THAT'S ITALIAN

(Founder Antonio Alessi Sr. in the original Vigo Store)

My heritage includes fifty-percent Italian; my mother’s people were from Calabria, a region in Southern Italy, or as most refer to as being at the tip of the “boot”.  God, family, food, and music were integral to my upbringing.  Growing up, we were of poor means, but my parents (my dad was Austro-Hungarian) did their best to clothe and feed all of us, and set solid examples.  Back then, and most of my life, there weren’t any special month-long celebrations honoring individual cultures.  Today, however, that has changed.  

The entire month of October was designated as National Italian Heritage Month in the U.S. decades ago; some have “Americanized” it by also referring to it as National Italian-American Heritage Month, to exemplify the pride in being Italian while having fully embraced being an American.  While the media doesn’t promote this month-long celebration, instead, favoring their focus on other cultures/heritages, for example, National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15^th to October 15^th and overlaps with National Italian Heritage Month, doesn’t diminish the importance of this observation, nor the many contributions Italians have made towards shaping American history.

Today’s edition is all about honoring my Italian heritage by sharing my recipe takes and adaptations of traditional regional favorites.  I’m using imported products from the Alessi Foods.  I enjoy using their products because they are authentic tasting and use the highest quality ingredients, which ensures consistency in flavor and recipe performance.

~ Stocking the Pantry with Alessi Foods ~

(Iconic ingredients of sweet basil, fresh mozzarella, and tomatoes...the colors of the Italian Flag.)

Alessi Foods offers an impressive variety of products to the extent that one’s pantry could easily and sufficiently be stocked with enough of a variety to satisfy most food needs, outside of fresh produce, dairy, and protein.  The following represents just a few of their impressive product variety.

~ Soups ~

Tuscan White Bean, Sicilian Split Pea, Sicilian Lentil, Porcini Mushroom, and Neapolitan Bean

My Take:  These comforting soups taste delicious and when paired with a salad and some crusty bread, make for a filling and satisfying meal.  Expand the soup by adding sautéed sweet Italian sausage crumbles, or top with some grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, or a dollop of one of their Pesto’s.  I also like using the Porcini Mushroom variety as a sauce for any of the Alessi Pasta or Gnocchi varieties; for an especially ramped up Porcini Mushroom flavor, add the Soup as a sauce to the Porcini Mushroom Risotto; to make the sauce, reduce the liquid by one-quarter to one-third to achieve a sauce-like consistency.

~ Miscellaneous ~

Basil Pesto, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, and Pepato (Pepper) Breadsticks

My Take:  Both of these Pesto’s have an intense flavor profile.  Both of these Pesto’s are delicious when used in salad dressings, on bruschetta, in scrambled egg dishes, in sauces, and in dips.  They’re incredibly versatile.  Use the Pepato Breadsticks in the dip, or as a tasty plain snack; I love the fact that these are individually wrapped in a package of five, which is ideal for portion control and also freshness.

~ Tomato Products ~

Organic Peeled Italian Tomatoes, Natural Chopped Tomatoes, Natural Strained Tomatoes,

and Natural Chopped Tomatoes w/Onion & Garlic

My Take:  The possibilities are endless with these delicious products that taste like the tomato was just picked from the vine.  I love creating a quick Italian roast, using a cut of beef or pork, poultry, or fish and then placing the protein in a glass baking dish that has a bit of EVOO in it…in a separate bowl, combine the tomatoes, either or both of the Pesto sauces, finely sliced onion and garlic…pour this over the protein and bake in a preheated 350 deg. F oven; baking times will vary, depending on the type of protein used.

~ Tomato Sauces ~

Princess Sauce w/Heavy Cream and Marinara Chunky Style

My Take: The possibilities are also endless with these delicious products.  These are perfect heated up and added to cooked pasta…or add to browned Italian sweet sausage (without the casing), or lean ground beef (or even turkey or bison), drain and then add to the sauce to expand the flavor profile…adding either, or both of the Pesto sauces to your tomato sauce, along with additional herbs of your choice (I always add extra garlic and oregano and some white or red wine to ramp up the flavor), plus wine will ramp-up the delicious flavors of each sauce.

~ Gnocchi ~

Spinach & Potato Gnocchi and Gluten-Free Potato Gnocchi

My Take:  I enjoy cooking these in a broth or stock, where vegetables have cooked; cook the vegetables until al dente and remove…add the Gnocchi and cook in the broth; the Gnocchi will slightly thicken the broth/stock; after cooked, add back the vegetables and simmer for fifteen minutes…other nice adds to your homemade Gnocchi Soup include cooked Italian sweet sausage, or rotisserie chicken.

~ Risotto ~

Porcini Mushroom and Cheese and Broccolini

My Take:  I’ve already shared above how the Porcini Mushroom soup, turned into a sauce, would be ideal with the Porcini Mushroom Risotto.  For the Cheese and Broccolini variety, to the cooked Risotto, add diced rotisserie chicken, mix thoroughly and add to a buttered glass baking dish; add mozzarella to the top, followed by a light coating of Italian flavored bread crumbs; bake in a preheated 350 deg. F oven for thirty minutes, let cool for ten minutes, and serve with either a side vegetable or salad.

~ Organic Pasta ~

Cavatelli, Casarecci, Organic, Organic Orecchiette, and Organic Olive Leaves

My Take:  These delicious pastas celebrate the many shapes of pasta, which serve a purpose, depending on the type of sauce being added; you can research online “pasta shapes” and read all about them.  To any variety of these new organic pastas, heat up some EVOO…to the al dente cooked pasta and toss with the heated EVOO, and then add garlic, sea salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, mild (or hot) Giardiniera, and mix thoroughly…top with freshly grated Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Grana Padano cheese.  Of course, any of the sauces, tomato products, or Pesto varieties would also be delicious.

~ Sweets ~

Cranberry Cantuccini and Chocolate Balsamic Reduction

My Take:  Place the Cantuccini in a glass dish and add a sufficient amount of strong Espresso coffee over the cookies until the coffee covers them slightly; allow the Cantuccini to soak up the coffee; drizzle the Chocolate Balsamic Reduction on top; then, take Greek-style yogurt and add a splash of pure vanilla extract, liquefied honey (honey that’s been heated), and a pinch of cinnamon; mix this thoroughly; layer this mixture over the Espresso soaked Cantuccini; refrigerate for at least thirty-minutes; remove and add a layer of plain whipped cream; serve in individual dessert dishes…shave dark chocolate on top, and drizzle some additional Chocolate Balsamic Reduction.

~ In Closing ~

Image from www.lindapaul.com)

I love that my Italian Heritage is recognized, but for me, I try to celebrate it on a regular basis, especially when it comes to cooking traditional dishes, using authentic, imported products, like Alessi Foods.  For more information on Alessi Foods, including outstanding recipes, visit https://alessifoods.com

That’s it for this edition.  Until the next one, remember to always celebrate yourself and your culinary curiosity.  Happy cooking…happy eating!

By Terry Herman

TERRY HERMAN continues perfecting her passion for food and wine.  She has been covering culinary related for many years as it relates to wellness and a healthy lifestyle.  Her popular blog, Terry's Spa, Beauty and Wellness Go-To has featured formidable reviews of cookbooks, restaurants, wine and food, food prep and tools, chef interviews, and coverage of prestigious events such as the International Home+Housewares Show, the National Restaurant Show and the Sweets and Snacks Expo.  She has been published since the mid-1990s in both consumer and trade publications, and is regarded as an expert in spa, beauty, wellness, travel and lifestyle, and is frequently interviewed by publications for her expert content.  She has also presented at major industry conferences, and has served with distinction on numerous governing and advisory boards.  She has a background in strategic and qualitative management, consulting, and motivational speaking.  In addition to her blogs, her social media outreach also includes Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Don’t forget to “Like” her Facebook Page, “Terry’s Second Helpings”.  Please note that the “Comment Section” has been disabled.  For additional information, email her at terry.herman@gmail.com.

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