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"Mettere il carro davanti ai buoi." (Put the cart before the horse.) Welcome to another recipe edition from Angela's Organic Oregano Farm!

This week's Italian recipes:
  -Insalata di Pasta con Mozzarella, Pomodori Essiccati e Olive
  -Fettuccine Bolognese
  -Tartufi al Cioccolato

Enjoy the recipes and the complimentary news article report from "Only In Italy.com".

Thanks again for subscribing!

Yours Truly,              
Angela Reina       

Insalata di Pasta con Mozzarella, Pomodori Essiccati e Olive
Pasta Salad with Mozzarella, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Olives

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb Fusilli pasta
12 ounces tomatoes, coarsely chopped
8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarella cheese, drained, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup minced pitted oil-cured black olives

Directions:

Blend first 5 ingredients in processor until tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Set dressing aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until 'al dente', stirring occasionally. Drain.

Transfer to large bowl.

Add dressing to hot pasta; toss to coat.

Cool, stirring occasionally.

Add chopped fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, Parmigiano cheese and olives; toss.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Makes 8 servings.

That's it!

Recipe: Fettuccine Bolognese

Fettuccine Bolognese

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb ground veal
1 lb ground pork
4 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
Two 14 and 1/2-ounce cans whole tomatoes in juice
1 and 3/4 cups chicken stock or chicken broth
1/2 cup whole milk
5 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 and 1/2 teaspoons dried
12 ounces fettuccine
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese

Directions:

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat.

Add onions, celery and garlic and saute until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

Increase heat to high; add veal, pork and pancetta and saute until meat is brown, breaking up meat with back of fork, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes with their juices, 1 and 3/4 cups stock, milk and thyme.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 1 hour 15 minutes, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon, adding more stock if mixture is too thick and stirring occasionally.

Season ragł to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook fettuccine in large pot of boiling salted water just until 'al dente'. Drain.

Add fettuccine to pot with ragł and toss to blend.

Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmigiano cheese.

Serve, passing remaining Parmigiano cheese separately. Makes 4 servings.

That's it!

Recipe: Tartufi al Cioccolato

Tartufi al Cioccolato
Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

2 oz (50 grams) petit beurre biscuits
1 oz (25 grams) hazelnuts
3 oz (75 grams) dark chocolate
1 and 1/4 oz (30 grams) raisins
1 tablespoon rum
Cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions:

Put the biscuits in a polythene bag and crush with a rolling pan.

Finely chop the hazelnuts.

Melt the chocolate and mix with the biscuits.

Add the remaining ingredients, except the cocoa powder, and mix together.

Leave to cool for 1 hour.

Form the mixture into small balls the size of a cherry and dust with cocoa powder.

Place in little sweet papers and store in a cool, dry place. Makes 12.

That's it!

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"Only In Italy" is a daily news column that translates and reports on funny but true news items from legitimate Italian news resources in Italy. Each story is slapped with our wild, often ironic, and sometimes rather opinionated comments. And now, for your reading pleasure, a sample of today's edition:

Italy Loses More Water Than It Delivers

Milan - January 24, 2008 - The ancient Romans may have mastered the art of building impressive aqueducts to deliver water across their empire, but modern day Italian engineers seem to be struggling with water retention, a study shows.

The aqueduct serving Puglia, the important agricultural region that forms the heel of the Italian boot-shaped peninsula, is riddled with so many holes that it leaks more water than it delivers, according to a study by Italian investment bank Mediobanca.

The 102-years-old Acquedotto Pugliese, Europe's largest with about 16,000 kms (10,000 miles) of conduits, loses 50.3 percent of the water it carries.

Overall Italy wastes 14 percent more water than France, 36 percent more than Spain, 56 percent more than Britain and 311 percent more than Germany, the study said.

The Puglia aqueduct is so important because the region produces wine, olives and a vast array of vegetables, nuts and grains, but average rainfalls can be a third less than those in northern Italy.

In contrast to the Acquedotto Pugliese is the aqueduct serving the northern Italian city of Milan. It was rated the most efficient in the country, losing only 10.3 percent of its contents en route, Mediobanca said.

The conduits serving Rome lose 35.4 percent of their water.

"Acqua, per favore, ACQUA!" These brilliant engineers should struggle with personal water retention just to teach them a lesson.

10 Water Saving Tips From One Italian to Another:

1.) Check for hidden water leaks. Read the water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak. Our solution: Purchase and install a faulty meter that only reads a third of the water consumed (available at your local open air market).

2.) Don't use the toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket. Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue or other small bit of trash, five to seven gallons of water is wasted. Our solution: Throw it out the window. It appeared to have worked in Naples for a number of years until the situation got slightly out of hand.

3.) Install water-saving shower heads and low-flow faucet aerators. Long, hot showers can use five to ten gallons every unneeded minute. Limit your showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash down and rinse off. Our solution: Take your showers at a relative's home (make sure to bring a small gift like a bunch of garden vegetables or fruit).

4.) Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush. There is no need to keep the water running while brushing your teeth. Just wet your brush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing. Our solution: Don't brush your teeth.

5.) Rinse your razor in the sink. Fill the sink with a few inches of warm water. This will rinse your razor just as well as running water, with far less waste of water. Our solution: Don't shave. Beards have been part of the Italy fashion trend since the days of the Red Brigades.

6.) When washing dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsing. If your have a double-basin, fill one with soapy water and one with rinse water. If you have a single-basin sink, gather washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a spray device or a panful of hot water. Our solution: Eat all you want on disposable plates and cups.

7.) Don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Just rinse them in a stoppered sink or a pan of clean water. Our solution: Use the faucet in your neighbor's yard.

8.) Keep a bottle of drinking water in the fridge. Running tap water to cool it off for drinking water is wasteful. Our solution: 95% of Italians (including the Pope) drink purchased bottled water.

9.) Water your lawn only when it needs it. A good way to see if your lawn needs watering is to step on the grass. If it springs back up when you move, it doesn't need water. If it stays flat, the lawn is ready for watering. Our solution: Install faulty meter (see tip 1) and build a homemade and illegal water reservoir in your backyard. Afterwards, water your lawn whether it needs to be or not.

10.) Don't run the hose while washing your car. Clean the car using a pail of soapy water. Use the hose only for rinsing - this simple practice can save as much as 150 gallons when washing a car. Our solution: Drive your car, tractor, horse, cow, etc., to any public water fountain and attach a hose.

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