Almost exactly one year ago I found myself hauling a 90 pound (40 kg) cardboard box into the San Antonio, Texas airport and checking in for my nth flight for Italy.

“Do you have any extra or overweight baggage?”
“Just this,” I proudly patted my duct-tape reinforced box, panting with exhaustion.
“There will be a fee.”
“That’s OK, it’s worth it.”
“That’s quite a heavy box! What could possibly worth the all this effort and fees?”
“A Texan Barbecue pit, what else?”
“Don’t that have BBQ pits in Italy?”
“Not like this one…”

My father and I had passed a week of research and shopping to find the perfect grill: one that would break down to fit into the size and weight requirements of the airline, without sacrificing size, quality and style. The final solution was 90 pounds of sturdy metal, 623 total square inches of cooking surface, cast iron cooking grates, integrated thermometer, adjustable steel fire grate, wood slat side and front shelves for additional prep and tools… By Texan standards it is a nice grill, but nothing fancy or huge. But in Italy, it’s a show-stopper.
And boy, it was worth it. It continues to be worth it every time we come down to Emilio’s family’s summer home in Moneglia. I fire that baby up, throw some veggies and steaks on the cast iron grill and cook for 20 people without breaking a sweat, all while overlooking a spectacular Ligurian coastline. This place was pretty close to paradise before, but now it’s perfect. Everything’s better with barbecue.

So, to honor the first birthday of our international BBQ, I would like to share a few grilling tips and observations:

• I marinate almost everything. Chicken turns out soft and moist when marinated in yogurt with garlic, lemon and olive oil. Soak pork chops in oil, herbs and white wine. Red meat needs just a touch of red wine and olive oil.
• I usually use a mix of wood and charcoal. Wood gives the best flavor, but charcoal burns longer and hotter. So I like to build a wood fire, then throw on some charcoal to lengthen the cooking time. Another way to achieve this effect is to add a few moistened wood chips to the coals before cooking.
• I like to grill in two rounds. First, I take care of all the veggies, since they can be served room-temperature and don’t suffer the wait. Then, I rebuild the fire or add some charcoal before throwing on the meat, which can then be served right off the grill.
• My favorite vegetables on the grill are bell peppers, sliced onions, eggplant, zucchini, and fennel. Veggies are better if you brush them with flavored olive oil right before grilling them. To make flavored oil, fill a bowl with olive oil, and add a couple cloves of garlic, salt, and rosemary or other herbs a couple hours before grilling.
• Bell peppers should be grilled whole until the skin is blackened, then placed in a bowl and covered with plastic wrap until cool. This helps loosen the skin and makes them easier to clean.
• Grilled pineapple is always a big hit. The sugar caramelizes and the flavor shines, making it a perfect side for grilled fish, chicken or pork, or a delicious dessert when served warm with cold ice cream.
• Chicken and pork ribs benefit from “low and slow” cooking. Let them cook on the warming rack or a cool part of the grill until almost completely cooked, then finish them off by searing over a hotter part of the grill.

I want to share some pics and videos from a fun event I did recently, pairing Ruffino wines with American cuisine for a delicious dinner in a beautiful Tuscan winery in the Chianti region. It came together beautifully. I cooked for 2 days, combining my traditional recipes with fine Tuscan ingredients, then gave a couple cooking presentations before and after dinner.

I would like to thank Clara Ceccherini for conceiving, planning and realizing the event and Marina Baumgartner for interviewing and sharing the stage with me during the cooking presentation. I also had the pleasure of passing the time with our impeccable hosts and owners of Ruffino wine, the Folonari family. They granted me the unforgettable opportunity to hold this special event in truly unique and stunning surroundings, and provided a living lesson in hospitality and professionalism.

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Check out the great article with photogallery and recipes by  L’espresso!

It’s hot. Really, really hot. One of the many habits I’ve adopted from Italians is an unhealthy obsession with the weather, and in a country where a hot day will make the front-page headlines, I have been unable to talk (or think) about anything else for this sweltering last week. So if you were expecting to find a recipe that required any oven or stove-top heat, sorry! It’s just not going to happen this time. What you will find is a cool and refreshing chilled soup, that’s a breeze to throw together and requires only the flick of a blender switch. Serve with a cold glass of white wine and enjoy in front of a fan, preferably while discussing the heat.

Ingredients:

• 4 cucumbers, peeled, diced and de-seeded
• 2 avocados, pitted and diced (save some for garnish, if desired)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped italian parsley
• 1 green onion, coarsely chopped
• a handful of fresh mint leaves
• lime juice from 2 limes or more, to taste
• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1 cup cold water
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine first 7 ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Begin slowly pouring in the water while processing until you reach the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

My Uncle John’s ranch house before the 4th of July party. Foto by my cousin Jim Drought.

Ooops! It was the Fourth of July again, and  I almost forgot again. The Fourth is one of those holidays that’s all too easy to skip when living abroad. There are no long weekends, no red white and blue corn chips, no flags fluttering in front yards, and most tragically, no abundance of backyard barbecues. Most years I try to make it home for the occasion, not because I’m a big patriot, but because it’s a great excuse to get together with friends and family over the summer. Texas is hotter than hell in the summertime, but Texans are experts on beating the heat with swimming pools and cold beer, a combination I enjoy frequently upon these trips. Then, there’s the big game, which I really hate to miss.

My family, for the last 40 years, has celebrated the 4th of July with an ever-more-serious baseball game. I have a large enough extended family to form 2 baseball teams plus cheerleaders, with an abundance of competitive drive and sense of grandeur. My uncle has cordoned off a section of the family ranch with an electric fence to ward off the cows, in order to preserve a perfectly green playing field complete with bleachers and white chalk lines.

Now, I’m about as enthusiastic about competitive sports as I am about the Italian postal service (my biggest moment “on the field” was being knocked out by a stray baseball when I was four years old – apparently even innocent spectators are in danger if my grandmother is pitching), but I’m a big fan of this particular game. I get to see all my cousins, plus there’s cold beer and guacamole. Afterwards we all head home to shower, then meet up at my Uncle John’s house for a big dinner party and fireworks (that’s my Uncle John in the middle photograph above, on the right is my hard-pitchin’ grandmother!)

Work kept me in Milan this Fourth of July weekend, sweating in front of my computer and cursing at the mosquitos which have taken up permanent residence in my apartment. So, instead of feeling sorry for myself (ok, I admit: after feeling sorry for myself for a fraction of a second) I cracked open a cold beer, made guacamole and signed into Skype. Thank God for Skype, I almost felt like I was there. Almost.

Fireworks at the 4th of July party. Foto by Jim Drought.

The game is increasingly international, and we even occasionally allow Italians on the field. Here’s a video of Felipe, my husband’s cousin, upon his memorable baseball debut 2 years ago.

I’ve never been the hugest mayonnaise fan. I know this is just the nth confession that seemingly disqualifies me from properly representing American cuisine, but I never claimed to be an average American, just an american… one that doesn’t happen to love mayonnaise. So potato salad can be a problem for me. The classic American recipe calls for small cubes of squishy potatoes floating in an shiny pool of mayo. No thank you. I’ll make it if begged to do so (often by my husband), I’ll serve it asked, but I’ll only eat it if I’m dying of starvation. Hence the following version which, in my mind, is much more interesting for the palate: tender (yet still firm) potato slices are tossed with a tangy mustard vinaigrette and spicy arugula for a fresh and invigorating summer salad.

Arugula & Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

For the Salad:

• 2 pounds (1 kg) potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 bunch of arugula (4-5 oz), rinsed
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• Salt

For the Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons good mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• salt and pepper

Put potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil, then lower heat to boil gently. Cook the potatoes until tender but still firm and not mushy, about 8-15 minutes, depending on the variety of potato. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In the meantime, whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Toss the still-warm potatoes with the arugula, parsley and green onion then stir in desired amount of the vinaigrette. Taste and adjust seasonings, serve chilled or at room temperature.

For 6.

I’m really excited to share that Buon Appetito America! has won a spot amongst 5 finalists for an important literary prize in Italy! This selection (Premio Selezione Bancarella della Cucina) is considered quite an honor in itself and, needless to say, I’m completely flattered and excited. The actual prize will awarded in Potremoli on September 26th, and I’m up against some very big names (Davide Oldani, Fabio Picchi, etc). Whatever happens, it feels great to receive this level recognition for a project in which I invested so much time, love, and hard work!

Emilio (the Italian husband) loves to ask directions. When we’re traveling, he often stops to ask something of a local, even if he knows exactly where we’re going. Through these casual conversations we often end up in the exactly right place, but rarely where we were heading.

Case in point: Last week we were in Padova for work and decided to take a detour up through the Prosecco region on our way home. I had my map and iPhone and Tom Tom, and had improvised an efficient itinerary based on limited time and mileage. Emilio had a different idea.

At a gas station 10 km before the exit for Conegliano:

Emilio: My wife loves prosecco, we’re looking to exit the highway and visit a couple vineyards. We’ve heard that Conegliano would be a good starting point.

Gas station attendant: Hmph, it depends what you’re looking for. If you go to Conegliano you’ll find “Prosecco” on the label, but if you go to Valdobbiadene, you’ll find Prosecco inside the bottle. Here’s what you do: exit at Vittorio Veneto Nord, and take the country road toward Valdobbiadene. Stop at the first, ugliest, most run-down bar you come across. That’s where  you’ll find Prosecco.

Stuck in traffic, watching the flaming vehicle...

19 km later, 1 km from our exit. Stuck in immobile traffic on a highway bridge behind a vehicle whose engine spontaneously exploded (no one was hurt). We step out of the car to watch the plumes of black smoke and exchange pleasantries with our fellow frustrated motorists:

Local guy with thick local accent: See that soccer field underneath us? One time, a guy in a BMW skidded off the bridge, his car landed smack in the middle of that field, and he survived. A little banged up, but lived. So, what brings you folks to the area?

Emilio: We’re exiting up ahead to drive towards Valdobbiadene. My wife goes nuts for Prosecco, so we’re going to stop by some wineries.

Local guy with thick local accent: Really? Which wineries? I’m a wine rep! I don’t sell Prosecco, but I grew up here and know all the locals.

Emilio: No idea, we’d love some tips!

Local guy with thick local accent: Here’s what you do: Go to Guia, in the province of Valdobbiadene. Ask for Caneva da Nani di Giovanni Canello. They won’t remember me, I’m not a friend of theirs or anything, but you won’t be disappointed. They make their Prosecco in the traditional way: it ferments in the bottle, leaving a yeast residue at the bottom which you don’t drink. This is the true prosecco. By the way, here’s my brochure.

An hour later, after reaching Guia:

Emilio: Excuse me ma’am, we’re looking for the Canello estate?

Skeptical local woman with broom: Which Canello? There’s about a hundred of ‘em here!

Emilio: Oh! Giovanni… Caneva da Nani

Skeptical local woman with broom: Ah. Ok, go down that road, take a left, then another left, then a right, then ask.

Emilio: Thank you ma’am. By the way, do you by chance know where we could get a bite to eat on the way?

Another hour later, after lunch at a trattoria, then finally reaching Caneva da Nani:

Emilio: Hello, we’re here for the prosecco!

Enrico (son of Giovanni): You’ve come to the right place, and you won’t be leaving any time soon!

He was right, we stayed the entire afternoon, joking and chatting with the family, touring the winery and sipping their traditional Prosecco. He sent us home with 18 bottles at an unbeatable price after an unforgettable experience. We’ll definitely be back soon. At least, we’ll head in that direction, then turn off the Tom Tom and see what happens.

This tart has been on my mind for a couple of years. While visiting Texas, in the midst of writing the book, some family friends invited us over for a spectacular all-American themed dinner one fine summer evening in celebration of the project. The menu was divine, beautifully presented, and the company was perfect. Unfortunately, I was unable to enjoy any of the aforementioned, because I spent the duration of the dinner party throwing up in the bathroom.  No, I wasn’t drunk or suffering from an eating disorder, I was simply, suddenly, violently ill. I assume my body was protesting all my “research” into American cuisine: a tour de force of dinner parties, restaurants and bakeries, or maybe I just came down with a bug. Whatever the cause, the fact remains that I never had the chance to taste this beautiful blueberry tart, until today.

I finally wrote an email to Jill, my godmother, family friend, and endless source of culinary advice, and asked if she by chance recalled the tart. She not only remembered, but immediately responded with a link to the recipe online. Thank you internet, and thank you Jill!

This is a great summer dessert recipe: cool and refreshing on a hot day. You could substitute blueberries for any fresh fruit, really, a mix of berries would be nice, and I’m already envisioning a fig version of the tart for late summer. Experiment at will, but don’t let this recipe slip by untasted, it will haunt your subconscious for years!

Crust

• ½ cup (50 g) walnuts, lightly toasted
• 1 cup (100 g) graham cracker crumbs
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
• Pinch of salt

Filling

• 8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, softened to room temp
• ¼ cup (120 g) sour cream
• ¼ cup (75 g) plus 2 tablespoons (20 g) pure maple syrup, divided
• 2 cups (300 g) fresh blueberries

To prepare crust:

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
Coarsely chop walnuts in a food processor. Add graham cracker crumbs and process until the mixture looks like fine crumbs.
Whisk egg white in a medium bowl until frothy. Add the crumb mixture, butter, oil and salt; toss to combine. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Set the pan on a baking sheet. Bake until dry and slightly darker around the edges, about 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
To prepare filling:

Beat cream cheese, sour cream and 1/4 cup maple syrup in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. When the crust is cool, spread the filling evenly into it, being careful not to break up the delicate crust. Arrange blueberries on the filling, pressing lightly so they set in. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup over the berries. Chill for at least 1 hour to firm up.

I’m always intrigued by Italian perceptions of American lifestyle, and like to uncover what defines us as a nation in the eyes of others. Tu vuò fà l’americano is a satirical song about a young Napolitan who tries to imitate American style, which is summed up by whiskey and soda, rock and roll, baseball and Camel cigarettes. Click here for an English translation of they lyrics. I stumbled upon this adorable video of the great old song, and it got me thinking about two of my favorite American inventions: the cocktail and rock & roll.

Immigrants brought a myriad of influences to a country that wasn’t bound by historical conventions, but defined by innovation, experimentation and risk. Obviously, this lack of social structure has had some drawbacks (we have a reputation for bad manners and serial killers), but has also led to some of the most creative outbursts in recent history.

“The Old World alcoholic beverage traditions are neat and settled, with thousands of years of history behind them… The New World was too big and too wild to be confined in a sherry glass. America was not about tradition; it was about adventure, leaping forward and taking chances on all fronts.”
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

Rock and Roll, too, was born out of the collision of cultures, and the American spirit of experimentation and unleashed expression. So, in honor of these beloved traditions I’ve put together a little timeline combining the history of cocktails with the history of rock.

1890-1910: The “Old Fashioned” and Ragtime

The Old-Fashioned:
Very old-fashioned indeed, this cocktail originated in the mid 1800s and appears, under various names, in all early cocktail books.
Mix 1 tsp sugar, 1 splash water and 2 dashes if angostura bitters in an old-fashioned glass. Drop in a cherry and an orange wedge. Muddle into a paste using a muddler or the back end of a spoon. Pour in 2 oz of bourbon, fill with ice cubes, and stir.
The Maple Leaf Rag
Written by Scott Joplin in 1899, this was the most famous song of ragtime, which preceded the birth of jazz and blues. It’s performed here by Jelly Roll Morton, who went on to compose “Jelly Roll Blues” in 1915, which was arguably the very first jazz song.

1910-1930: The “Mint Julep” and the birth of Blues

The Mint Julep:
Crush a few mint leaves in the bottom of an 8-oz. glass, then fill with crushed ice. Add one tablespoon of simple syrup (recipe follows) and one tablespoon of water. Add 2 ounces of bourbon. Stir gently until glass frosts. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig, sip and enjoy.
Simple Syrup recipe: Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Pour mix over a handful of mint leaves, and gently crush the mint with a spoon. Refrigerate overnight in a closed jar. Remove mint leaves, but continue to refrigerate. Stays fresh for several weeks.
When the Levee Breaks:
This 1929 Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy song was covered by Led Zeppelin in 1971.

1930-1950: The “Martini” and Rythym & Blues,
early stirrings of Rock and Roll

Martini Recipe:
The classic cocktail of all time, shaken or stirred, has evolved much through the ages. The original martini appeared in the very first cocktail books in the 1880s, but the version we drink today became popular around the 1950s.
Combine 2.5 oz gin with 0.5 oz of dry vermouth and shake or stir with ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a green olive or lemon twist.
Roll ‘em Pete:
Recorded in 1938 by Big Joe Turner and pianist Pete Johnson, it is considered one of the most important precursors of what later became known as “rock and roll”.

1950-1960: The “Margarita” and the Birth of Rock & Roll

The Margarita:
It originated in Mexico, but was popularized in the U.S. in the 50s and 60s.
Pour 1.5 oz tequila, .75 oz Cointreau, and .5 oz fresh lime juice into a shaker with ice cubes. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with crusted salt.

Chuck Berry:
A true pioneer of Rock and Roll, his songs and showmanship were a major influence on the future of rock. Just check out his raging guitar solos and you can almost imagine him smashing his guitar at the end of the show. This video is from 1958, the same year as the video above of Tu Vuo’ Fa’ L’Americano.