Summery Ades

 This is the time for a big glass of an icy drink. The summer lends its'elf to cool frosty lemonades and iced teas. They're just as easy to make as they are to drink.

Lemonade is a classic going back to ancient Egyptian times. There pharaohs drank it with dates mixed in for sweetness.As early as 1676 in Paris a company called Companie de Limonadiers sold the drink.In1833  the British combined lemonade and seltzer to more or less form the first lemon soda. here in the States it's a standard being made with freshly squeezed lemons, simple sugar and water. Everyone makes the mistake of adding just sugar. A simple syrup has to be cooked up first. This blends the best in any liquid , even cocktails and mocktails.It'sj ust cooking one cup of granulated sugar in a cup of water until you create a thin syrup. A good lemonade requires one cup of freshly squeezed lemonade, simple syrup and two to three cups of water to dilute it. Add plenty  of ice and stir. For a nice change try a strawberry lemonade.It just adding a half pound of hulled and pureed strawberries to the mix and stirring vigorously. Limeade is another fun drink with tropical vibes. Like lemonade it does require simple syrup and the juice of four to six Persian limes (what's sold in your grocery store). Squeeze and mix with the syrup and three cups of water. Mint can be added for flavor.

Iced tea is another homemade drink that 's been around since Marguerite Gardener, Lady Blessington, cohort of Lord Byron wrote about sipping it in Naples in 1823. It's a classic that 's grabbed the world by storm and is a summer must have. Like lemonade it's also easy to make. You need eight cups of water and six tea bags of black tea like Celestial Seasonings Earl Grey or English breakfast variety.  If you're not into black tea then try green or flavored tea. Celestial Seasonings has great fruit flavored herbal teas like tangerine orange that will make the drink punchy. It's just then brewing the bags in a saucepan for ten minutes. You should use eight cups of water.Any water filtered or tap can be used. As for sweeteners. granulated sugar works best but you can also add honey or agave syrup for a more organic and natural bent. Combine the tea with lemonade for the classic Arnold Palmer, always a fun accompaniment at a barbecue or summertime lunch. Fruit such as blueberries or strawberries can added for a tasty kick.Peach slices work too.

Nothing is more refreshing than a glass of lemonade,limeade or iced tea on a hot summer's day. Make any one to quench your thirst. It's a great way of cooling off.

Food And War

 War affects how countries eat. Moatly, as seen recently in Ukraine, cause shortage and starvation.Yet the one good thing about conflict is that it introoduces service people to other cultures . Despite the harshness and scariness it does bring people together. Mostly that occurs in eating. There's something communal in sharing.

It's the American conflicts that have created firsts. The Revolutionary War was the first to introuce rations for its' troops. Thanks to the Continental Congress of 1773 colonial fighters were able to receive a pound of beef, and half a pound of pork or salted fish a week. There were also three pints of bean or peas along with a pint of rice or meal a week too. They also got flour or hard bread along with cider or beer. Everything was salted for preservation. As for veggies, onions and turnips which were easy to carry and cook also were part of their diet.Vinegar was later added to prevent scurvy. Did these men bring their wives' and mothers' recipes with them. Probably. Did they swap them? Most likely , being the first to expand the American palate. The Civil War saw canned foods on the troops' menu . Condensed milk, pork and beans were fed to the Union troops.Cattle also moved with the men, being slaughtered for the only fresh food. There was chicken fricasee if they could gert their hands on poultry and Union forces also made mushroom ketchup by boiling mushrooms. They may have brought the recipe home. There were also Cornish game hens and ham and beans stew to eat .

It;s the Twentieth Century wars, however that created the modern American cuisine that we know.The Spanish American War saw troops being deployed to the Phillipines and Puerto Rico. These troops may have tried some fo the native foods like curries from the first and mofongo from the second. The First World War saw Americans going off to fronts in France ,Italy and Germany. Some may have tasted the dishes there and brought dishes such as duck stew, risotto and wursts.(althought they could easily get some variation of these in immigrant communities back in the States). Yet it was the Second World War that brought more recipes to the American table. GIs stationed around Naples brought home pizza , loving it so much that it became part of the American diet from Maine to California. This also happened with lasagna too, with servicemen bringing home recipes that they got form the Southern Italian villagers they protected. It happened with Japanese food, especially during the Korean War when servicemen spent their R&R in Tokyo.Japanese restaurants grew in popularity after that. Recent wars like the Vietnamese Conflict along with the Gulf and Afghani wars saw refugees brining their dishes to the US.

War is hell. Yet it does bring about innovations and exploration into different cultures. it shows in our many different dishes brought about by conflict.

A Very Foodie Christmas

For all my readers around the world have a very merry Christmas. This is the time to indulge not only in your favorite recipes but also in old family ones as well.This is the night of the thirteen fish if you're from Naples and if you come from Germany ,springele cookies.If you're in England. Leave ale and mince pies out for Father Christmas.In America Santa Claus will get stuffed tonight on all sorts of yummy home baked cookies. For all my foodie's out there enjoy this night with your family. celebrate the birth of Jesus with a special meal and a special prayer.

Columbus Day 2010- Good Italian Eating

It's Columbus Day here in the States. it;s the day we celebrate the founding of America by Christopher Columbus. it;s also a day when Italian Americans can feel a surge of pride over Italian accomplishments for the past 4000 years.

To me it's a day to also celebrate being NorthernItalian and the contributions we've made, especially in food (not to mention in design , fashion, and Carla Bruni all from mygreat grandparents' native Piedmonte). The North has given the world French cuisine(it came when Caterina de Medici married) Henri II of France. We also gave the world that great dish bagna calda, polenta and risotto. This is refined, elegant cooking, different from the heartier dishes of Southern Italy. the sauces are similar to beurre blanc and the main ingredient is butter and not olive oil. The food is artisanal coming from the best farms throughout Piedmonte and Lombardy along with Trente Aldige, Friuli Emilia Romana, and of course Veneto.

The south has some good dishes as well. Naples is known for it;s seafood and pastas as is the rest of Southern Italy. Pizza was born in the South and spread slowly up north in the 1960's. The Southerners are also known for their lush pastries, filled with ricotta. and citrus flavorings. Of course gelati is the dessert of the day no matter where you go in Italy.

This is a day to celebrate Italy but celebrate its' rich cuisine too. It has been the most influential in all the world, simply because it is good. it ranks right up there with Italian design and fashion, movie making and car manufacturing.

Pizza - America's Passion

It's amazing how a Neopolitan classic became America's, in fact, the world's passion. That's what pizza is. Everyone loves a slice of the expertly blended tomatoes, cheese and dough. Pizza lovers have even been known to get into serious fighting over what pizzeria makes the best one. Pizza is just more than a favorite comfort food - it's everyone's love.

How did pizza start? Ancient Romans ate a similar version covered with olive oil, herbs, various toppings, and honey (well these were the Romans after all who also had a passion for honey dipped mice. Ewwww!)The earlier form was even mentioned in Virgil's The Aeneid as well as in Cato's writings. The ruins of a pizzeria were found at Pompeii so pizza had to be well loved in in the ancient world.
With the introduction of tomatoes to southern Italy, pizza was reinvented. It was the hit of Renaissance Naples with pizzerias sprouting up throughout the city. Although it originally was a peasant food, royals and commoners alike were seduced by the delicious pie. The Queen of Naples,Maria Carolina even had a pizza oven built into her palazzo at Capodimonte. Another, Queen Margherita of Savoy, had one made after her whe she and her husband, King Umberto. visited Naples. The Margherita is the most famous , composed of basil, oil and fresh tomatoes on dough.It's also the most popular amongst modern day foodies.


Pizza was brought to America's big cities during the first wave of Southern Italian immigration in the 1880s. It was sold on the streets of Chicago and in pizzerias across Manhattan and the boroughs. It gained in popularity after the Second World War. Millions of GIs stationed in Rome and Naples developed a love of it and brought it back to America's heartland. Now pizza was everywhere.

What makes a good homemade pizza? As one who used to make it every week I'm going to have to say the crust. There's nothing like a very thin crust. A thick crust is too doughy and bready. It takes away from the sauce and mozzarella.The best way to make a thin crust is to roll it out with just a little bit of thickness in the middle and then out to wafer thin ends. As far as the sauce I prefer fresh sliced tomatoes from my garden altohugh I do relent and get the canned ones in winter. As for seasoning, again fresh garden picked basil is the best but if you have to use dried then use it but sparingly. Cheese should always be mozzarella but don't glop it on across the entire surface. Apply it in the Margherita fashion with small circles randomly placed. if you want to add extras like olives, sausage and even anchovies go easy. Too much topping and you'll mask the taste of the pizza.

Pizza really is the world's passion. it's not only the perfect comfort food but just perfect in every way.