Page 36 February 2011 Corks & Cactus Boutique wines and gourmet appetizers. When: 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 26-27 Where: Desert Botanical Garden Admission: One-day ticket: members: $20, general public $30. Two- day ticket: members $35, general public $55 More info: 480-941-1225. Petals & Parasols Luncheon A show of food and fashion bene fi ts St. Vincent DePaul Family Assistance Program and Foothills Caring Corp. When: 11 a.m. Feb. 19 Where: J.W. Marriott Hotel Admission: $65. More info, reservations: 480-488-2229. Writer’s recipe this month: Tuscan Vegetable Soup By Gabe Bertaccini Though the famous popular Acquacotta soup has a very mysterious and unusual name, it is a well-known soup dish that originates from the Maremma area of Tuscany. The Italian name of this soup literally means “cooked water.” Legend has it that the inventors of this dish, the herdsmen and coal men of Maremma, were accustomed to frequent journeys and traveled with stale bread, dried meat, oil, garlic, onion, and a few herbs in order to prepare acquacotta. RECIPE, PAGE 37 Contrary to its origins as a peasant dish made simply of water and a few fl avors, acquacotta is a very hardy soup. There is an assortment of recipes for acquacotta among the different areas of Tuscany, yet acquacotta is distinguishable from other Tuscan soups due to its use of eggs and stale bread at the end of (and not during) its preparation. The Arcadia News food writer and a local chef, Gabe offers his favorite recipes each month . Muralist fi lls big spaces at restaurants everywhere The shop name in this Spasso mural is named for the owner’s father. By Amy Vogelsang You’ve seen his work throughout the Valley at Spasso, Oregano’s, My Big Fat Greek Restaurant, Gallagher’s, U.S. Egg, Los Sombreros, and Athena Temple Day Spa. Scottsdale muralist Joe Borik has been taking on big spaces for the past eight years. “When people walk into a restaurant it can’t be too intimidating,” Borik said. “They will immediately judge whether it looks too expensive and make an opinion about the place based on what they see.” Sometimes owners have no idea what they want, Borik said, and he needs to create on his own. In the case of Spasso’s, though, owner Michael Lepore wanted two scenes in memory of his parents. “Conceptually I wanted an outdoor theme, an outdoor environment,” Lepore said.“There’s not a lot of room, but I knew strategically I could fi t two store-front windows.” One is a tailor’s shop window saying “Sartoria Antonio” for Lepore’s father, and the other a bakery window labeled “Pasticceria Anna” for his mother. After seeing Borik’s work at Oregano’s, Lepore said he knew he wanted the artist creating his murals. There is a psychology about a restaurant, the self-taught artist said. A lot of aspects go into making a dining experience worth having more than once. “It should be stimulating, visually and audibly, with good food and service,” Borik said. Borik also enjoys painting portraits. “It’s more of a side hobby, but I love casual, un-posed portraits,” Borik said. “I like the human message and story being told in the painting.” As far as a business is concerned, however, he said, “My favorite thing is what comes next.” S U N D A Y F U N D A Y! S U N D A Y F U N D A Y! 10am - 3pm Drink Specials $3.50 Well Bloody Mary’s $3.00 Michelada (tomato, lime, beer) $3.00 Well Margaritas $2.50 Domestic Beer $3.50 Mimosa $1.50 OJ, Coffee Brunch Fare $6.50 TEE PEE Original Egg Breakfast $8.25 Green Chili & Cheese Omelet $8.75 Eggs Rancheros $5.50 Egg, Bacon & Cheese Sandwich $8.75 Chorizo Scramble $12.50 Steak & Eggs $7.00 Breakfast Burro w/choice of filling 602-956-0178 4144 E. Indian School 1 Welcome Welcome Spring Training Spring Training Fans! Fans! B l a c k Fo r e s t B l a c k Fo r e s t H a u s H a u s Valentine’s Dinner Valentine’s Dinner Enjoy a bottle of Riesling and Chocolate Fondue with the purchase of two dinners on 2/14/11. 602-957-0152 4900 E. Indian School Road N. Side of Indian School, just E. of 48th St. Family owned and operated! two dinners on 2/14/11 Mention this ad and receive 50% off with purchase of another! Hours of Operation Tue-Th 11am to 9pm, Fri-Sat 11am to10pm, Sun 10am -3pm, Happy Hour Tue-Fri 3-6pm Sunday Dinner 4-8 pm Sunday Dinner 4-8 pm Complete dinners starting at $13! • 3920 S. Central Ave., Phoenix • 4121 N. 44th St., Phoenix Fax: 602-952-9233 • 5516 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale We’re happy to serve you at any one of our 8 convenient Valley Locations • 22 S. Mesa Dr., Mesa • 1017 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe • 1111 E. Buckeye Rd., Phoenix • 2628 W. Van Buren, Phoenix • 9309 W. Van Buren, Tolleson from your friends at Pete’s Happy Valentine’s Day!!! Happy Valentine’s Day!!! • Burgers, Dogs, Burritos • Scrumptious Fish & Chips! • Drive Through/Take-out Orders are Our Specialty • Now Offering Children’s Menu at Some Locations! • 32 oz. soda for 9 9¢ Need a menu? Visit our web site: www.petesfishandchips.com

Page 37 February 2011 Gabe’s Recipe this month ACQUACOTTA – Tuscan Vegetable Soup INGREDIENTS 5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 2 onions, thinly sliced 2 cups fresh or frozen peas 1 and 1/4 cups freshly hulled broad (fava) beans 1 medium carrot, sliced 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced 1 crumbled dried chili pepper salt to taste 12 oz. trimmed young Swiss chard or spinach leaves, washed and shredded 10 oz. fi rm, ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped 6 and 1/2 cups boiling water 4 large fresh eggs freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino cheese 4 slices fi rm-textured white bread, 2 days old 1 clove garlic Suggested wine: any dry white wine PREPARATION Pour the oil into a large, heavy- bottomed saucepan. Add the onions, peas, fava beans, carrot, celery, chili pepper, and a dash of salt. Sauté for about 10 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Add the chard or spinach and the tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour in the boiling water and leave to simmer gently for 40 minutes, adding more salt if necessary. Using a fork or balloon whisk, beat the eggs with salt, pepper, and the grated cheese. Toast the bread and when golden brown, rub both sides of each slice with the garlic. Place a slice in each soup bowl or in individual straight- sided earthenware dishes, and pour a quarter of the beaten egg mixture over each serving. Give the soup a fi nal stir and then ladle into the bowls. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and add a pinch of pepper. Serves 4. Serve immediately and enjoy acquacotta sharing it with others, as in Christian Carmosino’s award- winning short movie. By Lindsay Ivins Arcadia fl orists are busy designing, arranging and taking orders for Valentine’s Day. One such fl orist, Teresa Wilson of Camelback Flowershop, said she and her team of designers will pull all-nighters and recruit husbands and boyfriends to help with deliveries. With fi ve times more orders than other holidays, Wilson said she and her three most trusted employees concentrate on the “new fi ve” designs released every year prior to Feb. 14. The shop’s traditional black and white ribbons are tied around every vase, which is then checked for unwanted water drop marks. The crew is gearing up for the average of 250 fl oral pieces that go out for Valentine’s Day. The fl ora that fi lls the shop comes from such places as Holland, Thailand and Ecuador and gives the clients a “New York meets Paris” feeling as soon as they walk through the door, Wilson said. She travels to Paris often and said she has been inspired by its architecture and designs. Teresa Wilson Ex-statistician has number on chocolate Florist gears up for big Valentine’s rush Julia Baker By Dale Messmer Your sweet tooth should be happy that Julia Baker chose chocolate over statistics. The trip from a statistician to a pastry chef running a business has Baker on a road to sugar success. “Statistics still help me when I’m back here,” she said from behind her desk at Julia Baker Confections. The kitchen and of fi ces are in the Scottsdale Airpark. Baker, who graduated from Paris’ prestigious Le Cordon Bleu at the top of her class in 2002, said her business, begun in 2006, is approximately a 50/50 split between luxury chocolates and custom wedding cakes. She produces six cakes a weekend – nearly a dozen on select holidays, such as Valentine’s Day – as part of wedding packages with the InterContinental Montelucia resort in Paradise Valley. She once made a $50,000 wedding cake for famous Valley golfer Billy Mayfair. It’s her chocolates, though, that make her kitchen an indispensable part of everyday life. You get married, usually, less than a half-dozen times, but chocolate is forever. Julia understands: “I eat chocolates all day long.” That’s just one of the ways the Midwest born and bred chef belies her rising stardom. There are the requisite celebrities (juliabakerconfections.com has all the details) and television appearances (Food Network, Travel Channel among others), but Baker seems like a down-home gal. With a business growing at 200% the last three years despite the poor economy. “It’s that Midwest work ethic,” she said. “Do your job, do it well, and the key to success is to work hard.” Her company was able to step in, she said, as pastry chefs were cut in budget reductions. Retail sales are increasing, too. Products can be found at Neiman Marcus, AJ’s and Whole Foods among others. “The AJ’s on 44th Street is our best performing outlet,” she said. The quaint shop at the Montelucia, with its Parisian decor, is her fi rst company- owned store. It opened in mid-September and is an instant success. So much so that it’s dif fi cult to keep Baker’s signature French Caramel Truf fl es in stock. There’s good reason, too. The caramel, made from scratch (requires two-and-a-half hours of stirring) is encased in milk chocolate and covered in toffee. Has to be the best truf fl e on the planet. Julia’s favorite is the passion fruit. Can’t argue with the choice, either. Hand-cut white-chocolate squares cover a delightful passion-fruit fi lling hard to describe. It’s creamy and yet like jelly. Very rich jelly. It’s almost tropical. Chocolates like Baker’s are the reason candy fi ghts it out with fl owers for the Valentine’s Day gift crown. Oh, and jewelry. Stick with chocolates. You can’t eat fl owers or jewelry.