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Archives for June 2016

Seared Bass with Savoy Cabbage – Spigola Scottato con Il Cavolo Verza

June 27, 2016 By Paula Barbarito-Levitt 12 Comments

Seared Pacific Bass sitting on a bed of braised spring Savoy Cabbage | labellasorella.com

Wandering through the local farmers market a few weeks ago I spotted the most beautiful early savoy cabbages, almost miniature in comparison the traditional mammoth cabbage of the autumn-winter season.  The verdant leaves unfolded as if they were petals of a spring blossom. Without hesitating I selected one of these perfect specimens, knowing that inspiration would soon follow.  At a nearby stall some glistening Pacific bass caught my eye, the two were destined to become one; Seared Bass with Savoy Cabbage it would be…. 

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Filed Under: Main Course Dishes or Secondi

Aperol Spritz – Lo Spritz

June 20, 2016 By Paula Barbarito-Levitt 8 Comments

The Aperol Spritz, enjoying a summer evening | labellasorella.com

The Aperol Spritz or Lo Spritz as it is called in Italy, is an essential part of the pre-dinner ritual while sitting in the piazza as the sun sets after a long summer’s day. The streets become lively as locals arrive to “prendiamo un aperitif” or have an aperitif and socialize.  The florsecent orange colored  Aperol Spritz gently eases one into the evening, as the alcohol content is lower than your standard cocktail.  I silently chuckle each time a cherished Italian friend firmly refuses a cocktail deferring to Lo Spritz instead; his way of thinking renders a Spritz as virtually nonalcoholic, thereby perfectly respectable.  Relaxing in the shade with an Aperol Spritz, a few little snacks and some friends typifies what many have come consider emblematic of La Dolce Vita, the sweet life.

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Filed Under: Wine & Aperitivo Time

Moscato d’Asti Granita

June 13, 2016 By Paula Barbarito-Levitt 4 Comments

Moscato d’ Asti Granita - light, cool & refreshing | labellasorella.comThe temperature is rising and you are craving something sweet but it must be cold and refreshing with a bit of a kick to it – Moscato d’ Asti Granita is the answer.

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Filed Under: Desserts to Dream Of

Il Negroni Perfetto – The Perfect Negroni

June 9, 2016 By Paula Barbarito-Levitt

Pouring The Perfect Negroni | labellasorella.com

Pouring the Perfect Negroni

Mio Marito has become quite the Italophile over the years, developing an appreciation and  rather uncanny understanding of all things Italian, including yours truly. He has embraced the history, culture, customs, food, and wine. Did I mention the late afternoon aperitivi?  A veritable master of that domain…  Our early evening ritual when in Italy is to facciamo una bella passeggata (take a nice walk together) followed by an aperitivo before dinner.  After years of experience, his preferred cocktail is without a doubt, the Negroni.

Negroni ingredients LaBellaSorella

Apparently the Negroni came into being  in Florence in the 1920’s when the nobleman Count Cammillo Negroni asked a local establishment to prepare an Americano asking him to substitute gin for club soda.  Lucca Picchi, head bartender at Caffe Rivoire in Florence wrote a book about the colorful Count in 2008, available in Italian: Sulle Tracce del Conte: La Vera Storia del Cocktail Negroni (On the Trails of the Count: The True Story of the Negroni Cocktail)…. 

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Filed Under: Wine & Aperitivo Time

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