Dancing Spoon

Limoncello for Summer!

Italy Delicious

Limoncello Means Summer!
by Ashley Bartner

Limoncello - ahh that means warm summer days in Italy are here! And after my husband returned from the market the other day with 2 crates overflowing with bright yellow fragrant Sorrento lemons - we knew we had some work to do!

Now I can't really cook to save my life - but somehow I've picked up the knack of making booze! So that is my contribution to the table —  after dinner drinks. Limoncello is one of the easiest liquors to make with only a few ingredients.

Like most Italian recipes, they vary all over Italy — especially on the length you soak the lemon rinds to the amount of sugar - so have fun with it and keep tasting it as you go! As the alcohol absorbs the flavors from the peel you will notice it turn to a beautiful golden yellow.
We used over 60 large lemons and yielded over 15 liters of limoncello!

Limoncello
Ingredients

Rinds of 6-7 lemons (no whites)
1/2 liter of pure alcohol
1 liter of water
500 gr. sugar

Directions

1. Soak the lemon rinds in alcohol for 10 days
2. Filter the lemon rinds.
3. Make a simple syrup with the sugar & water (warming the water on the stove & incorporating all the sugar).
4. Combine the simple syrup with the alcohol & mix.
5. Bottle & freeze.
Serve cold and enjoy!

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Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche  an organic farm, inn and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche.

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The "Expert"

Wine About

by Eric Olson
Some time ago, I and some friends of mine in the wine business found ourselves at Mustards Grill in Napa Valley for dinner. Mustards was, and is, one of the most exclusive dining spots in all of California, and we found ourselves privileged to have a seat outside on a beautiful summer eve and looked forward to a fun experience. Well, when seated we noticed a certain attitude from our waiter and decided to act in kind. Having spent a good week traveling California vineyards and wineries we had noticed a certain air of superiority, albeit friendly, from many in the biz. When asked our reasons for being there we replied, with a calm demeanor, that we were "wine experts from back east." That got us the desired raised eyebrow. Upon returning to the table, the waiter had his manager in tow, loaded for bear, with a bottle in hand, unfortunately wrapped in a bag. Ooops. Busted. Sitting down with intro's, we reiterated our "wine expert" label, although, while casting a wary eye at the hidden bottle, not with as much bravado.

We were soon put to the test as the manager, as expected, challenged us to a blind tasting to see what we were made of. Wine poured all around, sipped, thought, with the following silent process: What it isn't was the best way to proceed. Not Pinot — too big. Not Cab — more acidic with cherry. Not Zin — less aggressive fruit and so on. Not to mention, we had just left Shafer Vineyards where he had begun experiments with the rare Sangiovese grape, and this fit. An Italian wine maker told me once that to make a Sangiovese blend with Cabernet you must not add more than 15% Cabernet or it would overpower the Sangiovese. Well, we had our answer: A California (what else at Mustards?) Sangiovese with 15% Cabernet. The managers jaw dropped to the table top. Exactly correct. A lot of handshakes and laughs, and needless to say, wine and food followed and we had our day in the sun in Napa Valley.

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About Ashley Bartner

Contributors Our

Meet Ashley Bartner
Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband, Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche, an organic farm, inn, and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche. We're very excited that Ashley is now sharing her foodie dream with us, as a contributing writer, here on Dancing Spoon.

I live in Piobbico, Italy (population 2,000 - on a busy day), in the little known region of Le Marche, with my husband Jason, where we are the only “americani” for miles and miles! Jason and I live in a 300-year old stone farmhouse, run an inn, cooking school, and organic farm!

Two years ago we made a life changing decision and left the “daily grind” of New York City for the Italian countryside! After falling in love with Italy on our honeymoon in 2006, and with no kids or mortgage, we took the risk of our lives and opened an agriturismo with a small osteria and a cooking school run by Jason, who was previously an Executive Chef in Manhattan. Our little slice of paradise is an old restored stone farmhouse with five huge guest apartments surrounded by over 500 acres of farmland, rolling hills, and truffle rich woods.

We knew we wanted to run an agriturimo and cooking school as we had stayed at numerous other agriturismo's throughout Italy and enjoyed the atmosphere of vacationing on a working farm. La Tavola Marche is founded on our feelings that food is the most accessible, unique, and enjoyable way to get to know a new destination. Culinary experiences not only enhance traveler’s enjoyment through pleasing their taste buds, but also allow for an immediate immersion into the local culture. Plus, when we travel, that is our most favorite part — eating our way through every city, state, and country!

We love to share the simplicity of  Italian cooking, taking the freshest possible ingredients and preparing them simply. What a great vacation, to stay in a relaxing beautiful setting, learn to prepare this delicious food, and take home more than just memories: the ability to recreate a bit of Italy at home. And Italians do this best — celebrating life at every meal!

I am excited to share with you, Dancing Spoon readers, all the pleasures of the table: growing, cooking, eating and celebrating food! Tutti a tavola - everyone to the table!

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Ashley Bartner is living the foodie dream in Italy. Together with her Chef-husband Jason, they own and run La Tavola Marche an organic farm, inn and cooking school in Central Italy's region of Le Marche. In her  column Delicious Italy, Ashley shares the secrets of the Italian kitchen with local seasonal Italian recipes, organic gardening tips, food festivals and markets, day trips in Le Marche, Tuscany, Umbria and beyond! Celebrating life at every meal, from the farm to the table. What better way to know a culture but through its food! Ashley is a proud member of Slow Food both in The United States and Italy, and only cooks/serves what is in season and locally grown, supporting the local economy. La Tavola Marche

Jason is a professional Chef with years of experience as an Executive Chef in New York City and Italy. Ashley is a host-extraordinaire and writer for Italia! Magazine.
Follow their adventures on their lively blog: La Tavola Marche Blog

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Partridge Marsala

Ordinary Out of the

OOO by Kate Krukowski Gooding
Partridge Marsala with Wild Mushrooms
  If you ever get a chance to try fresh partridge, do it! It is a mild, distinctive bird that I do not like to overshadow or hide with other flavors. I really enjoy the earthiness of the wild mushrooms combined with the sweet and dry flavor of the Marsala and sherry with this game bird. I tried to use a little less butter but you really need the extra for the richness to balance out this wild game dish.

Did you know that Marsala is a wine produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily? While the natives sometimes drink "vintage" Marsala, the wine produced for export is universally a fortified wine similar to Port. Originally this wine was fortified with alcohol to ensure that it would last long ocean voyages, and now it is made that way because of the demand in foreign markets.

Ingredients
Serves 2-4

¼ cup flour for coating
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sage
6 skinless, boneless partridge breast halves
3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
½ cup porcini mushrooms, sliced
½ cup Marsala wine
¼ cup cooking sherry

Directions

1.Combine flour, salt, pepper and sage in shallow bowl. Coat partridge pieces in flour mixture.
2. Melt butter and oil over medium heat in large skillet. Place partridge in skillet and lightly brown. Turn over partridge pieces; remove onto warm dish and cover.
3. Add mushrooms, wine and sherry. Cover skillet and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Add partridge and heat through, turning once, uncovered. Serve on top of brown rice.

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You can find Kate Gooding's book, Black Fly Stew - Wild Maine Recipes at Foodie's Emporium! Click here. Kate has published three cookbooks: Wild Maine Recipes and Simple Gourmet Lamb with Side Dishes and Wine Pairings. She is currently is working on her one in the Black Fly Stew series – which carries and an international flair.

More information at www.blackflystew.com

And visit Foodie's Emporium for Unique Kitchen items!

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Stir Fry On a Budget

Contributor Guest

by Guest Contributor Calissa Leigh
Basic Chinese Stir Fry On a Budget
Recently, I've become obsessed with learning about Chinese cuisine. This has lead to many trials and errors when it comes to cooking the Chinese way. Having grown up in a home where Southern foods were the main cuisine, it was a steep learning curve to prepare a simple bowl of rice.

But I've learned a lot in the past couple of months. I've learned that the combination of ginger, garlic and spring onion tastes great and has been flavors I had loved from Chinese restaurants for years, but never realized what they were. I also learned a few different methods when it came to cooking stir fry. While I still make mistakes, and while I'm still experimenting with recipes, I have learned a handful of techniques and items of interest when it comes to basic Chinese cooking.

A Chinese stir fry can be a very healthy meal. When people hear "fry" some automatically think of those deep fried breaded wonders of delight we usually try to avoid if eating healthy. However, a stir fry can be done in very little oil, using healthy oils like canola. Most Chinese stir fry recipes include heavy rice and vegetable usage, with very little meat added as flavor, not as a main course. Skipping the meat altogether happens a lot. Broccoli raw? The Chinese don't often eat raw veggies, but instead prefer to cook it, even if in a brief stir fry.

Here's a basic stir fry recipe:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola oil
3 spring onions, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
1 cup broccoli (pre-boiled or steamed)
1 1/2 cups cooked rice

Directions

1. Heat Heat a nonstick skillet or wok over medium high to high heat.
2. Add oil and heat. Add the onions, garlic and ginger, stir fry for 30 seconds. You'll be able to 'smell' the release of flavors from the ingredients.
3. Drop in the broccoli. Stir fry for a few minutes.
4. Add Add the rice, stir fry for two to three minutes.

It's a simple recipe, and inexpensive and can be served as a main dish. Already prepared stir fry sauces can be purchased or pre-made at home to add extra flavors, but often they aren't needed.

Exchanging vegetables or adding bits of chicken, pork or beef, is completely optional. Stir fry is so versatile, that it can be a great way to use up leftover ingredients. Budget friendly? Incredibly so!

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Calissa Leigh is a geeky girl who loves healthy cooking, building robots and talking tech.

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American Wild Shrimp

Ingredients Know Your

by J. Michael Wheeler
American Wild Shrimp
American wild shrimp, caught in Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coast waters, ranges from the sweet, small, delicate Maine Northern Pink, to the six-inch long and coral pink California Spot, to the four inch light brown-shelled Gulf of Mexico Brown.

We Americans consume more than a billion pounds of shrimp each year. While much of that shrimp is imported, almost a quarter of it is caught right off our own shores. And of the 200 million pounds of domestic shrimp brought to market, 95 percent is net-caught in open water by sustainable methods. Wild-caught American shrimp, moreover, is not just one species (pond-raised shrimp is a single species, Litopenaeus vannamei, commonly called Pacific white shrimp), but is a wide range of species.

I was introduced to the Northern Pink from Maine this past season and I was captivated by the small shrimp's intense, sweet flavors. (They reminded me somewhat of the French crevettes grises, the tiny shrimp served in the cafes such as the Brasserie Les Vapeurs  in Trouville, just across the bridge from Deauville in Normandy, France. The crevettes grises are so small in fact, that to eat them you need to learn the thumb technique: you more or less scrape the tiny creatures out of their shells.) The Northern Pink, also just called Maine Shrimp, have an intense flavor of rich sweetness like creamery butter. I went on a Maine Shrimp binge (the season lasts only from December to April) and sautéed them, steamed them, used them in pastas, salads, and delicate Asian dishes. And always cooked them for just a minute or two. These shrimp are also enjoyed raw!

Fresh local shrimp, often available only during a limited season, can be an eye-opening (and taste-bud-opening) experience. If you've only eaten the pink pond-raised variety seek out fresh domestic wild-caught shrimp. You might find yourself on a season shrimp binge too!

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Balsamic Marinated Venison

Ordinary Out of the

OOO by Kate Krukowski Gooding
Balsamic Marinated Venison with Horseradish Sauce on Roasted Vegetables
When my husband is working long hours at the office I try and put something interesting together that calls attention to his taste buds. Because when he works he doesn’t usually pay attention to what he eats and doesn’t enjoy it. This dish called attention to his palette.

This combination of the Black Currant Balsamic Vinegar and fresh horseradish left a zing on your tongue that you can’t quite tell where it came from but thoroughly enjoy it.

Ingredients
Serves 2-4

Marinade
1/3 cup dry red wine
¼ cup beef broth
2 tablespoons Black Currant Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces venison steak cut in strips

Roasted vegetables
1 ½ cups carrots, sliced
1 cup red bell pepper, chunked
1 cup sweet onions, halved and cut in 1 inch segments
2 tablespoons scallions, chunked
2 ½ red onions rings, pulled apart
2 jalapeno peppers, deseeded, pith removed and sliced long
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Steak sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh horseradish

Directions

1.Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak to bag, and seal. Marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375°. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Combine all vegetables in baking dish. Toss with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Bake 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove venison from bag, reserving marinade. Heat vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add venison and sauté 4 minutes. Remove venison from pan to warm plate.
5. Add reserved marinade to skillet, and boil 1 minute, scraping skillet to loosen browned bits. Stir in horseradish. Pour sauce over steaks and vegetables.

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You can find Kate Gooding's book, Black Fly Stew - Wild Maine Recipes at Foodie's Emporium! Click here. Kate has published three cookbooks: Wild Maine Recipes and Simple Gourmet Lamb with Side Dishes and Wine Pairings. She is currently is working on her one in the Black Fly Stew series – which carries and an international flair.

More information at www.blackflystew.com

And visit Foodie's Emporium for Unique Kitchen items!

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