Patate e finocchi al latte

For the videos of this class click here.


Ingredienti (for one baking pan):

-4-5 large patate (e.g. Idaho or Russet are perfect) and/or 2 finocchi (fennel bulbs)
- latte (milk)
- grated parmigiano
- olio d'oliva (olive oil)
- sale, pepe nero, noce moscata (salt, black pepper, nutmeg)

Procedimento:

1- Preheat the oven at 200 C/400 F
2- Peel the potatoes and cut them in disks about 1/2 cm thick (1/5 inch)
3- Wash the fennel bulbs, remove the stalks/leafy part and slice them (there isn't an
ideal thickness, but if you make them thinner they cook faster)
4- Lightly coat the bottom of a porcelain or pyrex baking pan with olive oil
5- Make a few layers of potatoes/fennel and cheese, seasoning with a little salt, nutmeg and black pepper.
6- Add enough milk to cover
7- Top with grated parmigiano
8- Bake until the milk becomes creamy, the patate/finocchi are soft and the top is golden brown (based on the thickness, it usually takes 20-30 minutes)

Variazioni:

- you can add sliced onions and some garlic if you like them
- non-vegetarians can add a couple of thin layers of ham
- if you want to reduce the time in the forno (oven), you can boil the potates/fennel before placing them in the baking pan..but you will have one extra pentola (pot) to wash =P, so I do not consider it a time saver after all
- you can add different spices, such as curry (not much used in Italy, but tasty)
- you can use also the stems of the finocchi if you slice them very thin.
- Finocchi are delicious raw, as a healthy snack, or in a salad.

Lezione numero otto: la dieta mediterranea

Giovedì scorso (last Thursday) we had un'ospite speciale (a special guest): Anna Jasonides R.D., L.D., nutritionist from MIT medical. She made a great presentation about la dieta mediterranea: what it is, what are its benefits, and examples from the Greek cuisine.

The noun ospite can be used for a masculine or feminine guest, but you would use a different (indeterminative) article. una ospite -> un'ospite (f) vs un ospite (m, without apostrophe).

Anyway, here is her presentation (grazie mille!). For the videos of this class click here.

Esercizi (review):

1- http://www.italica.rai.it/corso.php
Click English, choose a style, choose the curriculum "by linguistic functions" and ascolta the dialogue "Parliamo di lavoro". Translate it.
Hints: guadagnare = to earn, ditta = azienda = company

2- Read and solve the activities of the section "Espressioni con avere"

http://web.uvic.ca/hispanital/italian/italian100/verbi/index.htm


There is a small error in the text: Italians would say "Ha sempre fretta" not "Sempre ha fretta".

After you solve the crossword, ascolta e ripeti

Espressioni con avere

3- Listen, read, repeat and answer the question after the first slide:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/lj/ingredients/slideshow/index_mac.shtml

VIDEO lezione numero cinque

For the complete video click here.

For the whole lecture, recipes and exercises check the posts on March 8 and 10.