Festa Italiana

It's that time of year once again. When two blog sisters get together and organize one of the biggest virtual festivals of the year. Maryann of Finding la Dolce Vita and Marie of Proud Italian Cook are hosting a Festa Italiana.

What makes this event so great are the people that arrive virtually from all over the world!! They say, "We like to to imagine our festa, as how it would truly be if we all gathered together literally. Huge tables set under twisting grapevines, Italian food and drink from one end to the other, laughing, singing, and dancing, while the sound of mandolins playing in the background, of course with out a doubt Sinatra and Dino too!"

There will be laughter, friendship, singing and dancing into the wee hours. But most of all, there will be a bounty of Italian dishes and drinks to share. They welcome you, their friends, to come join them once again.

Quello che ci vuole!!!!

**Ricotta and Artichoke Pizza**

250 g (8 1/2 oz) pizza dough
200 g (7 oz) ricotta cheese
4 - 6 canned artichoke hearts, well drained, chopped
1 small onion
Bunch of fresh Italian parsley
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 T dried chives
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt
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Clean, wash and chop parsley and onion; put them in a saucepan together with oil, marjoram, chives and artichokes. Season to taste with salt, add 1 cup of water and cook over a gentle heat, half-covered, until artichokes are tender and cooking liquid had evaporated. Let the mixture cool.

Add the cooled artichoke mixture to the artichoke mixture; add Parmesan. Mix well and season to taste with salt again, but only if necessary.

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Oil a shallow, not too large, ovenproof dish. Line the bottom and the sides of the dish with pizza dough, allowing it to flow over the edges. Prick the bottom with a fork and spoon in the mixture of artichokes. Refold the excess of dough over the surface and bake for about 20 minutes or until pie is golden.

Serve warm.

With the leftover filling I used up some puff pastry I had I made....

**Triangoli al ripieno di ricotta"**

1 8oz. sheet frozen Puff pastry, thawed
Ricotta and artichoke filling

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On a lightly floured surface roll the puff pastry sheet into a 12-inch square and cut it into 9 squares. Put equal amount of the filling (about 1 Tbsp.) onto the center of each square. Fold the dough over to form a triangle. Press the edges of the dough together and then use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the Triangles. Bake them in a preheated oven for about 15 - 20 minutes at 400° or until golden brown.