Cineforum Italiano: Happy Family

HAPPY FAMILY

Academy award-winning veteran director Gabriele Salvatores (Mediterraneo) delivers a colorful tongue-in-cheek comedy about a writer holed up in his apartment in Milan one hot summer trying to punch out a story while the characters come to life around him offering their input on the direction they think the story should take.

Recently dumped screenwriter Ezio (Fabio De Luigi) is having trouble writing a story about two neurotic families whose paths cross when their teenage children, Filipo and Marta, decide to marry. The family members - Filipo's parents (played by scene-stealer Fabrizio Bentivoglio and the magnificent Margherita Buy) and Marta's parents (the remarkable Diego Abatantuono and Carla Sinoris) – arrange to have dinner to meet for the first time, with hilarious consequences. Ezio soon writes himself into his script, and into a love story, while the characters bother him about having bigger and better roles!

Gorgeously shot, playfully acted and energetically paced, Salvatores tips his hat to the film's origins on stage (co-scripter Alessandro Genovesi helped adapt his own successful play) with opening shots of a stage curtain, preparing the audience for the theatrical interplay to come.

The film is being screened by The Italian Language Meetup Group on August 14, 2011 at Letelier Theater in Georgetown. Tickets are $8.00 with advance purchase or $10.00 at the door. Click here for full details.

Director: Gabriele Salvatores

Italy | 2010 | 92'

Cast: Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Margherita Buy, Valeria Bilello, Fabio De Luigi

IN ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES.

Eataly in DC?

I am sure by now that you have all heard the plans announced last week by Eataly that they are planning to open stores in DC and and LA by the end of 2012.  The Italian food and drink behemoth chain is reminiscent of a collection of nation-states, each named for a famous Italian culinary tradition: La Pizza e Pasta, Le Vedure, La Pizza, Manzo, I Panini,  Pasticceria, Birreria, and of course, La Gelateria.

While this should be exciting news for a city with an ever-burgeoning population of Italophiles, DCist.com explains their "muted" response with evidence of Eataly's lackluster beer and wine menu.  While they are giving the benefit of the doubt to the abundance of specialty foods at Eataly, they also question its need, given the influx of superb restaurants like Fiola and Graffiato.

Although, the October 2010, New York Times' appraisal of the New York location applauded the wine selection at Manzo, Eataly's  only sit-down restaurant that takes reservations.  They also spoke highly of the food at Il Pesce and La Pasta.

One of the looming questions that will remain until its opening here in DC, will this location be the same sort of congested circus as its American flagship store in the Big Apple?  Let's hope not.

This Weekend: Italian Pavilion at the Summer Fancy Foods Show!

The Summer Fancy Foods Show at the Washington Convention Center begins this morning.  As enthusiasts of a country that is world-renowned for its culinary genius, we are most excited about the massive Italian Pavilion that will welcome more than 200 exhibitors of Italian food and drink!

The event will open in style at 10:45 am, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand salute from Italian Trade Commission representatives and Italian exhibitors hosting journalists and food enthusiasts with a prosecco toast!

 The Italian Trade Commission is celebrating its 30th year of welcoming guests to the largest pavilion at the show.  Once again, the pavilion will proffer a myriad of authentic and specialty food and wine.  Attendees of the Italian Pavilion will benefit from the wealth of product knowledge available from the exhibitors and the ability to see and taste Italy’s finest offerings of cheese, freshly pressed fruit juices, extra virgin olive oil, freshly-cooked pasta, wine, gelato and other desserts. 

There will also be an array of new items this year, including: frozen pizza and focaccia, individually quick-frozen and organic quick-frozen desserts and dairy products,  flavored vinegars and salts, artisanal beer,  ready to eat dishes, new extra virgin olive oils.  I am betting that one of the big draws for those with food allergies will be the addition of gluten free products.  

This year is the 57th annual Summer Fancy Food show.  What started out with just 40 exhibitors has grown to one of the biggest draws for retailers, restaurateurs, and distributors looking to discover the next up and coming trend in food and beverage.  The show will run through July 12th. You can find the Italian Pavilion at 1040-1765, Exhibit Hall A,B,C.  For the complete schedule and more information, visit the show's website.

Update: You can read i-Italy's write-up on the "The Response of the Italian Producers"  here.

Taste of Italy Count Down and Special Guests!

Cooking with Nonna Food Personality and Host, Rossella Rago will be joining the Taste of Italy line up of talent on Thursday, August 4, 2011 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia from 4-9 PM with a meet and greet, cooking demonstration and special Nutella Chip Cookies you will not want to miss. Get to know this rising star both in and out of the kitchen with an exclusive CiaoDC.com chat here.

Looking for a summer recipe Italian Style, Cooking with Nonna has something perfect for al fresco dining here.

More information on Taste of Italy here.

Cineforum Italiano: Passione - A musical adventure.

John Turturro, 2010, Italy, USA, 35mm, 95 min, English subtitles

The film Passione, directed by John Turturro, debuts on July 1 at West End Cinema in Washington, DC. Advance tickets will be available online and at the box office beginning June 28th. The Washington, DC Italian Language Meetup Group will attend a special screening of the film on July 3rd at 5:00pm. Group members will receive a $2.00 discount on the tickets which are usually $11.00. After the film group members will enjoy a FREE gelato treat thanks to a local gelato company called Dolci Gelati. (Click here to RSVP and read full details).

John Turturro's unconditional commitment to Italy and its culture has developed into a unique film experience. Passione's antique scenery, distinctive sounds and beautiful music take the viewer into the streets of Naples and on a voyage through time and space. The film's strength lays in the diversity of the soundtrack, each song its own universe, each its own poem. Naples becomes the ideal setting for a breathtaking odyssey, where the musicians perform on the streets and take over the city's plazas, ultimately capturing the hearts of its spectators. Turturro brings Naples and its heritage to the big screen in a way that confirms its essential contribution to our civilization.

Sorrento Lingue is offering a special group rate for one or two weeks of Italian language learning vacation at their school which is located not far from Naples and Italy's beautiful Amalfi Coast. Click here to see details of the group discounts or for more information you can send an email to Marco Marino at marco.marino@sorrentolingue.com.

The Capitoline Venus Leaves Rome for First Time in 200 Years, Arrives in D.C.!

Washington's newest visitor is also one of the best-preserved sculptures to be passed down from Roman antiquity.  The famed Capitoline Venus, on display in the grand West Building Rotunda of the National Gallery of Art, was inaugurated by the Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno on June 7th.  It will remain there for visitors to marvel at its impressive six and a half foot stature until September 5th 2011.

This momentous occasion is significant for several reasons.  This is the first time that the Capitoline, derived from the celebrated Aphrodite of Cnidos, created by the renowned classical Greek sculptor Praxiteles around 360 BC., has left Italy in almost 200 years.  In addition, it marks the beginning of a new chapter of cooperation with a city that long been our friend.  On June 8th, just before the public opening of the Capitoline of Venus, Rome's Mayor Alemanno and Mayor Vincent C. Gray of DC, signed a proclamation signifying the newly formed sister city relationship of the two world-capital cities.

Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art, Washington and Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, Ambassador of Italy to the United States were also there to give remarks on the importance of the Capitoline's arrival in DC.
Powell noted that the appropriateness of the statutes placement in the National Gallery's Rotunda, as it is modeled on Rome's Pantheon.

When in Rome, the Venus is housed at the Capitoline Museum, a complex of buildings located on the Capitoline Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome that served as the religious and political heart of the city in ancient Rome.

According to a 17th-century account, the Capitoline Venus was unearthed in Rome in the 1670s from a large garden where it was found in the remains of an ancient building.  In 1752 the Venus was given to the Capitoline Museum by Pope Benedict XIV, where it remained until 1797 when it was taken to France by Napoleon, who had invaded northern Italy a few years earlier.

Luckily, the statue survived and was returned to the Capitoline Museum in 1816, the year after Napoleon fell from power.  It is now on view here in DC for Washingtonians to enjoy as part of The Dream of Rome and the Italy@150 series.  The exhibition of the Capitoline was organized by Roma Capitale, Sovraintendenza ai Beni Culturali–Musei Capitolini, and the National Gallery of Art, with the partnership of the Knights of Columbus and the Embassy of the Republic of Italy, Washington.  The Dream of Rome project was initiated by the mayor of Rome to exhibit timeless masterpieces in the United States from 2011 to 2013. 

How Dolci Gelati does Gelato

If you're looking for a great homemade Italian gelato dish, try pastry chef Gianluigi Delaccio's recipe for Blueberry Greek Yogurt Gelato. All it requires is a few market-fresh ingredients and household items--martini glasses too if you're looking to make the dish as elegant as it is tasty--and you'll have delicious homemade gelato in no time. This desert is just one of many great items that can be found at Dolci Gelati, Delaccio's artisan gelato company.

Want to try making a Blueberry Greek Yogurt Gelato    

  yourself? First you'll need to make sure you have these ingredients:

2 3/4 Cups of Non-fat Greek Yogurt  

        6 Cups Whole Milk  

        1.5 Cups of Sugar  

        3/4 Cup of Milk Powder  

1.75 Cups Cream  

        4 1/2 Cups of High Quality Blueberry Puree or Ripe and Full Flavored Blueberries Local Honey

Once you have your ingredients ready, mix everything over medium heat except for the yogurt and half a cup of blueberries. Bring this to a boil and cook until all of the ingredients are well combined. If you want a smooth result, you can process the cooled mixture in a food processor, or skip, in which case you'll have pieces of blueberries which can add flavorful texture to the frozen yogurt.

Next, remove the mixture from the heat and and allow it to cool down fully. Never combine the yogurt with a hot mixture or the bacteria and nutrients in the yogurt will be killed.

Then take the cooled mixture, stir in the yogurt until completely incorporated.  Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for several hours (or overnight) until completely cold after which you may process the blueberry yogurt mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions (usually about 25 minutes).

Once this is done, serve the dish in martini glasses and top with fresh blueberries and a drizzle of honey.  If served immediately it will be soft, otherwise let it firm up a bit by freezing it for several hours.

Along with this recipe a proud sponsor of our Taste of Italy event, Dolci Gelati, invited CiaoDC to come and hear about their restaurant and its great gelato from chef Gianluigi Delaccio himself, to see what they had to say just watch the video below. Pay attention and you'll be making Blueberry Greek Gelato by yourself in no time!