorite – picked off the vine and eaten just like that! Every morning a new crop of the teardrop-shaped strawberries is waiting to be picked!
And those
caperi! Our caper plant is flowering with oversized petals of purple and white along with green pearl berries. The plant is as big as a beach umbrella!
My mom and I picked the small ones, salted them for a day, rinsed off the first sea salt, then layered them in sea salt again to rest another 12 days. When they’re ready, we’ll dust off the sea salt, dry them, then layer again with sea salt in a clean glass jar.
Capers add a burst of lemon flavor to linguine sautéed with cherry tomatoes and black olives, fish or chicken, sautéed escarole and
fusilli
, curly pasta, and salad ~ potato, tuna, or
panzarella.
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It’s also the season for
fichi
, figs. We have San Pietro, Saint Peter’s figs, the big purple ones growing in our garden. This fruit takes its name from San Pietro because they start to ripen on his Saint’s day, June 29 and then continue with another round in September.
San Pietro was the patron saint of fishermen in the once-sleepy fishermen’s village of Positano, so everyone prays to him for safe-keeping of the fishermen.
While we celebrated San Pietro’s Day, everyone enjoyed our homemade fig jam, fig
gelato
and fig
crostata
,
biscotti
and fresh figs simply picked and split open, then eaten with a spoon.
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Fiori di zucca
, squash flowers! Just say the word and you’ll have everyone dreaming about fried, stuffed and edible squash flowers prepared in
frittata
, tossed in pasta or fried into golden puffs. Their delicate petals, orange and bright, open up with the day’s first rays of sun. You must pick your flowers early while they are open and store them in a cool place.
Clean off each flower by first pulling the pistil out from inside each one, then remove all of the green points that grow on the outside of the flower and never wash, just brush each one lightly with kitchen paper.
If you grow the beauties in your garden, notice how the plant grows male flowers and female flowers on the same plant. The male flowers are larger and multiply in numbers, while the female ones are smaller and start growing with a small fruit that eventually transforms into a squash. The male flowers attract the bees to their centers and the bees pollinate the female flowers ~ as long as the bees pollinate the female flowers, squash will grow.
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Turn On Your Radio Dial
Radio Personality, Candy O’Terry
Interviews Lauren on Her
Award-Winning Show:
The Story Behind Her Success
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Grazie Mille
to Ms. Candy O’Terry who interviewed Lauren on her radio show,
The Story Behind Her Success.
Candy and Lauren met many years ago on the Boston radio scene and have remained friends.
Candy O’Terry, a 25-year on-air talent (formerly of Magic 106.7FM Boston), is also the President of the Boston Women in Media & Entertainment and creator of the
The Story Behind Her Success, Exceptional Women Radio Show.
Singer and songwriter, Candy has received 43 local and national awards for excellence in women’s programming and giving back to the community. She continues to lead the way on the Boston media scene and donating her time countless charitable funds.
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What's Cooking
Delicious Culinary Adventures In Italy
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Capri
Cooking on Capri™
Roman Emperor Tiberio traded Ischia for Capri 2000 years ago ~ and today visitors still flock to the
isola blue
for sea, sun and local cuisine. Capri, from sailing into Marina Grande to swinging your legs on the chairlift to Monte Solare, seduces the soul.
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Pizza Making with Mamma Anna
on Capri
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Because everyone wants to learn with a Mamma, we’ve added a pizza making class with Mamma Anna in her villa and garden on Capri. Learn how to spin a pizza like a
vero Napolitano
while soaking up the Caprese culture on the beautiful island.
Fai la dolce vita
and learn how to baked and fried pizza!
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Chef Salvatore’s Family Kitchen ~ 5 Days on Capri
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Chef Salvatore’s hands-on cooking tour blends hands-on pasta making, main course traditions with a twist and desserts that are
fin del monde. Learn how to make ravioli
caprese, torta caprese and
limoncello!
Tie on your apron and cook like an Emperor on the Island of Capri!
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We have Seats to the Palio in Siena!
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Bring your camera and join us in Siena where jockeys and horses from 10 of Siena’s 17 different
contrade
, districts, ride bareback for three laps of the Piazza del Campo, the town’s main piazza. This ancient race is held only twice per year and dates back to Medieval times. It’s named Palio di Provenzano for its July 2, in honour of the
Madonna of Provenzano
, a Marian devotion particular to Siena and Palio dell’Assunta on 16 August in honor of the
Assumption of Mary
.
Locals arrive early to cheer on their favourite horses ~ while the winning
contrada
erupts in an explosion of joy.
In this race, it is the horse that wins, not the jockey, so the first horse over the finish line without its rider takes the trophy. Guests flock from all over the world to attend the great Palio. The costumes are colourful in this historical horserace in the heart of Siena. Wave your flag and cheer on the race!
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Tuscany ~
Chianti in Greve
Food & Wine Lover's Dream
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Sip and swirl your way through the Chianti Wine Roads with Gianpaolo and his wife, Chef Laura, in a Chianti Food Lover’s Dream. Discover biodynamic wine making produced by the locals in limited edition, while cooking Tuscan traditions and touring hilltop towns from Florence to Siena and San Gimignano
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Above the Cinque Terre ~
Cooking, Wine and Olive Oil
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Italy’s regions are like children, one more beautiful than the other and we love them all. Check into Cinque Terre and discover the art of pesto making, focaccia and Pigato wine. Sea and mountains meet for a fun-filled cooking adventure with Chef Luca. Pack your bags and join us in an undiscovered part of Cinque Terra.
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Happy Cookers
Tie on your apron, cook up a storm and
make new friends in sunny Italy!
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Fiori Di Zucchine Ripieni Su Carpaccio di Pomodori di Sorrento
~ Stuffed Zucchini Flowers on a Carpaccio of Sorrento Tomatoes
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Start your lunch or dinner with Morotto Prosecco, Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut produced by Graziano Morotto in the hills of San Martino with 100% Glera.
It pours with straw yellow hue with greenish reflections with a few bubbles. The bouquet: floral, delicate, with hints of golden apple, white peach and shades of cedar. Fresh and sapid with excellent acid-tannic balance
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~ Tagliolini Pasta With Lemon Sauce
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Pair with
Il Pettirosso Valtellina Superiore produced is a light and soft red Valtellina wine made from Nebbiolo grapes, where they are locally called Chiavennasca. Notes are fresh dark cherries and clean to the palate marked mineral and sapid aromas all while ending with a spicy finish. Made with Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca) 100% from Lombardy! If you love red wine, and like to pair it with fish - Valtellina
Superiore
is for you!
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Torta Lavenda
~Lavender Cake
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Pair With
In Italy, this wine is called,
Summer In A Glass
. Cool, dry and crisp Bianco Porticello is the perfect pair for a lunch, dinner or dessert. A dry white wine, with a straw yellow hue and emerald green reflections is the perfect summer choice. Made with Moscato Bianco and Malvasia delle Lipari, one sip and you'll think you were in Sicily. A herbaceous scent with fruity notes, and hints of apple, make it fresh and balanced.
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Classica, mezza rigatoni, casarecce, tortiglio,
and
fusilli
~ are just a few of the Tuscan pastas made with organic wheat in limited batches and cut with bronze and dried at a low temperature. Italians never skimp when cooking. As you know, Italian cuisine is simple and never uses more than three or four ingredients. High-quality seasonal and organic products ensure a delicious finale whether it’s antipasto, pasta, a main course or dessert. Turn your next pasta recipe into a Tuscan one with Pasta Toscana ~ made in Italy with love.
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Olive Oil from Cooking Vacations
Extra Virgin First-Cold-Pressed
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Extra virgin, first-cold-pressed olive oil made from precious olives that have been tenderly cared for by our farmer Signor Salvatore. The olive grove has 600 trees that are over 100 years old growing in rich volcanic soil under warm Mediterranean sun and caressed by the salty sea wind all year long.
When the olives are ripe, we pick and press them in less than 24 hours, then bottle the oil immediately in limited quantities. Our oil has a very low level of oleic acid, giving it more natural vitamins and minerals. It has notes of green grass, almond and artichoke. Cooking Vacations' olive oil is also produced with a scent of lemon, chili pepper and rosemary, natural flavors that accent your next recipe!
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The Alpiflora is a company that was founded on the philosophy of respecting nature, the wisdom of the traditions and the ancient healing arts. The gents at Alpiflora also promote the practice of cultivation without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizer. This eco-friendly company prides themselves on organic plant-based products ~ from face creams to soaps and essence oils ~ will have you feeling better from head to toe!
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Italy On A Plate
Flavors Of The Season
by Germaine Stafford
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Germaine continues her roundup of what's happening in the culinary world in Italy and gives you a list of seasonal ingredients for summer. Italians cook in the rhythm of the seasons, and here, are just a few delicious picks for your next time in the kitchen!
Sea Bream, John Dory, Halibut, Clams, Gooseberries, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Peppers, Eggplant, Sweetcorn, Wild fennel, Watermelon, Peaches, Figs, Cherries, Melons, Raspberries, Red currants, Black currants
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Buon Appetito
~ Our Favorite Restaurant
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Come early and bask in a scintillating sun at Lido del Faro. A salt water pool, pearly white lounge chairs and a beckoning sea tempt where you can
fai la dolce vita
on long summer days.
Set by the Punto Carena Lighthouse, Lido del Faro serves lunch and bites until 8pm with the island’s best aperitivo. Come early and stay late until the sun sets over Ischia. Delicious local cuisine prepared by their team of chefs will you have you reserving your beach chair for the whole summer!
Hop in a convertible or sail to the Lido by boat for the best beach bar and restaurant on Capri.
Lido del Faro
Località Punta Carena- 80071 Anacapri - Capri
Tel. +39 081 8371798
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by
Stacy Adimando and Linda Pugliese
Turn the pages of
Piatti: Plates and Platters for Sharing
, and in no time, you’ll be inviting guests over for a tapas style dinner Italian-style.
The Executive Editor of
SAVEUR
magazine, author Stacy Adimando shares 75 recipes for sharing. An easy read touting recipes for such delicacies such as steamed mussels and pancetta to prosciutto and pecorino biscotti. Pages flow with easy-to-follow recipes and photos from her Italian family.
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