Author: La Ciociara

I was born in the U.S., but my heart belongs to Italy. I have developed this blog to talk about all things Italian, including travel, art, food, history, and life in general. I lived in Italy when I was a child, in Milano, went to first grade there, and, even though I was so young, it has left quite an impression on me. In fact, to this day I have been trying to find my way back to a life there, but having a family makes it a not so easy thing! Of course, I go there every chance I get, having my father's side of the family there, mostly in the Lazio region which is in central Italy. By the way, here's a bit of useless information - my name, Marcia, means belonging to the Roman god Mars. In Italian, it's actually spelled Marzia, but my name is in Portuguese.

Thimble Cookies (Thumbprint Cookies)

Posted on December 16, 2016 by La Ciociara

Thimble cookies, so called because originally bakers used a thimble to make an indentation in the cookie dough to fill it with preserves, are very simple to make. All you need are 5 ingredients. (They are also known as thumbprint cookies because you can use your thumb to make an indentation.)

Ingredients:

1 c butter, room temperature
2 c flour
4 T confectioner sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
preserves, any flavor

Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix butter, flour, confectioner sugar, and vanilla extract together to form dough.
Make 3/4″ sized balls (or depending on how large you want the cookies to be).
Place them on a greased cookie sheet.
Press balls with your thumb to leave an indentation, then spoon preserves into the indentations.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and serve.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

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Rainbow Cookies

Posted on December 11, 2016 by La Ciociara

Rainbow cookies, also known as Venetian cookies and Neapolitan cookies, are a three layer cookie (or 7 layers if you count the layers of preserves and 2 layers of chocolate) made of colored sponge cake made with almond paste, apricot or raspberry preserves, and chocolate. They were not invented in Italy but rather by Italian-American immigrants who came here in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s.

Biting into one of these sweet, tasty treats reminds me of when I was a little girl and would go shopping with my mother on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx and stop in one of the many bakeries to buy these cookies, along with loaves of Italian bread and lard bread (prosciutto bread), and pignoli cookies.

Addeo Bakery, Arthur Avenue, Little Italy of the Bronx

Addeo Bakery, in the Bronx. Photo credit: changsterdam via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Although here in the United States we call them rainbow cookies, the colors actually symbolize the colors of the Italian flag, red, white, and green. They are usually made only during Christmastime in Italian households because they take time to make, but can be found throughout the year in Italian bakeries and grocery stores.

Make sure to use almond paste and not marzipan or almond pastry filling in this recipe because they are all different. Almond paste is made of ground up almonds with a little bit of sugar and is very gritty. It is not very sweet and needs to be mixed with other ingredients to be used as a filling. I personally like to use Solo almond paste but you can find many other brands in the grocery store or on online.

Almond Paste

Marzipan is made of ground up almonds (less almonds proportionally than almond paste, actually) with a lot of sugar and glucose, and is smooth. It can be eaten as is and is usually molded into different shapes.

Marzipan Candy –
Photo credit: Claire Elaine@Flickr.com

Almond pastry filling, or frangipane, is made of ground up almonds, sugar, and cream, among other ingredients, and has a creamy consistency. It is used as a filling for cakes and pastries.

Almond Pastry Filling (Frangipane) –
Photo credit: Sarah@Flickr.com

Ingredients:
1 8 oz. can of almond paste (NOT marzipan)
1 c granulated sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 12 oz. jar of apricot (or raspberry) preserves
1 1/2 c (3 sticks) butter, softened
4 eggs, separated
2 c all purpose unbleached flour
10 drops green food coloring
8 drops red food coloring
2 squares semi-sweet chocolate (or 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips if layering on bottom also)

Grease three 13x9x2 pans and line with wax paper.
Break up the almond paste in a large bowl with a fork. Add butter, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Beat in flour (slowly adding) and salt.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. With wooden spoon, stir this into the almond mixture using a turning motion, similar to folding.
Remove 1 1/2 cups of batter and spread evenly into a prepared pan. Remove another 1 1/2 cups and place in a bowl. Add green food coloring and mix, then spread into another pan. Add red food coloring into remaining batter and mix, then spread into the last pan.
Bake in a moderate oven temperature, 350°, for 15 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. Cakes will be about 1/4″ thick.
Remove cakes from pans immediately onto a large wire rack and let cool thoroughly.
Place green layer on a cookie or jelly roll pan. Heat apricot preserves and spread 1/2 of it over the green layer to the edges. Slide the yellow layer on top of it and spread the remaining preserves to the edges. Slide the pink/red layer right side up onto the yellow layer.
Cover with plastic wrap and place a heavy wooden cutting board or heavy plate over it and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Melt chocolate squares over hot water in a small cup and spread over the cake. Let harden, about 30 minutes. Trim the edges and cut into 1″ squares.

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Above Photo credit: World to Table via Foter.com / CC BY-NC

Thanksgiving Turkey, Italian Style

Posted on November 20, 2016 by La Ciociara

(Updated 11/2023)

Thanksgiving at my house has always been a wonderful occasion. Even though it is an American tradition, my mother managed to add an Italian flavor to it by including a pasta dish, along with the typical side dishes of cranberry sauce, regular potatoes, and baked sweet potatoes. Although she is long gone, we still keep up the tradition.

She would cook the stuffing the night before but still put it in the raw turkey on Thanksgiving so that it would absorb all the juices of the turkey as it roasted in the oven. I know everyone says not to stuff the raw turkey because you can get sick from the bacteria, but I am still here and still making the turkey the same way she always did!

The stuffing is made with chicken gizzards which sounds odd but, trust me, it is very tasty. I also add some dried salami cut up into little cubes, but that can be left out if you feel it is too overpowering. The amounts used in this recipe are approximate. I don’t usually measure the ingredients, I go by what looks good. And don’t forget to always wash your hands with warm water and soap after handling any raw poultry, including the gizzards.

If you are using a frozen turkey, thaw it slowly in the refrigerator to reduce shrinkage. This can take approximately 24 hours per 5 lbs. Always use a smaller sized turkey because the smaller ones are younger and so the meat is more tender and juicy, and never use a pre-basted turkey. Before placing the turkey in the oven, cover it with bacon strips and lemon slices to give it that extra zing. (I love to eat the crispy bacon as soon as the turkey comes out of the oven!) Do not cover it with aluminum foil because it will create steam and you will not get a crispy outer skin, and never roast it in an oven less than 325°.

It takes around 3 to 4 hours to roast a 10 to 12 lb. turkey, or about 20 minutes per 1 lb. You know it’s ready when the thermometer that comes embedded in the turkey pops out, or if using a regular thermometer, the temperature should be greater than 180°.

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The regular potatoes are added to the roasting pan after the turkey starts to brown. These potatoes are then served with the pasta. Yes, it is a very starchy meal, but it is so good that I would rather eat the pasta than the turkey!

Serves about 10 people
Ingredients
10 to 12 lb turkey
stuffing
10 potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthwise
2 jars of Heinz or Franco-American turkey gravy
paprika
7 to 8 bacon slices
1 lemon, sliced
2 c white wine (or beer), approximately
1 box of medium shell pasta (You can make more than one box but then you will fill up on pasta and not eat anything else, which is what happens to me!)

For the stuffing:
3 1/2 to 4 lbs of chicken gizzards
olive oil
4 to 6 small cloves of garlic
1 onion, chopped
dried oregano
dried thyme
3 c breadcrumbs, approximately
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
dried salami, small cubes, to taste
olives, black or green, pitted, to taste
1 tsp capers
sweet peppercorns, according to taste
salt, to taste
The night before:

Rinse the chicken gizzards and either cook in a pressure cooker for about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour, or boil in a large pot for about 1 hour until tender. Save some of the broth.
Cut up the gizzards into small pieces.
In a large pan, cover the bottom with olive oil and sauté the garlic; add the gizzards and sauté for another 5 minutes.
Shut the heat off and remove from stove.
Add remaining ingredients, with enough breadcrumbs so that it is not too dry and not too moist. If it is too dry, add some of the broth that you reserved, making sure not to add too much because if it is too wet, it will be like mud when it is cooked in the turkey.

For the turkey:

Preheat oven to 375°.
Rinse the turkey and sprinkle salt and paprika all over it. Spoon the stuffing into the turkey.
Tie the legs with string and tuck the wings under the turkey. Place in a roasting pan with a little bit of olive oil on the bottom of the pan.
Place bacon strips and lemon slices over the turkey (above photo).
Place in preheated oven uncovered. When you see that the turkey and juices are sizzling, reduce the oven temperature to 350°.
After about 1 1/2 hours in the oven, when the turkey has some color, add the potatoes, gravy, and 1 cup of white wine. If the gravy starts to get dry, add more white wine, but no more than 2 cups total. You can add the leftover broth from the chicken gizzards or water after that. Baste the turkey with the gravy every once in a while so that it doesn’t dry up and burn.
When the embedded thermometer pops out, the turkey is done. You can also stick a thermometer in the thigh and check that it is over 180°, making sure that the thermometer does not touch the bone because bone is a good conductor of heat and the temperature will be higher than the meat itself. Another way to tell it’s done is if the drumstick can be pulled away from the rest of the turkey.
Roasted Turkey
Remove the turkey from the oven and let stand for about 20 minutes before removing the stuffing and carving. In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
Place the turkey on a plate large enough to accommodate the size of the turkey. Remove some of the potatoes that are still whole, and some of the gravy and drippings and set aside to serve with the turkey.
Mix the cooked pasta with the remaining broken up potatoes and gravy in the roasting pan. Add more gravy or potatoes, depending on your taste, and serve.

Pasta with potatoes

Restricted Driving Zones (ZTL)

Posted on October 20, 2016 by La Ciociara

So I get this very official looking letter in the mail the other day with a return address of “NCDS Comune di Milano Polizia Locale” in Italy. Of course I got really nervous because I’ve heard about all the hidden traffic cameras that are posted throughout the streets and highways of Italy (not that I drive like a maniac – in fact, I drive slowly because I am terrified of driving in Italy with all those Fiats zipping around me, but that’s another story). I opened it up and found a traffic violation from over a year ago when we were in Milan!

It turns out that we had unknowingly driven down a street which was in a restricted driving zone, or ZTL. These zones are set up mostly in historic city centers to help reduce congestion. Cars and other vehicles are not allowed to park or even drive down these streets.

Limited traffic zones – ZTL

I actually stayed in a hotel in Florence this past summer which was in a ZTL. I had to pay extra to the parking garage (I could have also paid the hotel) so that they would alert the police not to issue me a violation since I was staying at a hotel in the restricted zone. And the fine for violating a restricted zone can be hefty depending on what type of car you drive or how long you take to pay it.

I was able to go online to check that it was an official document and actually see a video of us driving through the restricted zone in the center of Milan. I paid it online within the amount of time I was given so I was only charged the amount of 71.45 euros, which is currently about $79.00.

For more information, including detailed maps of these zones and how to avoid violations, please go to DYK?: What are Italy ZTL Restricted Driving Zones?.

Top photo credit Alain Rouiller @ Flickr.com

Villa d’Este, Tivoli

Posted on October 10, 2016 by La Ciociara

Villa d’Este, also known as Tivoli Gardens, is a UNESCO world heritage site in the town of Tivoli which is just outside the city of Rome. It was commissioned during the Renaissance by Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, governor of Tivoli in 1550, after being disappointed that he was not elected to the papacy. He wanted to build a residence which would rival all the Roman villas so he acquired a lot of land surrounding the governor’s official residence, which was originally a monastery and had a magnificent view of the countryside.

Villa d’Este

In the process of building this luxurious villa, many houses, roads, and buildings were demolished causing many lawsuits to be brought against him, but he continued. He commissioned Pirro Ligorio, an artist and scholar who studied the many Roman villas in the surrounding area, to plan this new villa and garden in the Baroque style (and also used many objects of art taken from Hadrian’s Villa nearby), architect Alberto Galvani to design the blueprints, many engineers to design and construct the fountains, and many painters and sculptors to adorn it.

View through the Fountain of Neptune

Because of the steep slope of the land where it was built, a large amount of dirt had to be excavated to construct terraces and canals to carry water from the Aniene river to the fountains through underground pipes.

One of the fountains is actually a hydraulic organ which plays music by pushing air through the organ pipes.

Sometime between the 18th and 19th century, the villa was abandoned but was later restored and is now one of the most visited sites in the world.

View from one of the terraces of the gardens of Villa d’Este

The Fountain of Rometta, representing the founding of Rome

Courtyard

View from a window

Fresco in the Hall of Glory

The “Hall of Horses”

Steps leading up to the villa

Walking through the gardens, Villa d’Este

Pignoli Cookies

Posted on October 6, 2016 by La Ciociara

Pignoli cookies are the Italian version of macaroons with the addition of pine nuts. They originated in Sicily but are very popular in the US in Italian bakeries. The cookies can be eaten throughout the year but are mostly served at Christmas time since they can be quite expensive to make or buy because of what goes in them, pine nuts, or pignoli, and almond paste.

Pine nuts can usually be found at a grocery store in the baking aisle along with other nuts. They are actually the nuts of pine cones, so you would think they would be cheap, but, unfortunately, they are not easy to harvest. They only grow in the northern hemisphere and can take up to 3 years to mature. Once they are harvested from the pine cones, they need to be cracked open from an inner shell. It’s not an easy task – I did it many years ago while I was in the pineta of Selvacava, a large pine forest up in the mountains in Aurunci National Park. I remember having to smash each individual nut with a big rock!

Make sure to use almond paste and not marzipan nor almond pastry filling in this recipe because they are all different. Almond paste is made of ground up almonds with a little bit of sugar and is very gritty. It is not very sweet and needs to be mixed with other ingredients to be used as a filling. I personally like to use Solo almond paste, but you can find many other brands in the grocery store or online.

Almond Paste

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Ingredients (yield: 3 dozen)
12 oz almond paste
½ c granulated sugar
1 c confectioners’ sugar
4 egg whites
1 ½ c pine nuts (pignoli)
1 T of flour if the dough is too soft

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F (165 degrees C).
2. Line 2 cookie sheets with foil; lightly grease foil.
3. Mix almond paste and granulated sugar in food processor until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar and 2 egg whites; process until smooth.
4. Whisk remaining 2 egg whites in small bowl.
5. Place pine nuts on shallow plate.
6. With lightly floured hands roll dough into 1” balls. If the dough feels too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour. Coat balls in egg whites, shaking off excess, then roll in pine nuts, pressing lightly to stick. Arrange balls on cookie sheets, and flatten slightly to form a 1 ½ “ round.
7. Bake 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over them before serving. Store them in an airtight container.

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Pickled Eggplant (Melanzana, Aubergine)

Posted on August 31, 2016 by La Ciociara

Pickled eggplants are one of my favorite sandwich toppers. They are very easy to make. Be careful to choose a large eggplant with no bruises since they can rot in a short amount of time.

It is usually recommended that you salt the sliced up eggplant and layer them in a colander with a heavy weight on top to let the bitter juice drip off, but I have used eggplants without doing this extra step when I was in a hurry and have had no problems.

Although eggplants come in a variety of sizes and are usually some shade of purple, they actually got their name because they can also be white, which makes them look just like an egg.

White eggplants
Photo credit: Alaina B. via DIYlovin / CC BY-NC-SA

Some people say that you can tell which eggplants have less seeds by knowing which is male or female, but that is inaccurate since an eggplant is actually the fruit of a plant, and, therefore, is neither male nor female. The eggplants that have a round “dimple” on the end have fewer seeds, while the ones with an oval or long “dimple” have more seeds. I’ve never checked so I can’t vouch for that.

Eggplants are healthy because they contain flavonoids which reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. They are a rich in vitamin C, K, B6, thiamin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, folic acid, potassium, and manganese, and contain a great amount of dietary fiber. They are also low in fat and calories.(https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/279359.php, https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-eggplant.html)

Ingredients
1 large eggplant
salt
vegetable oil (enough to fill the pan about 1/2 inch)
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
water

rinse the eggplant and cut into slices of equal thickness. You can peel it before slicing but I prefer to leave the skin on otherwise the slices can fall apart while frying.
sprinkle salt on each slice and layer them in a wide colander. Place a heavy weight such as a pot filled with water on top and let them sit for an hour or so to let the bitter juice drip off. Rinse with water and pat dry.
in a large pan, fill with vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil or it will start to smoke once it reaches a certain temperature) and heat.
once the oil is hot, place a few slices at a time making sure not to crowd the pan because the slices will need to be turned over to cook evenly.
remove each slice carefully when it is cooked through and place on a plate that has been covered with paper towels to absorb some of the oil.
once all the eggplant slices have been fried and cooled, place them in a wide container that can be covered tightly with a top, layering them and sprinkling each layer with the chopped garlic.
once all the eggplant is in the container, add the vinegar and enough water to cover all of it.
place a heavy plate over it and push down. Keep this plate in so that the eggplant absorbs all the goodness of the garlic and vinegar. There is no need to add more oil because the eggplant already has absorbed the oil it was fried in.
cover tightly and place in the refrigerator.

Every once in a while check to make sure that all the eggplant is covered in vinegar and water or it can start to grow mold. It will last in the refrigerator a couple of months, if you don’t finish eating it beforehand because it’s so good!

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Struffoli

Posted on June 9, 2016 by La Ciociara

Struffoli are little sweet fried dough balls covered in honey and sprinkles, and sometimes with candied fruit. They are usually served during the holidays, especially during the Christmas season and Easter. It has a long history, originally created by the nuns of Naples to give as a thank-you gift to the aristocracy for their charitable donations to the poor.

About 15 servings

Magic Christmas in Naples Tours

Ingredients

6 eggs
1 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
4 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 T baking powder
vegetable oil for frying
1 small jar of honey (or to your liking)
1 tsp lemon juice (can leave out)
candy sprinkles

in a large bowl, whisk the eggs until completely mixed.
add the sugar and vanilla and mix.
in a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.
cut pieces of butter and add to the flour and mix with your hands.
slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Use either a spoon or your hands to mix the dough. You can knead the dough on a cutting board if you feel it helps but make sure to sprinkle some flour first onto the board. Let dough rest in a cool, dry place for a little while.
roll out dough onto a floured surface into long, thin rolls.
cut the dough into 1/2 inch chunks and roll them into little balls.
drop them into a large frying pan filled with hot oil in batches and fry until they are golden brown, then remove each batch using a slotted spoon.
in a saucepan, heat the honey (with the lemon juice, if desired) and drop the fried dough balls in a little bit at a time. Stir until they are all coated with honey.
remove the struffoli from the saucepan and arrange them onto a plate and sprinkle with candy sprinkles.

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Meatballs (plain or stuffed with mozzarella)

Posted on June 1, 2016 by La Ciociara

Contrary to what Americans (USA) think, spaghetti and meatballs are usually not served together in Italy, but rather the pasta is eaten first, then the meat.

I usually make meatballs in tomato sauce and either serve them together with pasta or make meatball parmesan sandwiches with Italian bread. This recipe uses bread crumbs but I sometimes use 1 or 2 slices of white bread, broken up into little pieces, instead. My mother used to add small pieces of butter or margarine to the meat which made the meatballs really tender and quite tasty, but I leave it out because it can make them a little greasy.

I like to make the meatballs stuffed with little cubes of mozzarella but you can leave that part out if you’d like. You can also bake or fry the meatballs and serve as appetizers.

Makes about 12 medium sized meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef, or 1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb ground pork, or 1/3 lb beef 1/3 lb pork 1/3 lb veal
1/4 tsp salt or according to taste
1/4 small onion, minced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 T dried parsley (more if using fresh minced parsley)
1 large egg
2 T bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned)
mozzarella, small cubes

in a large bowl, combine ground beef, salt, onion, garlic powder, parsley, and egg.
add the bread crumbs and mix well.
grab a small amount of mixture and roll into a ball (about the size of a golf ball). Make an indentation with your thumb and press a small cube of mozzarella in it then cover up the mozzarella.
add to tomato sauce and cook until done.

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Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Posted on June 1, 2016 by La Ciociara

This cake combines 2 healthy ingredients – chocolate and zucchini. Yes, chocolate (dark chocolate to be exact), in moderation, can be considered healthy because it is full of flavonoids which are antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties. Zucchini is rich in vitamin A, magnesium, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids. So, enjoy…

Serves 8 to 10 people

Ingredients

3 oz semi-sweet dark chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 c chocolate chips
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 1/4 c sifted all-purpose unbleached flour
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 c buttermilk or sour cream
1 1/2 c grated zucchini or summer squash

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or bundt pan and dust with some unsweetened cocoa powder.

2. Melt the chocolate along with the oil in a double boiler or in a saucepan over low heat – be careful not to scorch.

3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.

4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk or sour cream, beating until combined, then fold in the chocolate and oil mixture, and the zucchini.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes on a wire rack, then invert it on the rack, remove the pan, and cool completely.

5.Serve with your favorite icing, dusted with confectioners’ sugar, or with fresh fruit on top.

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Photo credit above: ukcsa@Flicker.com