(Note:  This week's show is a replay from September 29, 2010)

The salad on the left was an integral part of three dinners I had last week at Otto in the Venetian (formerly Enoteca San Marco and the same owners, Batali and Bastianich) on the Las Vegas strip. It was part of  my dining strategy to hold on tightly to any traces that still exist of summer foods. 

What a perfect combination-discussing the Italian language with noted author, Dianne Hales, and preparing Italian food in the studio.  Dianne's book, La Bella Lingua, published in 2009,  is a great read full of history about how the language developed, populated with insights into colorful characters like Petrarch, Julius Caesar, Boccaccio, St. Francis of Assisi, Lorenzo de Medici, and Brunelleschi and, the author's own  journey as she navigated the complexities of the language and culture. 

Since our show is Great Taste, we'll focus on the language as it relates to different styles of cooking, work our way through some typical food terminology found on Italian menus, and share a simple recipe for pasta with marinara sauce as it was made every Sunday by Kathy's Grandma Gulla. 

GREAT TASTE presents four courses of Italian delights in a live broadcast from the At Home Store.  The show features one hour of a cooking class sponsored by SOFIA-the Society of Fairfield Italian Americans.

Here's a rundown of the menu:

Antipasto-Herbed fresh cheese balls in a roasted tomato sauce

Primo-Pasta with chard, kale, and beet greens

Insalata-Raw kale and braised beets with toasted pecans and orange segments

Dolce-Parmigiano Reggiano "gelato" with aged balsamic vinegar, apple slices, and toasted nuts

We may add a dish or two as the show goes along.  Catch us on the live stream if you aren't local by clicking in the "Playing On Air Now" box at the top left of the KRUU home page. 

WARNING:  EAT BEFORE LISTENING AS THIS SHOW WILL DEFINITELY CAUSE HUNGER PAINS.

We had some Italian stories (read in Italian and English) and great Italian music finshing with bocelli's"Nessum Dorma". Wow. Don't miss All Things Italian Festival this Friday night, June 1st , on the Fairfield Square.I'll see you there - Grandpa D