A WEEK-END IN KANSAS CITY

Greetings from Carmela's Cucina,

Bob and I were invited to a wedding in Kansas City this past week-end and decided to go and visit friends from college and see the sights of this fun town as well as attending the wedding. At the recommendation of the groom's mother we stayed at the Intercontinental at the Plaza (www.ichotelsgroup.com )

The hotel's service was wonderful and is nicely decorated, but the best part is that it is just two very short blocks to the world famous Kansas City Plaza area. The Plaza is full of wonderful specialty stores and restaurants, coffee shops and galleries. The weather was beautiful, so we were able to enjoy the Spanish architecture and all of the many fountains.

Friday night, at my request my friend and her husband made reservations for the four of us to eat at Lidia Bastianich's Restaurant, Lidia's (www.lidiasitaly.com ) located in the historic Freight House. Lidia is considered the "first lady" of Italian Cuisine and is my idol, so I had been wanting to eat there for many years.

On a week-end evening Lidia's was buzzing and fun. We had a great table looking out at the room and a very informative waiter, who suggested that we start our meal out with a Frico. As part of some of my cooking classes I make Frico Baskets that hold salads, but this was a little different. The Frico was on a bed of roasted potatoes with a lovely asparagus and shrimp sauce poured over and then over that laid a crisp Frico made of Parmesan Cheese and garnished with more shrimp and asparagus. The shrimp and asparagus sauce was light and creamy and the contrast of the crisp Frico was delicious. I then had the trio of pastas, the first was a Spinach Fettuccine in a cream sauce, then came a spicy Capatavi pasta with sausage which was not too hot, but yet spicy enough to give the dish a nice zip. The final part of the trio was actually a creamy Risotto of seafood. My favorite of the trio was the Capatavi. The waiter did mention that all of the pastas were refillable, but at this point I was pretty full and wanting to enjoy dessert.

The trio also included a salad as well and Bob and I split a Beat salad with creamy Gorgonzola Cheese and roasted walnuts. It was colorful and the cheese was a nice contrast to the beats. All of the servings were very generous.

And for dessert, and probably my favorite course, was a Lemon and Olive Oil cake, which I make frequently for my clients as well, but they pared it with a lemon gelato that was delicious. The gelato had a hint of rosemary to it and a small sprig garnished the plate. It was very refreshing after all of the pasta.

If I were to go back however, I would choose what my friend had, which was a lovely portion of a sauteed chicken breast in a lemon caper sauce served over a bed of fresh spinach. The bread basket that they brought to our table when we first arrived with an artichoke spread and then another spread of olives was wonderful on the warm foccacia that made up part of the generous bread basket.

Food and service were great, I fulfilled my dream and I will go back on future trips.

And for those of you who love to watch the Food Network, scratch that idea on Sat. mornings and tune into a show that will teach you what real Italian food is about. You can catch Lidia's Italy on PBS, in the Twin Cities, that is channel 2 at 11:00 in the morning. You will learn more from her in 30 minutes than you ever will from some of the so called Food Network Stars.

Many of the ideas for my classes in the Twin Cities are inspired from Lidia's many cookbooks. So if you cannot make it to Kansas City or to the New York city area, where Lidia owns two other restaurants, you may want to take one of my cooking classes. To register for a class, look to the list of cooking schools that I have posted on this page and click on their link to see when I will be teaching at their location, what is on the menu and how to register.

Lidia's many cookbook's are available at Barnes and Noble and you can also get my latest cookbook, Carmela's Cucina there as well. www.barnesandnoble.com

Buon appetito,

Carmela Tursi Hobbins

CHOCOLATE OBLIVION

Greetings from Carmela's Cucina,

My students always ask during my cooking classes," which Italian restaurants do you like in the Twin Cities?" I rattle off a few and then always mention Al Vento (the Wind) as a really good southern Italian place to dine. However I had not been there in about a year and now have been back twice in a month because our first experience was so good and our second visit even better.

Located in south Minneapolis at 5001 34Th Ave AlVento puts out great food at what I think are very reasonable prices. On one occasion I ordered the Balsamic braised short ribs with Gorgonzola potatoes and carrots at $21.50, this was the most expensive entree on the menu. The portion was so large that I brought half of it home with me and had it for lunch the next day. Warmed up it was even better than the night before. I went for something a little lighter on my next visit, but was not disappointed. Striped sea bass with fava bean risotto and tomato beurre blanc was light and delicious. The sea bass was very moist and flavorful and the risotto nice and creamy. Because I was not feeling overly stuffed, I felt that I could order dessert to finish off the evening.

My daughter in law, Jeannie happened to be with us that night and after much consultation, we decided that we would split the Chocolate Oblivion. I love Jeannie, but the minute that dessert appeared, hand delivered by the chef, I began to regret my decision to share. But trying to be a good mother in law, I did not devour the entire dessert myself, although, I really was tempted to do just that.

Chocolate Oblivion lived up to it's name, the moment the first bite passed my lips I felt as though I must be in chocolate heaven. The pastry crust is light and flaky, the center is then covered with a sweet chocolate ganache with diced strawberries over the chocolate and a lovely vanilla cream anglaise pools around it all. If you go to Al Vento make sure and save some room for this wonderful experience. The only thing that would have made it better is if I had ordered a nicely chilled glass of Moscato to sip with it.

Al Vento will take reservations call 612-727-2724 or go on line at www.alventorestaurant.com They also do catering. And one of the nicest parts of the whole dining experience was that the chef/owner, John Hunt did come out to speak with us. I love supporting small establishments such as this and I suggest that you try them out too.

Buon appetito,

Carmela Tursi Hobbins

ENDLESS PASTABLITIES

Greetings from Carmela's Cucina,

Last week my friend and food writer Sue Doeden contacted me. She had developed a recipe for Baked Ziti with Ham, Asparagus and Fresh Peas -- what a breath of Spring that is!

The reason for her call was to talk about cooking pasta, a subject that I love to discuss and teach in my many culinary classes. After I told her everything I could think of that is important about pasta -- the various kinds of pasta, how to cook it, and matching sauces with the different types of pasta -- she asked if I would be willing to do an audio-interview for the Bemidji Pioneer newspaper. Of course I readily agreed.

To read Sue's column and to get her recipe for Baked Ziti go to www.bemidjipioneer.com then click on her link, All About Food. If you would like to hear what I had to say about pasta (and I hope that you do), click on the audio icon that is part of her column.

Sue and I would love to hear what you think about the recipe and interview and, if you have a recipe that you would like to share, send that to us too. Most of all, if you have a pasta tip that you would like others to know about, please submit that as well.

And remembe, keep cooking pasta. The possibilities are endless!

Buon appetito,

Carmela Tursi Hobbins

MOTHERSAUCES

Greetings from Carmela's Cucina,

I had a few free hours this afternoon and decided to go and check out the new cooking school where I will be teaching in April, Mothersauces. Located at 76th and Lyndale, Mothersauces is not only a beautiful store front offering any kitchen tool that you might want to purchase, cookbooks and spices, but they also have a beautiful area where they offer cooking classes.

I am scheduled to teach one of my favorite classes there on Wed. night April 8th at 6:00 p.m., Grazzietta's Farm House Dinner. The cost is $60 and you can go to the Mothersauces web site to register at: http://www.mothersauces.com/ or phone them at 612-331-9680.

Grazzietta was my first instructor in Tuscany. We first met as dusk in her beautiful Tuscan garden where she was picking herbs and vegetables for the meal that we would later prepare together. Loaded in her basket were sage, rosemary, basil, parsley, oregano and spinach as well as fresh asparagus. From there we went straight to her cucina and created the meal that we will make together at Mothersauces. We will begin with a Bruschetta of Spinach and Mushrooms and for our pasta course make Pasta ala Erbe, a pasta in a rich herb and tomato cream sauce, we will enjoy sage stuffed chicken breasts and fresh roasted asparagus and then end our meal with a delicious Torta di Limone with fresh berries and a flourish of whipped cream. This meal is a real spring time treat and I know that you are all ready for spring.

So, do not delay, click on the web site link in this posting or just move to the right hand side of this page where you will see the link to the web page and sign up for this fun filled class. And I promise you I will give you more tips about cooking Italian and the Italian life style.

Looking forward to seeing you at Mothersauces in April.

Buon appetito,

Carmela Tursi Hobbins

JERSEY BOYS

Greetings From Carmela's Cucina,

I finally got to collect tonight on a Christmas gift from my husband, Bob. Tickets to the Jersey Boys! "Oh What a Night." From their opening song to their final encore, the Jersey Boys brought back hundreds of memories for this Italian girl growing up in "Little Italy" in Des Moines, Iowa. The energy of the performers who had Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons dances, and mannerisms down perfectly was amazing. The rough talk reminded me of some of my former school mates, OK guys, I promise not to give you up!

If you don't have tickets get them now, I understand that there are still good seats left go to www.ticketmaster.com and buy yourself some of the best entertainment in this town. You won't be disappointed. By the end of the evening the audience was up and singing and dancing to great tunes like, Rag Doll, Working My Way back to You, Walk Like a Man and my favorite My Eyes Adored You. It's a blast from the past so be prepared to have a good time and enjoy this great performance. Just a small warning the show was about 2 and half hours long, but went by so quickly that I was very sad to see it end.

And if you are looking for a quick bite to eat before the show, we like to drop into the M and S Grill at 5th and Nicolett for their Happy Hour from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.. They are still serving one of the best cheeseburgers in town with tomato, lettuce and onion, it weighs in at a half pound, so bring your appetite with you and it includes a large serving of fries, for just $1.95 (yes, I do have the price right). With a nice glass of Pinot Noir at $5.00 a glass it can be one of the best bargains in town.

So, "Hang On To What You've Got", and start making some plans!

Buon appetito,

Carmela Tursi Hobbins

COOKING CLASS AND BOOK SIGNING, MARCH 28, 2008

Greetings from Carmela's Cucina,

I would like to tell all of you about my up-coming cooking class and book signing. On March 28, 2008 you will find me in the kitchen at Byerly's Grocery Store in St. Louis Park, creating Mini Meals in Minutes. This one hour class will include three recipes that are fun, easy and delicious. We will begin by making an Antipasti on a Skewer which will consist of Italian meats and cheeses, tomatoes and basil, all marinated in a zesty Italian dressing. I will then demonstrate Grilled Shrimp on a Skewer with a Pesto Sauce and end our Mini Meal with Nutella Ravioli. Nutella is a chocolate and hazelnut spread made in the Northern Part of Italy. The ravioli are deep-fried and dusted with powdered sugar and are a real treat.

Following the demonstration I will be available to talk to you about my up-coming trips to Italy and sign my cookbook, Carmela's Cucina. This all starts at Noon in the kitchen at Byerly's and is sure to be a lot of fun. I hope you can make it for either the class or the book signing. You will pick up many good entertaining tips as well. For more information go to www.lundsandbyerlys.com or call 952-253-3409. The cost of the class is a real bargin too, only $10.00.

Buon appetito,

Carmela Tursi Hobbins

MEMORIES OF TUSCANY

Last fall, ten of my clients and I made ourselves at home in the hilltown of Tofori in Tuscany.
Tofori is located an hour from the Florence airport and just minutes from the charming walled town of Lucca. Our group was split in two; some of us called Villa Margherita our home, while others claimed the villa Il Mulino di Torrigiani.
Our hosts Doug Haynes and Doris Fortino, formerly of the Twin Cities, are fortunate to call IL Mulino their permanent residence. After meeting our group at the Florence airport, they immediately began to make us feel at home with a welcoming bottle of cool crisp Proseco, the sparkling wine of the area and a long awaited Tuscan dinner. Doug and Doris were not only our hosts, but also our tour guides and translators. We experienced one glorious week of touring, dining and tasting the best wines of Tuscany.

Our week began with a leisurely stroll and a guided tour of Lucca. We found ourselves having lunch at the famous Buca di Sant’Antonio, a classic since 1794.Our seven-course lunch culminated with a tour of the restaurant’s wine cellars. Then we proceeded to the village of Petrognano and our first cooking lesson with Chef Lido Martini of the Fattoria Gambaro. Fattoria Gambaro is a quaint and rustic restaurant, with a busy kitchen… as we soon found out! Guido had us slicing, dicing, rolling and stuffing. The end result a multi-course meal we enjoyed consisting of ravioli, gnocchi, involtini of pork, a molded vegetable terrine that the locals call sformata, and Pannacotta for dessert. And, of course, there were bottles of Limoncello and Vin Santo to end our evening.Our week also included a visit to the Cinque Terre, an area of five fishing villages located on the Ligurain Sea. We hiked from town to town and found ourselves eating lunch at a restaurant built over the aquamarine sea.

We were driven around the Chianti countryside, admired the endless olive groves, vineyards and Tuscan pines, and sampled the liquid gold and the wine of the area. We stopped to visit the world famous butcher of Panzanno, Dario, and sampled his meats and lardo while being entertained with a recitation of poetry, which we could not understand, but thought was romantic anyway.

While we sipped the local wine and listened to melodic Italian music, we enjoyed our day with one of the village women, Anna Maria. She showed us how to prepare tortelli, the half moon shaped filled pasta with meat sauce. We worked in Anna Maria's cucina all day rolling and stuffing pasta, roasting pork loin, preparing potatoes, vegetables and pastries that we would have for dinner. After our work, we were rewarded with a candlelit evening al fresco under the Tuscan moon on the Ponte that is the bridge to the villa. We ended our day happily sipping our grappa and espresso and talking about a return trip.

Our final day was spent in Viareggio, a seaside resort, visiting the fish market as the fisherman delivered their catch of the day. We purchased the necessary ingredients to make Cacciuccio, the hearty seafood soup of the area. We returned to the Villa Costa where our hostess, Sandy, instructed us in the fine art of preparing the area’s specialty.

We dined around the swimming pool under the starlit skies of Italy and later danced and enjoyed the music of Beppe and Sergio and company, who entertained us by playing and singing Italian favorites. At midnight, we made our Limoncello toasts to our hosts Doris and Doug and thanked them for providing our group of Minnesotans with a perfect week in Tuscany.

The group found it difficult to leave the beautiful Villa Margherita and IL Mulino and the welcoming hospitality we found from all whom we encountered on our brief stay. My consolation was that I would be returning with other groups in the future to enjoy a repeat of what I feel is a trip of a lifetime.

If you would like to join me in such an adventure in Sept. of this year, then contact me at my web site www.carmiescucina.com and we can begin making you travel arrangements.

I hope to see you in Tuscany very soon.

Buon appetito,

Carmela Tursi Hobbins