Wine Review – Massolino 2000 Barolo

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Massolino Barolo 2006

Massolino Barolo

This weekend I was fortunate  to be treated to a 2000 Massolino Serralunga d’ Alba Barolo.  I had tried this wine about 5 or 6 years ago and felt then that it needed a bit more time in the bottle.  I can say without uncertainty that it is more than ready to drink now.

2000 was one of a string of great vintage years for Piedmont and Barolo in general (recently I shared a bottle of the 2001 Massolino and it was fantastic).  Massolino is a small but well regarded family run estate in the area of Serralunga d’ Alba, one of the 5 principle villages where Barolo is produced.  The Serralunga d’ Alba is considered their entry level Barolo, but as can be expected with any well produced Barolo, proper aging translates into a real winner. Continue reading

Cooking with Olive Oil

Olive Oil
Olive Oil is a wonderful ingredient and one that is often used throughout the Mediterranean Diet, whether it be for cooking or for intensifying the flavor of the food.

I am often asked, what the differences are between the grades of olive oil and what is the best oil to cook with.  I found a little video on YouTube which addresses the second part of that question and have added it below.

Bear in mind that my mom, Gracie, never used Extra Virgin Olive Oil in her cooking or frying.

Olive oil from Imperia in Liguria, Italy.

Olive oil from Imperia in Liguria, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

She always used either Virgin or Pure Olive oil for that purpose.  Cost had a little to do with as she reserved the extra virgin stuff for drizzling on salads or grilled vegetables.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the first cold pressed and is not mixed, tampered or mechanically processed in any way.  From that point on down the olive oils loose their fruity and peppery taste with a pure olive oil in my opinion working best for frying.

Check out Gracie’s Market Place to find some great deals on many fantastic Extra Virgin Olive Oils.  Enjoy the video.

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Share Your Favorite Recipe

The latest Ebook in the Gracie’s Italian Living series, “The Mediterranean Diet Recipe Book – Gracie’s Guide to Healthy Meals,” will be available via Amazon Kindle by the end of this month.  A bit behind schedule but well worth the wait.  You will really get your money’s worth with this collection.

I am looking to add some unique recipes or some old family favorites and asking YOU to help me out.  Send me your favorite Healthy Italian Recipe and I will include the ten we (a panel of foodie judges) feel fit in the best with the book’s overall concept. Continue reading

Gracie’s Ravioli Moving Forward and New Recipe


As we move into the Spring season, you can expect some additions and changes to the Gracie’s Ravioli site.  Many of you are aware that we put up a similar site, www.GraciesItalianWineReview.com, where we review and make recommendations on various Italian Wines.  Work has already begum to combine the two sites.

We polled many of our followers and this move to one site seems to make a whole lot of sense.  With the new site will come a new name, Gracie’s Italian Lifestyle.  This fits in perfectly with our fondness for the Mediterranean Diet, which by the way suggest a glass of wine daily, and all the things both sites which to stress.

You can expect the entire shift to be completed by mid summer, but will begin to see the wine reviews appear at this site almost immediately.  Subscribers to Gracie’s Italian Wine Review will be added to the list here at Gracie’s Ravioli and of course given the option to unsubscribe at any time.

Another item in which we are really excited about is the soon to be released new Ebook in our Italian Living Series at Amazon Kindle.  “The Mediterranean Diet Recipe Book – Gracie’s Guide to Healthy Italian Meals,” is nearing completion and will be available soon.

This new Ebook is full of great recipes for eating healthy Italian foods and a guide to the popular Mediterranean Diet.  A lot of work and research has been put into this new recipe book and we are expecting to price it at $6.49.  A two week introduction period starting on release day will price the book at $2.99.

Be on the lookout for this new addition to the series!  Here’s a quick glimpse at one of the recipes:

<<In “7 Days of Italian Cooking – Gracie’s Guide to Everyday Meals,” I talked about how my mom was such a creature of habit by preparing certain dishes on certain days.  I forgot this one out, as it was a Monday fill in.

Mom would make her chicken soup on Monday and always used Ditali with the soup.  What was left over went into this dish, Ditali with Beans and Broccoli.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of Ditali pasta
  • 1 lb. cannelloni beans
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 1 small finely chopped onion
  • 3 tbs. tomato sauce
  • 1 clove of garlic minced
  • 2 heads of broccoli, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan cook onion in hot olive oil until golden.  Add tomato sauce, garlic, undrained cannelloni beans, broccoli, salt and pepper.  Over high flame, bring to a boil, lower flame, and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

Meanwhile, cook Ditali in salted water until al dente.  Add Ditali to the broccoli, mix and cook 5 minutes longer.

Tip: I sometimes steam the broccoli while the Ditali is cooking, which insures their tenderness and cuts down on the cooking time.>>

 

Feast of St. Joseph the Carpenter – St. Joseph’s Soup Recipe

Tomorrow, March 17th. millions of people will be celebrating St. Patrick’s day, but few realize that two days later many Southern Italians and Sicilians will celebrate the feast of St. Joseph the Carpenter with traditional St. Joseph’s Soup.

As St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, many consider St. Joseph the patron saint of Sicily.   In Sicily and many Italian American communities thanks are given to Saint Joseph for preventing a famine in Sicily during the Middle Ages.  The fava bean was the crop which saved the population from starvation, and is a traditional part of St. Joseph’s Day feast, traditions and recipes.  Giving food to the needy is another Saint Joseph’s Day tradition. Continue reading

Pistachio Pesto Recipe

I had a little time to kill today, so I decided to fine tune my Pistachio Pesto recipe.  Years ago a customer came into our store and placed a catering order.  It was a fairly big job and one item she insisted upon was Pistachio Pesto Crusted Salmon Fillets, which did not appear on the menu.

We didn’t want to loose the job and figured, how hard could a Pistachio Pesto be?  We were already selling four varieties of fresh pesto, we could certainly pull this one off.  Our chef Eric went to work, made a few test runs, sampled it as a lunch special one Friday and we ended up with a very happy client. Continue reading

Study Finds Health Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet

If you are a regular visitor here, you know that I am a big follower of the Mediterranean Diet and the health benefits derived from this lifestyle change.  A recent study, which was covered by the New York Times, added some fuel to this argument.

Below is a short video produced by the Times that I hope you will all take a minute or two to view.  Its information is current, as the video has only been out a few days.  The two Times reporters address the ins and outs of this diet and the benefits one receives from following this more traditional approach to eating and living.

One point I find very interesting in this video, is the idea of buying fresh, avoiding processed foods and relying on preparing meals rather than “picking up something.”  I would like to heard your thoughts, so please make a comment below.

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Eggplant Rollatini Video

I love this video for a lot of reasons and could not have done a better job putting these “Eggplant Rolls” together.

I especially like how these two ladies work you through the process of getting the excess moisture out of the eggplant slices.  A step many people ignore, which impacts the end product.

When we prepared Eggplant Rollatini at the shop they sold out quickly.  They were also one of our top catering items.  One thing I would add  to the recipe in the video is a pinch or two of nutmeg to the filling.

Enjoy!

 

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Breaking Down Balsamic Vinegar

By definition Balsamic Vinegar (Italian: aceto balsamico) is a condiment originating from Italy, that is considered a wine vinegar that is not made from wine, but from grape pressings that have never been permitted to ferment into wine.

Of course we are not talking about you commercial grade Balsamic used in salad

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP - I...

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP – Italia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

dressing and made to imitate the original product, but the traditional Balsamic made in Modena and Reggio Emilia sections of Italy.

The prized Balsamico Tradizionale is very much like a fine wine. It is generally produced from Trebbiano grapes (which are picked and then often left in the sun for further ripening  to increase the sugar level). These are crushed and pressed into a juice (called “must”) and then simmered in open pots for 24-30 hours. This unfermented juice is cooled, allowed to settle and then placed in the first of a series of barrels to age. Continue reading