Gala Placidia's activity

Questions Asked

We all have cooking tips and techniques learnt through personal experience or because someone else was kind enough to tell us.

Tue, 08/04/2009 - 05:07

 A fairly comprehensive list of words related to food and wine has been prepared by a few of us. It still needs revision, corrections, additions and you may be able to help as it is a Wiki.

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 04:31

 It is official, the old Casino in Bagni di Lucca is reopening its doors after many years; however, it is going to be a modern version, more "little Las Vegas" style than its elegant and exclusive predecessor.

Mon, 06/29/2009 - 09:04

A few weeks ago I started a thread in the old forum about this topic. I still think that it would be great if we could all share our favourite recipes which our families and friends enjoy.

Fri, 06/19/2009 - 05:29

 I think that there are quite a few members who have married overseas an Italian citizen; however, I am not quite certain whether they have registered their certificate of marriage before the nearest Italian Consulate.It is advisable to do this an

Tue, 06/16/2009 - 03:43

 It is most important, if you own a property, to have a clear description for it. That is possible through the "visura catastale" which gives you and confirms many facts regarding your title.

Sun, 06/14/2009 - 05:21

 Polenta is one of those Italian dishes that you either love or hate. Considered in the past as the poor people's staple diet it is nowadays served in the best restaurants. 

Sat, 06/13/2009 - 17:53

I have just seen on TV some images regarding the Treviso tornado. I sincerely hope that any members in the area have not suffered from this disaster.  

Sun, 06/07/2009 - 16:44

 The base for many Italian sauces and dishes is the "soffritto" (sofrit in French, sofrito in Spanish), a mixture of some diced vegetables which are cooked in a heavy pan with three tablespoons of olive oil (although some other kinds of oil and fa

Sat, 06/06/2009 - 05:37

 Hi everyone, this is a warm invitation to joint this group and discuss Italian food, wine, regional cooking, recipes, tips, cooking utensils, history of cooking and any related subject you may wish to talk about.And welcome, Mimosa, glad to see t

Fri, 06/05/2009 - 08:28

Comments posted

Sat, 10/29/2011 - 12:23

Congratulations! It has taken a long time but it's done. Regarding heating, there are quite a few old threads with valuable information such as this one: http://www.italymag.co.uk/community/post/what-best-heating-source You can also do a search entering the word "heating" where the search butten is, at the top right corner. Also, it is difficult to know until you have spent some time in the place during the winter months. Insulation is most important if you want to save on energy. Best wishes

Fri, 10/28/2011 - 06:35

Anne, here are two good explanations of both "fiume" and "torrente" http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiume http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torrente For instance, our watermill is on the "Torrente Lima", which feeds into the Sercchio, which is a "fiume". Looking at the Italian text, I would say that they are talking about the River Aso, which would be near the Torrente Indaco. Actually, the "torrente" would lead to the river: "un fiume nella vicinanze dell'Indaco". And that should make sense.

Fri, 10/28/2011 - 04:46

but I trust that this will help you. There is, according to the Comune site, "2 Corsi d'Acqua": Fiume Aso and Torrente Indaco. http://www.comuni-italiani.it/109/029/ There is also a Country house in the area called: Colle Indaco, which is next to the torrente.

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 17:13

This is a delicious combination, ideal for a festive occasion. Simply steam about 600g of Brussels sprouts. Heat a bit of olive oil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cooked chestnuts (you can get these already prepared: http://www.noberasco.it/it/prodotti/dettaglio_prodotti.asp?IDProductCategory=17&IDProduct=223 and some cubes of bacon or ham. Add the juice and the grated zest of 1 orange together with 1/2 spoonful of sugar. Allow to reduce. Delicious.

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 15:28

Very easy, here we go: INGREDIENTS: 600 g red radicchio, washed and cut into quarters (you can also use endives) extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper to taste PREPARATION: Dry the radicchio quarters patting them with some kitchen paper to absorb any excess of humidity. Put them in an oven tray, previously coated with some olive oil. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake in a moderate oven for some 5-10 minutes or until the leaves become tender. You can also cook them in a skillet or a wok for some 3-5 minutes. They cook very quickly. What else would you like?

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 13:17

Well, I have been able to see it. Anyway, here are 10 pages of recipes and comments from the Old Forum: http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/food-drink/7954-italian-christmas.html The sauce that uses a full bottle of wine will be delicious and very rich. The alcohol content of the wine evaporates after 3-5 minutes of boiling. This will be useful if children are having some of the sauce. Another suggestion, you can serve potatoes and sweet potatoes or yams as the Americans call them (patata dolce). If your children do not like Brussels sprouts (you should be able to get them) offer them sauteed broccoli or spinach, or cauliflower in white sauce with cheese and ham, or "radichio rosso al forno". Do you need a recipe for any of those?

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 05:48

I agree with Casa Monal. The banks are responsible for this catastrophe which has dragged everyone into a crisis. Greed is (or was) good! They gambled with their money.... well, we should say our money and they were rescued by those who represent us in theory, with our own money... Not a nice picture and a recipe for disaster. And we shall be paying for it for a long time. It is going to be necessary to have a profound change in the economy before we can breathe easy.

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 05:32

I could not agree more, Casa Monal. This is what I have been saying all the time.

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 05:28

I have successfully communicated with Admin and I have been assured that they are aware of all problems which are due to some technical adjustments and that they are in the process of fixing them. So be a bit patient and we will all see the light yes

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 05:07

I think that at this stage you do not need moderation or censorship. You need to be exorcised or excommunicated. For this reason, I am stopping all communication with you. You can say whatever you want, I will not respond. I further believe that you have been exposed and you have shown what you are capable of doing. I rest my case.