After working in the catering industry, I have discovered that I have to be prepared to modify menus to fit my clients’ requests, palates and budgets.  It sounds challenging but this is the most creative aspect of my job! At Cassandra Fine Catering, requests for Italian style menus are very popular, especially for the clients that appreciate menus that are not consisted of typical Italian foods such as pasta topped with marinara sauce. It possible to have an Italian menu without any pasta or marinara sauce, and so much more healthy! Being open to suggestions and new flavor combinations will help foodies achieve this culinary goal.  I feel that incorporating appropriate wine pairings makes this journey so much more exciting. Here is one of my absolute favorite Italian menus created by Chef Juan Garrido with amazing wine pairings:

Canape: Cbicken Liver Bruschetta with Caper Gremolata

Suggested Wine: Cartizze DOC di Valdobbiadene

First Course: Baby Arugula & Organic Mache Salad with Fennel Pollen Braised Artichokes with Finochionna Salumi, Marcona Almonds & Truffle Vinaigrette

Suggested Wine: Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Valdadige DOC

Entree: Pan Roasted Wild Halibut with Crispy Pork Belly, Potato Gnocchi, Spring Peas & Blood Orange Citronette

Suggested Wine: La Ponderina Brunello Poggio Banale

Dessert: Espresso Panna Cotta with Pistachio Biscotti & Honey Lavender Creme Fraiche

Suggested Wine: Ceretto Moscato D’asti Vignailio Di Santo Stefano

The art of creating custom menus is really listening to your client and what they love or hate when they sit down to eat. My first question is to ask, “What are your thoughts on the menu?” and go from there. If they mention that they may love Sage but really don’t like Basil, I would suggest using an alternative herb such as Rosemary or Thyme. However, it is important to guide them on what flavors really “sing” together and what foods will be a disaster for their guests when impressing them is important. Sophisticated palates can be developed with a little bit of guidance and education – the key is to keep trying new foods!

Guest author, Kimberly Jameson, is a passionate menu creator for Cassandra Fine Catering in Dallas, Texas.

Cartizze DOC di Valdobbiadene - the perfect start to a wonderful Italian meal

This is a Guest Post by Mandi Titus, author of Mandi Munches and her personal blog @ Vermont.  Mandi loves all things food and writing about her dining experiences.

The small town of Positano sits on the Amalfi Coast in Campania, Italy.  In the 16^th and 17^th centuries, Positano was a prosperous port of the Amalfi Republic.  As the 19^th century approached the town fell on hard times and over half of the populations immigrated to Australia.  Positano was a poor fishing village in the early 20^th century but the culture, food, and views of the coast and seas attracted tourist creating the town that exists today.  John Steinbeck wrote an essay about Positano in 1953 that was published in Harper’s Bazaar.  “Positano bites deep,” he wrote, “It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.”

In this small town overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, there is a luxurious hotel and restaurant, Il San Pietro di Positano. The restaurant serves the finest traditional, regional, and Italian haute cuisine.  The Belgian born chef of Il San Pietro, Alois Vanlangenaeker, used only the best local ingredients found.  Some of these ingredients are found on hotel property, such as the olive oil from the hotel’s own groves. Vanlangenaeker uses the ingredients to create exquisite dishes with delicious flavors.  Of course, being in Italy, wine has a great influence and the restaurant and hotel wine list includes some of the best regional wines.

It is in this five star restaurant that Sam Moggio, chef of The Cellar in Daytona Beach, Fl, trained in the culinary arts. Chef Moggio creates delicious dishes with Italian and Mediterranean influences using the highest quality ingredients found in the area.

The restaurant in Daytona is located in the historic home of Warren G. Harding.  The name of the restaurant is very telling as you enter through the side door of the home and descend downward into the dining room.  The décor reflects Italian culture with photographs and artworks of Italian landscapes and cities. Sitting around a large round table, it truly felt like an Italian dining experience.  There was a lot of good food, including Peperoni Imbottiti, Gnocchi Alla Bolognese, Ravioli al Mare, Avocado con Gamberi e Granchi, Risotta ai Porcini, Fettucini con Salmone Affumicato, Torta di Cicocolata, Frutti di Bosco, Torta di Pane and much more.  The walls were covered with wine and the company was excellent.

The chef and his wife Lina, the hostess and wine expert, both came to the table to discuss the food, the wine, and the experience.  It was a combination of the delicious food which was perfectly prepared and presented, the wine (of which there were many fine selections), and the atmosphere that made dining at The Cellar feel like a little bit of Italy in Florida

I will be doing a presentation on Italian culture for my advanced Italian language course. the presentation will specifically be dealing with food and how it brings people together and that occurence seems to be more prevalent in Italian culture. I will also be presenting a few easy recipes. I would like to tie in some Italian proverbs or sayings that specifically deal with food and family. Since I am not Italian, I don’t know many of these expressions and I would like a native speaker to assist me with this. I need these expressions to be written in Italian and an English translation/interpretation would be appreciated. I understand that proverbs do not always translate properly into English, but I am good at figuring things out. I will be presenting recipes for a meal from start to finish including gnocchi and biscotti. If there are any proverbs that mention those particular food items, I’d like to know those, too. I appreciate any help anyone can offer. Grazie mille.

“Chi mangia solo crepa solo.”
Translation: “He who eats alone dies alone.”

“Tempo, marito e figli vengono come li pigli.”
Translation: “Weather, husbands, and sons come as you take them.”

Una buona mamma vale cento maestre.
Translation: A good mother is worth a hundred teachers.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Italian_pro…

http://www.deproverbio.com/DPbooks/GIUST…

Family
http://www.deproverbio.com/DPbooks/GIUST…

i am 100% Italian and there is 1 really famous “proverb” you missed:
when there are lot of things to eat before you begin you usually say “pancia mia fatti capanna” (you ask to tour stomach to become an hut to host all the food).

Italian proverbs regarding food & family?

Hazelnut Donut

INFORMATIONS
* 8 people
* 415 calories per serving
* Difficulty easy
* Ready in one hour
* Vegetarian recipe
* Can be prepared in advance
* You can eat out

INGREDIENTS
* 100 g butter
* 200 g of shelled and toasted hazelnuts
* 200 g flour
* 1 packet of yeast
* 2 eggs
* 100 g sugar
* 50 ml milk
* Butter and flour for the mold

PREPARATION
Cut the butter into cubes and melt in water bath.
Finely chop the hazelnuts in a mixer.
Sift the flour into a large bowl, mix together the yeast. Make a hole in the center and break eggs, then add sugar, nuts, butter and milk. Start stirring with a wooden spoon, slowly mix until the ingredients form a batter that smooth and soft.
Grease a pan 22 cm in diameter, with or without a hole in the center, or a plum cake pan, sprinkle with a thin layer of flour and shake it to blow away the excess.
Put the batter into, and bake for 30 minutes at 180 ° C by placing the cake in the middle to bottom of oven.
Remove the cake, let cool and casseroles.

This article courtesy of “Lo Spicchio d’aglio” .

In the beautiful utopia of Tuscany, thousands of places call out your name. you know that you can leave your boredom on the plane and release yourself into the paradise of Tuscany. you have countless places in Tuscany you’re just dying to see for the first time and breathe in all the artistry, history, and shopping. however, there are three places you must see during your holiday in Tuscany.

One is the beautiful city of Florence, or Firenze, where tourists flock to -like ants to a watermelon. Florence is the capital region of Tuscany, as well as the birthplace of the Renaissance. Being known as the ‘Athens of the Middle Ages’, Florence has a vast amount of architecture, music, art, culture, and cuisine wrapped up in the center of Tuscany like a gift. Florence was home to famous artists like Michelangelo, Dante, Botticelli, and da Vinci in older times, and is now home to the best modern art, courtesy of Prada, Cavalli, and Gucci. With one museum after another, and market after the next, no wonder it’s considered the art capital of Italy, and one of the most visited cities in the world. It’s an artist’s realm, and a shopper’s heaven.

Another gem to visit under the Tuscan sun is the famous Pisa. Yes, home to the ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’. all of those pictures you see with a person looking like a giant holding up a tall bell tower on an incline? Yes. That would be the Tower of Pisa. Not that you would travel half way around the world to see a falling building that is. The tower is company to the Duomo (neighboring cathedral rich in artistic works), the Baptistery of San Giovanni (which is rumored to cause bad luck among surrounding underclassmen who visit it), and the Camposanto (a monumental cemetery that is simple on the outside, and magnificently designed on the inside) in a beautiful square set apart form the rest of the town. Pisa is a pillar of necessity when visiting Tuscany.

Last, but not least, is Siena. Siena, along with it’s obviously desired cuisine, architecture, landscapes, and art, is widely known for its Palio di Siena. The Palio di Siena is a horse race held twice a year during the summer that attracts thousands to the city. The race has ten horses (symbolizing ten city regions in Siena) racing against each other, ridden bareback by jockeys. What makes this race unique is the requirement for winning. The only thing that needs to cross the finish line is the district’s horse, not the jockey! The excitement of the race is only amplified by the intensity of the jockey’s fate, as well as the fate of the district’s pride.

When in Tuscany, time can be passed by the years easily. The beauty of it is ravishing and divine, as well as its history and art. World-weariness is in short supply, so have fun! See everything, but be absolutely sure you see the three centered provinces of Florence, Pisa, and Siena.

When in Tuscany

Glazed summer salad fruit

INFORMATION
* 4 people
* 80 calories per serving
* Difficulty easy
* Ready in 20 minutes
* Vegetarian and vegan recipe
* Light recipe

INGREDIENTS
* 4 ripe peaches
*100 g strawberries
* 100 grams of blueberries
* 100 g currants
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

PREPARATION

Wash the peaches, cut in half, then again in half and remove the pulp from the core.
Cut the flesh into cloves not too thin.
Wash the berries and clean by removing twigs and leaves.
Place in a baking dish peaches, berries and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake in the oven very hot grill to melt the sugar that will caramelize slightly.
Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
Moments before serving, decorate with sugar in kernels.

This article courtesy of “Lo Spicchio d’aglio” .

Pie bida

INFORMATION
* 2 people
* 400 calories per serving
* Difficulty easy
* Ready in 45 minutes
* Vegetarian recipe
* Light recipe
* Can be prepared in advance
* You can eat out

INGREDIENTS
* 1 kg of beet
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 6 shallots
* 200 ml vegetable broth
* Salt
* 4 eggs
* 40 g Parmesan cheese
* Nutmeg
* Pepper
* Butter and bread crumbs for the mold

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 200 ° C.
Separate the coasts of chard and rinse thoroughly. Remove the stems from the leaves and discard those that are too tough.
Steam for 20 minutes, or boil in salted water for 15 minutes.
Withdrawal, and if  it are boiling, place them in a colander and crush with a spoon to make her lose the excess water. Chop coarsely with the crescent on a cutting board.
Put the oil in a skillet, the shallots peeled and cut into cloves and brown at high heat. Combine then a ladle of broth and cook for 10 minutes over a gentle heat. Then cooked with salt.
Break the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork. Combine Parmesan cheese, grated nutmeg and a pepper. Combine the beets, scallions and mix.
Grease a 20×30 cm mold, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, blow away the excess, then put the mixture.
Sprinkle the surface even with the bread crumbs, some butter and bake at 200 ° C for 40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold.

This article courtesy of “Lo Spicchio d’aglio” .

Pan di pizza Carasau

INFORMATIONS
* 2 people
* 540 calories per serving
* Difficulty easy
* Ready in 45 minutes
* Can be prepared in advance
* You can eat out

INGREDIENTS
* 2 sheets of bread Carasau
* 1 yellow pepper
* 1 red onion
* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* Salt
* 8 basil leaves, plus some for garnish
* 200 ml vegetable broth
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 200 g tomatoes type Pachino
* 8 black olives
* 2 cloves fresh garlic
* 2 anchovy fillets
* 150 g mozzarella cheese
* Oregano
* Pepper

PREPARATION
Break into 4 slices of bread and reassemble them into a large round plate overlapping slightly.
Wash the peppers, cut, remove stem, seeds, and cut the white parts lists a couple of inches wide, from which derive the square pieces.
Peel the onion, slice rather thick and cut each slice into 4 pieces to get the square.
Put in a frying peppers, onions and half oil.
Skip the vegetables over a high flame for a few minutes, then lower the heat, add a pinch of salt, basil leaves washed well, a ladle of broth, cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring quite often with a wooden spoon.
When cooked, uncover, raise the heat and cook several minutes until the peppers are not well toasted. Add the tomato puree, mix well and put out the fire.
Wash the tomatoes, cut in half and put them in a large mixing bowl along with olives, pitted and chopped, garlic cloves peeled and halved, drained anchovy fillets, chopped and damp, the mozzarella.
Drizzle with remaining oil, a pinch of salt and a handful of oregano.
Stir, then add peppers and onions.
Arrange the salad on bread Carasau season with a drizzle of raw oil, a generous grinding of pepper, garnish with basil leaves and serve.

Vegetarian option
It ‘simply omit the anchovies.

This article courtesy of “Lo Spicchio d’aglio” .

well after maybe 2 years of college. I want to go to school there. What are some things I should research ?I mean i’m not going up there for a couple yearsBut i want to learn a lot about tuscany before I gooooo!and how should i prepare myself

I plan to move to Tuscany Italy when i graduate?

Cutlets surprise

INFORMATION
* 2 people
* 700 calories per serving
* Hard difficulty
* Ready in one hour
* You can eat out

INGREDIENTS
* 6 slices of pork loin (250 g approximately)
* 2 eggs
* 1 tablespoon milk
* Pepper
* Salt
* 100 g breadcrumbs
* 20 g Parmesan cheese
* 50 grams of mushrooms
* 3 slices of Fontina Val d’Aosta (30 g approximately)
* Oil for frying
* Salt

PREPARATION
Spread the meat, remove any ribs or fatty parts.
In a bowl break the eggs, add milk and beat with a fork, then add a sprinkling of pepper and a generous pinch of salt.
In a separate dish and pour the bread crumbs mixed with grated Parmesan.
Take half of the slices, cover with mushrooms, distribute the slices of fontina cheese then cover with remaining slices and press firmly to adhere.
Take one by one and pass the pork chops in egg, then in breadcrumbs and place in a pot. The operation is a bit ‘difficult because the stuffing may shift by sliding the two slices of meat. Keep them securely with your fingers and bread very good edge.
After the first breading make a second, going in the chops in egg and breadcrumbs.
In a large skillet heat oil for frying. When it is hot dip the chops. Do not overfill the pan so as not to unduly reduce the temperature. If so, do more cooking in a row.
When the surface of the breading will be golden brown, drain and place the chops on a plate with paper towel and dry carefully with salt.
Serve hot .

IDEAL COMBINATION OF CONTOUR
Side dishes of fresh salad.