We all have cooking tips and techniques learnt through personal experience or because someone else was kind enough to tell us.
Gala Placidia's activity
Questions Asked
 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 ½ûÂþÌìÌà citizen; however, I am not quite certain whether they have registered their certificate of marriage before the nearest ½ûÂþÌìÌà 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 ½ûÂþÌìÌà 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.Â
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. Â
Sun, 06/07/2009 - 16:44
 The base for many ½ûÂþÌìÌà 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 ½ûÂþÌìÌà 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
I find sardines a bit smelly and sometimes the bones can be a bit big... I must confess that I get a bit scared with fish bones. Although I must say that I have had some delicious barbecued sardines in both Spain and Greece. Anchovy fillets marinated in garlic, herbs and vinegar are fabulous. Another Mediterranean delicacy. The addition of matchstick courgettes and thinly sliced red pepper sounds delicious.
Because we only come to Bagni  di Lucca twice a year and we stay in Italy for about 1-2 months at any time, we do not have a land line. Up to now, I used to bring my laptop and I purchased a TIM chiavetta or dongle and my friendly TIM dealer used to advise me to purchase the relevant SIM card offer. All this changed when my daughters decided that I had to move with the times and gave me a tablet as a present. The chiavetta was no longer a solution so my friendly and knowledgeable TIM dealer advisede to purchase (or hire) a TIM MODEM 3G WI-FI E5331 HUAWEI Mobile WiFi  and a 5GB SIM card valid 1 month (you can have it for as long as you want) . Damage was as follows: Modem purchase 79€ (the cost of hiring it for 1 month was 20€) plus SIM card 24€ Total 103 €.  Very happy with the purchase as I travel quite a bit. I am currently on the Costiera Amalfitana and using the Modem.Â
We love to prepare "branzino" on the grill. I usually marinate it for 1/2 hour in a mixture of chopped garlic, herbs, olive oil, lemon juice and white wine.We make a couple of diagonal cuts on each side and keep on basting them with the marinade. Another great way to cook sea bass is to cover it with a thick layer of sea salt mixed with egg white and bake it. this is a traditional Mediterranean recipe used in Spain, France, Italy and Greece and it is great as a method of cooking not only fish but also poultry, Â lamb, beef, pork... whatever you wish.
Flip... what can I say. Just another flippant comment not worth an answer...
I would say a bland flavour... the condiments and seasonings are the important part of the dish. Actually, they make two types of mock baby eels, one is "surimi" based and the other one is plain pasta, but they take the trouble of painting the eyes to the "baby eels".They are boiled in fish stock to give a bit of extra genuine taste. But I do not like them. I guess that it is the same with snails...Â
Baby eels are considered a delicacy in the North of Spain. They cost a fortune, about 1000 € a kilogram and even more at Christmas time. I do not find them particularly nice. They are eaten sauteed in olive oil nd with plenty of garlic... In my opinion, they taste like spaghetti...  but I would be excommunicated if I dare to say that...
And I just heard on the RAI that a politician from Lombardy called Zametti, paid to the N'dranghetta some 200,000€ for 4,000 votes in the 2010 elections. As Penny says... they are everywhere.
I agree with Ugo, translation, particularly in the field of legal texts can be very tricky. The chances of misinterpreting the contents can be very high. Even amongst the translation professionals there are specialist in legal texts. The best advice is to get a commercialista to guide you. Money well spent.
I agree with you, Penny. It sounds as if this decision was a quick way for the ½ûÂþÌìÌà government to raise a quick extra revenue; however, I have the feeling that they may soon discover that it can have some nasty consequences. It does not affect me as I am not a resident and my feeling has always been that the old ICI and the new IMU are necessary. On the other hand, this type of taxes will make people twice before taking up residence in Italy and that the government will loose money in the process.Â
Angie, she must make a proper denuncia with the carabinieri. It is stalking and harassment and it may be the prelude of domestic violence. The partner is obviously having a problem and should be stopped.