Happy Weekend!

Hi everyone!
I'm working on some new posts, they should be up soon...including (finally) lots of PIZZA!!
Have a great weekend!

A presto!

The Jersey Shore....In Italy!

No! Please. Please!!! PLEASE!?!?!?

It's just been confirmed that season 4 of the popular MTV show 'Jersey Shore' will be filmed somewhere in the old country. I don't really even know where to begin, even though I imagined this worst case senario a while ago. ( In this case, maybe worst case "Situation" is more appropriate?)

I can't wait to see what will go down and how MTV portrays life in Italy. Needless to say, the show will be MTV "reality," not Italian reality!

I do have just one small idea...the producers should throw a real Italian in the house. That would make things interesting. What about Berlusconi? He's always ready for a bit of fun...

Santa Maria Incoronata

Italy is packed with an astonishing number of churches, but yesterday I visited one that is a bit different. The Church of Santa Maria Incoronata, on via Medina near Piazza Municipio, is definitely worth a quick visit.

This church was founded in the mid-14th century by Queen Giovanna I. The name Santa Maria Incoronata refers both to the crowning of the Queen and to a precious relic she donated to the church. As legend goes, she gave a thorn from the crown of thorns used on Jesus during his torture and death. Looking at the main entrance of the church, there is the relief of two angels holding this 'crown.'

Instead of going up stairs to enter like most churches, you have to go down to the original 14th century street level. In Rome, it's a fairly well-known fact that over the years the street level has risen significantly. However, I never knew a similar phenomenon happened here in Naples! The street level was raised in the 16th century when work was being done on the nearby Castel Nuovo.

The design of the church is different from most. Entering, you can see that there are two naves of similar, if not equal, dimensions. (The nave is the main approach to the atlar. A more typical structure would have one nave with an aisle on either side of it.) This odd design is probably because the church took over the space once occupied by the Regio Tribunale.

Unfortunately, the frescos inside the Church of Santa Maria Incoronata are not in the best condition. Some of the frescos painted by Roberto Oderisio in the mid-14th century are still on the walls, while others are literally piled into the Chapel of the Cross. There is also a cycle of frescos depicting Saint Ladislov by an unknown artist from the early 15th century. Just imagine if everything was in the right place!!!

Oh George!

Even George Clooney loves Italy!

He owns a villa on the shores of Lake Como.

He has a beautiful Italian girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis.

As of late, Mr. Clooney has been showing his face around Italy a lot. On TV and in advertisements, that is. He's the brand-new spokesman for the Italian internet provider Fastweb. Clooney has also been doing ads for the Nespresso coffee maker, including some rather clever TV commercials alongside John Malkovich.

(And he probably digs the food, too!)

Hold On!

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm having some technical difficulties with my computer right now!! :( Hopefully everything gets sorted out ASAP, but I'll be back with a post tomorrow for sure!

A presto!

Ceci con Rosmarino e Peperoncino

Chickpeas don't get a lot of love. Either they're mashed up in hummus or served up cold and lonely on the salad bar. This super simple recipe gives the chickpea the treatment it deserves! I first tasted this dish as an antipasto in a little Roman restaurant near the Pantheon. Coated in olive oil infused with garlic, rosemary and peperoncino, these ceci took on a new life. So simple, and disturbingly good for a dish that takes literally of 10 minutes to make!

Ceci con Rosmarino e Peperoncino

Chickpeas, drained

Garlic

Sprig of fresh rosemary

Peperoncino flakes

Olive oil

salt, pepper

Cover the bottom of your pan with olive oil and put it over a medium flame.

Throw in a clove or two of garlic and use this Italian trick. Carefully hold the pan so the oil pools to one side. This way the garlic, fully immersed in the hot oil, will cook thoroughly and not burn as easily.* Once the garlic starts to get golden, add in the rosemary and peperoncino flakes. Let the flavors meld while the garlic keeps cooking. Set the pan normally on the burner and add the chickpeas. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, just to make sure the beans are warmed. Salt and pepper to suit your taste and enjoy!

(*Just to illustrate the method. Notice I wrote hold the pan carefully and not prop it up on the coffee maker. We don't need any hot oil incidents here! )

The key to this easy recipe is using enough olive oil. There should be more than enough to fry the garlic and to coat the chickpeas. Once you're done devouring the ceci, look and you've got a nice pool of a spicy, rosemary olive oil left. Go in for the kill with some fresh bread. It's too good to leave behind!

Buon appetito!

At Home Sfogliatelle 2

Take a look!

Not bad, right?

All in all, my sfogliatelle came out pretty well. They obviously did not, however, turn out like the ones direct from the pastry shop. The crust on mine is much heavier and almost cookie-like, while the filling is not quite as thick and creamy. Nevertheless, they are still good. Pretty darn good, if I may say so myself.

Let me know if you decide to try the recipe!

Buon appetito!

At Home Sfogliatelle

Going out to buy a sfogliatella riccia is one thing, but what about making them at home? Is it possible to get those golden, flaky layers without hopping on the next plane to Italy? Well, today I am going to give it a try. And, yes, I am very, very nervous. If Neapolitans themselves never make them at home, who am I to attempt this feat?!

Here's the recipe I used. I've based this off of a variety of sfogliatella recipes I found online and in cookbooks.

Sfogliatelle

(12)

For the dough:

1 cup butter (unsalted)

1/2 cup sugar

3-4 cups flour

2/3-1 cup water

1 teaspoon honey

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter for brushing

For the filling:

1 cup water

1/4 cup semolina

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup ricotta

1 egg, large

1/4 cup candied orange peels

1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

cinnamon

powdered sugar

Making the dough is pretty simple. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter in small pieces and mix until you have small crumbles of dough. The honey and the water come next, added in a bit at a time. After the water and honey are fully incorporated the dough should start to take on a ball-like form. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. (The dough can also be prepared a day in advance and left in the fridge overnight.)

Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape. Cut this into 4 pieces of equal dimension. Roll out the four pieces of dough into rectangles of the same size. Try to get them as thin as possible. Butter the first sheet, place the second on top. Do the same with the other sheets until you have one large 4-layer rectangle of dough. Don't forget to butter the top! Now, roll up the dough like a log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate again for at least an hour.

To prepare the filling, heat the water, the sugar and the semolina over a medium flame until the mixture thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes. Take saucepan off of the burner and add in the ricotta, the egg, orange peel, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix well, then pop it in the fridge to let cool.

Now it's time to "assemble" the sfogliatelle. First preheat the oven to 400 F/ 205 C. Next, cut the log of dough into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Carefully make each into a cone shape with your fingers. Try to get these as thin as possible too. Fill the shells with about 1-2 tbs of the ricotta mixture and seal the end by pressing in gently together. (Don't overfill!) Lightly brush the pastries with butter before putting them in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Once they're out and have rested for a few minutes, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

They look pretty decent, but how will they taste?

Find out in a bit!

A presto!

A Morning at the MADRE

Everyone knows Italy is renowned for for its art and architecture. Maybe you've walked through the Roman Forum, or perhaps seen da Vinci's 'Last Supper,' or visited the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. They are breathtaking, but what about modern and contemporary art in Italy?!

Welcome to the MADRE, the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Donna Regina! This is one of those places that you'd probably never notice it if you weren't looking for it. What a mistake! Off a side street near Piazza Cavour, the MADRE is home to 3 floors of modern art by famed international and Italian artists. There's Jeff Koons, Lucio Fontana, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Mario Schifano and just about any other big name you can imagine.

The third floor of the museum is generally used for special exhibits. Right now there is an interesting display of photographs by various artists depicting some of the grittier parts of Naples. The MADRE also has a rooftop terrace, where there's a great view of the city and Mimmo Paladino's "Horse."

While at the MADRE, don't forget to take a look through this door. Part of the complex is the deconsecrated church of Donna Regina Vecchia, from the 14th century. Home to the University of Federico II's school of restoration, it also occasionally serves as an exhibition space for the MADRE. Inside, there are frescos and the intricate marble tomb of Queen Mary of Hungary dating from the early 1300's. Isn't it great how Italians can meld the old and the new together perfectly?!

The MADRE is located on via Settembrini 79, just off of via Duomo. (The closest metro stop is Piazza Cavour.) The museum is open every day from 10 am until 7 pm, except Tuesdays. Tickets cost 7 euro, and chances are you will be one of the few (if not only!) people there.

The Other One...

WHAT? More sfogliatelle?

Yesterday I told you all about the intricate sfogliatella riccia, but I left out the poor sfogliatella frolla. It's much more unassuming than the riccia version, but delicious nonetheless!

Rather than being covered in layers of thin pastry dough, the frolla is encased in a light shortbread-like dough. Inside, there's the same ricotta-citrus peel filling as the riccia.

So similar, yet so different.

When you come to Naples, be sure to try both versions before you leave. Sfogliatelle should cost around 2 euros or less, so there's no reason not to!

One Way to Make Mondays Better....

Is to start your day the way lots of Neapolitans do: with a sfogliatella riccia, served warm. Layers of paper-thin dough are wrapped around a creamy ricotta-citrus custard to create a food just short of heavenly. Absolutely, completely, positively heavenly. (Can you say that about your morning oatmeal?!)

Heavenly? Well, the original sfogliatella was created at the Santa Rosa monastery on the Amalfi coast back in the 17th century! As the story goes, a little bit of leftover semolina, milk and a certain lemon liquor provided the inspiration for the filling. Encased in a pastry crust made to resemble a monk's hood and baked to a golden brown, we have the santarosa. This treat was kept local until around 1800 when the recipe somehow (miraculously?) found its way into the hands of a Neapolitan chef by the name of Pasquale Pintauro. After a few changes were made to the recipe, we have the modern incarnation of the sfogliatella riccia. Knowing a good thing when he saw it, Pintauro closed his restaurant and converted it into a pastry shop. It's still there, by the way, on via Toledo.

Well, this is all good and yummy, but how even do you say sfogliatella (or plural, sfogliatelle) ?! It's a pretty intimidating name, I'll give it that.

Say it with me: Sfoy-yah-TELL-la. Got it?

Keep practicing, because I'll be back later this week with 2 more posts about sfogliatelle! It's going to get messy!

A presto!

Buona Domenica

Everyone having a nice, relaxing Sunday?
Hope so!

I've got so many great posts that I can't wait to share with you all. It is going to be a busy week here in Naples! I'll be digging into one of the city's most famous pastries and visiting a must-see for modern art lovers.

Also, don't forget to follow Live.Italiano on Twitter and like it on Facebook!

A presto!
Alison

Totò

Take a good look at this face.

(And what a face!)

You'll be seeing him all over Naples.

Unless you're an Italian cinema buff, this could be your first encounter with the Neapolitan actor/comedian Totò (Antonio De Curtis, 1898-1967). Chances are, if you are in Naples and take the time to flip through the local TV channels, one of his 107 films is on. Perhaps you spot a collection of his poems in one of the bookstores off Piazza Dante. Lighters, statues, magnets all with that very, very...very distinctive face. Totò is everywhere in Naples.

I won't delude you. His films might not strike you as terribly funny, much lost in translation and cultural context unfortunately. However, for true lovers of Italian culture, you can't miss Totò.
For Totò beginners, check out the classic film "I Soliti Ignoti" or "Big Deal on Madonna Street" (1958). It's probably the easiest of his films to find, and probably offers the best translation as well. A rag-tag group of small-time criminals (including Marcello Mastroianni) get together to make a heist where nothing goes quite as planned. Hilarity ensues.
For Totò intermediates, experts or those who speak Italian, you have many, many possibilities. One hundred and seven, to be exact! One of my personal favorites is "Gli Onorevoli" (1963).

When you're in Naples, don't forget to pick up a Totò souvenir. And, next time you're searching for a movie, perhaps feeling a bit nostalgic about that trip to Italy, you know where to turn. Totò!

Buon Anno Nuovo!

Happy New Years!

Live.Italiano is back!

A few small changes have been made to the blog for 2011. For instance, I've recruited one my very talented Neapolitan friends, Marco Tricarico, for a bit of help with the photos! (See above! A great view of the city!) Also, with any luck, Live.Italiano will soon be offering the most interesting, in-depth tours of Naples and the surrounding area!!!

A presto!