Italian Cuisine Graphs: pasta

For those of you thinking about working in the Italian food& beverage business, or simply those who consider themselves Italian cuisine lovers, these facts are just a must. In order to fully appreciate Italian food, you cannot but know everything about its main ingredient, that is pasta. However, instead of collecting information through Wikipedia and scouring through cook books, I'd like to propose to you a series of simple, amusing but at the same time informative graphs with everything you should know (at an beginner and intermediate level).

‘The Truth About Pasta,’ released by Think Sicily, is a historical account of the carb-heavy Italian dish.

Almost universally loved, pasta is a famously delicious dinner mainstay. Though perhaps not considered the healthiest food, the ever-popular carb is inescapable. Most cherished for its versatility, pasta has a history as rich as the dishes it’s used in. The infographic details the consumption of pasta, the creation of the ingredient and the types of pasta that exist. Italy is unsurprisingly the most pasta-friendly country on earth, but some unexpected runners-up are featured on the chart.

Cutely adopting penne-inspired graphics, the chart is a straightforward and comprehensive overview of pasta. Likely to appeal to pasta-eaters and Italy enthusiasts in general, this is a light and breezy read.

(source: trendhunter.com)

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10 great movies for wine lovers

For those of you who love wine and plan on staying in this weekend, this can be a perfect way of spending the evening! Why not watch some great (and not always commercial) movies which revolve around wine and wine tastings? Here's the 10 top films you shouldn't miss according to Daily Meal website!

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1. Sideways

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 Sideways has become a seminal wine movie, and for anyone who is serious about their wines and their movies, it is utterly unmissable. It is a comedy-slash-drama that follows a failing writer and soon-to-be-married cad on their journey through the famous Santa Ynez wine country in California. It is a classic film and one that enjoyed a rapturous reception from both the critics and lovers of American wines all over the world.

2. The Kids Are All Right

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While this movie isnt as centered around wine as, say, Sideways is, wines do feature prominently throughout. The characters are regularly seen making sophisticated wine choices that seem incredibly relevant to the scene. The film itself revolves around how a lesbian couples adopted children make the decision to track down and meet their birth father. It is a great movie and the wines mentioned throughout the film serve as the perfect backdrop for the movie as a whole.

3. Bottle Shock

 

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One of the great wine movies, Bottle Shock tells the famous true story of the "blind" Paris wine tasting session in 1976, which had the leading tasters in the industry pitting their palates against French and Californian wines with some very surprising results. It's safe to say that the wine industry was never the same again after this infamous wine tasting session. The film stars Alan Rickman as a wine shop owner in Paris who instigates the blind tasting test in order to make Parisians aware that quality wines were available all over the world, not just on their own shores.

4. The Earth Is Mine

 

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This film, set in the 1930s, tells the story of an English woman, Elizabeth, who comes to live with her wealthy winemaking aunt and uncle in California during the Prohibition period. The winemaking aunt and uncle endeavor to marry Elizabeth off to another wine dynasty in the region to consolidate their strength over the industry but, of course, Elizabeth has different ideas. It's a great example of classical filmmaking and one that shows the wine industry during a considerable period of turbulence.

5. Corked

 

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This is an outrageously comical tale crafted by documentary filmmakers from four different wineries in the highly respected Northern California wine country. The film revolves around a visiting wine critic and shows how the different wineries go out of their way to make sure that their wine is chosen as the best in show. It's a great addition to our list of wine movies, and one that deserves your attention despite not being quite as mainstream as some of the other movies in our list. A hidden gem.

6. The Secret of Santa Vittoria

 

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This 1969 film is another hidden gem in our list of top 10 wine movies. The excellent tale is based on the best-selling novel by Robert Crichton and tells the story of a wine-producing village in Italy, Santa Vittoria, which in 1943 managed to successfully hide 1 million bottles of their wine in a cave before the arrival of the advancing German army. The film stars Anthony Quinn and received a highly positive critical reception following its release it's definitely a film you should seek out if you are a lover of all things wine.

7. A Good Year

 

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This 2006 adaptation of Peter Mayles novel of the same name was met with a fairly mixed reception upon its release but if youre a fan of wine, breathtaking French scenery and, perhaps, Russell Crowe, then there is certainly plenty to be enjoyed in A Good Year. It tells the story of a workaholic investment banker who unexpectedly discovers that he has inherited a French chateau and vineyard and, through the course of the movie, learns to love the more relaxed lifestyle that winemaking affords him.

8. Mondovino

 

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This 2004 documentary film explores the impact of globalization on the various different wine regions around the world and was written and directed by respected American filmmaker Jonathan Nossiter. The documentary also explores the effect that wine critics and consultants have on the wine industry as a whole. The film was extremely well received when it was released and was even nominated for the highly prestigious Palme dOr at the Cannes Film Festival. If you have an interest in how the wine world operates, this is the movie for you.

9. Year of the Comet

 

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While the film received mostly negative reviews upon its release, it is actually a bright and breezy romantic comedy that focuses around the pursuit of the most valuable bottle of wine in history. The Year of the Comet stars Tim Daly and Penelope Ann Miller and the title of the film refers to the year that the wine was bottled, 1811, which coincided with the Great Comet of 1811.

10. A Walk in the Clouds

 

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Perhaps more notorious for Keanu Reeves wooden acting than anything else, this movie has many redeeming features which make it worth a watch not least the breathtaking California scenery that is prevalent throughout the film. A Walk in the Clouds is a love story set in the 1940s, but all the action in the film really does take second place to the wonderful vineyards that serve as a backdrop to the majority of the movies set pieces.

So, there you have it if youre a fan of wine, then these are 10 movies that you simply have to see and, its fair to say, youll still enjoy them even if wine isnt you thing!

(source: thedailymeal.com)

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Looking for a good pizza? Why don't you make it yourself?

Lots of you, who don't have this wonderful opportunity to be in Italy right now, seek a good traditional pizza, trying our various local restos and pizzerias. Very often you end up disillusioned and dissatisfied with what the waiter brings to your table. Well, may I propose sth to you? Why don't you invite some of your friends over this weekend and enjoy preparing a big pizza together? Pizza party rocks!!! Here are some tips and recipes I found on the NY Times website. Just remember to prepare the pizza dough at least 27h before the night you gather up (it needs to rest to be good, crispy and ready!)

Let's start with the dough, then. The recipe is here.

1. Onion pizza with ricotta and chard

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Recipe here

2. Pizza calzone

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 Recipe here

3. Grape foccaccia

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Recipe here

4. Gluten free pizza

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5. Broccoli rabe, olive and parmesan calzone

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Recipe here

6. Whole wheat pizza Margherita

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Recipe here

7. Onion tart with bacon and olives

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Recipe here

8. Polenta pizza with pancetta and spinach

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Recipe here

9. And last but not least... we cannot forget about the dessert! Riccotta cream calzone with honey and orange

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Recipe here

Have a fun pizza party and enjoy this weekend!

(source: New York Times website)

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