Recipe for Red Sangria with Chianti

Sangria is a refreshing drink any time of year. It can be enjoyed during the holidays, during the warm summer months, during the chill of fall, or even after a great hike or swim. The balance of fruit and wine gives it almost the feel of a beverage and snack all in one.

Santa Margherita Chianti Classico Riserva has shared a wine cocktail recipe that you can quickly whip up when the feeling strikes you.

Recipe for Red Sangria with Chianti

Ingredients:

  • 1 bottle of Santa Margherita Chianti Classico Riserva
  • 1 large orange, sliced
  • 1 large apple, chopped
  • 1 large pear, chopped
  • Seeds of 1 pomegranate
  • 4 cinnamon sticks

Directions:

  1. Add fruit to large pitcher
  2. Top with Santa Margherita Chianti Classico Riserva
  3. Place in fridge for an hour before serving
  4. Spoon fruit in glass before pouring wine
  5. Garnish with cinnamon stick
  6. Add ice to top (optional)

 

 

Fresh Spices are a Key Ingredient to Recipe Success: Spaghetti Puttanesca

Sometimes your spices are not fresh enough for your recipes. Pereg Natural Foods has a line of spices that is quite fresh and can add that critical touch to a meal. TasteTV had a moment to talk with them about how they source their herbs. Pereg also shares its recipe for tasty Spaghetti Puttanesca.

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TasteTV Gift Guide: 10 Tasty Chocolates for the Vegan

What could be a better gift for the vegan in your life than an offering of artisan chocolate? The answer is “nothing.” Fortunately, there are a large number of vegan chocolates that you can enjoy.

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Italian Desert Roses Cookies Recipe

 

If you’re looking for a special occasion dessert, try this recipe by author and expert Paola Lovisetti Scamihorn for Rose Del Deserto (Desert Roses) cookies. It includes healthy options based on Paola’s improved version of the classic Mediterranean diet in her cookbook, which she calls The Mamma Mia! Diet.

ROSE DEL DESERTO (DESERT ROSES)

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 10 minutes
Yield: about 35-40 cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 130 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
  • 120 g (4.3 oz ) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 240 g (1 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 5 g (1 teaspoon) baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 180 g (1 cup) chocolate chips
  • 200 g (7 oz) approx., cornflakes (like Special K) or similar
    Powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350 °F). Cream the butter and sugar in a medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and the vanilla extract. Then mix the flour and the baking powder together in a small bowl. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and stir in the chocolate chips. Roll teaspoon-sized balls of dough in a bowl of cornflakes. Place the cookies, well-spaced (about 3-4 cm), on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar on top, just before serving.

Note: This recipe makes about 35-40 cookies. If the dough is too sticky, add one or two spoons of flour. You can substitute chocolate chips with other ingredients such as raisins, for an even healthier snack. Store in a airtight container. You can also store the baked cookies in the freezer; before serving, let them thaw at room temperature and then sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

ABOUT THE COOKBOOK AUTHORS

Paola Lovisetti Scamihorn is an Italian pharmacist, researcher and food writer. Cooking, eating healthy food and staying active have always been her life-long passions. She has a cooking blog Passion and Cooking, and contributes to several international magazines. She has previously published in Italy Love is Eating, focusing on Italian culinary culture.

Paola Palestini is a biochemistry professor at the Medical School of the University Milano-Bicocca, Italy. Recently, Paola has been actively involved in the promotion of the principles of a healthy diet through conferences and in collaboration with several magazines. She is the author of seventy-six scientific articles published in international journals.

THE MAMMA MIA! DIET
Written by Paola Lovisetti Scamihorn and Paola Palestini

Published by Hatherleigh Press.

Chicken Sausage, Feta and Kale Frittata Recipe

If you’re looking for a fast and easy meal, you can’t go wrong with a tasty and organic-sourced frittata.

Chicken Sausage, Feta and Kale Frittata

Recipe provided by True Story

Ingredients:

Makes 4 servings

  • 8 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups trimmed and thinly sliced kale
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
  • 2 Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage links, cut in bite-size slices

How to Make Frittatas:

  1. Heat broiler to high.
  2. Combine eggs, salt, and feta, and stir with a whisk. Set aside.
  3. In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add kale and sauté for 4 minutes, or until starting to wilt. Add pepper and sliced chicken sausage and stir 2 minutes, or until heated through.
  4. Add egg mixture. Cook over medium heat until eggs are partially set, 3 to 4 minutes.
  5. Transfer the skillet to the broiler and cook about 3 minutes, or until the top is set.

 

About True Story:

Founded in San Francisco in 2011, True Story Foods believes in a future of food that is a return to what is real and true. True Story believes in a future of food that is a return to what is real and true. A future that is respectful of the source of our food – the soil, the animals, and the farmers. True Story is nurturing a community of family farmers, artisan producers, progressive retailers, and food lovers who are dedicated to this future.

True Story is available nationally in select natural and traditional grocery retailers and Costco. For more information, visit www.truestoryfoods.com.

2 Things You have to Eat in Barcelona

Barcelona is a great place to visit. It is a wonderful city, and most people love it. And even if they don’t love it, they still like it quite a bit more than other places.

Of course there is great food and great drink in this town on the edge of the Mediterranean in northern Spain. The selections range from seafood, cheese, rice, and wine, to beer, cocktails, meats, and breads.

This means that you have a lot of options on the menu to enjoy. But we say that when you are in Barcelona, unless you are a vegetarian or a vegan, you must always have these two dishes at least once.

Patatas Bravas

The first is a delicious serving of patatas bravas, a local potato diced dish in a red sauce. Most people look at it and think it might be quite hot and spicy, but when eaten they realize that it is actually quite flavorful and savory, as the basic ingredients are olive oil, red pepper, paprika, chili, and vinegar.

Patatas bravas are one of the traditional tapas of the Catalan region.

The Cone of Meat (Cono Mixto)

The other item is what we like to call, the Cone of Meat. Often it is composed different of meats, but it can also include a mix of seafood such fried fish or calamari as well. The basic concept is that it is a paper cone filled with slices and dices of a selection of tasty morsels. If it’s made of meat then this could be a combination of sliced sausages, Serrano ham, manchego cheese, or chorizo.

It could be anything really, even just a mix of local artisan cheeses. It’s essentially a cone of mixed delights: “cono mixto” (aka cono de mini fuets, cono de jamon y queso, etc.). In addition, what bumps this particular dish up to a higher level of desire is that it is mobile friendly.  The choice is up to you. You can either stroll the streets or markets while munching on this, or sit at a table and enjoy it with a delicious glass of red vino or a taste of cava.

Ah, Barcelona!