Cellar Tours Blog

10 Iconic Italian Cocktails

by Ivano Martignetti

Mastroianni’s class, Sean Connery’s style, Humphrey Bogart’s charm- these icons always seemed to look their best at the bar counter, where an elegant barman served impeccable cocktails in Martini glasses or in pure crystal tumblers.

A world away from the tacky barmen and plastic glasses that we sometimes have to deal with these days, but fortunately the cocktail myth lives on..

Italy has done a huge part in reinforcing the appeal and glamor of cocktails.  The cocktail trend really took off in the fifties, and Italy with its deep sense of fashion and design was perfectly suited to the ritual of cocktail preparation, the service in uniquely shaped glasses.  Italians welcomed the latest drink trends freshly arrived from the States. But Italy also innovated with the creation of new cocktail recipes. Barmen and notable drinkers left their legacy to the next generations.

Here are ten of the best Italian cocktails, certainly the most Iconic:

1. Americano

Category: Pre-dinner
Ingredients: 5/10 Vermouth rosso, 5/10 Bitter Campari, Soda Water
Preparation: Stir directly in an Old fashioned ice filled glass, top it up with soda water and garnish with a slice of orange

2. Negroni

Category: Pre-dinner

Ingredients: 1/3 Vermouth rosso, 1/3 Bitter Campari, 1/3 Dry Gin.
Preparation: Served on the rocks, you need to use a medium tumbler or a old fashioned glass, stir the ingredients directly in your glass and garnish with a half slice of orange and lemon peel.

3. Cardinale

Category: Pre-dinner
Ingredients: 5/10 Gin, 3/10 Vermouth dry, 2/10 Bitter Campari
Preparation: Also Cardinale fancies the Old fashioned ice filled glass, chilled. Stir and serve

4. Bellini

Category: All-day
Ingredients: 3/10 Nettare di pesca (peach juice), 7/10 Spumante Brut (Prosecco is traditional)
Preparation: Build it directly in a Champagne flute, pouring peach juice first and then Spumante Brut. No decorations unless you feel very creative.. .

5. Rossini

Category: All-day
Ingredients: 3/10 Nettare di fragole (strawberry juice), 7/10 Spumante Brut
Preparation: It is a variation of the Bellini. Same preparation. Should you feel like experimenting further variations, we suggest you to try as well Mimosa (orange + brut), il Tiziano (“strawberry grapes” + Brut) ed il Puccini (mandarin + Brut)

6. Gin and It

Category: Pre-meal
Ingredients: 3/10 Vermouth rosso, 7/10 Gin
Preparation: Pour the ingredients in a mixing glass and serve in a cocktail cup with a red cherry.

7. Aperol Spritz

Category: Pre-meal
Ingredients: Aperol 2/10, Prosecco 8/10, Seltzer
Preparation: Fill a tumbler or a red wine glass with ice, pour Aperol, Prosecco and top it with Soda water. Garnish with a slice of orange.

8. Martini Cocktail

Category: Aperitivo
Ingredients: 8/10 Gin, 2/10 Vermouth dry.
Preparation: This is a tricky one, Martini lovers get a bit emotional about the way they want it, bartenders sometimes can’t keep up with them.. Anyway the original recipe says you have to pour in an ice filled mixing glass gin and vermouth dry, stir well and serve in a chilled cocktail glass. Please don’t forget a green olive and lemon peel. There are many variations of this cocktail, here you can find some of them: Perfect Martini, Sweet Martini, Smoky Martini, Dirty Martini, Vodka Martini, Gibson, Martinez..

9. Angelo Azzurro

Category: After dinner (very…)
Ingredients: 6/10 Gin, 3/10 Triple Sec o Cointrau, 1/10 Blue Curacao
Preparation: Pour the ingredients in shaker, shake well and serve in a ice filled or a cocktail cup. No garnish needed.

10. God Father

Category: After dinner
Ingredients: 3/10 Amaretto di Saronno, 7/10 Scotch Whisky
Preparation: Pour the ingredients in a ice filled Old fashioned glass and stir well. From the States we got the female version of it, God Mother (3/10 Amaretto di Saronno, 7/10 Vodka)

More info on Italian spirits

Love Italian Cooking? Want to dedicate yourself to making Italian recipes from scratch, and need a list of the essential kitchen “musts” for gadgets and ingredients?

Here is our essential list, and readers: please send in your tips and advice so we can make the list even more complete!

THE ITALIAN PANTRY- CHECK LIST

1. Fresh herbs: basil, parsley, rosemary, sage, oregano, bay leaves, marjoram

2. Fruit and veg in season like:  fruit and veg in season, like garlic, onion, celery, carrot, Peperoncino (small chili peppers) lemons-  ALL YEAR ROUND; eggplant (aubergine), red peppers, zucchini (courgette), tomatoes (S. Marzano) figs- SUMMER ;  fennel,peas – SPRING;  radicchio, rocket,  spinach, butternut squash, endives, orange- AUTUMN AND WINTER

3 Cherished Italian food brands: Lavazza coffee (you can buy the beans and grind yourself), Illy (coffee), Bei & Nanini (coffee), Gerardo di Nola (pasta), Annalisa (canned tomatoes), Menabrea (beer), Baladin (beer), Mutti (passata), San Pellegrino (mineral water) , Nutella, Cedroni (sauces and preserves), Brezzo specialty foods, Prunotto (honey and jams).

4. Condiments: Extra virgin olive oil, Olive Oil, Truffle olive oil, Balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico tradizionale di modena), butter (yes, butter!), black pepper mill, course sea salt, fine salt, Mostarda, etc. Here are some original and fabulous condiments from the Accademia Barrilla gourmet shop.

5. Small gadgets: mezzaluna cutter, scolapasta (pasta strainer), Ravioli wheel, pizza stone, pestle and mortar (stone or wood), mandolin, mozzarella slicer, Ravioli tin, Bodum Parma cheese grater, garlic press, pasta serving spoon, parmesan knife, peppermill.

6. Bigger gadgets: tirasfoglia (pasta machine), Espresso maker, De ‘ Longhi coffee maker, pizza oven.

7. Other Food ingredients to have in the pantry: canned tomatoes , passata (Mutti), anchovies, Colatura di alici, Capers from Salina, Cucunci from Salina, olives, chicken bouillon, canned cannellini beans, canned garbanzos (chickpeas), lentils, Pancetta or guanciale, Prosciutto di Parma, Bresaola, Salami, Italian sausages, cornmeal (farina gialla), Italian ‘OO’ Flour, Nutella, canned tuna, polenta, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, saffron.

8. Italian cheeses for cooking: Parmigiano, Pecorino, Mascarpone, Gorgonzola, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Taleggio, etc. More Italian cheese info here.

9. Pasta: Spaghetti, Penne, Rigatoni, Tagliatelle, Ditalini, etc- see more pasta here;  and good brands include Setaro, Garofalo, Pastai Gragnanesi, Senatore Cappelli, Martelli, etc. EASY TO FIND- Barilla  and De Cecco

10: Rice: Arborio and Superfino Carnaroli

11. Cooking wines: Dry Marsala, Moscato

12. Drinks Cellar: White wines (Friuli super whites, Falanghina from Campania, Gavi from Piedmont), Red wines (recommended wine estates here), Campari, Vermouth, Amaretto, Limoncello (keep in the freezer), etc. More on Italian spirits and liqueurs here.

13. Some Italian cookbooks we love: The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, La Cucina: The Traditional Home Cooking of Italy by Italian Academy of Cuisine, Gennaro’s Italian Home Cooking: Quick and Simple Meals to Feed Family and Friends  by Gennaro Contaldo, Carluccio’s Complete Italian Food by Antonio Carluccio and Priscilla Carluccio.

14. Italian Culinary Tours: learn how to cook with the locals in Tuscany, Umbria, Lake Garda, Portofino, Modena, Milan, Venice and a Grand Gastronomic Tour of Italy´s Culinary Treasures.

Other useful links:

Alessi kitchenware

Mario Batali´s Italy

Italian Cooking Made Easy

A-Z Italian food Glossary

30 of 300: A short glossary of Italian pasta

by Martina Hemm

Though pasta has only been present in European kitchens for the past 200 years, Italy has long nourished an ancient noodle culture.

Arab merchants were the first to carry itria, the predecessor of modern Italian pasta, from the far away Asian continent to the shores of Sicily. Pasta production flourished as early as 1154 thanks to the island’s traditional crop of durum wheat that went into the itria Sicilians produced and exported to all corners of the country.

Italy did not just specialize in production—nowhere in the world is the consumption of pasta higher. Compared to the 9kg consumed annually per person in the US, Italians eat an incredible 26kg of pasta a year. Typically eaten only with the aid of a fork, the pasta is cooked al dente- with a bit of a bite- allowing for better twirling.

Over 300 varieties of pasta certainly attest to Italians’ wit and love of their kitchen staple, but also undoubtedly make Italy today’s Mecca for pasta lovers the world over.

1.    Acini di pepe “peppercorns”: This bead-sized pasta is commonly used in soups and broths.

2.    Anellini “small rings”: These petite pasta rings are used for soups.

3.    Agnolotti “priest’s caps”: The shape of these pillows of pasta changes depending on region and filling. Try agnolotti filled with hearty pumpkin with a browned butter and sage, for a pure and satisfying primo piatto.

4.    Campanelle “bells”: The small ruffled pasta is rolled into itself to shape a small funnel—perfect for capturing sauce.

5.    Cannelloni “large reeds”: This pasta is traditionally stuffed with a savory filling rolled up into tube shapes and baked in the oven with layers of béchamel and meat sauce.

6.    Capellini “fine hair”: Also known as angel hair pasta in English, this pasta is similar to spaghetti but much finer. It pairs nicely with juicy smooth sauces, such as Pomodoro.

7.    Cavatelli: Made by wrapping small circular pieces of pasta around a tube or finger to shape loose hollow shells, cavatelli hold thick meat sauces well.

8.    Conchiglie “shells”: Conchiglie are smaller shells of pasta compared to the larger conchiglioni, which are stuffed and baked. The smaller shells are nicely served with cream based sauces.

9.    Farfalle “butterflies”: Called bow tie pasta in English, farfalle also pair well with cream sauces. For a fresh summer pasta dish, try farfalle with cream, salmon, crispy snowpeas, and fresh parsley.

10.    Fetuccine “little ribbons”: Americans adapted the pronunciation of this Roman pasta to fetuccini.

11.    Fusili “little spindles”: To make fusili, the pasta band turned into a corkscrew shape that is excellent for catching sauce.

12.    Gnocchi: These Italian dumplings are made with a mixture of cooked potatoes and flour. Sometimes the dough is flavored and colored with natural ingredients such as spinach or saffron; it is then either rolled into thick strands and cut into small bites or shaped into little round or oval balls. Gnocchi can be served boiled, or then baked, or sautéed in a pan with butter and sage.

13.    Lasagna: The name for lasagna comes from the Roman’s word for “pot” (lasanum) in which this pasta dish is traditionally baked. The flat lasagna sheets are alternatively layered between tomato, meat, and cheese sauce, before being baked under a coating of grated cheese. However, vegetable lasagna and “white” lasagna dishes have also become popular.

14.    Linguine “little tongues”: Commonly described as flat spaghetti, linguine pair nicely with seafood and oil based pasta dishes.

15.    Maccheroni/Macaroni: The Italian term maccheroni can generally refer to all semolina and water based, dried pasta that is short in length and hollow, such as: penne or rigatoni. However, in Central Southern Italy maccheroni covers all pasta types, including spaghetti. The most common and popular maccheroni in the U.S are elbow shaped maccheroni, known to Americans as macaroni.

16.    Orecchiette “little ears”: These little indented circles of pasta are native of Puglia. The normal sized orechiette go well with vegetable based dishes, like the traditional orrechiette cime di rapa, which dishes up this pasta with turnip tops, also known as broccoli rabe in the U.S.

17.    Orzo “barley”: Though orzo means barley in Italian it has the appearance and shape of a grain of rice, and can also be used in similar respects: in side dishes or soups. The name of this grain-like pasta can change with producer, giving it the name “melon seed” by some.

18.    Paglia e Fieno “Straw and Hay”: A quirky spiel on the pasta’s name, where the yellow egg noodle tagliatelle represent the straw and the spinach colored tagliatelle the hay. Share the joke with your loved ones over a bowl of paglia e fieno with tomato sauce and freshly grated parmigiano.

19.    Papardelle: This broadly cut flat egg noodle from Tuscany is a dream accompanied with a hefty wild boar ragù, which will lead you to eat it as joyfully and greedily as the Italian verb pappare implies.

20.    Penne “quills”: Clearly a popular pasta shape, penne are small tubes of pasta whose tips have been cut at a diagonal to shape the quill of a pen.

21.    Penne rigate: Penne rigate is penne whose sides are covered in ridges to better catch sauces in traditional dishes like the spicy penne all’ arrabbiata.

22.    Ravioli: Traditional ravioli are square cuts of pasta that is filled with everything from seafood to cheese. Try lobster filled ravioli in a saffron butter sauce.

23.    Rigatoni: Similar to penne, rigatoni is a medium sized hollow pasta, the difference is that rigatoni are slightly larger, ridged, have a bit of a curve, and are cut straight across and not at a diagonal.

24.    Spaghetti “length of cord”: The worst word associated with pasta worldwide, spaghetti is perhaps the oldest cut of pasta known. The diameter of the round, long, slim spaghetti varies depending on region. No matter what size spaghetti alla carbonara, silky, eggy, cheesy, with specks of pancetta, is comfort food everywhere.

25.    Tagliatelle: This ribbon pasta is a touch thicker than fettucine, which makes it an ideal pasta to go along with gamey meat sauces.

26.    Tortellini: Supposedly inspired by the spellbinding shape of Venus’s navel, these small triangular pockets of pasta are typically filled with meat or cheese and then folded into pillows as beautiful as the goddess herself.

27.    Tortelloni: This version of pasta is the larger size of tortellini.

28.    Tortiglioni: Tortiglioni are similar to rigatoni, except narrower with ridges that curve around the pasta. Often they are used in oven-baked dishes.

29.    Vermicelli “little worms”: Very similar to spaghetti, this pasta is slimmer and very long. Vermicelli noodles are also prevalent in Asia, where they are produced with rice flour.

30.    Ziti “bridegrooms”: Traditionally from southern Italy, this long, narrow, pipe-like pasta is broken into pieces before it is cooked.  In the region of Apulia, ziti was prepared for weddings, which is why in the local dialect ziti also means “newlyweds”.

Gualtiero Marchesi….

We could write countless words about Gualiero Marchesi, THE real Maestro of Italian cuisine, but we prefer to quote him directly on how he describes himself:

“I think of myself as a fundamentalist in my relationship with food, because the three fundamental principles “simple, good and beautiful” travel together and each one needs each other”.

In Milan, at Castello Sforzesco an exhibition dedicated to Marchesi opens on April 17:  the “leit motiv” will be number 7, as musical notes (because Marchesi loves music), as days of the week, as brushstrokes by Hsiao Chin on the Marchesi menu, now his logo.

There will be also works of art by artists Gualtiero Marchesi loves and has been inspired by including Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri, Piero Manzoni, Giancarlo Vitali, Velasco, Enrico Baj, Hsiao Chin, and Salvatore Sava.

A new book has recently been released for this important occasion called “Marchesi si nasce” (a play on words, as Marchesi in Italian means Marquis), where he talks about his life, his cuisine, his dreams …

Notable eating in 2009- some of my favorite food experiences in Italy

by Simona Piccinelli, Italy specialist

Here is a compilation of the best dishes I tasted last year- a mix of high-end/creative/traditional/affordable/homey/expensive Italian cuisine:

1. Cuttle fish ink tempura style deep fried scallops with zucchini and clam sauce at Madonnina del Pescatore in the beautiful Marche region.

2. Fritto misto Piedmont style at Il Centro in Piedmont.

3. Suckling Pig from the Nebrodi mountains with chocolate sauce at Il Duomo in Sicily.

4. Spiedo alla Bresciana at Osteria del Maestrì in Lombardy.

5. Fiorentina (t-bone steak) with Tuscan style beans at Trattoria Toscana in Maremma.

6. Babà with wild strawberries at Torre del Saracino on the Amalfi Coast.

7. Traditional lasagne with Fassone breed beef at Locanda da Mariella in Emilia Romagna, gourmet heart of Italy.

8. Porcini mushrooms in grape leaves at Manuelina on the Italian Riviera.

9. Bread, black pepper and marsala wine risotto at D’O in Lombardy.

10. Vico tribute: monococco soup with cuttlefish ink, prawns tartare, mozzarella cream and basil at La Dispensa in Franciacorta.

11. Fish bbq at Taglio della Falce close to Ravenna.

12. Homemade tortelli di zucca with butter and sage made by my mum

It’s January, it’s cold and miserable and  you don’t feel like cooking tonight…

PIZZA night!

A pizza always hits the spot, but what to drink with it? Turn a simple Pizza night into a food and wine adventure with these fun pizza/wine pairing suggestions:

Margherita Pizza

Wine Pairing: Robust red from Puglia like Neprica (Tormaresca)

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Pizza Bianca (White Pizza)

Wine Pairing: A big, buttery, wintery white from the Priorat region, like Mas d’ en Compte

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Pizza Quatro Formaggi (Four cheeses)

Wine Pairing: Heavy, delicious white from Portugal’s unsung Alentejo region like Esporão Branco

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Pizza with Anchovies

Wine Pairing: we love anchovy pizza with whites from Campania, especially Feudi di San Gregorio’s Falanghina

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Pizza Capricciosa

Wine Pairing: an easy going Bordeaux like Château Teyssier,  St Emilion.

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Pizza Diavolo (with chili peppers/spicy salami)

Wine Pairing: a bright red from Italy’s beautiful  Marche region like Moroder Rosso Conero

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Pizza Funghi (with mushrooms)

Wine Pairing: Chianti would be perfect, something fabulous like Badia Passignano’s Riserva.

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Pizza with Tonno (Tuna) and Olives

Wine Pairing: It has got to be from Sicily! Planeta’s La Segreta Rosso pairs well.

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Do you have any other pizza/ wine pairing ideas to share?

Simona Piccinelli, our Italian food and wine specialist has put together a fabulous suggested week-long itinerary for gourmets wanting to eat their way through Northern  Italy’s best restaurants.  Pour a glass of Italian wine, grab a notebook and read on….

DAY 1- Fly into Milan, pick up car and drive east to the Franciacorta wine region. Check into the Albereta Relais & Chateaux hotel, set amid a vineyard.  Taste Franciacorta wines at La Dispensa or at the Bellavista estate. Tonight for dinner, enjoy dinner at your hotel in Gualtiero Marchesi’s phenomenal restaurant.

DAY 2- Drive to Bergamo, one of Northern Italy`s hidden gems. Explore the old town in the higher part of the city . Settle into a splendid lunch at 3 Michelin starred Da Vittorio. After lunch, take in some sightseeing in the città alta and head back to the Albereta wine resort.

DAY 3- On to Cremona, home of the Stradivarius and another delightful town off the main tourist track. Poke around the small town’s gorgeous churches and small museums and then head to the wonderful 3 Michelin starred Dal Pescatore for lunch. Mega treat. Digest your tasting menu on a charming walk through Mantova afterwards, yet another darling town and stomping grounds of the powerful Gonzagas.

DAY 4 – Shift gears and head to Lake Garda today. Drive to Torre del Benaco and take a cooking class with  Andrea and Lara at Le Gemme di Artemisia which will be lunch.  (This features in our Garda culinary weekend). Then visit the lake and head to Brescia, an unsung art town nearby where you can have a trendy aperitif. Dinner tonight could be at the beautiful 2  Michelin starred Miramonti L’Altro. Sleep at Albereta again tonight.

DAY 5 Work your way back to Milano today and visit the sights- cathedral, Brera, etc. Dine at the contemporary and hip 2 Michelin starred Sadler tonight. Sleep at the cute Petit Palais.

DAY 6- Drive south today to visit Pavia, with its stunning Certosa, monastic complex. Amazing and so close to Milan. Tonight for dinner, finish your top chefs tour of Italy with a divine cena at Trussardi. Sublime.

DAY 7- fly home and get your gym membership going again

MICHELIN STARS IN ITALY FOR 2010

FOODIE NEWSFLASH: This very morning the 2010 edition of the Michelin Red guide for Italy was presented in Milan at the Triennale and we couldn’t miss it!!

by Simona Piccinelli, Italy specialist and Milan correspondent

Just as Gualtiero Marchesi did last year, Ezio Santin (chef and owner of the Antica Osteria sul Ponte in Cassinetta di Lugagnano) has decided not to be in the Michelin guide, as quote “after 33 years under examination, we don’t think a guide can improve our work”.

Is this a new trend of big “grand old men” chefs rejecting the Michelin?

Is Michelin losing its power and authority?

We don’t know and will keep our eyes peeled on this, but in the meantime we are happy to announce that the new 3 star restaurant in Italy, Da Vittorio, is also one of our favorites. Not only for the excellence of their cuisine, but also because the Cerea family happen to also be extremely nice, professional, and generous people. We worked with them during some events and catering and I can really say that they have a special place in my heart!

So “bravo” to Francesco, Bruna, Chicco, Raffaella and Bobo! Father Vittorio (who passed away 4 years ago) would be so very proud of all of them.

The other 3 stars are a carry over from last year, so nothing new to report there. Here is the list of our faves and the dishes we liked most and would kill to try again:

1. Dal Pescatore di Canneto sull’Oglio (Mn)

chef Nadia Santini

Dishes:
Tortelli di zucca
Frog Legs with herbs

2. Enoteca Pinchiorri di Firenze

chef Annie Feolde

Dishes:

All about Burrata
“Agnolotti” filled with polenta and tossed with scampi, tomatoes and black olives

3. La Pergola di Roma

chef Heinz Beck

Dishes:
Lamb with artichokes with garlic purée, sweetbreads and pecorino cheese
Tortelli filled with lamb tossed with pecorino cheese and mint

4. Le Calandre di Rubano (Pd)

chef Massimilaino Alajmo

Dishes:

Cuttle fish cappuccino
Roquefort cheese mousse with iced strawberry crust

5. Al Sorriso di Soriso (No)

chef Luisa Valazza

Dishes:
Sorriso risotto, a dream come true for risotto lovers (like me!) with prawns, artichokes, pine nut kernel and saffron
Fassone beef braised with Barolo sauce

New 2 stars in Italy:

Antica Corona Reale – Cervere (Cuneo)
Piazza Duomo – Alba (Cuneo)
Il Pellicano -Porto Ercole (Grosseto)
La Madia – Licata (Agrigento)
Met dell’Hotel Metropol – Venezia
Il Mosaico – Casamicciola Terme, Ischia (Napoli)
Il Trenkerstube – Tirolo (Bolzano).

New restaurants with 1 star in Italy:

Andreini – Alghero (Sassari)
Kleine Flamme – Vipiteno (Bolzano)
Ortica -Bedizzole (Brescia).
Maxi – Vico Equense (Napoli).
Roof Garden – Bergamo
Vicolo Santa Lucia – Cattolica (Rimini).
L’accanto -i Vico Equense.
Baldin -Genova.
Hotel Cinzia (Vercelli).
Al Vigneto – Grumello del Monte (Bergamo).
Osteria del Pomiroeu – Seregno, Milano.
Sissi – Merano.
Antonello Colonna – Roma
Glass Hostaria – Roma.
Castel Fragsburg – Freiberg (Merano).
La Fenice – Ragusa
Le Robinie – Montescano (Pavia).
La Meridiana – Piove di Sacco (Padova).
Caffè Le Paillotes – Pescara.
Hostaria del Mare (Modena).
Il Piastrino – Pennabilli, Pesaro.
La Fornace – Barbablu di Noli (SV).
La locanda di Bu – Nusco (Avellino)

MICHELIN STARRED RESTAURANTS IN ITALY CLOSE THEIR DOORS

What made such an impression on me was the number of Michelin starred establishments that closed this year:

4 Mori in Varese, Locanda del Palazzo in Barile (Potenza), Via romana in Bordighera (Imperia), La Bitta nella pergola in Genova, Vesta in Tivoli (Roma), L’Acquamatta in Capolona (Arezzo),  Conti Roero in Monticelli d’Alba (Cuneo), Il Gallopapa in Castellina in Chianti (Siena),  Terrazza in Montecchio di Crosara (VR), L’Arsenale in Cavegnano d’Adda (LO), Castello Banfi in Montalcino (Siena), Fini in Modena.

MICHELIN INSPECTORS

Have you ever wondered how to become a Michelin inspector? Each inspector  travels over 30.000 km, has over 200 meals in restaurants and spends over 160 nights in hotels, per year. The majority of the inspectors come from hotel schools and/or is well-experienced in the hospitality business. After sending a request to the Red Guide, you will have a meeting with a senior inspector in a restaurant and after that you will have to write a report about restaurant details (service, mise en place, whether your neighbor´s plate was empty or not when he left, etc) and meal details (food quality, cooking, raw materials, etc). If you do a superb good job, you will spend some months in European restaurants with a senior inspector and finally you will be able to work on your own!

The 2010 guide will be released at all fine bookshops on November 26th.

Attention Coffee Lovers:

If you will be in Italy on April 17th, then keep your eyes peeled for cafes celebrating national espresso day! More than  3.000 cafès and bars in Italy will celebrate Espresso Italiano Day 2009, promoted by the Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano. When you order a coffee, you will get a leaflet with tips and tons of interesting info about Espresso. One of the tips of course is how to make the perfect espresso.

Find out more here.

So, fellow foodies- here is the magic question:

You win the lottery and can travel to the dream destination of your choice, all of these gourmet meccas in their own right.

Which of the following would it be?

1. Tuscany, Italy

2. Barcelona, Spain

3. Provence, France

4. Langhe (Piedmont), Italy

5. San Sebastian

Place your vote here!

Liguria is one of the most beautiful regions in Italy, with stunning coastline along the Italian Riviera, and dramatic inland natural scenery.  The food and wine is fabulous, too!

Here are ten wonderful reasons why you will fall in love with Liguria:

1. Portofino

2. Pesto

3. Monterosso

4. Foccacia

5. Dolceaqua

6. Camogli

7. The Val d´Aveto

8. Portovenere

9. San Fruttuoso

10. Vernazza

Italian chocolate makers are world famous and artisan chocolate making is experiencing a Renaissance. This is good news for chocolate lovers! Here is a quick check list of chocolate events, festivals, tours and producers in Italy, enjoy!

Chocolate in Piedmont

CHOCOLATE EVENTS IN PIEDMONT- Turin hosts the fabulous CioccolaTò chocolate fair this year from March 6-15, a “must” in the chocolate industry and for connoisseurs.

RECOMMENDED PIEDMONT CHOCOLATE PRODUCERS- Domori (“Cacao Cult”), Caffarel, Bessoni, Gobino, B. Langhe, Zuccarello.

Chocolate in Tuscany

CHOCOLATE EVENTS IN TUSCANY- Cioccolosità took place last month (it´s an annual event, so choco lovers put it in the calendar for next year) in Monsummano Terme. The adorable medieval town of Barga held a Chocolate festival last December, and we are waiting to see if they will repeat it this year, info here. And Florence runs an annual chocolate fair in January called the Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale (artisan chocolate festival), getting better every year.

RECOMMENDED TUSCANY CHOCOLATE PRODUCERS-Amedei, Roberto Catinari, Slitti, Paul de Bondt, Mannori, Bruno Corsini.

Chocolate in Sicily- see a full profile of Sicilian chocolate here.

Chocolate in Umbria

CHOCOLATE EVENTS IN UMBRIA- Eurochocolate is the biggest choco event in Italy and takes place in the darling town of Perugia from October 16-25, 2009.

UMBRIA CHOCOLATE PRODUCERS- Perugina (Baci)

CHOCOLATE TASTING TOURS- Cellar Tours offer various Chocolate Tasting Tours throughout Italy (Piedmont, Sicily, Tuscany, Umbria, etc). More info on chocolate tasting and culinary tours here.