Just in time for August's oppressive heat, NPR's Susan Russo encourages us to have our limoncello and eat it too in an article published yesterday. Or, more specifically, to cook with our favorite lemony Italian liqueur.
As Russo notes, the drink is "traditionally served as a digestive, or after-dinner drink that aids in digestion." But, she challenges the reader, "...don't just drink it. Eat it. Limoncello can be a wonderful ingredient in cooking and baking."
After discussing the drink's history and sharing her family's long-treasured techniques for making limoncello, Russo provides six recipes for cooking with the liqueur. There's Creamy Limoncello, a version of the liqueur made with milk and vanilla extract, and Limoncello-Basil Fruit Cups, a zesty riff on traditional fruit salad.
Like dessert? You're in luck. Russo provides recipes for individual Limoncello Custards with Limoncello-Berry Sauce, a Citrus-Polenta Cake with Limoncello Icing that can also double as a breakfast pastry, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Berries, Limoncello and Almond Brittle -- the ultimatesummer treat for cooling off on a hot day -- and Blueberry-Limoncello Zabaglione, a tart take on everyone's favorite custard/pudding hybrid.
Russo's extensive array of recipes make this article a must-read for foodies wary of heating up their kitchens as summer's temperatures peak. Enjoy making these recipes -- and if you do, write to let us know how they turned out!
Chazz Palminteri, right, with baseball great Phil Rizzuto at NIAF's 1996 Anniversary Gala.
Italian American actor and director Chazz Palminteri, and his wife, actress Gianna Palminteri, will be honored later this year by D.A.R.E. America, an educational program that helps children stay away from drugs, gangs and violence.
The Palminteris will receive The American Dream Award during the organization’s 2010 Dare to Care Gala on December 1, 2010. The couple actively supports many charitable organizations, including The Creative Coalition, The Child Reach Foundation and the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation. Additionally, NIAF honored Palminteri in 1996, presenting him with the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Performing Arts.
Standing for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 in
Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent of our nation's school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world. The Dare to Care Gala will also honor Susan M. Baer, director of aviation at The Port Authority of NY & NJ.
Yesterday Italian American "King of Swing" Louis Prima was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Prima would have been 100 years old this year; he died in 1978.
According to an Associated Press article, the star was unveiled in a ceremony attended by the entertainer's son Louis Prima, Jr. and daughter Lena Prima, in addition to celebrities, dignitaries and fans of his music. Louis Prima Jr.'s big band, The Witnesses, performed a concert as part of the ceremony, much to the delight of attending swing-dancing fans.
Both Louis Prima, Jr. and Lena Prima have long been supporters of NIAF. In 2002, as part of our Anniversary Convention and Gala, NIAF hosted a panel discussion highlighting "Children of the Greats"; Lena Prima served as a panelist in addition to Frank Capra, Jr., Scott Paterno, Katherine LaGuardia and Deana Martin, the daughter of Dean Martin.
Lena Prima (right) poses with Frank Capra, Jr. during NIAF's 2002 Anniversary Convention and Gala.
Prima's music remains a standard today, for Italian American music lovers and fans of swing alike. His hits are frequently heard on the dance floor during NIAF's annual Anniversary Gala.
What is your favorite Louis Prima song? Share your thoughts with us!
In an article yesterday, the New York Times reports that Fiat's attempts to make its workers more productive at a plant north of Naples are being met with resistance -- and are perhaps challenging Italy's workplace culture.
Reprter Liz Alderman writes:
"Even some workers here in Pomigliano, Fiat’s lowest-producing plant, complain of ingrained bad habits, citing peers who call in sick to earn money while working another job or skip work with a fake doctor’s note — especially when the local soccer team is playing.
Now, fresh from rescuing Chryslerin the United States, Sergio Marchionne of Fiat is pushing these workers to be more devoted to their jobs, mirroring a larger effort by the government to improve Italy’s competitiveness and reduce its debt through austerity measures.
But shifting a culture toward work and closing the divide with Italy’s northern neighbors won’t be easy. Embedded for generations here — and on other parts of Europe’s often-sweltering southern rim — is a lifestyle that values flexibility for workers."
Two bright orange cars, equipped with laser scanners and cameras to detect objects, will make an 8,000-mile trek (dubbed The Vislab Intercontinental Autonomous Challenge) from Italy to China to test the limits of this new technology. The cars, which departed Parma on Tuesday, July 20, are powered entirely by solar energy.
"What we are trying to do is stress our systems and see if they can work in a real environment, with real weather, real traffic and crazy people who cross the road in front of you and a vehicle that cuts you off," project leader Alberto Broggi told the AP.
The technology was developed by VisLab, an artificial vision and intelligent systems lab at the University of Parma run by Broggi, through a $2.3 million grant from the European Commission's European Research Council. VisLab has also partnered with other sponsors, including Piaggio, which has provided its Piaggio Porter vans.
In the future, this technology might lead to driverless vehicles transporting goods across Europe, notes the AP. But the technology's applications could be of use today as well: the scanners could soon allow farmers to program tractors to plow and seed fields through the night, Broggi said. VisLab is also working with Caterpiller Inc., to develop unmanned vehicle technology for extreme environments, like mining, according to the article.
Viewers can follow the vehicles' progress online at viac.vislab.it/, a special website dedicated to the challenge.
In late June, purveyors of fine food and beverages from the world over gathered in New York City for the Fancy Food Show. Among them were Italian coffee producers, who are eyeing the U.S. as a potential market for their increasing offerings.
In a new article on i-Italy.org, writer Susannah Gold examines Italian coffee companies in attendance at the show and their plans for American coffee drinkers. As she explains, "Most of the coffee firms who were present at the fair agreed that the world of coffee is undergoing an evolution. Large firms such as Lavazza, Illy and Danesi have dominated the American market for Italian coffee. New smaller firms have had a harder time getting a footing in this market but as the market grows, there may be room for everyone. At least that’s what these producers are hoping."
Accordingly, smaller firms like Florence's Mokaflor were in attendance at the fair, hoping to gain a foothold in that growing market. Gold reports that, "Andrea Bernini of Mokaflor ...was excited to participate at the Fancy Food Show, saying that there was an important increase in American coffee drinking of espresso coffee. 'We are pretty pleased with the fair. We need to find the right importer for our mid-sized company. It’s a challenge for us.'"
Other smaller firms included Lazio's Caffe Trombetta, Roma's Paranà Caffè, Latina's Italvi, Brescia's Mokasol and Caffen Il Don Caffè Aroma di Napoli from Naples.
Gold also explains Italy's famous coffee blends, noting that although beans are not grown in the country, "Italian torrefazioni are among the most famous in the world for their coffee blends" -- specifically Arabica and Robusto.
As reported Friday by Bloomberg, Italian police recently unveiled some of the 337 pieces of illegally excavated antiquities recovered last month in Switzerland. Now returned to Italy, the artifacts have an estimated value of $19.5 million dollars.
According to the article:
The collection includes Greek urns and vases, pieces of frescoes, bronze statues and marble sculptures produced between the eighth century B.C. and the fourth century A.D. The items were illegally excavated in Italy and smuggled out of the country, police said.
"We could make 10 museums abroad with what we've brought back," General Giovanni Nistri, head of Italy's cultural heritage police, said today at a press conference inside Rome's Coliseum, where dozens of the pieces were displayed.
Unveiled Friday, the pieces were recovered in a joint operation with the Swiss. They had been in the possession of a Japanese art dealer who was storing them in Geneva and voluntarily returned them after being shown evidence that they had been stolen from Italy.
According to Bloomberg, the collection is believed to have come from illegal excavations in Lazio, Puglia, Sardinia and areas in southern Italy where the ancient Greeks maintained colonies.
The search is on to find a bone marrow donor for Philip Felice, who was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2007 and has since undergone chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. Doctors say Felice is in need of a bone marrow donor and that men between the ages of 20-25 who are of Sicilian ancestry would be his best match.
Philip Felice
Today Felice's family and friends are hosting a bone marrow donor drive at Le Parker Meridien Hotel from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; they ask that anyone who meets the above description register as a potential donor. Felice's life may be in your hands.
Le Parker Meridien is located at 119 West 56th Street in New York City. The donor drive is being held in the hotel's Tansa Room, on the third floor.
Visit www.dkmsamericas.org to find out how you can register as a bone marrow donor.
Love cooking shows? Tune in to the Food Network on July 21 at 10 p.m. to watch NIAF supporter Rossella Rago of “Cooking with Nonna”, along with her mother and grandmother, compete in the series premiere of the Food Network's “24 Hour Restaurant Battle” - a show that highlights two teams with one day to design and open a restaurant.
Each episode of "24 Hour Restaurant Battle" features dueling two-person teams of aspiring restaurateurs who have 24 hours to conceive, plan and open their own restaurants for one night. On each team, one person handles front-of-house issues like decor, seating and service while the other manages back-of-house matters like menu planning, shopping and, of course, cooking. Based on the restaurant's concept, execution and viability, the judges choose a winning team to receive $10,000 seed money toward realizing their dream.
To learn more about Rossella and her online Italian cooking show, “Cooking with Nonna,” visit www.cookingwithnonna.com.
NIAF is proud to announce that professional golfer Rocco Mediate will participate in our 6th Annual Rockland County Golf Tournament on Monday, August 9, 2010 at The Rockland Country Club in Sparkill, New York.
The Rockland County Golf Tournament raises funds each year for NIAF scholarship and educational programs. This year, Mediate will present a scholarship in his name at the event.
To learn more about how you can attend this event, contact golf tournament chair Nick Caiazzo at nicholas.caiazzo@wilsonelser.comor 212-915-5947.
The center, headquarters to NYU's Department of Italian Studies, was made possible through a generous donation by NIAF Board Member Baroness Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò. Her support allowed for the purchase and complete restoration of a 19th-century home situated at 24 West 12th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, a few blocks from Washington Square. Zerilli-Marimò also sits on the university's advisory board.
Since opening its doors in November 1990, Casa Italiana has become a true home for all who love Italy and live in New York. Each year it hosts a full calendar of events, ranging from art exhibits, music concerts, round-tables, debates on the most various subjects, and academic conferences. This year is no exception; plus, a special November 4, 2010 concert and fundraising gala will celebrate the 20th annivesary.
In a May interview for i-Italy.org, Casa Italiana's director, Stefano Albertini, discussed this year's milestone, connecting with students about Italian culture and upcoming events. Click here to read more...
Share your experiences at or memories of Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò!
By the end of this summer, the Department of Homeland Security will eliminate the paper arrival/departure form (Form I-94W) for travelers arriving in the U.S. from a number of nations, including Italy.
The change is intended to streamline travel. Instead, travelers who wish to enter the U.S. will provide biographical, travel and eligibility information in advance through an electronic system for travel authorization known as ESTA. All citizens of countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program (including Italy) must submit ESTA travel applications when making plans to visit the U.S.
The requirement does not affect U.S. citizens returning from travel overseas.
The Italian Embassy has compiled information on this change. To read more and learn how it may affect you, click here.
La Gazzetta Italiana, an Ohio-based monthly newspaper catering to the Italian American community, is offering a free issue to readers who visit its website.
But there's more on the paper's website than the offer a free issue. This month's issue features an article on visiting the Isola d'Ischia, "Italy's Emerald Isle" with notes on where to stay, where to eat and the island's best beaches. A resource for travelers, it offers notes like "Be sure not to miss a walk around the Castello Aragonese, and step back in time in the secluded fishing village of Sant’Angelo."
A new initiative in Italy will allow for food, cosmetics and pharmeceutical products made in Italy to be certified as "halal," meaning that their production is compliant with the laws of the Koran. The move supports a "Halal Italia" initiative by CO.RE.IS Italiana (Comunita Religiosa Islamica), a group that has participated in a trial program with the Milan Chamber of Commerce.
The "halal" certification is intended to advance the sale of Made in Italy products in Islamic nations and further the bond between Italy and Muslim majority nations, according to a release by the Italian Embassy.
Caravaggio's work has been far-reaching, even four centuries after his death at the age of 39. Here, a painting by the master appears on a stamp from Kampuchea, the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Mark your calendars for next Monday, July 12, when BBC Radio will examine the work and life of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio -- or, as he has been known to generations of art lovers, simply Caravaggio -- on the 400th anniversary of his death in July 1610 at the age of 39.
This series of on-air verbal portraits includes a discussion by John Gash, senior lecturer on the history of art at Aberdeen University. Topics include an introduction to the artist, an examination of his painting techniques including chiaroscuro, the politcal climate of Caravaggio's times, and more.
During his time, the brawling artist was known as much for the beauty of his public commisisons -- including "Martyrdom of Saint Matthew" and "Calling of Saint Matthew" -- as for his penchant for fighting and arguments.
Notes BBC Radio's website, "When Caravaggio moves from northern Italy to seek patronage and fame in Rome, the celebrity he attracts there is entwined with visceral and violent behaviour, which itself is then replicated in aspects of his work that depict sacred Christian subjects."
As we prepare to celebrate our nation's independence, we here at NIAF are mindful that Italians have supported the U.S. since the beginning of our country's history. Here is just a sampling of Italians who helped the American colonies become the United States of America.
- Three Italian regiments, totaling some 1,500 men, fought for American independence: the Third Piemonte, the 13th Du Perche, and the Royal Italian.
- Filippo Mazzei, a Tuscan physician, fought alongside Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry during the American Revolution. Mazzei drew up a plan to capture the British in
New York by cutting off their sea escape, and convinced
France to help the American colonists financially and militarily. He also inspired the Jeffersonian phrase: "All men are created equal" when he wrote "All men are by nature equally free and independent."
- Italian officers in the American Revolution included: Captain Cosimo de Medici of the North Carolina Light Dragoons; Lieutenant James Bracco, 7th Maryland Regiment, killed at the Battle of White Plains; Captain B. Tagliaferro, second in command of the Second Virginia Regiment, a direct subaltern of General George Washington; 2nd Lieutenant Nicola Talliaferro of the 2nd Virginia Regiment; and Colonel Richard Talliaferro, who fell at the Battle of Guilford. Other Italian officers, most from
Massachusetts, are on regimental rolls of the Continental Army.
- Major John Belli was the Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army from 1792 to 1794. The first settler in
Scioto County,
Ohio, he lived there until his death in 1809.
- Three of the first five warships commissioned by the Continental Congress of the new American government, were named Christopher Columbus, John Cabot and Andrea Doria. Doria was a 16th century navy admiral from
Genoa who was still fighting the
Barbary pirates in his mid 80s.
- Francesco Vigo (1747-1836), is believed the first Italian to become an American citizen. A successful fur trader on the western frontier (today the mid-western states of
Wisconsin,
Michigan,
Illinois,
Indiana, and
Ohio),
Vigo served as a colonel, spy, and financier during the American Revolution. He died a pauper, but in 1876 the
U.S. government gave his heirs about $50,000 to repay them for
Vigo's financial support of the Revolutionary War. Along with George Rogers Clark, he helped settle the
Northwest territory.
To learn more about Italian American contributions to our country's history, visit NIAF's website.
Who are your favorite Italians or Italian Americans in U.S. history? Share with us!
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
NIAF thanks military historian Rudy A. D'Angelo for his assistance with this fact sheet.
Mark your calendars! Actor Robert Davi ("Die Hard," "The Dukes") will perform "A Tribute To A Legend: Davi Sings Sinatra" at Hofstra University's John Cranford Adams Playhouse on July 16 and 17 at 8 pm. and July 18 at 2 p.m.
During the three performances, Davi will be accompanied by the 30-piece New York Big Band, led by Joe Battaglia.
Born in Astoria, Queens, New York in 1953 to Italian immigrant parents, Davi was inspired as a child by Italian neo-realism films and later received a drama scholarship from Hofstra University. He has been influenced by the storytelling of legendary directors Federico Fellini, Vittorio de Sica, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Luchino Visconti and Roberto Rossellini. His body of work includes more than 60 films, in which he collaborated with prominent directors and producers including Steven Spielberg.
Italian mafia boss Giuseppe Falsone was arrested in France on Friday, after more than a decade on the run, in a joint operation by police from both Italy and France, according to reporting by the BBC and National Turk.
Falsone, 40, was caught in Marseille and was believed to have undergone plastic surgery and been using false identification. He had already been sentenced to life in prison for murder and international drug trafficking.
He is thought to have been the mafia boss for Sicily's province of Agrigento.
Last month, Italian company Italcementi, the world's fifth largest producer of cement, opened a new plant in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Work on the facility began in 2006 and was completed at a cost of $500 million dollars, representing the company's largest investment in North America today.
Italcementi employs 2,300 workers at seven plants across the United States. This particular plant, which has been outfitted with cutting-edge technology, is able to produce two million tons of cement each day.
Speaking at the facility's inauguration, Italian Ambassador to the U.S. Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata lauded the unique collaboration in the fields of science and technology that exists today between the U.S. and Italy.
Said Terzi, "The National Science Foundation estimates that over 15 thousand scientists of Italian origin are active in the U.S. From biotechnologies to astrophysics, from nanotechnology to nuclear physics, many Italian scientists have contributed substantially, over the last decades, to the American scientific progress. As an example, let me mention the small group of Italian researchers working in Silicon Valley, who in the 1980's developed hardware and software components still essential to our computers. Thanks to them, for instance, the control room of this 'state of the art' plant in West Virginia is so advanced."
Terzi also lauded West Virginia's Italian roots, adding as he concluded that, "Let me also pay a warm tribute to the hard working Italian community in West Virginia. They are here, as representatives of a long history of dedication and commitment to the industrial and economic development of the State and the Union."
Judged in May, the competition highlights the best wines from around the world. This year, Cuillo's Livernano, Janus Casalvento and Livernano Riserva wines all received silver medals while Casalvento Riserva 2007 took the gold medal. Auguri!
Planning a visit to Tuscany? Consider a visit to Cuillo's Livernano, which is far more than a winery. The estate is a working farm that also produces olive oil, honey, vegetables and fruits in addition to serving as an exclusive hotel complete with swimming pool.
