Manu from Manu’s Menu was our Daring Cooks lovely June hostess and has challenged us to make traditional Italian cannelloni from scratch! We were taught how to make the pasta, filling, and sauces shared with us from her own and her family’s treasured recipes! WHAT?? Yes, you read that right!!! I was this month’s hostess…
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…
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…
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…
MINI MEAT PIES
You cannot get more Aussie than this: meat pie is an iconic Australian dish and it had to be a part of my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” 24×24 event. You can get it almost anywhere and there are also shops that only sell these. They can be made with different fillings (chicken and…
FOODBUZZ 24X24: COME HAVE SOME AUSSIE TUCKER, MATE!
Even though I am Italian, I have been living in Australia for the past 6 years. I love this country so much that I have formally become Australian a couple of years ago and I consider myself Australian as much as Italian. Australia is a wonderful country where people from different cultural backgrounds live together. …
BUSIATI WITH HERBS, PISTACHIO PESTO AND CRUNCHY ZUCCHINI
I noticed that I haven’t shared many pasta recipes lately… and for an Italian food blogger that’s bad! Oh so bad! So, today I am going to make it up to you with a special post that is very good for you! My dear friend Cì from Il Mondo di Cì informed me of a…
TORTA MIMOSA – MIMOSA CAKE
Tomorrow, March 8th, we celebrate International Woman’s Day, a day to honour women around the world for their accomplishments and to remember those who still need empowerment! What celebration would it be without a cake?? In Italy, men usually gift the women in their lives mimosa flowers for this special occasion. Mimosa has become the…
MANU’S MENU HAS GONE MOBILE!
Today I have some great news to share with all of you! When I started blogging I had no idea of how to use a computer besides doing basics things like emailing, surfing the web or writing documents. When I decided to open a blog I also decided that I wanted to do it “all…
NUTELLA PIZZA
Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso have declared February 5th “World Nutella Day 2012″ – “a day to celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly, to EAT Nutella”. Yay! What a FANTASTIC day! I know… nowadays Nutella is famous all over the world. And that is awesome as so many people…
SUPER BOWL OR FOOTY NIGHT SUGGESTIONS
I must admit I am no football lover. In fact, the only football I like is soccer… I am Italian after all. After reading quite a bit about the upcoming Super Bowl though, I started thinking that the most fun part about the event would be watching it with friends and family while sharing some…
1 YEAR BLOGIVERSARY AND A GIVEAWAY
I cannot believe a full year has passed since I started blogging. It is so true when they say “time flies when you are having fun”! 1 year has indeed gone by and I find myself celebrating the first blogiversary of Manu’s Menu. People often ask me why I started blogging. I guess there are…
ICED ESPRESSO
I love coffee… well, I am addicted to coffee. Not to the brewed coffee but to espresso. I restrict myself to no more than 2 a day, but I could drink so much more. Only the smell of a freshly brewed espresso in the morning sets the day in the right direction. You know what…
BUCCELLATO – CUCCIDDATU
Buccellato is a Sicilian cake traditionally eaten during the holiday season, especially on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve… so it had to be featured on the Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party I organised for this month’s Foodbuzz 24×24 event! It is a ring shaped shortbread cake filled with dried figs, raisins, candied fruits,…
GELO DI MELONE – WATERMELON JELLO
This is another traditional dessert from Palermo and it was included in the Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party I organised for this month’s Foodbuzz 24×24 event. I asked my aunts for my grandmother’s recipe and here it is. I still remember her making it during the hot summer months. It doesn’t take long and…
CASSATINE SICILIANE
These cassatine are the snack version of the bigger and more famous Cassata Siciliana. They are pretty much the same thing (apart from the lack of candied fruits on the top), only smaller and more “street friendly” as they are often consumed on the go on the busy streets of Palermo. They are delicious little…
PISTACHIO GELATO
Sicily is very famous for its nut production, especially almonds and pistachios. There is a town in the Eastern part of Sicily called Bronte which is reknowed for the quality of the pistachios that grow in the area. I wanted to make ice cream and serve it in a brioche (as it is typically served on…
SPIEDINI – SPITINA
My dad often tells me about his grandmother making Spiedini and Crostini when he was a child. She would spend the whole afternoon making these in the kitchen, having to feed them to her many grandchildren. My dad would sit next to her and watch. And that’s how he learnt how to make them. As…
CROSTINI
Picture this: slices of bread, covered with a thick meat sauce, topped with cheese, breaded and fried. Imagine eating one of these treats… with the slightly melted cheese stretching out into the rich sauce and the crunchy slice of fried bread. Is your mouth watering already? These are crostini and I made them as a…
RAVAZZATE
Ravazzate are yet another great street food dish from Palermo, in Sicily. They are soft buns, filled with a thick and delicious meat sauce, covered in sesame seeds and then baked. I love them! Among all sorts of fried (yet amazing) street food items to choose from, these never fail to be among the items…
RASCATURE
This dish was not originally included in my proposal to Foodbuzz for my 24×24 event on Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party: it was a spur of the moment decision. As they turned out great, I am sharing the recipe with you as well! It is really not a recipe per se, but it…
PANELLE
Panelle are, together with cazzilli and arancine, the most famous Sicilian street food, and that is why I immediately knew I had to feature them on the menu of the Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party I organised for this month’s Foodbuzz 24×24 event! They are delicious on their own when eaten hot, but…
MAFALDE – MAFALDINE
Mafalde are typical bread rolls from Palermo, in Sicily. They are very easy to make and are great to accompany any dish. You can make them as dinner rolls, or serve them in a more traditional way: filled with hot panelle. When planning the menu for the Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party I…
CAZZILLI – CROCCHÈ DI PATATE
I love all potato croquettes! My mum used to make them often, even though she makes them differently (I will share her recipe too as soon as possible). These, instead, are exactly like the ones you can buy on the streets of Palermo and they were on the top of my list for the Sicilian…
IL SICILIANO COCKTAIL
Sicily is very famous for its citrus fruits… be it lemons, mandarins or oranges. So, one of the drinks for the Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party that I organised as part of Foodbuzz’s 24×24 program had to have some citrus in it. I chose orange, because it is sweet and I have a…
POMEGRANATE MARTINI
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…
