Italian Food Lovers

Vosges Haut-Chocolat, based in Chicago, IL, is America’s first producer of high-end chocolates and truffles based on the finest ingredients from around the world. Their indulgent products are a blend of exotic flavors, capable of transporting you far, far away. Thanks to Vosges and their team of skilled chocolate makers, you can experience the smells and flavors of different places like Latin America and even Italy in your own home.

And to guide you through your own private tasting session, Vosges chocolates come with informative tasting notes and information on suggested pairings.

Let’s take a look, shall we?
Have you been craving a little spice in your life? Vosges’ Aztec Collection may be exactly Read more…

On the road again … with Academia Barilla. Join us as we travel to Venice, Parma, Rome and Sicily. 

It’s that time of year again. What time you ask? Time to start planning your next trip to Italy, of course.We all know that the Italian peninsula is home to an infinite number of things to see and do and taste. But why make it hard on yourself, when you can let Academia Barilla and their team of Italian food, wine and culture experts plan your trip for you. Join us for a behind the scenes tour of your favorite region in Italy, or allow us to introduce you to someplace new.

Speaking of new, we have designed two new tours for 2009: Venice, Parma, Rome: A Trio of Italian History and Sicily for Food Lovers. 

If you have never been Italy or just breezed through on your last whirlwind tour of Europe, we invite you to get to know three of Italy’s most spectacular cities – Venice, Rome, and Parma. You will begin your adventure in Venice, where a local guide will show you around the local markets and introduce you to some of the city’s incredible craftsmen Read more…

One of the best Christmas presents Academia Barilla received this Season has been an article from the leading economy magazine The Economist, who dedicated a page of its paper magazine (as well as a web page) to the Academia Barilla Gastronomic Library in Parma, Italy, defining BIGAB’s mission as Food for thought
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The Economist tells how “a pasta-maker gets a taste for books“, describing the Gastronomic Library’s collection of over 8,500 cookery books in more than ten languages, and nearly 5,000 menus and scores of old prints showing food in various phases of preparation.

The Economist’s journalist quotes BIGAB’s Director Giancarlo Gonizzi and the Dewey decimal system he adopted to classify the collection, besides the cultural activities scheduled at BIGAB with students (from Parma’s university, but also US visiting students) and with Parma’s city authorities. The article mentions that the library has begun digitizing its contents and plans to make them available online. Read more…

Happy New Year from Academia Barilla and Italian Food Lovers! 

As we get into 2009 and we move from a Christmas blog design to a Winter make-up, we want to share with you a delicious Season treat from Academia Barilla. We recently blogged about panettone, inviting you to bake your own one by presenting it as recipe of the month for the month of December. Today we introduce to you Academia Barilla’s lavish and exclusive version of the traditional Italian Christmas cake.

Academia Barilla and Master Pastry Chef Corrado Vicina are happy to introduce the Four Season Panettone (Panettone Quattro Stagioni), an exceptional combination of intense flavors that will make you discover, slice after slice, all the taste of four different ingredients in one panettone cake: chocolate for a Winter taste, cherries bring all the flavor of Spring, apricots stand for Summer and chestnuts to bring us back the autumn gourmet mood.

Read more…

Bologna, Italy,the capital of Emilia-Romagna, is world famous for its sophisticated cuisine, which includes this preparation for stuffed chicken breasts. Today we share with you a traditional Bologna recipe we found in a new cookbook at the Academia Barilla Gastronomic Library: Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Herbs and Cheese.

The recipe is taken by the cookbook “Chicken” by celebrity Chef and cookbook writer James McNair, published by San Francisco publisher Chronicle Books.

The pictures in this blog post are taken from the same book, and are by photographer Patricia Brabant.

Ready? Let’s go to the kitchen!

CHICKEN BREAST STUFFED WITH HERBS AND CHEESE
A recipe by Chef James McNair
(serves 4 to 6)

INGREDIENTS

- 8 boned and skinned chicken breast halves
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, preferably flat-leaf Italian type
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried oregano, finely crumbled
- 1-1/2 tablespoons minced fresh marjoram, or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram, finely crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
- 1/4 pound Fontina or Bel Paese cheese
- flour for dredging
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup unseasoned fine dry bread crumbs, preferably made from Italian or French bread
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1/2 cup dry white wine

PREPARATION

Discard the tendons and any connecting tissue or fat from the chicken breasts; tuck the little fillet under the larger muscle.

Place breasts between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound with a mallet or other flat instrument to a uniform thickness of about 1/8 inch. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve.

Place butter in a food processor or blender and whip until light and fluffy. Add parsley, oregano, marjoram, and nutmeg and blend well. Reserve.

Cut the cheese lengthwise into 8 equal-sized pieces and place 1 piece crosswide on each reserved chicken piece. Equally distribute about half of the reserved herb butter among the chicken pieces, spreading it over the cheese.

Roll the breasts tightly around the cheese. Place the flour, eggs, and crumbs in 3 separate bowls. Dredge the chicken rolls lightly in flour, then dip into beaten e6gs, and finally roll in the bread crumbs.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 1/8 inch in a heavy skillet, heat over medium heat, add the chicken rolls, and cook until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken rolls, seam side down, to a flat, ovenproof baking dish.

Melt the remaining herbed butter in a small saucepan, stir in the wine, and pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake, basting occasionally, until the chicken is golden brown and tender, about 15 minutes. Spoon pan drippings over chicken before serving.

Thank you to the BIGAB team, our colleagues from the Academia Barilla Gastronomic Library, for providing us with this traditional Bologna gourmet recipe. We actually got two chicken recipes from BIGAB, and we will publish the second one soon this week, so stay tuned!