Le Raccomandazioni - Some Suggestions You Might Enjoy

There is a plethora of Italian goodies to choose from, and if you are not sure where to start, that's where we come in.  Check out some of our favorite Italian products in the departments of food, entertainment, and travel from Amazon.com.  You can visit our Modern Italian Store for more raccomandazioni (recommendations).

Film:  

La Meglio Gioventu’ (The Best of Youth)

Classic, heart-wrenching, and dramatic, all the qualities an Italian movie should have.  

Click here for reviews and more.

Food:

Simple Italian Sandwiches

Simplicity is beauty, and there is nothing simpler (yet versatile) than a panino.    

Click here to learn more on this book.

Travel:

Easy Italian for Travel, Volume 1 

The style of this CD allows the learner to quickly gain confidence in their Italian.   

To learn more, please click here.

 

I Proverbi da Ricordare - Some Proverbs to Remember

We have gathered some new - yet old - proverbs to live by because we know you love them!  Please keep in mind that the very loose English translations are included, but do not sound as culturally rich as the ones originally written in Italian.  We welcome your versions of translations but more importantly want to hear more of your own Italian proverbs, quotes, and sayings!  Feel free to share them on our Facebook group page dedicated to proverbs, tweet them to @modernitalian or email them at modernitalian@modernitalian.org so we can share them with the community!

Fai bene e scordati, fai male e guardati. (Do good and forget it, do bad and watch your back).

Un pranzo senza il vino e’ come una giornata senza il sole. (A meal without wine is like a day without the sun).

Impara l’arte e mettila da parte. (Learn your skill and keep it to the side).

Vizio di natura fin alla morte dura. (A habit stays ‘til the death).

Per fare una bella insalata, poco aceto e assai ogliata.  (To make a good salad, use little vinegar and much olive oil).

Fregola con Arselle - A Traditional Recipe from Sardinia

Part of our philosophy is that we are not the experts on Italian culture, however, we know the experts and know how to bring them to you – our readers.  That is why we know you will appreciate this traditional Sardinian recipe brought to us by Giulia Garau - an Italian travel lover living in Sardinia. 

This will surely be a dish of "pasta and clams" unlike any other you have ever had before!

Typical of Sardinia, fregola or fregula is a kind of dried pasta made of semolina dough. It resembles couscous and can be prepared in several ways. The most common (and my favorite!) is with clams (arselle, or vongole). It is prepared at home by Sardinian families, but you can easily find it in the fish-based restaurants in Sardinia too. This is how I prepare it, although there are a few variants according to one’s personal taste.

Ingredients:

200/250 gr. Fregola

1Kg Clams

2 cloves of garlic

Extra virgin olive oil

Parsley (about 2 spoons)

Sun dried tomatoes (or chilli)

Peeled tomatoes or tomato sauce

1 Lt. Fish stock (fumetto di pesce) or hot water

First of all, you need to purge the clams. Immerse them in abundant fresh water and salt for at least an hour. Change the water a couple of times in order to remove the residual sand.

Place the clams in a low, wide pan over high heat; they will open and will release some water. Once opened (it takes only a few minutes) separate the shellfish from the shells.

Set aside a few shells for decoration.

Filter the remaining cooking liquid and keep it aside.

Take another pan and lightly fry the garlic (chopped or whole, if you want to remove it before serving) with the sun dried tomatoes. Add the clams, mix and add a little tomato sauce to it (at your taste). Cover with abundant fish stock (a variant: instead of the fish stock you can mix hot water with the filtered cooking liquid).

When boiling, add the fregola and let it cook, adding the fish stock from time to time when necessary. Add a sprinkling of parsley just before switching off the gas.

Add salt and chilli according to your taste.

Buon appetito!!

Giulia works in the tourism field for a local travel agency, specialized in luxury hotels inSardinia.  She runs the blog CharmingItaly.com, where she shares information about Italy. You can reach her on Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon. 

Tante grazie a Giulia!

Age-old Italian Proverbs are Relevant Today to All

Words of wisdom.  Age-old adages are timeless and relevant to all.  The origins of some proverbs are evident in their context.  For example, the famous Italian contadino (farmer) would have come up with “L’acqua bolle e il maiale sta ancora in montagna” (The water boils and the pig is still in the mountain).  An English version of this could perhaps be “Do not put the carriage in front of the horse.”  While it may not be as common today in our everyday lives to hunt wild animals for dinner or ride in horse carriages, the principle of these sayings still apply in our world today.  Don’t jump the gun!  

We have gathered some of our favorite Italian proverbs shared within our community.  Please remember that we value our members who find the importance to learn these cultural treasures just as much as those who share them!  Enjoy!  Buona lettura!

Those of you on Facebook, please share your favorite Italian adages here.

Ogni medaglia ha il suo rovescio (There are two sides to every coin) (Johnna Stewart)

Non e’ oro tutto quello che lucida. (Everything that shines is not always gold.)

Non dispiace invecchiare, è un privilegio negato a molti.
(Do not regret growing older, it is a privilage denied to many) (Terri Affanato McAvoy)

Ogni nodo viene al pettine (Every knot is caught by the comb.) (Carmen Martin)

Chi nascia quadro non puo morire tondo (He who is born a square cannot die round). (Dora Miraglia-Meola)

Fra i due litiganti, il terzo gode. (Between 2 quarrelers, the third one gloats.)

Il meglio deve ancora venire é arriverá quando meno te l'aspetti. (The best is yet to come and will come when you least expect it.) (Michael Biasi)

 

Fai bene e scordati, fai male e guardati. (Do good and forget about it, do bad and watch yourself.)

Tutto fumo, niente arrosto.) (All smoke, no roast).

Spaghetti Con Gamberetti E Pomodorini/Baby Shrimp & Cherry Tomatoes

Our friends at Cooking Vacations would like to share a recipe with you from their book.   Based in Positano, Italy, the team at Cooking Vacations brings culinary tours, cooking classes, and food market visits all over La Bella Italia.  Their illustrious team includes Italian chefs, experts in the local food markets, and lovely nonne (Italian grandmothers).  Here is a sample from their recipe book, which you can view here by region.  Buon appetito!

Spaghetti Con Gamberetti E Pomodorini/Baby Shrimp & Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe Courtesy of: Courtesy of Le Tre Sorelle, Positano

Serves 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes

180g Spaghetti

200g Baby shrimp, cleaned and shelled

150g Cherry tomatoes, washed and quartered

100g Extra virgin olive oil

1 Clove garlic

Salt, as desired

Fresh parsley, as desired

Heat olive oil in a frying pan, then add garlic and sauté until golden.  Add shrimp and toss together.  Add the cherry tomatoes, and salt and cook over medium heat. 

In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente.  Drain the pasta and add to the frying pan with the shrimp.  Toss together over high heat, for a minute or two before serving. 

Serve with fresh parsley sprinkled on top, as desired.

Cooking Vacations

A Cooking Vacation Adventure Celebrating The Food, Art & Music Of Italy

Visit the Cooking Vacations Website here to learn more.