Happy Halloween everyone! I cannot believe it’s the end of October already! This year has just flown by so fast. That means that Christmas is around the corner and I cannot wait as my parents will be arriving soon… and this year we already have our menus set for the holidays. They want to try…
Archives for October 2013
SPINACH AND FETA GOZLEME
I have only recently discovered Gozleme. Sydney is full of little Turkish shops that sell amazing food, but I had always ordered a kebab or a pide. At least until a few months ago, when I had a spinach and feta Gozleme and I loved it so much, I have never ordered anything else. I…
FRESH TUNA RAGU
This is a recipe that I learnt from my dad. He loves tuna (and so do I), so whenever we saw tuna at the markets, we would buy some and make a ragù with it. Ragù is a generic term that Italians use for tomato based sauces predominantely made with meat, but not only. The…
MANU’S CHRISTMAS MENUS
Today is a big day for me. I can finally share with all of you a project that I have been working on for the last three months. It’s been hard doing all of it quietly as I am not very good at keeping things to myself when I am very excited about something. But…
HOME-MADE COTECHINO
A few months ago, I took part in a Daring Cooks challenge about salumi. At that time, I chose to make Salame Cotto, and it was a great success. That, and the fact that I regularly make my own Pork Sausage, encouraged me to try my hands at making another popular Italian meat product: Cotechino….
BANANA CAKE WITH MAPLE BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
It is time again for the “Secret recipe club” reveal! I am sure you all know what the club is about, but for the few of you who still don’t know about it, here goes a brief explanation. Each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a recipe from and in turn…
SALTED CARAMEL PANNA COTTA
You know how much I love panna cotta, but what you may not know is that I consider it my “go to” dessert for when I have little time, but still want to impress my guests. You do need to make it in advance, but it comes together in 15 to 20 minutes. It is…
SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS
Today’s recipe is yet another classic of Italian cuisine. It is originally from the South, where fresh mussels are very common, but it is one of those dishes that is now widely eaten throughout the country. It is a very simple recipe, which doesn’t require many ingredients and, like all simple recipes, needs to be…
CROISSANTS
In a “celebration” of past Daring Cooks and Daring Bakers challenges, Lisa challenged all of us to search through the Daring Kitchen archives and pick any one we’d like! The REAL challenge was picking which delicious recipe(s) to try! I must confess I was out-of-this-world-happy with this month’s challenge. And so much so as it…
BRIGADEIROS
Today I want to share with you a very easy recipe that l have been wanting to make for a while. A few years ago, my husband came home from work with a couple of little “truffles”. He said that one of his colleagues had brought them to the office and gave him 2 for…
TORTELLI DI ZUCCA – PUMPKIN TORTELLI
In my last post I had promised you a recipe to use up some of that beautiful Mostarda Mantovana that I showed you how to make. Well… here I am to keep my promise. Today’s recipe is yet another recipe from Mantova, in Lombardy and it is an honour for me to showcase it on…
MOSTARDA MANTOVANA
Today’s recipe is a traditional recipe of the Italian region of Lombardy, where I was born. There are a few different kinds of mostarda, which is not the same as mustard as you may have noticed from the pictures in this post. The 2 most famous varieties are Mostarda Cremonese (from the town of Cremona)…
CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE BROWNIES
Chocolate. Cheesecake. Brownies. Yes, you read that right. They are 3 treats that I love on their own, so when I saw this recipe over at my friend Lizzy’s That Skinny Chick Can Bake! I knew these brownies would taste amazing. How awesome is it to combine three scrumptious desserts into one?? What you get…
LAMB KOFTA CURRY
I love today’s recipe. I know I say this quite often, but then… would I share something that I don’t like?? Mmmm nope! However, this is one of my favourite curries. I love meatballs as they remind me of home. My mum would often make meatballs and I think all children like them.
CHILLED YOGURT CAKE WITH BLUEBERRY COMPOTE
Today’s dessert is a cold treat and it is one that is actually not too bad for you as it is made (mainly) with natural yogurt. Back in Italy there is a famous pre mixed version of this that is sold in little boxes… you mix in some fresh ingredients and there you have your…
COUSCOUS, OLIVE AND ORANGE SALAD
Ohhh I love couscous and I make it in all kinds of ways. My all time favourite is my mum’s (and grandma’s) traditional Fish Couscous, but I also make the pre cooked version and serve it as a side dish. And then there is leftover plain couscous. Which is like a white canvas that can…