Starting off the show and setting the Italian stage is food writer and cookbook author Elizabeth Minchilli with her latest release “The Italian Table – Creating festive meals for family and friends” This book is truly The Italian Dinner Party Handbook!
Get a copy of this great book now
The Italian Table delivers both parts of the fantasy and reality of Italian meals as they would be eaten on location. Combining menus and recipes with visual experience and inspiration–as well as insight into the traditions of the food and celebrations–it serves as a practical resource that gives home cooks and hosts step-by-step guidance on how to re-create these fabulous meals at their own tables.
Menus and recipes include: Eating in the Market in Florence with Coward’s Spaghetti, Pappa al Pomodoro, and Apple Cake; A Sunday Lunch in Emilia-Romagna with Ricotta and Swiss Chard Tortelli, Vegetable Pie, and Stuffed Pork Roast; and A Table by the Sea in Positano with Mozzarella on Grilled Lemon Leaves, Squid and Walnut Salad, and Jackie O’s Spaghetti. With a resources section for Italian ingredients; headnotes brimming with interesting history, recipe shortcuts, and serving suggestions; and menu introductions detailing what to drink, how to set the table, and how to time the preparation and the party itself, this is an essential guide for home cooks and those who love to entertain.
Elizabeth Minchilli has written about food, style, and architecture from her home in Italy for the past 25 years. Her website, Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome (elizabethminchilli.com), won a Saveur Blog Award for Best Culinary Coverage, an Italy Magazine Best Food Blog Award, and was named The Culture Trip Local Favorite. Elizabeth is the author of eight books, including Eating My Way Through Italy. She is also the founder of the Eat Italy app. Her books, blogs, apps, and food tours have been praised by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Travel & Leisure, NPR, The Huffington Post, Condé Nast Traveler, and more. Elizabeth is on FaceBook and Twitter
Later in the program I’ll be talking to Judith Wencel and Chef Katharine Elder from Elderslie Farm about the latest at Elderslie Farm and more importantly about Poggio Verde Country Villa. Katharine’s Aunt Gretchen Romig (Wichita native and the villa owner) where you can plan a week of dining, sightseeing and sampling small-production wines.
“Is Northern Italy on your bucket list? Do you love good food and wine and gorgeous scenery? Does it sound divine to live “La Dolce Vita” in an 18th century Italian villa for a week? Do you like to be taken care of from the point of arrival to the point of departure?”
Aunt Gretchen says “WELCOME to Poggio Verde Country Villa! It is our great pleasure to share our beautifully-restored family villa with groups of eight to twelve visitors who would like to explore the wonders of Northern Italy and come “home” at the end of each day to make dinner together or enjoy a meal prepared by a local or visiting chef. Located between Milan and the Lakes, there are myriad opportunities for day trips to visit lakes, mountains, cities, hilltop villages and experience the art and culture and great food and wine of Northern Italy. Let us plan a trip for you or you can plan your own; or you can join an all-inclusive trip.”
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2016 Heredis Nebbiolo Langhe DOC
Nebbiolo is among the grapes with the longest roots, which can go as deep as 7 meters underground: that’s why this grape can capture the unique characteristics of its soil. Heredis is the best expression of the distinctive character of the Langhe. Its ruby red color tends to garnet as it ages, its aroma is gently fruity with spicy notes and its delicate, slightly tannic flavor is soft and velvety on the palate.
Available at Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road
If you haven’t been or it’s been awhile, you must make reservations at Elderslie Farm and enjoy all the new and innovative food, wine and of course the all new Creamery. George and Chef Katharine Elder have created a beautiful place for breakfast or lunch at the Bramble Cafe but the farm to table dinning is first class and seasonally creative. When you go, be sure to add the wine pairings to your dinner.
