Special treats and good friends pave the way for memorable entertaining

Have you ever met someone who embraces hospitality and makes it look effortless? Two of those people are my friends Joe and Kim Ruffolo. When you are in their home, you feel like family. So when they invited me to join in a "family and friends" trip to Italy to celebrate Joe's retirement, I jumped at the opportunity. I climbed on the bus with 41 other people to begin our tour of this beautiful country with some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten.

Mention Italian food to anyone, and most often, pizza and pasta come to mind, but did you know that every region of Italy is famous for its own version of pasta? In Rome, it is Cacio e Pepe. But if you travel a little farther north, pesto is served atop different-shaped pasta, while nearby in Tuscany, Pappardelle Cinghiale, pasta made with a hearty meat sauce (full of wild boar), is king.

With Joe and Kim as our tour guides, we visited churches to view priceless works of art. We also learned about the regional differences in cheese, cured meats and wine while adding terms like "frizzante" (sparkling wine) to our vocabulary.

Another term and experience many of us grew to love is aperitif. In simple terms, aperitif is to Italy what happy hour is to us, but it is so much better. Lunch is typically eaten between 1 and 2 p.m., so at the end of the work day, Italians enjoy a drink and a light meal to warm up to dinner. As part of an aperitif, I enjoyed my first Hugo Spritz.

Light and refreshing, the Hugo Spritz combines prosecco, club soda and either elderflower liqueur or syrup, along with lime and mint, to create a refreshing light cocktail. It is referred to by WineEnthusiast.com as the "2023 drink of the summer" and is served, along with its cousin, the Aperol Spritz, all over Italy.

I will admit to drinking my fair share of Hugos while in Italy and was surprised to discover subtle differences in the drink depending on who is making them. While researching this recipe, the ratios I found most frequently were three parts prosecco, two parts club soda and one part elderflower syrup or liqueur. Still, my experience was that some were sweeter, while others were more prosecco-forward. So remember it is perfectly acceptable to adjust the amount of each component to your taste when you make it at home.

Mint and lime add scent and flavor to this refreshing drink, but my daughter-in-law found a recipe using thyme instead of mint that I also found enjoyable. So, as with most recipes I share, make this your own based on your preferences, although purists will expect mint and lime.

I would be remiss if I didn't share the recipe for a delicious cookie we were served along with a dessert wine at a wine tasting at a winery in Montepulciano. The Ricciarelli cookie is chewy and full of almond flavor. It was different from any cookie I had ever eaten. I was thrilled to see them for sale in a nearby bakery with a sign telling me their name. I immediately searched the internet and found multiple recipes. I made it within the first week of being home from my trip.

For those who eat gluten-free, this is for you, too. Almond flour is combined with egg whites, orange zest, almond and vanilla extracts and then dusted with powdered sugar that forms cracks on the tops of these cookies as they bake. They are so easy to make, but you do need to plan ahead as they need to chill in the refrigerator before baking.

The Ricciarelli cookie hails from Sienna in Tuscany, and I have found articles suggesting they date back to the 15th century. They are different from their cousin, the Amaretti cookie, in that they are soft and chewy as opposed to crunchy and chewy. But be assured that if you like one, you will enjoy the other.

I may never return to Italy, but I am grateful I will have these recipes to remind me of my time there. It is a treat to share them with you now.

I hope you have friends in your life like Joe and Kim, who love food and entertaining. Sharing an appreciation for these things doesn't have to be fancy or expensive as sharing this time with them reinforced what I already knew: Good friends are something to treasure.

• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. Contact Penny at DhCulinaryAdventures@gmail.com.

The Hugo

Ice cubes

1 ounce Elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germain or St. Elder, or elderflower syrup

6 mint leaves

2 ounces club soda or sparkling water

3 lime slices

6 ounces prosecco

Fill a wineglass with ice.

Place mint leaves in the palm of one hand and gently slap them with your other hand to release the oils and flavor. Tear leaves with your hands if desired and place in glass.

Add 1 ounce elderflower liqueur, 2 ounces sparkling water and lime slices.

Fill the glass to the top with prosecco and give a gentle stir. Serve immediately.

Serves 1

Penny Kazmier

Ricciarelli: Chewy Italian Almond Cookies

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon orange zest about half a large orange

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 dash lemon juice

2¼ cups almond flour (252 g)

1¾ cups powdered sugar (210 g)

1 pinch salt

¼ tsp baking powder

½ cup powdered sugar for coating cookies

In the mixer add the egg whites, zest, vanilla, almond flavoring, lemon juice and beat to combine. In a separate bowl, combine almond flour, 1-3/4 cups sugar, salt and baking powder. Combine with egg mixture using either a wooden spoon or beat with flat beaters on low speed until a soft and compact dough forms.

Move the dough to a clean bowl, cover in plastic and refrigerate for 12-24 hours or up to 3 days.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 1-2 cookies sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the fridge, place the dough on a flat surface that has been liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar (extras) roll the dough to form an approximate 21 inch (55 cm) log, cut into ½ inch (1.2 cm) slices, and shape into an oval, place them on the prepared cookie sheets. Dust the slices well with the remaining powdered sugar. While the oven is pre-heating, allow the cookies to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes on the cookie sheets to dry out a bit before baking them.

Bake for approximately 15-18 minutes. Gently and carefully with a spatula remove the cookies immediately to a wire rack to cool completely. They will be soft at first but when cooled will become the perfect chewy consistency. Enjoy!

The cookies are done when the edges are light golden brown and they start to crack on top.

These cookies will keep well in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

The completely cooled cookies can be frozen in a freezer safe container. They will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Penny Kazmier