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Mozart and Mantua Podcast

In this week’s episode of “The Maria Liberati Show,”  the beautiful city of Mantua and Mozart is the topic.. This Northern Italian city is filled with art, cuisine and vibrant culture, making it a place worth visiting.

Filled with immense history, beautiful architecture and amazing food, I also share with my.  listeners a my experience in Mantua and  the recipe for “Spuma Allo Zenzero,” a mashed potato known in  this beautiful city.

The Beauty of Mantua

Before giving her listeners the recipe for this delicious side dish, Maria discusses the beauty and elegance of Mantua. This beautiful city has an immense city with many notable people being born and raised there.

Mantua, a breathtaking city nestled by three man-made lakes exemplifies the Italian spirit found in its architecture, innovation, cuisine and art.”

From the Teatro Accademico, where Mozart first appeared at the age of fourteen to the elegant shops filling the streets, Mantua is a ”must visit.

I first visited Mantua due to a lunch invitation from Eduardo and his family. Eduardo was one of the many art dealers living in Mantua. He also represented Sergio Terzio-Nerone, who painted a portrait of me. At the time, the portrait was exhibiting throughout Europe and the United States.

While the lunch was  to discuss mt portrait and where it was being shown, I couldn’t help but be distracted by the delicious food being served. Eduardo’s wife served “Spuma Allo Zenzero” as a side dish. This frothy, light mashed potato dish was ‘love at first bite!’

Potato Puree With Ginger Recipe

“Spuma Allo Zenzero” is really a  simple side dish that I  quickly fell in love with. She believes it is the perfect side dish to be served with seafood. This simple recipe is easy to make and is delicious as well. Below are the ingredients and directions that Maria provided in this week’s episode.

Ingredients

The ingredients for this delicious side dish include:

• 4 pounds of small gourmet fingerling potatoes OR small red skin potatoes
• 2 cups of hot milk
• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of grated grana padano cheese
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of powdered ginger
• Salt and pepper for taste

Directions

Along with the ingredients, Maria provided the instructions for this delicious recipe as well. The directions are as followed:

1. Peel and wash the potatoes with cold water.
2. Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water.
3. When the potatoes are soft, place in a food processor while they are still hot.
4. Add the softened butter.
5. Then add the milk a little at a time.
6. Place the potato mixture in a serving dish and sprinkle a pinch of nutmeg, powdered ginger, salt and pepper.

To keep the dish warm,  place it in a heat safe bowl and place  in a double bowler on low heat.

Substitutions for Potato Puree

This delicious side dish can be created in several different ways to fit different types of diets. For listeners who follow a vegan diet, replace the milk with any vegan milk substitute. These can include almond, cashew, macadamia or even soy milk without sweetener. Listeners can also substitute the butter and cheese with something non-dairy as well.

For listeners who want to consume less calories,  use 2 cups of skim milk rather than whole milk. Listeners can also replace  butttheer with mashed pumpkin. Another option for listeners looking to cut down the calories is to replace the amount of potatoes being used.

Here are  several ways to replace the potatoes. The first is using 2 pounds of potatoes and 2 pounds of turnips or cauliflower and mashing them all together. If listeners are looking for something really low in calories,  substitute cauliflower for potatoes. Listeners can cook with the same ingredients when using cauliflower.

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For more recipes and tips go to The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati tm