By Maria Filice • April 20, 2011 
Add asparagus tips to a pesto bowl of pasta! Asparagus are in season and one of my favorite vegetables. Here’s a quick tip: When you are cooking the pasta, add the asparagus to the pasta water (six minutes after adding the pasta). This way, when the pasta is cooked, so are the asparagus. OR, if the cooking time for the pasta is ie. 10 minutes (mfr. instructions), add the asparagus to the pasta water at six minutes.
Drain the pasta and asparagus together. Add the pesto and a big handful of freshly grated parmigiano cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of red chili flakes (optional. Ready to serve!
If you have leftovers, add little chunks of goat cheese! Great lunch or side for dinner!
Watch me on CHCH TV 11 on Friday @ 8:20am. for more. This will be one dish that I will be serving for my favorite crew at CHCH !
a presto,
Maria
By Maria Filice • April 19, 2011 Strike a biscotti pose….Here’s a festive version of my amaretti, biscotti and pizzele. What do you think? The recipes are in my book Breaking Bread in L’Aquila.
Step aside, amaretti showing off with pastel almond confetti (sugar coated almonds). Sulmona (in the province of L’Aquila) is the city that these famous hard candies are produced. I added the confetti when I removed the amaretti from the oven.
I shaped the pizzelle with festive Easter designs: butterflies, eggs and baby lambs. When you remove the hot pizzelle from the press, stamp the cookies right away before they get hard. A great way to be creative during the Holiday! I drizzled powder sugar and sugar crystals.
White chocolate dip for the biscotti and sprinkles of mint green sugar crystals! I made the biscotti bite size minis!
You can see me on CHCH TV 11 on Friday, April 22nd @ 8:20am. for my segment “What’s cooking in your Easter Basket”.
a presto,
Maria
By Maria Filice • April 16, 2011 
When I prepare oven roasted salmon, I like to add my favorite mustard paste (brown and dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, fresh black pepper). Try it, you will like it!
For my poached salmon, I added a tsp. of each brown and dijon mustard, a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper to my boiling (medium pot) for flavoring. I added the salmon and lowered the heat to medium. I topped the pot with the lid to seal the flavors and steam/poach the salmon for five minutes or until cooked to your liking.
Another way to use some of my favorite flavors. Add lemon wedges for garnish.
By Maria Filice • April 15, 2011 
Step aside for some tasty side dishes of steamed spinich and butternut squash! Two of my favorites served with roasted leg of lamb.
Steamed spinich takes approximately 3-5 minutes to steam and in boiling salted water. I add a drizzle of olive oil to the salt water when steaming the spinich. A quick side for any meat or fish dish. I like to add red chili flakes and fresh garlic (to taste). Leftovers are perfect for an omelette.
Butternut squash, a winter squash is sweet and versatile! I like to roast it and mash into soups, salads or a casserole with lots of cheese (another blog…). I served the leftovers with corn chips as a dip! I roasted the squash with a drizzle of olive oil (:30 minutes, 350F) until the squash was softened. I mashed the squash and added some sweet butter and 1/4 cup of half/half cream. Salt and black pepper to taste.
a presto,
maria !
By Maria Filice • April 14, 2011 
I made a bean salad a few days ago and had enough to serve at my dinner party last night. I served it in my edible Radicchio cups. I also serve my seafood salad in radicchio cups in my book “Breaking Bread in L’Aquila”. Perfect plating in martini glasses or your favorite antipasto plate! I served the bean salad with prosciutto wrapped in sesame bread sticks.
Maria’s Bean Salad:
1 can (14 oz) each: (use your favorite)!
red kidney, black-eyed, garbanzo and cannellini beans, drain, rinsd
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, (finely chopped) – what was left in the refrigerator ….
1 cup of sun dried tomatoes, rough chop
1 cup of Kalamata olives, pitted, use your favorite
black pepper (to taste)
red chili flakes (optional)
2 tbsp. dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt (to taste)
Radicchio, 4 leaves (they shape into cups)
Parmigiano cheese (shavings)
Mix everything in a large bowl and ready to serve! I served a scoop of bean salad in the radicchio cups, shaving of parmiagiano cheese.
a presto,
Maria
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