I love coffee cakes or sweet loaves. It’s not something Italian – actually, it’s not Italian at all – but I really enjoy a slice of sweet bread for breakfast or with my cup of tea in the afternoon. This Cinnamon Coconut Loaf is moist, fluffy and airy and with a delicious cinnamon flavour. The…
Ricotta Pancakes with Honey Butter
Autumn holidays are now over here in Sydney, but we had some fun in the past couple of weeks! One of the days, we decided to have brunch at home. My kids love pancakes. My eldest daughter calls herself the “pancake monster”, so you get the point. Truth is, I rarely make pancakes at home,…
Crumbed Barramundi
The first time I visited London, back in the 80’s, I was very young and a really fussy eater. That said, I remember falling in love with “fish & chips”. Sure, Italians eat a lot of fish, but for some reason the English one tasted different. Besides, anything served with chips tastes better to a…
Honeycomb
Tomorrow we celebrate Australia Day, the official National Day of Australia. The 26th of January, in fact, marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales. Nowadays, the celebrations reflect our diverse society and are marked by community and family events. It is a…
Spiced Potato Wedges with Easy Sweet Chilli 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. It is a great concept… each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a…
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Come September and I start craving warm comforting food. It does not matter that we are in the middle of spring and the days are getting longer here in Australia. I have been living here for almost 10 years, but I think my mind will never get used to the reverse seasons. So, to satisfy…
Melting Moments with Passion fruit Buttercream
After a very Italian recipe, today I am back with something from my new country. I have discovered these amazing cookies only recently and I simply adore them. Melting Moments do really melt in your mouth, the moment you take a bite! They are similar to shortbread, but they are even more buttery and delicate. …
Super Bowl Roundup
Today’s post is not about 1 recipe. As Super Bowl is approaching, I thought to make a list of the best party food MsM has to offer. Being Italian, I do not follow football… but I enjoy some good soccer. And a good spread during a game! In this post I am going to give…
Lime and Macadamia Nut Bark
Can you believe that I had never made chocolate bark before?? I know, so weird, especially considering that I am a chocoholic! In my defence, I must say that it is not something we usually make in Italy. For Christmas, we mostly make nougat. But bark is so good, so versatile and, let’s face it,…
Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
Sticky Date Pudding is the way Australians refer to he British Sticky Toffee Pudding. Regardless of the name, it is an amazingly delicious dessert. It is served everywhere in Australia, from top restaurants (in more or less revised versions) to the local pubs.
Chicken and Sun dried Tomato Rolls #FridgeShelfies
Last week I blogged about PHILADELPHIA #FridgeShelfies, a campaign that wants to inspire Aussies to get more creative in the kitchen, with new and exciting recipes developed using the ingredients already in their fridges. I immediately loved the concept because, let’s face it, that’s what we have to do everyday. We open the fridge and…
PHILADELPHIA #FridgeShelfies
I am very excited today, as I am partnering with Philadelphia Australia for a very special event: PHILADELPHIA #FridgeShelfies. Doesn’t that sound like fun? With all the selfies going around in social media, why not take a “selfie” of the inside of your fridge for a chance to win a trip for two to Melbourne and…
Hot Cross Buns with Honey Butter
Today’s recipe is not Italian. In fact, I had never eaten Hot Cross Buns before moving to Australia 8 years ago. Hot Cross Buns are traditionally eaten for breakfast on Good Friday and they are marked with a cross to represent the crucifixion of Jesus. Traditionally these buns are made with lots of spices (especially…
Super Bowl Recipe Roundup
Today’s post is not about 1 recipe. As Super Bowl is approaching, I thought to make a list of the best party food MsM has to offer. I am no football fan. In fact, I have never seen a whole match. I do however follow soccer and when it comes to cheering for your favourite…
Peach Melba
Happy Australia Day to all my fellow Aussies! In honour of our National Holiday, I thought I’d share with you a special dessert: Peach Melba. This delicious and very easy to make dessert of peaches and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream was invented in the 1890’s by the French chef Auguste Escoffier at the…
MANU’S PODCAST: AUSTRALIAN FOOD – THOUGHTS ON THE TABLE
I am very happy to announce that today I am back as a guest on Thoughts on the Table, at my friend Paolo’s Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu! And it’s another podcast!!! After the fun experience of taping the first podcast (where we chatted about my role as a food blogger, about food photography, the challenge…
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…
HOT CROSS BUN CUPCAKES
How cute are these?? That was my reaction when I first saw these beauties over at Not Quite Nigella’s site! Lorraine always has amazing ideas and this was one that stuck to my mind. I saw them last Easter and knew then that I HAD to make them. You see, I discovered hot cross buns…
SHEPHERD’S PIE
Our Daring Cooks’ December 2012 Hostess is Andy of Today’s the Day and Today’s the Day I Cook! Andy is sharing with us a traditional French Canadian classic the Paté Chinois, also known as Shepherd’s pie for many of us, and if one dish says comfort food.. this one is it! When I read this month’s challenge…
Oysters Kilpatrick
Bring coastal flavour to your table with this Oysters Kilpatrick recipe. Crispy bacon, tangy sauce, and tender oysters make a quick, flavourful dish perfect for any seafood lover.
PAVLOVA
The last recipe from my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” party is the Pavlova recipe. I kept the best for last… I have to warn you. It is not an easy dessert to make and mine did not come out perfect either, as it did crack a bit. Luckily the taste was not affected…
FAIRY BREAD
The first time I ever heard about “fairy bread” I was at a play-date with 2 other mums. When they explained to me what it was I found it hard to believe that someone could really go crazy for something like “that”. But let me tell you that I completely changed my mind the first…
LAMINGTONS
Lamingtons are squares or rectangles of sponge cake, dipped in chocolate icing and coated witn desiccated coconut. They are another iconic Australian food and I served them with tea for my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” party. I had never made them before but was very happy I did as they were so much…
DAMPER
Here is what Wiki says about damper: “Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by swagmen, drovers, stockmen and other travelers. […] Damper is an iconic Australian dish. […] Damper was originally developed by stockmen who travelled in remote areas for weeks or months at a time, with only basic rations of flour, sugar and…
ROAST TOMATO, ROCKET AND MACADAMIA SALAD
This is the salad I served as one of the sides for my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” party for Foodbuzz 24×24. It is one of those salads with fancy names that you could easily see on a café menu, yet it is very easy and quick to make at home. These are the…
SEARED KANGAROO FILLET STEAKS WITH RASPBERRY GLAZE
I am sure the majority of you are wondering what kangaroo tastes like. Well, it is hard to describe its taste, but I would probably compare it to venison, though it is milder and not as gamey. I still remember the first time I ate it… I was in Uluru and kangaroo was one of…
AUSSIE BURGER WITH “THE LOT”
Today I am going to share with you the recipe of what is known as “Aussie burger with the lot”. The reason for the name is evident: this isn’t your everyday cheese burger… it is made up of A LOT of goodies! And it is irresistible! What’s not to love about a sandwich filled with…