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Italian Cooking At Home Italy is known for its culinary delights and we all must confess we’ve done our best to replicate the Italian cooking style. We’ve certainly been dreading the day when the locals tell us we’ve got it all-wrong. (Cringe.) Ok, ragazzi, let us have it.
7 Things Americans do wrong when cooking Italian:
 It’s about that time of year again! Time for ice cream and as we all know the ice cream par excellence of the world is Italy’s gelato. Anyone who has tried this lovely Italian invention must surely crave the unique, delectable treat to the point of madness.
If you aren’t able to make it to Italy this year, there’s no need to miss out on your favorite dessert. We’ve found a few good purveyors of gelato sure to help you get your fix. Our absolute favorite is Capo Giro, which will ship pints of delicious flavors like Bacio (chocolate and hazelnut with Baci candies) or Sicilian Pistacchio anywhere in the US. If you’re in a bind and need gelato fast, head to the grocery store and give Talenti Gelato a try. Talenti offers a wide range of flavors, including a menu of globally inspired selections such as Caribbean Coconut and Mediterranean Mint. Finally for those of you in Chicago, head to Caffe Gelato, where gelato is made with fresh fruits and imported Italian chocolate. Heading to Italy this year? If you are, we challenge you to try something beyond the usual gelato. Head to Sicily to discover the real “ice cream sandwich” or gelato con brioche. That’s right, gelato, frozen and creamy, smeared between a freshly baked brioche. Oh, and we can’t forget, the bun is first spread with butter and sprinkled generously with salt and sugar. If you think this sounds out of this world, you’re right. It’s something Americans can’t even begin to fantasize about until they’ve tasted it themselves. Want your own personal ticket to gelato heaven? Just invest in a trip to Palermo, and find the nearest gelateria. The foodie angels will be anticipating your arrival. 
Travelers are always interested in finding an “inside” track to some smaller local events and festivals, and Select Italy loves to promote our favorites. There is nothing better than escaping the crowds for a day and visiting someplace absent of the English language. In the town of Nemi in the Castelli Romani, you can treat your ears to the Italian language, and your tastebuds to strawberries!
The Sagra delle Fragole, or Strawberry Festival is dedicated to wild strawberries or fragoline di bosco, which translates to meaning that they grow wild in the woods. Smaller than regular fragole, these berries have a sweeter more delicate flavor as well as an interesting mythological history. It is traditionally believed that these fragoline di bosco are the byproduct of Venus’s heartache for her mortal lover Adonis. As her tears fell to the ground, they mingled with his blood and became small red hearts, or strawberries. Amazing quantities of these little gems can be picked from May to June. During the peak of the festival, you can sample as many strawberries as you like when local girls in costume follow tradition and offer baskets of fragoline to the crowd. In addition to the free berries, you can try out local strawberry concoctions such as strawberry gelatos, liquors and even risottos. La Sagra delle Fragole is held annually on the first Sunday of June, in Nemi, within the Lazio region. To find out more about the sagra, including fun recipes and photos, head to: http://www.sagrafragole.it or call 800-877-1755 to custom design your Fragole adventure. |
Select Italy, 303 W. Erie St., Suite 410, Chicago, IL, 60654 Toll-free: 800-877-1755, Phone: 312-664-4200, Fax: 312-664-4201 Unsubscribe? |
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