Panettone (Bread Machine)

Panettone is a traditional Italian bread that is most prevalent during Christmas and Easter. My mother's kitchen always emitted the beautiful aroma of this bread before these holidays and she would make them to give away as gifts to friends and neighbors.

Here is my favourite recipe for the breadmaker.

3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup candied mixed peel and citron
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs beaten
2 egg yolks beaten
1/2 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon anise extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 teaspoons each of grated orange and lemon peel
2 teaspoons yeast

Mix 1 tbsp of the flour with raisins, candied peel and citron. Add milk, eggs, butter, anise, sugar, salt, orange and lemon peels in bread machine pan or proceed as per manufacturer's instructions. Turn on machine and set to normal/basic bread setting, choosing light colour setting if available. Sprinkl reserved fruit mixture into machine when fruit alarm sounds or just as second kneading is ending. Makes one 1 1/2 lb. loaf.

The Silent Duchess by Dacia Maraini

Winner of the Premio Campiello (Italy's equivalent of the National Book Award)

I'm always excited to get my hands on translated Italian novels. I stumbled across this book while surfing an on-line book store. So I ordered it and just finished reading it the other night.

The writing is beautiful and very, very rich with details. The story is compelling and entertaining. It is no wonder it won Italy's most prestigious literary award.

Here is the cover blurb synopsis:

Winner of the Premio Campiello (Italy's equivalent of the National Book Award), short-listed for the Independent Foreign Fiction Award upon its first English-language publication in the U.K., and published to critical acclaim in fourteen languages, this mesmerizing historical novel by one of Italy's premier women writers is available in the United States for the first time.

Set in Sicily in the early eighteenth century, The Silent Duchess is the story of Marianna Ucrìa, the daughter of an aristocratic family and the victim of a mysterious childhood trauma that has left her deaf and mute, trapped in a world of silence. Set apart from the world by her disability, Marianna searches for knowledge and fulfillment in a society where women face either forced marriages and endless childbearing or a life of renunciation within the walls of a convent. When she is just thirteen years old, Marianna is forced to marry her own aging uncle. Her status and wealth as a duchess cannot protect her from many of the horrors of that time: she witnesses her mother's decline due to her addiction to opium and snuff and her father's cruelly misguided religious piety as he participates in the hanging of a young boy. She watches helplessly as her four-year-old son dies of smallpox and her youngest daughter is married off at the age of twelve. It is not until the death of her "uncle-husband" that Marianna at last gains freedom from her life of subservience: she learns to manage her estates and to love a man as she had never loved her husband, and she also learns of the unspeakable events that led to her lifelong silence. In luminous language that conveys both the keen visual sight and thedeep human insight possessed by her remarkable main character, Dacia Maraini captures the splendor and the corruption of Marianna's world and the strength of her spirit. The Silent Duchess is the timeless story of one woman's struggle to find her own voice after years of silence.

Interview with Diane Hales - Author of La Bella Lingua

Welcome, I’m so glad to have this opportunity to chat with you. Can you share with my readers the essence of your book and why you penned it?

Twenty-some years ago I started studying Italian simply to be able to speak with Italians on our travels. I never expected to fall in love with the language, but I did. La Bella Lingua celebrates this love by recounting the adventurous tale of how Italian became Italian, civilized the West and enriched every aspect of culture and life.

You’ve chosen a very interesting title. What inspired the title? What inspired the book?

“La Bella Lingua” means the beautiful language, and that’s how I view Italian. I worked as a journalist for many years, and I know a great story when I see one. The story of Italian has everything: history, drama, courageous heroes, beautiful women, music, art, fashion, food and, of course, love! I couldn’t resist telling it.

What makes this book special to you?

It’s a true opera amorosa, or labor of love. I’ve written dozens of trade and text books but none has meant so much—or brought such joy and satisfaction to my life.

What makes this a book that people MUST read and WHY?

There’s a bit of Italian in every soul—the part that loves passionately, that appreciates beauty, good food, friends and family, that lives in and savors the moment. This is a book for your inner Italian. Even if you never visit Italy and never say so much as “ciao!”, if you love pizza, pasta or just an armchair adventure you’ll find something to love in La Bella Lingua .

What sparks your creativity? Any tips to help others spark their own creativity?

I interviewed a lawyer-turned-chef in Florence and asked her what had sparked her passion for food. “Signora,” she said, “we do not so much choose our passions as much as they choose us.” Italian seized my imagination and my heart. I would say open yourself up to a wide range of experiences and pursue the one that stirs you the most.

What has been the biggest stumbling block in your writing? Can you share some tips to help others get past similar problems?

At times I thought I was “tutta matta” (completely crazy) to write about a language other than my own. Italian, as many of you know, is easy to love but hard to learn, so I struggled mightily to master it. Yet, as with any other obstacle, I found help by turning to experts for guidance and support—and by simply persevering day by day, treating every iota of progress as a victory.

Tell me about the most unusual things you have done to promote your book?

Well, I haven’t done it yet, but I bought a shower curtain decorated with Italian words, and I plan to offer it as a prize for an online contest. Any takers?

Each author is different in the way they write. Please describe for us the steps you took to plan your book.

First, I had to study Italian -- not just its grammar and vocabulary but its history. In addition to years of classes, I worked with a private tutor in San Francisco and took a course in the history of Italian at the Societa Dante Alighieri in Florence. Since I’m trained as a journalist, I then followed the steps I use for articles and books: I identified authoritative sources and interviewed them. All the while I kept reading everything I could about every aspect of the language.

Authors are very unique in the way they write, the tools they use, when they write, etc. Please describe a typical writing day for you? How do you organize your day?

My best writing days are in Italy. I let my husband sleep in and creep down the stairs to the matchbox kitchen of the summer house we rent each year. I make myself an espresso as my pet cat (yes, she lives here) begs to be petted and fed. Then she and I go up a lovely flower-lined path to the little cottage where I write. It’s like Butterfly’s house in the opera, with a long porch open to the sky and a view of the sea. I set up my laptop on a rickety wooden table and write for several hours. My husband comes up mid-morning with cappuccino and biscotti. Then I write only lunchtime. The rest of the day I swim, walk, talk, explore, etc.

In California, I simply go down to my office, turn on the computer and start plugging away. When I run into a dead end, I fantasize about being back in my casetta in Italy.

What is your current work in progress?



When I got here ten days ago, I thought I’d never have another book idea. But the atmosphere here is so nourishing that my husband describes it as amniotic fluid. In this creative womb, sure enough, I’ve found inspiration. The idea is too fragile and new for me to dare put it out in the world. But it will be about Italy, I assure you.

Can you tell us where to find more information about you and your books and how readers can reach you?



Yes, please visit my website at www.becomingitalian.com or www.labellalingua.org. There is an excerpt of the first chapter posted there. I do a blog on Italian three times a week at www.becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com.

I love getting feedback and hearing from readers who share my love of all things Italian. I look forward to hearing from you.

What would you like our readers to know about you and your writing?

An Italian friend once told me that I had unlocked “the Italian secret.” When I asked what that was, he said, “You know how to make the soul smile.” I like to think that’s true, and I hope La Bella Lingua does the same for readers.

La Bella Lingua by Dianne Hales - Book Review

La Bella Lingua by Dianne Hales

Little did Dianne Hales know that when she went on her first vacation to Italy, it would become a life altering experience. But that’s exactly what happened. Not only did she fall in love with the country, its culture, its people, she took it one step further. She decided to BE Italian in every sense of the word.

Her first hurdle was the language barrier. Most people try to learn a language word by word, through repetition and trial and error. But not Dianne. She began at the very beginning and went back into history to understand how Italian came to life.

Dianne takes us on a true Italian journey. Chapter by chapter, she explores how some of Italy’s most famous personages, writers, artists, and musicians helped shape the language from its vulgar vernacular into the beautiful harmonic language that it is today.

Sprinkled throughout, is Dianne’s humor as she stumbles verbally and sends the wrong message as she begins to speak basic words. But as her skill develops, so does her keen sense of analysis and she is able to give her take on how Italians communicate through their coloroful words, complex hand gestures, and rich food and drink. She met with experts from some of the country’ s leading educational organizations for her research and even explored Italy’s many dialects.

To say her journey and her book was captivating would be an understatement. The uniqueness of her story, the vibrant prose contained within this non-fiction book, and her tales of some of her mishaps as she learned to speak Italian, kept me turning the pages, eager to learn more. Her book honors Italy and Italians everywhere. A highly recommended read – but beware – it will make you want to vacation there yourself. Brava Dianne! Encore!

Italian Pastry Cream

If there is one taste that reminds me of my Italian childhood, it is Italian pastry cream. I remember as a child hovering at the stove with my mother or aunt as they carefully made this cream, a recipe handed down to them from my grandmother. They would make a big batch and divide it into three. With drops of food coloring they would tint one batch red and another green. They always left the last batch untouched. Red, white, and green are the colors of the Italian flag. They would then slice a sponge cake into three layers, drench each layer in espresso and sambucca, and then slather each of the colored creams on each layer.

I have to admit, I make this pastry cream and serve it to my own family instead of pudding. It is the one recipe I have that comforts, that brings good memories, that makes me die with delight with every mouthful.

In a pinch, if you want to make tiramisu and don't have mascarpone cream on hand, this is an excellent substitute. It is a nice variation.

Italian Pastry Cream ingredients:

4 egg yolks
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
4 cups milk
1 lemon rind
1 cinammon stick

Place sugar, egg yolks flour, lemon rind (if using it), and vanilla in a sauce pan and mix together well.

In a separate sauce pan, scald milk.

Very slowly pour milk over egg yolk mixture, in a thin stream, beating constantly with rotary beater.

Continue cooking on low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture reaches the boiling point.

Cook 4 minutes longer, stirring constantly.

Pour into bowl and let cool, stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming over the top.

If using it as a cake/pastry filling, chill (with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming) until very thick at least 3-4 hours.

But if you're anything like me, I like it while it's still hot.

Italian Hand Gestures

If you're Italian, at least once in your life, you have been accused of speaking with your hands. I know I often have. But it wasn't until I went to Italy and spent time with my grandparents and cousins that I learned many of the gestures and their meanings.

I often visit the website: http://www.italyfromtheinside.com. It has to be one of the best websites about the Italian culture on the web. They've given me permission to promote their site on my own site. If you haven't visited them before, please stop by.

Now enjoy the video on hand gestures.