Italian recipes often list quantities of ingredients simply as “q.b” –  q.b stands for quanto basta, literally – how much is enough, or it’s up to you.    For the learner of Italian cooking, those 2 letters “q.b” can be infuriating.  Especially,  if *all* the ingredients in a recipe have been given the “q.b” treatment.  When followed […]

A weekend spin in the countryside had me struck by the vibrant mulberry trees bloated with ripe fruit. The trees, we were told by a farmer, were “leftovers” from one of the most important industries of the Middle Ages – silk weaving, of which Italian silk was legendary (of course!). Apparently, the old Romans were […]

One of my nephews is a major dips man.  Like many (everyone?), he loves to chill with a drink and salty snacks, but add a few dips, and our man is in his true element.  There are foods, and dishes that are like that (aren’t there ??) – that just seem to pair with certain […]

This is a bit of an indulgent pasta that sees marsala-soaked porcini mushrooms tossed with a rich mascarpone and parmigiano sauce.  Enough said right? Yumm.  It’s woodsy, flavourful, creamy and mega satisfying. Apart from the taste, this dish reminds me of my mum, Stella.  Not that she ever made it, it would never have been […]

Torta della nonna is a gorgeous rustic tart made from two simple Italian classics: pasta frolla and crema pasticcera.  This looks like, lemony pastry cream sandwiched between two layers of crumbly, sweet shortcrust pastry, covered in pine nuts, and baked.  It tastes like … heaven. The name torta della nonna, literally “grandma’s cake” is a […]

You know when you use a name to describe something and you think everybody else uses it too, only to find out that maybe they don’t?  And, that maybe it’s just a name that your family uses, and come to think of it now, the name, while perfect to you, is sorta, kinda sounding now […]

There are sooooo, so many delicious, baked, creamy filled tarts in Italy that I am wondering, where to start?  I could ramble on about all of the superb key ingredients in this one,  but the recipe is already a lengthy one and I fear I’d just lose you. So, cutting to the chase – I […]

Every time I sit down to write something about what I’ve been prepping in the kitchen, I just want to say, “it’s delicious – make it”,  and today is no different.  This focaccia combo is delicious, so go make it.      My mum used to write postcards in a similar,  economic, cut-to-the- chase style, […]

I’ve not posted anything for a good while.  The cause of the pause … the hot,  Ligurian summer.  While it delivers buckets of charm, the Italian summer  also has a way of stealing my desire to fire up the oven or  the computer,  to photograph, or  to write.  My summer mode is to idle on […]

I make these sticky and delicious chicken wings regularly.  They’re a bit of a fave, easy to prepare, cheap, and they can be eaten with your hands, which let’s face it, is always satisfying.  Like little kids eating spaghetti with their fingers – it’s just more fun to use your mitts right? Also, I make […]