This is a blog about the historic and panoramic Lazio region of Italy.
The mysterious sea grotto of Montagna Spaccata, or Split Mountain, is a natural wonder found on Monte Orlando, a protected natural park in Gaeta.
According to local stories, God was so distraught at the crucifixion of Christ that He made the earth shake and let out a lightning bolt which created three giant cracks in this mountain. The Sanctuary of Santissima Trinità, or Holy Trinity, was built during the 11th century by the Benedictine monks to honor this event.
For many years, as I drove through the countryside of Ciociaria, I saw signs along the roads inviting tourists and curious people to see the caves of Pastena (le grotte di Pastena), so finally I decided to see what they were all about.
The grotte, or caves, of Pastena, located in a valley deep in the Ausoni mountains in the province of Frosinone, are a natural wonder not to be missed.
The caves are part of a karst system which was formed by deposits of carbonate of calcium (salt) about 100 million years ago under a shallow sea. It emerged from underwater due to tectonic movements about 2 million years ago, during the Pleistocene era, and continues to form.
Chicken Marsala with mushrooms is one of my favorite Italian chicken dishes. Not only is it tasty and delicious, but it is very simple to make making it an easy choice when you don’t have much time to make dinner.
Marsala wine is a sweet wine made in Sicily, usually fortified with brandy. There are 2 types – sweet and dry. When cooking in a savory dish, use dry Marsala, and when making desserts, use the sweet version. You can use sherry instead if you don’t have Marsala but it will slightly change the taste.
The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Piano (Madonna of the Plain) is a Roman Catholic Church in the town of Ausonia in the Province of Frosinone built during the 15th century in place of the original structure that existed here.
According to one legend, San Giorgio slayed a dragon in this very spot, but the most widely accepted story about why this church was built here dates back to the 12th century. According to tradition, there used to be a small lake here where the locals would throw babies that were born deformed. One day a young shepherd girl named Remingarda was walking nearby and the Virgin Mary appeared to her and asked her to tell the people to stop this practice and instead build an orphanage as penance for what they had been doing. When the townspeople went to the site where the girl said she had the vision, they were instructed on how to build the orphanage by ants that appeared and began to draw an image on the site.
The altar of the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Piano
Terracina is a lovely city in the province of Latina along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea which dates back to prehistoric times. In fact, the skull of a Neanderthal man was discovered in one of the caves, Guattari Cave, found in the surrounding area.
It has many beautiful beaches and is located on what is known as the Ulysses Riviera, so called because according to the The Odyssey, Odysseus (Ulysses) landed here and his men were turned to beasts by the sorceress Circe who lived on a mountain now called Monte Circeo. It is also associated with the legend of Aeneas who escaped from Troy and arrived in this area.
Monte Circeo
Spaghetti alla carbonara is probably my favorite pasta dish. It has such simple ingredients – eggs, pancetta, butter – yet it is so rich and tasty. I love it made with fresh pasta because the pasta is more tender when you bite into it and the carbonara sauce clings better to it, whereas the dry pasta can be a little slippery and the sauce slides right off of it.
It’s September and it is apple picking season here in the Northeast which means we will be eating apple pies, applesauce, apple cake, etc. for the next few weeks.
It is believed that cheesemaking came about accidentally around 6,000 BC when milk was transported in the stomachs of cows or sheep which contained an enzyme, rennet, that caused the milk to curdle. By the time of the Roman Empire, it had become widespread throughout Europe and the Middle East.
This is an easy recipe for making typical homemade cheese known as marzellina, or also marzolina, that is eaten in the area of Ciociaria, Italy. It is delicious with day old Italian bread, preferably the large round loaf, sliced up tomatoes, and a bit of extra virgin olive oil drizzled over it. My father has been known to use hard, stale bread moistened with a little bit of water, and a tomato smashed on top to moisten even more. You can even grate it over pasta instead of using parmesan or pecorino cheese.
This cheese is made with a lot of salt, which was originally used to preserve the cheese, and the more it ages, the saltier and harder it gets. I like to eat it when it’s freshly made and still soft enough to spread on bread.
This recipe calls for cow’s milk, although farmers in Italy who have sheep or goats tend to use their milk instead. It uses rennet tablets, a type of coagulant, that causes the milk to curdle, separating the curd from the whey (which in reality causes the milk to spoil), but you can also use rennet in liquid form. For 1 quart of whole milk, use 2 tablets; for 1/2 gallon, use 3 tablets; and for 1 gallon of milk, use about 3 1/2 tablets. Do not throw away the whey – you can either drink it or use to make polenta, or any recipe that calls for a liquid, to make it richer.
I usually use metal molds for making cheese which were purchased in Italy (see picture below) but you can also use plastic molds which can be purchased online or at an Italian gourmet shop.
Metal Molds For Making Homemade Cheese
Ingredients
1 gallon whole milk
3 1/2 tablets of rennet
salt
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One of the many traditions in Italy during Easter is serving roasted leg of lamb. This tradition goes back many centuries, even before the first Easter celebration, to the first Passover of the Jewish people. The sacrificial lamb was eaten, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, in hopes that the angel of God would pass over their homes and not harm them. As Hebrews converted to Christianity, they brought along their traditions with them. In Christianity, the lamb is the symbol representing birth and the Shepherd, and Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God.
This is a delicious yet simple recipe using rosemary and garlic. You can either use a bone-in or boneless leg of lamb. While boneless is easier to carve, the bone-in is more flavorful. Either way the meat is very tender. When you remove the lamb from the oven, let it rest for about 15 minutes so that all the juices don’t come running out while you are cutting because that will dry out the meat.
Ingredients Serves 8
1 6 to 7 lbs leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat
2 T olive oil
2 T chopped fresh rosemary
lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c white wine
salt, to taste
fresh rosemary sprigs
fresh parsley
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Photo credit above: JeffreyW @Flickr.com
Sfinci, or sfingi as they are sometimes called in southern Italy, are delicious little cream puffs filled with sweet ricotta cheese. They are usually served on the feast day of St. Joseph, which is March 19th.
The feast of St. Joseph is very important to Italians. It was set up to honor St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and caring foster father of Jesus Christ, after the people of Sicily were saved from a severe drought by praying to him and asking for his help.
Ingredients
Sfinci:
1 c water
1/3 c unsalted butter
1 T granulated sugar
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
1 c sifted all-purpose flour
2 T baking powder
4 large eggs
1 T vanilla extract
maraschino cherries
Filling:
2 c ricotta cheese
1/2 c confectioner sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 c grated dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)
2 T finely chopped pistachios
Preheat the oven to 400º F.
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