Italian Food Lovers

Nothing says summertime like a backyard barbecue. In preparation for the height of summer – commonly known as Ferragosto in Italy and celebrated on August,15th – the cooks in the Academia Barilla test kitchens have lit up their grills and come up with a number of tasty marinades for you to try at home or at the beach.

For all of the seafood lovers out there, chef Matteo has created a savory, citrus marinade for shrimp and squid using our Academia Barilla Sapori Italiani herb mix , Sea Salt with Blood Orange Zest and delicate Read more…

Just in case you are still unsure of what to serve your guests this Easter, Academia Barilla chef Matteo Carboni has put together a festive springtime recipe that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. And it gets even better. In this instructional video, Matteo will walk you through the cooking process, step-by-step. It couldn’t any easier than this.

You will find the recipe for chef Matteo’s Easter rack of lamb with herbs and Read more…

To celebrate the month of March, we have decided to make an updated version of an Italian classic: risotto alla gorgonzola. Spring is just around the corner but until the temperatures begin to rise, we will take comfort in this creamy dish from northern Italy.

Gorgonzola is a blue cow’s milk cheese originally from the small town of Gorgonzola, located less than 15 miles northeast of Milan. For more information on this legendary Italian blue, be sure to check out Chef Matteo Carboni’s video presentation.

In this recipe, the spicy, piquant flavor of the gorgonzola is balanced by the sweetness of the fresh pear sauce. Follow the chef’s directions for making a perfectly rewarding risotto.
What a wonderful way to finish your day.

RISOTTO WITH GORGONZOLA AND FRESH PEAR SAUCE
Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS
For the pear sauce:
- 3 pears, medium-sized
- ½ clove garlic Read more…

We are a little late on this post, as this is the ingredient of the month for November, but we are publishing it only now. Sorry for the delay, we hope you understand how busy we have been at Academia Barilla not only with the new Academia Barilla and Italian Food Lovers redesign, but also facing the most hectic season of the year, the Christmas Season!

The good news about it is that this month our Italian Food Lovers will get two Ingredients of the month! In the video below we have again with us Chef Matteo Carboni of the Academia Barilla Culinary School, introducing to us as ingredient of the month one of the most famous cheeses of Italy, Gorgonzola Cheese.

Read more…

Welcome back to Chef Matteo Carboni of the Academia Barilla Culinary School who, after telling us about the different variety of table grapes in an Academia Barilla video last week, will share with us his Chef advice on how to make Grape Must Jelly, and how to prepare Sugoli, a traditional Parma gourmet dessert. Enjoy the video chef tips!

As recommended by Chef Matteo Carboni in the video above, results are better when different varieties of grapes are mixed, which will result in a richer flavor. In the video recipe, Chef Carboni uses Sultuna, Pans and Moscate, which he introduced in his last video here on Italian Food Lovers.

Before proceeding with the grape hand-pressing. Matteo advises to use 4 pounds of table grapes in order to obtain 4 cups of table juice for 6 servings.

Not an easy job! You will surely need some strength to do this. Chef Carboni suggests to begin pressing the grapes with your hand, then to proceed crushing the remaining grape berries one at the time with your fingers before filtering the grape juice and giving it a final hand-squeeze to get as much juice as you can.

For 4 cups of grape juice we will need 4 oz of all-purposes flour that must be mixed with the grape juice in a bowl. Start with a little bit of juice. Mix with a whisk ensuring there are no lumps. Add the rest of the juice and keep mixing for a few more minutes until all the lumps disappear.

Put the mixture in a pot and bring to a boil, constantly stirring it. Keep boiling for 2 minutes before placing the mixture into molds while it’s still hot. Chef Carboni uses two different molds based on the servings he desire to prepare. Place the molds in the fridge, allowing them to rest for at least a couple of hours.

The first recipe prepared by Chef Matteo Carboni, Sugoli Grape Jelly paired with Pecorino Cheese and hazelnuts, is a dish that you can serve at the end of the meal as a dessert, or before the dessert. 

Chef Matteo Carboni concludes the video with a final dessert preparation, using the bigger Sugoli Grape Jelly molds that have been in the fridge for a bit longer. For the dessert presentation Matteo simply adds fresh cranberries, fresh mint and ground dark chocolate to the Sugoli Grape Jelly.

Chef Carboni also suggests trying a glass of Moscato wine (Muscat wine), to enjoy with this delicious Italian gourmet dessert.

Thank you Matteo, we can’t wait for your next video recipe!