By Maria Filice • October 20, 2012 I love the Fall for it’s weather and the beautiful transformation of the Foliage – beautiful majestic colors! Cleaning the leaves is another story …..
In this photo, I prepared a simple salad with yellow, red cherry tomatoes, roasted artichokes, red onion and cooked green beans. I drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, a little balsamic, chopped fresh basil, salt and pepper (to taste) and ready to serve. You can serve it as a side vegetable with your favorite grilled meats, fish or cheese. I also like to add cured olives – it reminds me of visits in Italy! A simple salad you can enjoy throughout the year – why wait just for summer? a presto, Maria
By Maria Filice • October 16, 2012 
This is a simple, elegant dessert that’s EASY to prepare. Adding your favorite spices enhances the flavors. Remember to always use a good red wine when you are poaching the pears. An important rule of thumb is: “Always cook with wine that you will drink and serve to your guests!”
Ingredients
 6 peeled, cored, and sliced pears (Bosc or Anjou)
2 cups of red wine
1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1 lemon, juiced and lemon zest of the lemon (don’t waste anything, as my mother and nanna would say)
Dark chocolate shavings (sinful)
Mascarpone or a scoop of vanilla ice cream (use your favorite)
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients, except pears, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a low and add the pears. Simmer pears for 20 minutes and turn them occasionally to combine all of the flavors. Poke the pears at twenty minutes, until they are tender. Remove pears and let them cool.
Boil wine sauce until the liquid has been reduced by half. Pour sauce over pears and serve with a tsp. of either Mascarpone ice cream. Drizzle dark chocolate shavings and serve. Perfect with a dessert wine!
Maria’s Tip: I’ve used oranges and cinnamon as another option with orange liqueur!
a presto,
Maria
By Maria Filice • October 16, 2012
I just returned from a trip to the L’Aquila region of Abruzzo, which is located to the east of Rome. While there, we ate pasta served with simple and fresh sauces under the beautiful L’Aquila sunshine. In this dish, I prepared orecchiette, a short pasta shaped like a round disk that is slightly hollow in the middle. You can also use your own favorite short pasta—there are always lots to choose from!
The sauce is simple and light. It’s a nice option to use tomatoes cooked for three minutes and then tossed with arugula. The arugula gives it a peppery taste. It’s a great summer dish, but it can be the perfect dish for anytime of year.
You can also substitute the arugula with spinach. That’s a great way to enjoy pasta served with greens in one dish.
Not only is this a delicious dish, but it also takes just 10 minutes to prepare. How’s that for a quick and tasty lunch or dinner?
Pasta Sauce
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups of cherry tomatoes (1 cup yellow, 1 cup red)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 cup pasta water (reserve)
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Heat a large sauté pan over medium and add the oil, garlic, and cherry tomatoes. Add salt and red chili flakes. Cook for about 3 minutes.
Using a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package instructions until it is al dente. Drain and toss in the large sauté pan. Add the reserved pasta water and toss the grated cheese and stir.
Pour the pasta in a large pasta bowl and garnish the arugula on top.
The beautiful plate that I used for the pasta is designed by a good friend in Castelli (the ceramic town) in the region of Abruzzo.
By Maria Filice • October 16, 2012
For a take on the classic Italian zucchini pasta, follow my favorite recipe. It’s getting toward the end of zucchini season, so I have a seemingly endless supply of the vegetable. Treat your family to a light and delicious bowl of zucchini spaghetti.
This sauce calls for extra virgin olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. It’s super simple and takes only minutes to prepare.
Zucchini Spaghetti
Ingredients
1 lb. (approximately 2) zucchini, finely julienned
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3-5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes
1/4 cup Fresh Italian Flat Parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
An easy way to julienne the zucchini is to use a Mandoline slicer. If you don’t have one, use your handy vegetable peeler.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red chili flakes. Sauté until the garlic is golden brown. Add the zucchini and 1/4 cup of water, seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir the zucchini and cook for approximately 3 minutes. Add the fresh Parmegiano and fresh parsley.
Serve with your favorite fish, meat or tofu dish. I like to pair this dish with my Italian Breaded Veal Cutlet. You can search for this recipe and others in the archives of Good Food at Ask Amy Daily. Make the pasta a meal by itself by adding goat cheese.
a presto,
Maria
By Maria Filice • October 16, 2012
It’s that time of the year again when the weather is changing and the days are getting shorter. Have your cravings for different foods changed? This week, one of my cravings is a warm bowl of lentil soup with carrots, onions, and celery—the perfect fall vegetables. These vegetables are available all year round, but my local farmer’s market has a fantastic, fresh selection when they are in season.
I prefer to use dry beans when I prepare lentils because they don’t need to soak overnight. Plus, lentils only take thirty minutes to cook. As a tip, you can prepare this meal in advance and reheat it in minutes. It also freezes well for a few months, so it can serve as a quick meal on the go!
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 large white onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
4 large celery stalks, including leaves, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cup of uncooked lentils, picked and rinsed
2 quarts (64 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup of cold water
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano grated cheese
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
Place the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the garlic, onion, carrot, celery, and salt for approximately five minutes until the vegetables sweat.
Do you know what it means to sweat vegetables and why? To “sweat” means that the vegetables draw out the moisture at a medium heat and cook with a bit of their own liquid. That is the first step to making soup, stew and minestra. We don’t want the vegetables to caramelize or brown at a high heat.
Add the lentils and stir them in the vegetables and liquid for ten seconds.
Add 2 quarts of your favorite broth (chicken or vegetable) and water. Increase the heat from medium to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot until the lentils are tender for approximately 30 minutes.
Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to the lentils and serve.
The perfect meatless meal for any day of the week.
a presto,
Maria
Photo taken by: Maren Caruso
Lentils used for soups: Justin Cormack
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