We run out of recipes from the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Garden Chef Series and the Barilla Italian Cooking Weekend, at least for this year - next year we’ll make sure to have one of our bloggers from the Italian Food Lovers editorial team on site, so we can actually video the Chef demos and interview the Chefs (not while they demo, of course).

First of all, we would like to say thank you to Barilla USA’s Chef Lorenzo Boni, Trattoria N. 10’s Chef Doug D’Avico, Francesca Restaurants’ Executive Chef Laura Piper, Pinstripes’ Chef Mark Grimes and Mado’s Chef Rob Levitt for sharing their recipes with us. Thank you again, see you again on Italian Food Lovers!

Just to recap, this year we had the pleasure to publish on Italian Food Lovers recipes for 7 gourmet dishes. Did you try any of them at home? 

• Sautéed Wild Mushrooms Bruschetta
• Grilled Baby Octopus with Watercress Salad and Oranges
• Farfalle Piccolini Pasta Salad
• Linguine Fagottaro Pasta Salad
• Lobster Bread Salad
• Chicken Parmesan with Campanelle Pasta
• Grilled Peach and Prosciutto with Parmigiano-Reggiano and Bulsamic Must

Also, we have to say thank you to Stephanie Sette from the Academia Barilla USA Marketing Team (in the picture above) for getting all the content together for us (she does it all the time with the US events content, by the way) and of course also to Academia Barilla Italian Culinary Specialist Mario Rizzotti, who has been conducing several rounds of educational and tasting demos during the Barilla Italian Cooking Weekend.

In these pictures taken during the Barilla Italian Cooking Weekend Mario Rizzotti shares his Italian culinary knowledge with the show participants, teaching them how to professionally taste some of the best Italian gourmet products, such Italian extra virgin olive oils and traditional Italian cheese specialties such as Parmigiano-Reggiano and the several varieties of Pecorino, from Sardinian Pecorino Dolce to Pecorino Toscano DOP and Pecorino Sardo Gran Cru. Follow the link to see more pictures of Mario Rizzotti’s tasting demos at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

A final thank you goes of course also to all the guests and visitors and participated to the Chicago’s Chef show. If you liked the Italian cooking and Italian food culture you experienced at the Chicago Botanic Garden, you now you can find it also here on Italian Food Lovers all year round!

Also remember that you can experience the flavor and taste of Academia Barilla’s Italian gourmet food specialties all year round too, they are all available at the Academia Barilla online store, where you can also find Italian cookbooks, Chef tools, Italian gastronomy gift boxes and gift certificates!

A quick post to remind all Italian food lovers, as anticipated three weeks ago, that Italian celebrity Chef, cookbook writer and Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis will be in California this week to promote her newly released Italian cuisine cookbook, Giada’s Kitchen.

After touring the entire United States with a number of book signing events at several book stores and gourmet stores across the country, Giada De Laurentiis will be available this week in California to sign copies of her new cookbook at two Williams-Sonoma stores in Costa Mesa and San Francisco - save the dates and locations if you live in California!

October 15 - 1pm-3pm
Williams Sonoma - Costa Mesa, CA
South Coast Plaza
, 3333 South Bristol Street

Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

(714) 751-1166

October 20 12pm-2pm
Williams Sonoma - San Francisco, CA
Union Square, 340 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 362-9450

While signing her new cookbook at the California William Sonoma shops, Giada De Laurentiis will also be promoting her new Giada De Laurentiis Selected by Academia Barilla Italian gourmet product line.

Giada’s Italian food specialties are also all available at the Academia Barilla online shop: just follow the next links to purchase the products: Giada’s Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Giada’s 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Giada’s Tuscan Herb Mix, and Giada’s Natural Sea Salt with Lemon Zest.

As announced a couple of weeks ago in a press release and a blog posting here on Italian Food Lovers, Academia Barilla just launched a new series of Italian gourmet specialty foods that enrich the Academia Barilla gourmet product line, which is available at the best gourmet and specialty food stores across the United States and worldwide, and of course at the Academia Barilla online shop.

Today we want to focus on some products that will bring the flavors of Italy, the new Academia Barilla Italian Cheese Spreads, Pasta Toppings and Pesto Genovese, right to your table.

The new Academia Barilla Cherry Tomato Pasta Toppings come in two flavors: a mild and sweet variety and a spicy and sweet variety.

Both Sicilian recipes are authentic and offer a delicious succulent blend of naturally sun dried Pachino cherry tomatoes and include fresh basil; the spicy variety also contains hot chili peppers. Academia Barilla’s pasta toppings are very versatile as a base ingredient, and can also be used as bruschetta and pizza toppings, as well as for appetizers, focaccia, couscous, roasted fish and meat.

Academia Barilla’s Pesto Alla Genovese is a unique non-pasteurized fresh pesto direct from the Italian seaside town of San Remo in Liguria.

The freshest basil of the Riviera, top quality extra virgin olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano and whole pine nuts make this recipe tangy and sweet, perfect for a variety of dishes. This product is available exclusively at the Sur La Table online store.

The Academia Barilla range of spreadable Italian cheeses is the result of premium quality Italian cheeses of time honored tradition and culinary innovation to create authentic, unique combinations.

These spreadable cheeses are the ideal solution for quick and easy dishes. Offering a Parmigiano Reggiano D.O.P. variety and a Pecorino Sardo with Truffles and Porcini Mushrooms, these spreadable cheeses are a perfect addition to crackers, meats, pasta dishes, sandwiches, sauces and vegetables, and a new way to experience Parmigiano Reggiano and Sardinian Pecorino.

A product approved by the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium in Emilia Romagna, Italy, the Academia Barilla Parmigiano-Reggiano D.O.P. Cheese Spread brings to the Italian food lovers’ tables delicate notes of fresh milk, yogurt and honey, and a taste with intense sensation of Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

Academia Barilla also just launched a Pecorino Sardo, Truffles and Porcini Mushrooms Cheese Spread: this recipe brings food lovers the prestigious Bianchetto white Truffles and Porcini Mushrooms from Tuscany to celebrate Italian gourmet flavors.

Produced in Sardinia, Italy, the new Spreadable Cheese with Pecorino Sardo with Truffles and Porcini Mushrooms brings an aroma with delicate notes of fresh milk and cream, and the intense undertones of Truffles and Porcini Mushrooms. Its milky and sweet tones and the very well balanced aroma define a full round flavor for this new gourmet spreadable cheese, making it an ideal sauce to prepare Italian Rice and Pasta dishes. Also perfect spread on crackers and sandwiches, or melted on vegetables and grilled meats.

We will soon publish new gourmet recipes created by the Academia Barilla Chef Team with these new exciting Italian gourmet products, so stay tuned!

Today, following the example of Academia Barilla Italian Culinary Specialist Mario Rizzotti, who loves to educate about the authenticity of Italian gourmet food products, we would like to focus our and your attention on the three different strengths of Parmigiano-Reggiano, as classified by their aging process and by the authenticity stamp on display on the product, as regulated by the Italian Consortium for Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Mild and smooth, full-flavoured and crumbly or aromatic and spicy with a grainy texture. When you choose Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP the authenticity stamps indicating the cheese’s maturity will help you in picking up the right cheese for your recipe.

The Red Stamp is the authenticity label awarded to Parmigiano-Reggiano wheels matured for more than 18 months.

These cheeses have a distinctive milk base at the taste, with vegetable notes such as grass, cooked vegetables, flowers and fruit.

18-months old Parmigiano-Reggiano It is best served diced with aperitifs, and in particular dry white wines, and as a side serving to fresh fruit such as pears and green apples.

The Silver Stamp indicates an aging process of at least 22 months.

The flavor of this Parmigiano-Reggiano is more distinctive, with notes of melted butter, fresh fruit, citrus fruits and overtones of dried fruit. Balanced mild yet full-flavored at the taste, Silver Stamp Parmigiano-Reggiano reveals a crumbly, grainy texture.

It is best served with quite firmly structured red wines and it offers its best when served as Parmesan petals in fruit salad drizzled with aged Traditional Balsamic Vinegar di Modena. 
The 22-months old Parmigiano-Reggiano may also be served with dried fruit, especially prunes and dried figs.

The Gold Stamp authenticity label is awarded to Parmigiano-Reggiano which has been matured for more than 30 months.

This extra-strong cheese with the highest nutritional values has a drier, crumblier and grainier texture, and a strong flavor with notes of spices and dried fruit.

For such a distinctive cheese, full-bodied, firmly structured red wines, white dessert wines from partially dried grapes and sipping wines are ideal. It is perfect when served with aged Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and with different kinds of honey.

To know more about how Parmigiano-Reggiano is made and how to taste Parmigiano-Reggiano professionally and its aging and certification process please visit the blog posts we dedicated to the subject at the beginning of last year (just follow the links).

Or, join one of the many gastronomy and cultural tours organized directly by Academia Barilla or with other partners (VIP Tours, Sur La Table) to discover the century-old production secrets of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

If you want to aim straight at the products, then we suggest to visit the Academia Barilla online store, where you can find authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano aged 18 months, both as whole Parmigiano wheel (72 lb.) and in the practical cuts of 2.2 lbs and 8.8 lbs. Of course you can also find the aged Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena to taste with your Parmigiano-Reggiano!

Enjoy the pleasure of the king of cheeses with Academia Barilla!

Here we are finally with Barilla USA Executive Chef Lorenzo Boni, who we have called in at Italian Food Lovers by mistake a couple of days ago - sorry Lorenzo!

Chef Lorenzo Boni and his team have been the spine of the Barilla Italian Cooking Weekend at the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Garden Chef Series. Pictured here below, you can see Lorenzo in action during the cooking demo, surrounded by an attentive crowd and… the full range of Academia Barilla gourmet products, which are all available online at the Academia Barilla online store.

As “resident Chef” for Barilla USA Lorenzo proposed several recipes to the participants to the event, and we are glad to be able to share with you the first one today, an easy-to-prepare pasta salad: Farfalle Piccolini Pasta Salad.

FARFALLE PICCOLINI PASTA SALAD
A recipe by Chef Lorenzo Boni
(serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

- Barilla Farfalle Piccolini pasta, 1 package
- Academia Barilla Monti Iblei extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons
- 1 ripe avocado
- Cherry tomatoes, 2 pints
- Red onion, julienne, 1 cup
- Pine nuts, 1 tablespoon
- Academia Barilla Pecorino Sardo Gran Cru, grated, 1 cup
- Basil, 5 leaves
- Lemon juice from 1 lemon
- Salt, black pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

Cook pasta according to directions, drain one minute prior to the lowest cooking time; drizzle with a little oil in order to prevent the pasta from sticking together and allow it to cool down flat on a sheet tray.

Meanwhile, sauté the onion with 1 tablespoon of oil. Set aside.

Slice the tomatoes in half, season with salt and let drain in a colander.

Sauté the pine nuts over medium heat till lightly brown.

Dice the avocado. Combine all the ingredients with pasta, season with salt and pepper.

Allow the salad to rest for half hour at room temperature before serving.

Thank you Lorenzo for sharing with us your pasta salad recipe - we’ll publish more recipe of yours soon again!