NEW: LIGURIA TOUR MAY 2025! You are reading this email because you registered for our Culinary Tours Early Access. This gives you advance notice on our upcoming Rustico Cooking tours to Italy, before we send out an email to our 20,000+ newsletter subscribers.

New Liguria Tour May 2025... Book Now!

Last month we gave you a sneak peek at our new Tuscany tour  from May 11 to 17, 2025. Now we're writing to give you first dibs on booking our just added Liguria tour from May 18 to 24, 2025. The region is so beautiful that we moved here in 2023: the colorful houses, crystalline waters, and lush mountains seem almost too postcard pretty to be real, yet real they are!

Watch our Liguria video to see what we mean: you'll find mouthwatering food, idyllic landscapes, and plenty of happy tour participants enjoying the amazing culinary experiences we curate (click on the photo above to access the video in a new page). We'll be sending out an email to our general subscriber list in a week, so we wanted to give you exclusive access to this new tour, especially if you prefer to upgrade your accommodations (we have a limited number of rooms with sea view or other perks available at the hotel!).

Read all about our Liguria   tour and check out our updated calendar:
Liguria – The Italian Riviera  May 5-11, 2024, September 1-7, 2024, May 18-24, 2025
Tuscany & Beyond October 13-19, 2024 and May 11-17, 2025
Puglia & Beyond September 22-28, 2024
Sicily & Calabria October 2-10, 2024

We've kept our US phone number so call us at 347 566 2212 or email micol@rusticocooking.com to book. We look forward to enjoying Italy with you!
Micol and Dino

Liguria Tour Client Testimonial: Nancy from VA

"Thank you for an exquisite week in Liguria. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed our tour - it was absolutely the best vacation I've ever had! Haven't stopped talking... or thinking... about the trip. I understand now what people mean when they say that Italy 'gets under your skin.' Am already planning a return visit. Count on me to be among the first to sign up for next year's trip! " 

Branzino with Artichokes, Pine Nuts, and Olives

The light, lemon-accented sauce comes together in minutes. In true Ligurian fashion, the flavors are delicate, with no one ingredient overshadowing the others.
Marinated artichokes can be used in a pinch, but need to be thoroughly rinsed and blotted dry before incorporating them into the sauce.

Serves 2

30 milliliters (2 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 bay leaf
115 grams (4 ounces) canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (this is the DRAINED weight)
12 pitted black oil-cured olives, chopped
125 milliliters (½ cup) water, plus extra as needed
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 boneless Mediterranean sea bass (branzino) fillets (about 115 grams or 4 ounces each)
15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1. Place 15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) of the olive oil in a wide skillet over a medium flame. Add the garlic and pine nuts, and cook just until the nuts take on a golden color.
2. Add the bay leaf, artichokes, and olives, and cook 5 minutes.
3. Add the water. Season with ½ teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper, and cover.
4. Cook 15 minutes, or until the artichokes soften, adding water as needed to keep the artichokes well moistened throughout the cooking process. This can be done up to 2 hours ahead and held at room temperature; return to a gentle simmer before proceeding.
5. Season the sea bass on both sides with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper.
6. Gently drop the sea bass into the bubbling sauce, skin side down. Spoon some sauce over the fillets, and add a touch of water as needed. The sea bass should be nestled on TOP of the sauce, not touching the bottom of the skillet. Cover with a lid.
7. Cook until the sea bass is cooked all the way through; it should be opaque rather than translucent, and feel firm to the touch. It should take about 5 minutes depending on its thickness.
8. Serve the sea bass hot, drizzled with the lemon juice and the remaining 15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) of olive oil, sprinkled with the parsley.