Adri Barr Crocetti

La Figlia del Reggimento – The Daughter of the Regiment

All’armi!

They called them Lincoln’s Foreign Legion, men from all over the world who fought on the side of the Union. Of the many foreign born patriot units, none is more well known than the 39th New York Infantry Regiment, the Garibaldi Guard.

On December 20, 1860 South Carolina seceded from the Union. A house divided. The Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter commenced before daybreak on April 12, 1861. The Civil War was on. Our nation was on a course that would sorely test the Union, pitting brother against brother and expatriot against expatriot. Read the remainder of this entry »

The Bloody Monty, or The Orange Monty Redux

My regular readers may recall the delightful mix of orange juice and Amaro Montenegro that made its first appearance in my post Pazza per Amaro. That drink, thanks to Brian of the site Live Like an Italian, has come to be known as the Orange Monty. Since it is blood orange season, and since that season does not last forever, and since the Orange Monty is such a cool drink, I submit for your drinking pleasure the Bloody Monty.

I was cutting and juicing blood oranges for a kitchen experiment, and when I saw all the juice, I felt the tug of distraction in my brain. For those who do not know me, I am somewhat, well, I’ll call it focus challenged. If I were a third grader, I’d probably drive my teacher nuts.

I looked upon the pitcher of remarkably, I mean completely, opaque blood orange juice. This particular juice had come from my Moro blood oranges. They are my favorite because their juice is dark as blood, consistently so, a trait not shared by the other varieties of blood orange, Tarocco and Sanguinello. I saw the juice, and I knew what I had to do. First, I went for the Solerno blood orange liquore, that amazing distillation of Sicilian blood oranges and lemons – the Sicilian sun in a bottle. Yes, Dear Reader, this is a step above. And I’ll make it simple – if James Bond were ordering this one it would go like this:

“One measure of Amaro Montenegro, 2 of blood orange juice, 1/2 of Solerno, over cracked ice. Then add a thin slice of orange.” Just imagine sidling up to a bar and intoning those words.

The Bloody Monty

makes 1

2 ounces blood orange juice
1 ounce Amaro Montenegro
1/2 ounce Solerno blood orange liquore
slice of blood orange for garnish

Fill an 8 ounce glass half full with cracked ice. Add ingredients, stir with a bar spoon, and garnish with a thin slice of blood orange. Serve at once.

A couple of notes:

Blood orange season does not last forever. Buy as many blood oranges as you can, and juice them now. Fill ice cube trays with the juice and freeze. Pop out the cubes and bag them for a supply of juice with which you can dazzle family and guests all year long.

I have always loved the artwork from old fruit and vegetable crates. Italy, home to the world’s finest blood oranges, has a similar tradition of wonderful and whimsical produce artwork. Check out Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome to view a great collection of charmingly beautiful Italian blood orange paper wrappings.

I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.

A PROCLAMATION

On March 17, Italy celebrates the 150th anniversary of its unification as a single state. On this day, we join with Italians everywhere to honor the courage, sacrifice, and vision of the patriots who gave birth to the Italian nation. At a time when the United States was fighting for the preservation of our own Union, Giuseppe Garibaldi’s campaign for the unification of Italy inspired many around the world in their own struggles, including the 39th New York Infantry, also known as “The Garibaldi Guard.” Today, the legacy of Garibaldi and all those who unified Italy lives on in the millions of American women and men of Italian descent who strengthen and enrich our Nation.


Italy and the United States are bound by friendship and common dedication to civil liberties, democratic principles, and the universal human rights our countries both respect and uphold. As we mark this important milestone in Italian history, we also honor the joint efforts of Americans and Italians to foster freedom, democracy, and our shared values throughout the world.


NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 17, 2011, as a day to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy. I encourage all Americans to learn more about the history of Italian unification and to honor the enduring friendship between the people of Italy and the people of the United States.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

Il Risorgimento – Italian unification – today we celebrate its 150th anniversary. The independent governments of Italy threw off the bonds of European rulers and proclaimed themselves one country united, People and God with Victor Emmanuel II as their King. The blood of many partiots paved the way to unification. Camillo di Cavour, Giuseppe Mazzini and La Giovine Italia, Giuseppe Garibaldi and I Mille, and Camicie Rosse, the Carbonari and so many more brave souls fought from Sicily to Reggio Calabria and north to unite the country we now call Italy. I salute you, brave soldiers all.



Think Aperol. Think bright orange. OK, so I am going father than orange on the color scale, but this is blood orange season, and I am not done yet. I Fratelli Barbieri introduced their creation at the 1919 International Fair of Padova, and Italians took to it right away. Aperol is made of sweet and bitter oranges, herbs and other ingredients. In short. SECRET. That’s alright with me. As long as I can get my hands on this 11% alcohol wonder, I am happy.






In honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy and Giuseppe Garibaldi and his Red Shirts, volunteers one and all, I give you La Camicia Rossa, a combination of Aperol, Prosecco, blood orange juice and simple syrup.

Camicia Rossa

2 cups Prosecco
1 cup blood orange juice
1/4 cup Aperol
1-2 tablespoons simple syrup, to taste*


Combine all ingredients and serve over cracked ice.


*To make simple syrup, combine ½ cup sugar and 1 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and cool.


Bevi responsabilmente!

Torta d’Arancia Rossa

Blood Orange Cake

4 large eggs, separated
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened plus butter to grease pan
2 cups vanilla sugar
zest of 2 blood oranges
2 ½ cups cake flour plus flour for pan
pinch kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 packet Vanillina* OR ½ teasoon vanilla extract
1 cup blood orange juice, seeds removed


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan. Line with parchment. Grease parchment and flour pan, tapping out excess.


In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and Vanillina. Set aside.


Fit standing mixer with whisk and beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside.


Change from whisk to paddle attachment and beat butter, zest and sugar together until very light and fluffy, occasionally scraping sides. Add egg yolks one at a time, incorporating thoroughly after each addition. Scrape sides of bowl.


Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with orange juice. Scrape sides of bowl.
Fold beaten egg whites into batter. Pour batter into springform pan. Smooth top.


Bake 1 hour and 20 – 30 minutes, until done.


Place cake on rack to cool 20 minutes. Carefully release sides. Remove and discard parchment. You may serve cake as is or remove top crust, invert cake and serve. Cool completely. Dust top of cake with powdered sugar. Serve with a dollop of Blood Orange Mascarpone Cream.


* Vanillina is a powdered vanilla product from Italy. For another way to use it see my post on Ferratelle.

Blood Orange Mascarpone Cream

4 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
2 tablespoons blood orange juice, seeds removed
zest of 2 blood oranges
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine mascarpone, whipping cream and sugar in medium bowl. Beat until very soft peaks form. Do not overbeat or mixture will separate. Fold in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.





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Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today
To-morrow will be dying.
…Robert Herrick

Grab them while you can.  Juice them and freeze their juice.  The season does not last forever, but right now blood oranges are everywhere, including my back yard, so I am using them a lot.  Tarts, panna cotta, cocktails, zabaglione and some very adult gelatin.  I remember eating lots of Jell-O  when I was a kid.  It’s the red flavors I liked best – none of that green stuff for me.  Pass the raspberry, hold the lime.  I can picture holding my mom’s wooden spoon and looking down as I stirred the garnet liquid, knowing that in a while it would transform into its own unique state of matter, somewhere between jiggly and solid, a state that, when  exposed to the heat of my mouth, would return once again to its liquid beginnings.  Magic.   But as always, times and tastes change, and Jell-O was long ago relegated to the realm of childhood memory.  Until Bart was in the hospital, that is.  (To forestall any worry – he is perfectly well now.  No troubles.)  But after many days of no food at all, the angels of mercy presented him with Jell-O.  He loved it.  He devoured it.  He wanted more.  Either the poor guy was really hungry, or that Jell-O was really good.  I will never know.  But when he returned home he wanted some from scratch.  Homemade fruit gelatin.  Not a glamorous name, but that is what it is.  I thought why not?  This could be really good.  We bought some cherry juice and gave it a try.  It was easy to make and we were rewarded with a blast of pure cherry flavor.  More experimentation was surely in order; at each visit to Trader Joe’s we’d scan the juice section for a new flavor to try.  Bart always got to choose, still does.  Along with cherry, some of our favorites are pomegranate, blueberry and cranberry, and now blood orange.  Topped with a dollop of softly whipped cream, homemade fruit gelatin is surprisingly refreshing.  Pure fruit taste.





My standard recipe is  2 cups of liquid,  sugar and 1 packet (1/4 oz.) KNOX Unflavored Gelatine.  Don’t be put off by the idea of using gelatin. Once you understand it, you’ll get the hang and you’ll wonder what the fuss was about.  Proper gelatin use consists of two steps.  First you must soften, or “bloom” the gelatin.  To do this pour a small portion of liquid into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  Do not stir.  Second, pour softened gelatin into hot liquid and stir to dissolve.  See, no hassle.  No mystery. For more info on gelatin use, see my post on Espresso Panna Cotta.





Depending on the juice you use you may or may not need to add sugar – cranberry and pomegranate always need sugar, from 4 to 6 tablespoons for 2 cups of their very tart juices.  Grape juice may not need any sugar, but remember that you will eat this cold, so a bit of sugar may be necessary to lift the flavor, no matter how perfect the juice seems when you first try it.


I say go for it.  Perfect your fruit gelatin technique in time for summer.  You can wow your guests with unusual flavor combinations and multi-layered delights.


In the fifties every chic hostess used Dorothy Thorpe glassware; in a nod to my mom, the most chic of hostesses and the woman who taught me all about Jell-O, I give you Blood Orange Fruit Gelatin in Dorothy Thorpe glassware.

Blood Orange Fruit Gelatin

makes 4 servings


2 cups strained blood orange juice
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 packet (1/4 oz. or 2 1/4 teaspoons) KNOX Unflavored Gelatine




Pour 1/4 cup juice into a small bowl.  Sprinkle KNOX Gelatine over, and set aside to soften for 5 minutes.  Do not stir.


Pour remaining juice in small saucepan and add sugar to taste.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Remove from heat.


Pour softened gelatin into hot liquid, stirring to combine well and dissolve gelatin.  If your juice has cooled, quickly bring it back to the boil, remove from heat and add gelatin mixture, just to be certain it will dissolve.


Pour mixture through a fine strainer set over medium bowl.  Place bowl over an ice water bath to cool, stirring occasionally.


Pour mixture into serving glasses and cover carefully with plastic.  Refrigerate until completely chilled and set.


To serve, garnish with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.




Note: You can click on any picture to see a slide show!