travellingtohappinessblog

pasta with pavarotti

In happiness.enlightenment, italy, pasta, travel on June 18, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Grand Canal

Giudecca Grand Canal

These past several weeks I have worked on a big project. Organizing years worth of recipes. It has been over a year now since  I read ” A Year To An Organized Life”. I cherish my recipe gems. Travelling through food is a great experience without leaving your neighborhood. Anyway, I came across a  magazine piece I saved for a great fresh tomato sauce. The article, by a magazine writer interviewing Luciano Pavarotti,  world-famous opera singer, while Luciano cooked in his kitchen.

Spaghetti Subito (serves four)

3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup Italian parsley, coarsely chopped

A few leaves of basil, chopped

1/4 freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 Italian virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1lb. spaghetti

” First, sing the tenor part of an opera” go to a friend’s house and find a large mixing bowl. Lovingly place all ingredients except the spaghetti in the bowl and mix . Meanwhile, cook your spaghetti in plenty of rapidly boiling water _ but not until it’s mush, rather al-dentissimo, , on the hard side. Drain, please. Now, caro, take the largest available bowl and mix the steaming hot spaghetti and the sauce with speed and precisions. Put it on the table , pour a big glass of Brunello di Montalcino and, for the moment disregard the world around you.”

when movies move you

In happiness.enlightenment, Uncategorized on August 16, 2010 at 5:47 pm

First, I am not a movie critic but rather a lover of movies and can’t contain myself when I see a good one. Eat, Pray, Love has exactly what I like . Fabulous photography, just the right amount of mood music to heighten the experience, and a really nice story. You are there, if you haven’t been  there you want to go  there as soon as possible. You are hungry and want to taste every delicious bite of  the Roman dishes you see.  You want to find out if there could there be a soundtrack  with all the various moods the background music provides to transport you. Anyway_ a samba , a bossa nova , whatever works. Go see it . Be in the moment .

Naples is just around the tunnels.

travelling through films

In enlightenment, happiness.enlightenment on July 15, 2010 at 5:17 pm

Two new DVD’s out this past week are very good vehicles for transporting you to happiness. Thought provoking , the happiness in these films is enlightenment. To say the subject matter is harsh is an under statement. Don’t let it keep you from seeing the films. The first is “The Messenger” the second , “The Stoning of Soraya M. I make it a point to read reviews of foreign films and films shot in foreign places. I especially enjoy films about the immigrant experience.

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