Learn to make the finger foods enjoyed in Tuscan bars after work and before dinner - a much more elegant happy hour. Makes a great cocktatil party menu.
Tuscany’s most well-known dishes - Learn 5 simple, hearty, and well-loved recipes from the heart of Tuscany. This is the food all Tuscans grew up eating.
Tuscan mamas have been making the hand-rolled pasta known as pici for ages. Roll up your sleeves and learn how flour, water and olive oil come together and make 2 delicious accompanying sugos.
Thursday, March 31, 2011 
I'll be assisting in the Saveur Cooks Italian class on Saturday April 2 in North Seattle. Come join us and learn some of Savueur Magazine's best Italian recipes. Held at Bon-Vivant School of Cooking. ♡ Amber
Classes & Events, Italy in Classes & Events Thursday, March 24, 2011 
Left to Right - A passageway in Radda in Chianti in the spring, the Neptune fountain in Piazza della Signoria in Florence near Palazzo Vecchio and the outdoor replica of the David statue.
♡ Amber
Italy in Photography, Travel Wednesday, March 16, 2011 Hello. Here is some sound advice from Annemarie Colbin on how to chose your food. I hope you're using these rules yourself. If not, I'm here to help.
♡ Amber
Nutrition in Health & Wellness Tuesday, March 15, 2011 
Tangy and herbal, this dressing, and the salad you’ll put it on, is loaded with phytochemicals which help our bodies detoxify, repair damaged cells and protect us from disease.
Lemon Basil Dressing
juice and zest of 1 lemon
¼ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp dijon mustard
2 cubes or 2 scant tsp fresh chopped basil *see note below
extra virgin olive oil
1 jar with a lid
Wash and dry the lemon. Zest it and put the zest into the jar. Add the juice and salt. Swirl until the salt is dissolved. Add the dijon and basil cubes. Cover and shake until all is incorporated. If the basil is still frozen let it sit for 10 minutes then try again. Add 3x the amount of oil as there is juice in the jar. Cover, shake well. Unused portions can be stored, covered in the fridge for 5 days.
The ratio of oil to acid in salad dressing is 3:1 so you can always follow this rule when you’re making your own dressings.
This dressing would also be good with 1 tsp tarragon or 2 tsp oregano instead of the basil.
*frozen basil cubes are available at many super markets (Trader Joe’s). They are inexpensive, available year round and the flavor is much better than dried basil. 1 cube = 1 tsp
Get the printable .pdf {here}.
♡ Amber
Dressings & Sauces, Healthy, Vegetables in Recipes Thursday, March 3, 2011 
In French it’s artichaut. In Italian it’s carciofo. In Spanish it’s alcachofa. In English it is, of course, artichoke.
Hello. Spring is coming and with it artichokes. I grew up with them in my neighborhood in Los Angeles but I know not everyone was lucky enough to enjoy these tasty treats as often as I did. A foreign friend once ate an entire leaf, prickly tip and all. As he was chewing vigorously the entire table of Southern Californians stared at him, eyes wide. Not surprisingly he didn't enjoy his first taste of an artichoke.
The artichoke is a member of the thistle family which, if left to mature, would bloom into a large, prickly, purple flower. Once open it would reveal filaments on which pollen would form. The immature filaments constitute what is known as the “choke” and as the name implies, it should be avoided.
Native to the Mediterranean, artichokes are well-loved in Italy and it is said that an Italian, Catherine de Medici, brought them to France. It is thought that the artichoke as we know it today was first cultivated in Naples and Rome although it was known much earlier in Egypt in a similar form as a hybrid of the wild cardoon. Today major producers of artichokes include France, Italy, Spain, Egypt, Israel, Algeria, Morocco, and Turkey.
My recipe was adapted from one written by one of my teachers, Roberta Dowling. The cleaning takes some time but it’s worth it since they will be nearly entirely edible afterward. Be careful not to overcook as they can fall apart.
4 large artichokes
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup loosely packed oregano leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed flat leaf parsley leaves
leaves from 2-3 sprigs of thyme
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
For this recipe you will need a heavy bottom pan with a tight fitting lid large enough for all 4 artichokes to sit side by side and stay upright. It shouldn’t be too roomy or the artichokes will fall or the liquid will not come up high enough.
Prepare acidulated water to prevent artichokes from browning by squeezing the juice of 1 lemon into a bowl of water large enough for all 4 artichokes.
First clean the artichokes:
Using a serrated knife, trim stem of artichoke leaving about 1” in tact. Snap off small and hard outer leaves until thinner, lighter colored leaves are revealed. Cut off the top end. Open the artichoke with your fingers being careful not to poke yourself on the tips of the inner leaves. Scrape out the hairy choke using a teaspoon, or grapefruit spoon if you have one. Peel outer part of stem with a vegetable peeler. Place in acidulated water bowl. Do the same to the remaining 3 artichokes.
Mince garlic. Roughly chop all herbs. Mix garlic, salt, pepper, herbs, and ⅛ cup of the olive oil together. Divide into 4 portions.
For each artichoke: drain by holding upside down over a towel. Fan open and separate the leaves with your fingers then, taking one portion of the herb mixture, stuff the center with some of the mixture and in between the leaves with the rest. Close the artichoke back up with your hands. Repeat for each artichoke.
Place all 4 in a snug pot, as mentioned earlier. Carefully add chicken stock, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt & pepper. First bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the leaves pull away easily. Check that the liquid hasn't completely evaporated once in a while. If it has you can add a bit of hot water.
Serve in a large shallow bowl with some of the braising liquid and bread on the side.
Get the printable PDF {here}.
My friend Elizabeth Minchilli also just did a post on Roman Artichokes - she's actually in Rome and has some nice photos on her site {here}.
♡ Amber
Healthy, Herbs, Vegetables in Recipes Monday, February 28, 2011 Hello. Eat Like Athena is expereincing a rebirth. Over a year ago I left to do culinary research and now I'm back, and so is Athena. If you're interested in seeing where I went you can visit my other site: Native Food & Wine. It was an amazing experience!
I'll post some old, favorite recipes to begin with and then we'll get started creating new, healthy, Mediterranean inspired recipes, looking at photos and just basically making life better.
♡ Amber
