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 […]
Pasta with Gorgonzola Read More »
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
Burnt Butter, Almond and Mulberry Tart Read More »
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
Fettucce with Porcini, Marsala and Mascarpone Read More »
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
Baked Ricotta, Orange and Chocolate Tart Read More »
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,
Focaccia with Zucchini Flowers, Buffalo Mozzarella and Anchovies Read More »
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
Peach, Lemon and Rosemary Cake Read More »
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
Lemon, Garlic, and Honey Chicken Wings Read More »
… actually, the Rustic Cherry Tart that I baked today was a *mostly* Rustic Cherry Tart. It was also partly pear. You see, we have a whopper of cherry tree that is currently chockers with fruit. Yesterday, we picked a bunch, and today, I thought I’d make some kinda sweet cherry tart, only to discover,
Rustic Cherry Tart Read More »
Torta Caprese, Italy’s beloved flourless chocolate cake, from the island of Capri, is a super-rich, not overly sweet, intensely chocolatey cake. Also, it’s a bit of a fave. It turns up regularly dusted with icing sugar for family parties, and with cocoa for swankier occasions. It’s flourless-ness, is attributed to a mistake, an omission
Caprese Chocolate and Almond Cake Read More »
Talk of the south of Italy had me thinking about almonds. About various slightly doughy, soft centered almond biscuits collectively called pasticcini di mandorle. In essence, they are a simple combo of ground almonds and fine sugar held together by an egg. Their size and shapes are varied, some with plain tops, others cracked, piped,
Pinched Almond Biscuits Read More »
You might have heard me mention that we have a food truck and that we sell fried fish. It’s a pocket sized, Piaggio Ape (3-wheeler) and our menu is as equally small. We sell calamari and anchovies – the fish that our region of the Cinque Terre is known for. For the most part, we’ve gotten pretty cluey when
Baked Calamari and Potatoes Read More »
You know that sinking feeling you get when a tv series that you have been glued to ends and you’re just not ready to say goodbye? When that sentiment strikes, I find myself googling for more info, a pitch of sorts, to keep what we “have going” alive – filming location, the story’s inspo, and
Spaghetti con Agretti Read More »
Friday evening my husband, Massi took a stab at making the impressive, Ligurian Easter classic Torta Pasqualina or Easter Tart. He also aced it. I’ll be honest, it is a time-consuming undertaking. Major cheating is possible by using store bought puff or filo pastry, but the flakiness of the home-made variety is superb. Also, the
Ligurian Easter Tart ~ Torta Pasqualina Read More »
A thick, slow simmered salsa from the south of Italy, peperonata or red pepper sauce is a hero of a dish. A kinda cross between a chutney and a vegetable stew, it is fiery looking, and yet its flavour is surprisingly mellow and sweet. How’s that for a sensory trick? As a dish, it is mega
I know it’s truly outa vogue to talk about another season’s bounty, but a jolt back to colder weather today, had me thinking about baked, woodsy, mushrooms for lunch. It is autumn (not spring) when the local forest is chock-full of mushroom foragers, and the market stalls are overcrowded with funghi. But even today at
Baked Cheesy Mushrooms Read More »
Sunday was the feast day of San Giuseppe. Around here, it is a particularly big hoo-ha of a day as Giuseppe is the patron saint of La Spezia, and it is also Father’s Day. The town celebrates in many ways, the key event being a 3 day fiera or fair/market with stalls selling food, clothes, toys,
Spaghetti with Garlic, Oil and Chilli Read More »
I made this polenta, lemon, and almond cake for the first time about 2 weeks ago. I’ve already had to make it again. My cravings for a repeat were louder than that of a hormonally charged pregnant woman. Ditto my hubby and kid’s. The racket was just so deafening, that I had to adhere, and
Polenta, Lemon, and Almond Cake Read More »
Having lived here for more than a decade, and with my Italian citizenship day fast approaching, I’ve been feeling the need to have “my own”, go-to polpette or meatball recipe. Comical, yes (am I secretly fearing a recipe pop-quiz on the day of the ceremony?), but nonetheless, on my mind. If I was going to
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce Read More »
While I was in the mood for cooking something mighty today, I’d not the luxury of time. So, I settled on this quick savoury tart using ready-made puff pastry, a good slathering of a bitey orange marmalade, mildly bitey, soft goats’ cheese, tempered by sweet, prosciutto crudo and some punchy rosemary. Probably the tart is
Orange Marmalade, Goats Cheese, and Prosciutto Tart Read More »
I‘ve a soft spot for crostata di marmellata. In essence, it consists of buttery, short crust pastry, that is smothered with marmellata – the Italian word for all types of jam – and finished with pastry strips, usually arranged in a diamond pattern. The look is very much, old-school and indeed, the signature lattice topping
Jam and Grappa Tart Read More »
Part 1 of a 2 Part (Future) Series … Sometimes colour alone can catch you in its web. That’s what happened with the grape studded flatbread schiacciata con l’uva. It’s vibrant, purple core captivated me instantly, and after tasting it, I fell hard for this sweet bread. But like many crushes, my devotion is riddled
Sweet Florentine Grape Bread Read More »