May your 2011 be filled with
Inner Italian moments.

Auguri!

Luciano Pavarotti’s sweet, powerful voice always sounds, to me, like a benediction. Never more so than in this sentimental Italian carol Mille Cherubini in Coro, Chorus of 1,000 Cherubs. The lyrics, set to a melody by Schubert, are about a choir of cherubs looking over the baby Jesus . . . and every baby.

Detail from Madonna of the Pomegranate by Sandro Botticelli.

These are the lyrics in Italian and English. . .

Mille Cherubini in Coro

Dormi, dormi,
sogna, piccolo amor mio.
Dormi, sogna,
posa il capo sul mio cor.

Mille cherubini in coro
ti sorridono dal ciel.
Una dolce canzone
t’accarezza il crin
Una man ti guida lieve
fra le nuvole d’or,
sognando e vegliando
su te, mio tesor,
proteggendo il tuo cammin.
Su te, mio tesor,
proteggendo il tuo cammin.

Dormi, dormi,
sogna, piccolo amor mio.
Dormi, sogna,
posa il capo sul mio cor.

Chiudi gli occhi,
ascolta gli angioletti,
dormi, dormi,
sogna, piccolo amor.

Dormi, dormi,
sogna, piccolo amor mio.
Dormi, sogna,
posa il capo sul mio cor.

Chiudi gli occhi,
ascolta gli angioletti,
dormi, dormi,
sogna, piccolo amor.

Sogna, piccolo amor.

A Choir of a Thousand Cherubs

Sleep, sleep,
dream, my little love.
Sleep, dream, ,
rest your head on my breast.

A choir of a thousand cherubs
smiles on you from the sky
A sweet song
caresses your brow,
A hand is gently guiding you
through the clouds of gold,
dreaming and keeping watch
over you, my treasure,
protecting your path through life.
Over you, my treasure,
protecting your path through life.

Sleep, sleep,
dream, my little love.
Sleep, dream,
rest your head on my breast.

Close your eyes,
listen to the little angels,
sleep, sleep,
dream, my little love.

Sleep, sleep,
dream, my little love.
Sleep, dream, ,
rest your head on my breast.

Close your eyes,
listen to the little angels,
sleep, sleep,
dream, my little love.

Dream, my little love.

Mille Cherubini in Coro, on Pavarotti’s O Holy Night CD with Kurt Herbert Adler and The National Philharmonic, is available on amazon.com

Photo by Judy Witts Francini

My American ex-pat friend Judy Witts Francini lives in Certaldo, halfway between Florence and Siena, where she teaches classes at her Divina Cucina Cooking School.

I have to share her recent post of a decadent recipe for cioccolato caldo , hot chocolate that’s as thick as a pudding because it contains an obscene amount of melted bittersweet chocolate. Just looking at her photo of a mug of cioccolato caldo— set against the backdrop of snow that Tuscany’s been pelted with— warms my spirits.

Judy credits the recipe to Leonardo Vestri who has a chocolate/gelato shop in Florence. He sometimes spikes it with a pinch of hot pepper which is the way Judy likes it. I can’t wait to sip some by the fire! How about you?

One taste of zuppa di porcini whisks me to rural Tuscany in autumn. My friend Anna Maria Gaggio showed me how to make this dish in the kitchen of her Tuscan farmhouse, using fresh porcini gathered by her husband Mario.

Because imported porcini are outrageously expensive, I recreate the soup using a mixture of fresh baby bella mushrooms and reconstituted dried porcini. The flavor is intense because the dried mushrooms concentrate the essence.

The portions in this recipe are adequate for a light meal with a salad. Half portions make a wonderful first course for a holiday meal. If you like, prepare the soup a few days ahead of time, refrigerate and reheat before serving.

Zuppa di Porcini

Serves 4 to 6

1          ounce dried porcini mushrooms

2                    cans fat-free reduced-sodium (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken broth, divided

1/3       cup olive oil

1 1/4    pounds baby bella mushrooms, sliced

4          cloves garlic, minced

1          tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1/4       teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes

3/4       teaspoon salt

1                    can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained

4        cups water

4 to 6   slices (1-inch-thick) toasted rustic bread

2          ounces (1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese

Place the porcini and 1 cup of broth in a microwaveable glass measuring cup. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a vent. Microwave for 3 minutes or until bubbling. Set aside for 10 minutes to soften.

Meanwhile, warm the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the baby bella mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, red-pepper flakes, and salt. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms start to give off liquid. Turn off the heat.

Drain the porcini through a fine sieve lined with a coffee filter. Save the broth. Rinse the porcini and chop. Add the porcini, mushroom broth, chicken broth, water, and tomatoes to the pot. Cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Place a slice of toasted bread in the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle the soup over the bread. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Note

Fresh rosemary is preferable to commercially dried leaves but if necessary, 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary may replace the fresh. Home-dried leaves, which crumble more readily than the commercially packaged rosemary, are also good to use. When you buy a bunch of fresh rosemary for a recipe, if you don’t use it all right away,  it makes sense to dry or freeze the remaining branches so they don’t go to waste.

Love was in the air during my visit to the Amalfi Coast.

I couldn’t go anywhere without running into a couple of married newbies.

Our first bride is pretty in parasol, descending the stairs in Ravello.

The Amalfi Coast does a big business in destination weddings although I sensed that at least one couple, possibly two, were locals.  Either way, to be married in Italy is a blessing forever.

Our second bride after exiting the bronze doors of Il Duomo di Ravello.

I realize “Brides of Amalfi” doesn’t do justice to the grooms involved (auguri, guys!) but I  couldn’t imagine entitling this post otherwise.

Our third bride is high-stepping it through Piazza Duomo in Amalfi.

Blame it on those gowns! Seeing a lovely woman frothed in a neck-to-toe meringue is a site you simply cannot ignore.

Our fourth bride on the red carpet at Chiesa Santa Maria Assunta in Positano.

Were you married in Italy or attended a wedding there? What was the experience like? Share your story here.