I always associate pomegranate with Christmas and New Year. It is very common to see it on an Italian table during the holidays. I love its intense ruby colour and the juicy, yet crunchy texture of its seeds. I think it is one of the prettiest fruits that exist! Being very common in the Mediterranean…
PROFITEROLES
Maybe not everyone knows that profiteroles, also known as choux pastries, are originally from Italy. In fact, they were introduced in France by Caterina de’ Medici, wife of Henry II of France, together with many other dishes. I love choux pastries or bignè, as we usually call them. They are so light and fluffy and…
SNAPPER EN PAPILLOTE
I am not a huge fan of fish… I like it, but when given the choice, fish is never on top of the list. The truth is, I like fish that is not easily available in Sydney: sardines, anchovies, small mackerel… However, on Christmas Eve, we tried to follow the Italian tradition of eating fish. …
PARMIGIANO REGGIANO FAGOTTINI IN CHICKEN BROTH
In Italy, a typical Christmas Eve dinner always includes some stuffed pasta, better if it is home-made and “di magro” (which means without meat). We often serve this pasta in chicken broth and it is such a comforting food! So, to follow the tradition, I decided to make stuffed pasta and serve it with chicken…
PAIN BRIOCHE
Pâté is one of the things I love the most and it always makes an appearance on our family table for special occasions… and this Christmas Eve was no exception. I also found a quick recipe for pain brioche, which is the ideal bread to serve pâté with… and I am sharing it with you,…
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Today there won’t be any recipe on MsM… it is the time to celebrate and above all it is the time to enjoy the company of your loved ones. My parents have been here for a couple of weeks already and we are all having a great time together. The kids especially are having a…
DULCE DE LECHE
My husband has a very sweet tooth… and he LOVES condensed milk and everything made with it. I must admit that I instead don’t usually like overly sweet desserts… but I have a weakness for anything caramel. A few years ago, in Palenque – Mexico, we had a fantastic dinner in a restaurant called La…
GORGONZOLA AND MASCARPONE FILLED DATES
I love cheese… I am almost as addicted to cheese as I am to chocolate and coffee!!! And gorgonzola is my all time favourite cheese. This is a very easy “recipe” for an elegant appetiser that is perfect for Christmas or New Year’s Eve or any other special occasion. The contrast between gorgonzola and the…
BABÀ
Today I am going to show you how to make one of the most popular sweets from Naples. In fact I am going to take you to the southern region of Campania for my series on Italian Regional dishes. This region has a vast culinary tradition, so I will be presenting quite a few dishes from…
CHICKEN AND SAFFRON CONSOMMÉ WITH TORTELLINI
Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cook’s September 2011 challenge, “Stock to Soup to Consommé”. We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear Consommé if we so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes! When…
BAKED ANELLETTI – ANELLETTI CA CARNE CAPULIATA
Today is Father’s Day here in Australia… so happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! On such a special occasion, I usually ask my husband what he would like to eat and his answer is always the same: anelletti! This is definitely his (and my father’s) favourite dish. It is the most popular…
SEMIFREDDO AL TORRONCINO WITH HOT CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Semifreddo is a typical Italian dessert and it can be made with different flavours. Even though it is a cold dessert (semifreddo literally means “partially cold”) and it is very similar to ice cream, we often eat it for Christmas. That is why I chose to serve it as one of the desserts of my…
TORRONE MORBIDO E TORRONCINI AL CIOCCOLATO – CHOCOLATE COVERED HONEY AND MIXED NUT NOUGAT
Torrone is one of the most popular sweets eaten in Italy for Christmas. It never fails to make its appearance on our Christmas table. It comes in many variations… it can be hard as a rock, soft and chewy, plain, covered in chocolate, flavoured with fruits, almond based, hazelnut based… you name it. I had…
GINGERBREAD MEN
These are definitely not Italian traditional cookies, but I have always loved them and I have made them every Christmas since moving to Australia (my girls leave some on a plate for Santa to eat on Christmas Eve along with a glass of milk…). I guess you could say it’s an “acquired” tradition in our…
BEEF FILLET ROAST STUFFED WITH PURÉED CHESTNUTS
I have always loved meat (much more than any seafood) and beef above all. And what’s better than beef fillet? Nothing! I have to say that Australian beef is among the best in the world, so I consider myself very lucky to able to enjoy it whenever I feel like it. Back in Italy, beef…
POTATO, SPECK AND LEEK PARCELS
In my opinion, there is no better side dish for a steak than potatoes, in whatever shape or form, so I knew I had to make some to go with the Beef fillet roast that I prepared for my Foodbuzz 24×24 Christmas in July event. The thing is, when you are making a special meal, you want…
ORANGE, FENNEL AND BLACK OLIVE SALAD AND AWARDS
My series of posts dedicated to my Foodbuzz 24×24 Christmas in July event is back after a few days’ break and 2 guest posts! Thank you again Kankana from Sunshine & Smile and Erin from Big Fat Baker! This is a typical Christmas salad as it is made with winter ingredients, but I love it all…
COCOA GNOCCHI WITH MASCARPONE AND WALNUT SAUCE
This was a complete new recipe to me. I had always wanted to use chocolate in a savoury dish, but had never had the courage to actually go ahead and do it. Since I started blogging though, I got a bit more self-confident with my cooking skills and so I thought that my Foodbuzz 24×24…
ARTICHOKE AND RICOTTA MEZZELUNE ON A PARMIGIANO REGGIANO FONDUE
This stuffed pasta dish is the second of my series of posts dedicated to my Foodbuzz 24×24 Christmas in July event. Italians always have some sort of stuffed pasta at Christmas, especially at their Christmas Eve dinner (at this meal we traditionally do not eat meat). This does not mean the meal is light though! …
WARM BAKED PRUNES WRAPPED IN CRUNCHY BACON AND SAGE
This very easy appetizer that can be made in a matter of minutes is the first of a series of posts dedicated to my Foodbuzz 24×24 Christmas in July event. I love all finger food and this is no exception. I find it a lot of fun to make and it tastes delicious. The combination…
FOODBUZZ 24×24: CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Since I moved to Australia from Italy 5 years ago I haven’t gotten used to the “reversed” seasons yet. For someone who has spent the majority of her life in the Northern hemisphere where it is summer in July and winter in December, I have to live with the seasons reversed and believe me, it…
SICILIAN CANNOLI – CANNOLI SICILIANI
This is the recipe of cannoli (well, my family’s recipe!). It’s a traditional dish from Sicily and it requires very specific ingredients that are sometimes hard to find abroad… there are many Sicilian migrants here, so l am lucky enough to find almost anything. If you can’t find ricotta cheese, you can try and substitute…
