​“I can’t be left alone in the room with them,” I told my sister with a very serious tone. And I wasn’t kidding. As a frequent home baker, over the years, I have pretty much learned self-control. As much as I love baking and having something sweet to go with my after dinner espresso, I am definitely a sharer as well. I frequently bake and immediately give away much of my efforts to neighbors, friends or even the mailman! And if I don’t give away the fruits of my labor, I will enjoy them with family over several days. Rarely over doing it, for the sake of health or overindulgence. I find that giving goodies away permits me to bake more often, which also gives me the ability to try different recipes on a more frequent basis.
 
All that said, the rules change completely when it comes to chiacchiere. I don’t show any self-control, nor do I share! These crispy pieces of sweet dough are fried and immediately dusted with confectionary sugar. They are very, very addictive! Much like potato chips, it is impossible to eat just one! And like I told my sister, I can’t be left alone in the room with them! And I am not even kidding! Over indulgence is almost a sure bet with these.  They are most often eaten during carnival season in Italy. The period before lent in which overeating, in preparation of the more restrictive period of lent, is almost a given.
 
The word “chiacchiere” loosely translates to “small talk” or “chatter” in English. More than that, it means a few laughs. In Italy, you’ll often hear people say something like “C’i incontriamo per due chiacchiere?” Or “Shall we meet for a few laughs?”
 
There are various variations of these, much like most Italian dishes. Many add white wine, some add grappa and many add citrus zest. These here are vanilla and when sweeten with the confectionary sugar, they are just perfect! If you have anise liquor or white wine, you can add a few tablespoons here, in place of the milk. You can also add citrus zest, but if you do, I suggest leaving out the vanilla or the anise liquor as those flavors to not blend well with the zest of lemon or orange.
 
Truth be told, these are not very lazy. In fact, if you have an extra set of hands, it will make the process of rolling the dough in the pasta machine that much easier. They are a great Sunday afternoon activity. If you do not have a helper in the kitchen, you can still make them just as easily; just give yourself at least an hour’s time from start to finish. And be prepared to munch on these all day long. They go well with coffee, tea, wine, anisette liquor or all by themselves!
 
This recipe makes about 70 pieces. 

Chiacchiere
 
4 cups of flour
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2  teaspoons baking powder
2 – 5 tablespoons of milk
 
4 – 5 cups of vegetable oil for frying
 
Confectionary sugar for topping
 
Specials tools required: pasta machine
 

1. On a clean work surface, place 4 cups of flour and add the sugar.
2. Make a hole in the center and add the eggs, melted butter, vanilla and baking powder.
3. Using a fork, gentle start pulling in some of the flour into the hole, being careful that it does not spill over your counter.
4. Start kneading the dough and add milk, one tablespoon at a time, as needed. (Depending on the size of your eggs, you might end up needing anywhere from 2 – 5 tablespoons of milk.)
5. Knead the dough until all ingredients are well incorporated and the dough is smooth. It should feel like pizza dough.
6. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, (cover the other pieces using plastic wrap), run the dough through a pasta machine. Start with the thickets setting working your way to the second to last thinnest setting or until about 1/10 of an inch in thickness. You will end up with sheets that resemble fresh lasagna sheets.
7. Using a decorative pastry wheel, or pizza cutter, cut chiacchiere into desired shapes. Typical shapes are rectangles about 5 inches long and 1 ½  – 2 inches wide.  Place on clean kitchen towel and continue with the rest of the dough.
8. Preheat the vegetable oil
9. Fry the strips of dough in the oil until just golden, paying close attention to not overcrowd the pan or burn the chiacchiere. Should take about 30 – 40 seconds.
10. Remove chiacchire using a tong and place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with paper towels.
11. Plate in serving platter and dust with confectionary sugar.

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Ready to make your 2019 Italian Travel Dreams come true? Consider joining us in one of our Culinary Adventures! We have three planned!
​
TUSCANY: MAY 1 - 8, 2019. Click here for all trip info and to sign up!
PUGLIA: SEPTEMBER 1 - 8, 2019. Click here for all trip info and to sign up! 
SICILY: SEPTEMBER 10 - 18, 2019. Click here for all trip info and to sign up! ​​​

​It’s a new year and self-improvement appears to be on everyone’s mind. It’s during this time that we all resolve to better our lives via various means. Whether it’s the ever-popular declaration to finally lose weight, or perhaps stopping to smoke, cook more home meals, meditate for more clarity or a host of other promises, we all step in to a new year with good intentions.
 
While I see nothing wrong with any of the above, in fact, they are very admirable and I have made a few of them myself in the past, this year, I resolve something different. For 2017, I resolve to travel more! After years of traveling back and forth to Italy, I realized that I always felt better, both in mind, body and spirit not only while on vacation but also before and after. “Of course!” you say, “You’re on vacation, you’re bound to feel better!” But in a country where we’re known for not using our vacation days, working through holidays and having our cell phones with work email glued to our hip, can we learn to disconnect and actually enjoy our hard-earned time off?
 
But how might travel be good for your health, you ask? Well, read my list below to see where I am going with this.
 
1) Travel Leads to More Exercise: I was recently in Rome for just a few days, while traveling to a few other regions in Italy. I wore my trusted Fitbit, just for the heck of it, and during one day alone, I clocked in over 20,000 steps and 10 miles! The best part, of course, is that I didn’t feel any of them. Unlike walking for the pure purpose of exercise, I walked all day in Rome and didn’t even bother to check the Fitbit until bedtime. When not on vacation, I check it almost obsessively and it feels like drudgery to get to half that! Not to mention that along the way, I saw some world-famous sites! After all, Italy has the most UNESCO designated world heritage sites of any other country. 

​2) Stress? What’s That? Perhaps it’s because you’re exercising more, or being away from the cube or office, but it’s no surprise that being on vacation reduces stress. When the toughest decisions of the day are whether to have pizza or pasta and the flavors of gelato to pick, stress will seem like an unknown entity. And the best part, the reduction of stress is not just while you’re on vacation, but lasts for weeks afterwards! 

​3) Live Longer:  Want to increase your chances of seeing 100 candles on your birthday cake? Than travel is in order! It’s widely known and researched that more exercise improves your cardiovascular health, as does reduction in stress. (See above points) But did you know that studies show that women who travel at least twice a year and men who travel at least once per year, reduce their chances of a heart attack or coronary death? I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to pack a bag!

​4) Travel Builds Relationships: Building meaningful relationships has been linked to improvements in overall health and well being.  Chances are that, when traveling, you’re likely going to meet like-minded individuals with similar values and interests. If you join me on one of my culinary tours, you’ll meet folks who like cooking, wine and good cuisine.  You will immediately bond over this one similarity over culinary appreciation. Other trips offer similar benefits, though clearly not as delicious! 

​5) Travel Builds Confidence: Growing up, my family and I frequently returned to our native Italy. Than one year, it became apparent that the “family” trip would have to be postponed to the following year. Being young and rebellious, I decided to go by myself instead. I was in school and had the summer off, so off I went for six weeks! The reality is that it was an amazing trip! I visited places I had never been with my family, I lingered under the summer sun at the beach, and more than once made gelato my dinner. It was liberating and freeing and totally built up my confidence! I mean, if I can travel by myself, what else could I do?? 

​6) Travel Promotes Joy: Unlike material objects, which have a fleeting effect of temporary joy, travel has anticipatory and lasting effects. It’s not just the actual trip, but also the anticipation of it that makes the daily grind more bearable. The countdown to the first day brings almost as much joy as the trip itself. And just like the stress reduction benefits, the joy is felt for weeks before and after the trip. 

​7) Brain Growth! Travel actually makes your brain larger! And because I knew you’d have a hard time taking my own word for this one, I have scientific evidence to back it up! Paul Nussbaum, a clinical neuropsychologist and adjunct professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh says that “When you expose your brain to an environment that's novel and complex or new and difficult, the brain literally reacts.” And “travel by definition is dropping your brain into a place that's novel and complex. You're stunned a little bit, and your brain reacts by being engaged, and you begin to process on a deep level." "Travel sticks with us and brings back positive memories and experiences," he said. "You have the ability to go back there in your brain."

So are you ready to pack a bag already? Can you see why I resolved to up my travels in 2017? And as Oliver Wendell Holmes so accurately put it, “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”

Check out our Culinary Adventures page for info on traveling with us to Il Bel Paese! 

​“Bologna? Like the one you put in your sandwich? Is that in Southern Italy?” That was the question I received from someone at a recent conference, when I told her I would be conducting a culinary adventure week in Bologna. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.  After all, despite it being a very large metropolitan city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, its popularity is no Florence, Rome or Venice, the “Holy Trinity” of most visited cities in Italy.
 
In case you’re wondering, the answer is no for both questions.
 
Bologna is not in the South, no where near it actually. It’s the largest city in the Northern region of Emilia-Romagna. It’s also the capital of the region.  A rich city, known for its prestigious schools, medieval towers, churches, and art, Bologna is a well-respected and important city for Italy.  If you walk around Bologna, a pedestrian friendly city, you will immediately notice the beautiful porticoes.  Some 25 miles of the city center is sheltered from the elements of rain thanks to these beautiful and picturesque porches, which connect churches and other city buildings. The city is also renowned for some of the country’s best schools and universities and is also home to the world’s oldest university. Dante was a student in Bologna in the 13th century. 

​On your walk, you’ll certainly also notice the famous towers of Bologna. While only about 20 remain from some 200 that were built between the 12th and 13th century, the towers were once used as a status symbol of wealth. Le Due Torre, or Two Towers, are the most famous ones in Bologna and stand practically next to each other. If you’re looking straight at them, don’t worry, you’re not getting dizzy, they have a slight “Pisa” effect and both are a bit leaning. And if looking at them reminds you of New York City’s fallen twin towers, it’s because Minoru Yamasaki, the architect for the magnificent structures is said to have been inspired by Bologna’s Due Torre.   

​In 2006, the city was named a UNESCO City of Music, thanks to its rich musical practice.  The Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Bologna’s opera house, is one of the most important one in Italy. The city is also host to numerous festivals, including the International Contemporary Music Festival, International Classical Music Festival, the Italian Autumn Jazz Event and other countless celebrations. As such, the city is always festive and jovial.
 
Now, let’s talk about food. Bologna is Italy’s food capital and affectionately known as “Bologna la Grassa” or “Bologna the fat.” But let’s get one thing straight right off the bat. While some say that the lunchmeat "boloney," you know the one, usually found inside many lunches in school cafeterias, was named after the city, the two have nothing in common. While Bologna (the city, not the meat) is home to mortadella, a delicious pork product, served either cubed or thinly sliced, and believed to be the inspiration to boloney, the two meats have no actual resemblance.  Named as one of the “must eat foods to eat before you die,” mortadella is perhaps to Bologna what Prosciutto di Parma, is, well, to Parma. Enjoyed deliciously as is, it is also a famous filling for stuffed pasta, such as tortellini, another famous dish of this city. Every October, the city celebrates this iconic staple with its own festival. Only pork, pork fat and spices are used in making mortadella, while boloney is actually a combination of several meat scraps and meat ends. Boloney is a “mortadella knock-off” at best. I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you that. ;) 

​Tagliatelle al ragu is another staple of Bolognese cuisine. Known to many as “Bolognese sauce," it is typically made with ground pork and veal, carrots, celery and tomato sauce. (For a lighter, turkey version, see recipe here.) Like all Italian recipes, there are variations, including the addition of heavy cream, dry porcini mushrooms or wine. Often, tough not exclusively, butter will be used as the fat, as oppose to oil. They don’t call it “Bologna the fat” for nothing! For the record, the Bologna Chamber of Commerce protectively holds the “official” recipe. Needless to say, I did not attempt to get that recipe for this post.  Served not with spaghetti, as perhaps in other parts of Italy, it is usually served with egg noodles called tagliatelle, freshly made, of course.  Whatever you do, don’t ask for spaghetti to go with your ragu, it’s considered a bit offensive to the Bolognese. And yes, they also prefer you call it ragu as oppose to Bolognese sauce.  
 
Speaking of freshly made pasta, it’s unlikely that you’ll find better tasting fresh pasta anywhere else in Italy. While many Southerners make fresh pasta with just flour and water, leave it to the Bolognese to add eggs. Fresh pasta is not only used to make the tagliatelle, but for lasagna, tortellini and also its larger counterparts, tortelloni. And did you know that Venus’ navel is supposedly the inspiration for  the tortellini shape? I’ll let you decide and judge for yourself if you see a resemblance. You will find tortellini in brodo, or simple broth at many restaurants, and while it sounds simple, the flavor of both the broth and tortellini is impeccable. You’ll find fresh pasta sold at many small specialty shops throughout Bologna, packaged for travel.

​And what would a post on Bologna and Emilia Romagna be without mentioning specialties such as the indisputable king of cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Easily identified by the markings on the rind, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is protected by the Denomination of Origin and must follow strict guidelines and inspections. It can only be produced in the cities of Bologna, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Mantua. The cows that produce the milk used in making this deliciousness are fed only local grass and natural feed. No additives go in the milk and after the salting process, the curing lasts anywhere from 12 – 24 months. Do not be fooled by what we in the US call “parmesan,” much like the boloney, it’s a knock-off best left on the shelf. For home use, avoid having it dry out by grating it just before using. 
 
And what goes great on a nice piece of parmigiano cheese but a nice drizzle of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar? Made from the cooked must of white trebbiano grapes and aged for at least twelve years, the real “Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena” is also protected by the Designation of Origin and is produced in the city of Modena, near Bologna. Classified as a condiment and not vinegar, the Traditional one is thick, syrupy and sweet. It goes just as well on a piece of parmigiano as it does on fresh cut strawberries.  What we find on grocery store shelves in the States and on restaurant tables is not “Traditional Balsamic Vinegar.” Similar in name, non-traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena is in fact, classified as a vinegar, does not have the requirement of it being cooked and is a combination of various musts, vinegars and in some cases, caramel. While a decent alternative for salads and every day use (be sure to buy the one without caramel), it should not be confused with the real thing.  Don’t be shocked when the price will reflect its authenticity!

​While I love a simple panino made from a fresh roll, mortadella and a few shards of parmigiano, and I’ve yet to turn down a bowl of tortellini in my life, what might really be memorable from Bologna is their gelato. While an icon all over Italy, many claim that Bologna and Emilia Romagna are home to some of the country’s best gelaterie. We will be the judges of that during our culinary tour in October 2018. 

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Ready to make your 2018 Italian Travel Dreams come true? Consider joining us in one of our Culinary Adventures! We have three planned! One to BOLOGNA! 
​
CALABRIA: August 31 - September 7, 2018 Click here for more info!
PUGLIA: September 9 - 16, 2018 Click her for more info! 
BOLOGNA: October 1 - 8, 2018 Click here for info! ​​

There is something about pine nut cookies, or pignoli cookies, that brings me right back to the bakeries, or pasticcerie of Italy. Their smell, chewy texture and flavor brings me right back to my childhood in Italy. Particularly, the times when my grandfather would drive from our small town and head into the larger city, about 45 minutes away. Usually the main reason for his trip was a doctor's appointment. Despite the reason for the trip, or perhaps because of it, he'd bring back with him a small batch of cookies from the city bakeries. Never mind the fact that he was a diabetic! His sweet tooth often won over his cravings. But isn't funny how a smell or simple cookie can bring up such long-forgotten memories? This is over 30 years ago! Nowadays, even the small towns in Italy have their own bakery, but during those times, we'd have to take a bit of a drive for things like these. Which, I didn't mind at all and rather enjoyed the quality time with my family. 

Pine nut cookies are chewy, sweet, have a distinctive taste but have a short shelf life. After a few days, they go from chewy to really, really chewy! These are best eaten fresh. And considering how expensive both the pine nuts and almond paste are, you don't want to let one go to waste! I add a bit of flour into the batter. Not all recipes do that, but I found that it adds some body to the otherwise too-sweet cookie. You'll need a food processor for these cookies, but no mixer! 

Prep all of your ingredients so you have everything at the ready. Do this every time you cook or bake, It will make your life so much easier! 

Grinding up the pine nuts and almond paste. Adding some pine nuts adds to the overall flavor of the cookies as oppose to just topping the cookies with them. 

The rest of the few ingredients have been added. Yes, my spatula says "Keep Calm and Bake On" - somebody knows me well! 

Here are the pignoli, reserved for the topping. Some folks roll the cookies right in the pine nuts. I find that this adds way to much chewyness so I just top the cookies with them. If you prefer rolling, you can, but just know you will end up using a lot more pine nuts. 

Scooped up and ready to have the pine nuts added before heading for the oven. Using a small ice cream scoop will ensure that they are all the same size. 

Ingredients 

Approx 1.5 Cups Pine Nuts - Separated
1  7 oz tube of Almond Paste
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Egg Whites (Always reserve the yolks for use in something else!)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Cup Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Flour

Directions
1) Preheat oven at 325 degrees.
2) In the food processor, pulse 1/4 cup of pine nuts until ground, resembling cornmeal.
3) Chop the almond paste and add to pine nuts, pulse again until well incorporated.
4) Add the sugar and vanilla and pulse again until combined.
5) Add the egg whites, pulse until the batter comes together. 
6) Add the flour and salt until eventually all the ingredients come together to form a smooth dough.
7) Using a small ice cream scoop or two rounded teaspoons, drop dough into cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a silpad. Space about 2 inches apart. Top with reserved pine nuts. 
8) Bake for 20 minutes, until sized are slightly browned. 
9) Cool on rack or clean paper towels. 
10) Place in serving platter and if desired dust with some powdered sugar.