Chicken wings are a delicacy that I have started to appreciate only recently. Growing up I would always eat chicken breast… no thighs, no wings. I know, thighs are supposed to be tastier and juicier, but I never really liked them. Since moving here I have eaten chicken wings made in different ways and found…
CURRY PUFFS
I love Thai food. It is the first Asian cuisine I learnt to enjoy. I love everything about it: textures, flavours, spices, smells… the full package. Whenever we go out to eat Thai, curry puffs are always among the appetisers we order. I love these crunchy little parcels of fried pastry filled with all kinds…
TARALLI
These could be considered the Italian equivalent to pretzels, they are that famous! They are typical of Apulia, a region in the South of Italy, but you can also find them in the surrounding areas. Well, nowadays you can easily find them everywhere in Italy and I often find them here too! Anyhow… on my…
DUCK LIVER PATÉ WITH ONION JAM
I love paté. All sorts of patés. It is another one of the goodies I used to enjoy in France and now miss a lot. True, you can find paté here too but there is not the same variety that you find in France. One of my favourite lunch items in Paris is definitely a…
BACCALA’ FRITTERS – FRITTELLE DI BACCALA’ – MY GUEST POST AT SUNSHINE & SMILE
When my friend Kankana from Sunshine & Smile asked me to write a guest post for her site I almost jumped out of my seat! Probably you guys do not know this (not even you Kankana), but she has been the first person to comment on my blog! Since then we have exchanged lots of…
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…
FRIED MOZZARELLE WITH ANCHOVIES
This is a very easy recipe for a very tasty aperitivo. Aperitivo could be considered the Italian equivalent of the Spanish tapas and it is basically finger food eaten along with drinks. It can also substitute a more substantial appetizer for a dinner party. When I first met my husband he would often tell me…
FOCACCIA CON LE OLIVE
In Italy you can find all kinds of focaccia and after finding the perfect recipe for plain focaccia, I decided it was time to start jazzing it up a little. I made focaccia con le olive for Victoria’s birthday as it is very common to find it at birthday parties in Italy and also because…
PANINI AL LATTE – MILK PANINI
I guess we all have memories of our childhood birthdays… I was born in February which is often the month of Carnevale in Italy, so I used to have dress up birthday parties. It was a lot of fun. There would be games, prizes, music and lots of laughter! If I think back about the…
CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY MINI CUPCAKES
I have only recently discovered the “world of cupcakes”. I had never eaten one before moving to Australia and I had not made any up until a month ago when I made my Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes for the first time. Victoria adores cupcakes: she cannot resist them! Whenever she sees them at a party,…
VICTORIA’S 4TH BIRTHDAY
As many of you know, these last few days have been quite hectic for me as I have been organising my eldest daughter’s birthday. Victoria turned 4 on July 16th and we had a nice and quite family day. We hid her birthday presents and she had fun finding them and opening them. She loved…
SWEET AND SOUR PUMPKIN WITH GARLIC AND MINT
This is a very versatile dish: it makes a great side dish for meats, but it can also be eaten as an appetizer or finger food on some toasted ciabatta. It is my family’s favourite vegetable dish. We all like its sweet and sour taste and I usually make a lot of it and keep…
TRIPLE SALTED CARAMEL CUPCAKES AND THE GIVEAWAY WINNER
I must admit it: I am officially in love with salted caramel! I have discovered only recently and now it is on the top of my “sweet treats” list! As always when I like something, I have to find a recipe to make it at home so that I can have it whenever I feel…
FOCACCIA
Since moving to Australia I had not had a piece of focaccia! That is 5 years… a long time for someone who literally grew up on it! I remember my mom buying some from the baker’s everyday and giving it to me to take to school to eat during recess (or as we say “ricreazione”). …
ORANGE HUMMUS WITH HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIPS
Hummus is my favourite dip. I have to admit that l got to know and appreciate it only once I moved to Australia. It is not so common in Italy, or at least it didn’t use to be until a few years ago. I love its tangy and zesty taste and its earthy and sometimes…
SAMOSAS
Samosas are one of my favourite Indian snacks. You can find them all around the world and it would be hard to find someone who has never eaten one. They are best eaten warm and crispy… I like them so much that I had to learn how to make them at home, as I believe…
HUNGARIAN SAVORY PASTRIES – SALATINI UNGHERESI
These salty pastries (called pogácsa in Hungarian) are a recipe of a dear friend of my mom’s, Judith. She is Hungarian and used to make these often for me when I was a child. I like them a lot and they are very versatile: perfect for an afternoon snack or as an “aperitivo” before a…
TUNA DIP – ANTIPASTO DI TONNO AND AN AWARD!
The first time I have ever eaten this dish, I was at a restaurant in Milan with Clint. It was supposed to be a very good restaurant, yet we were not that impressed with it… the only dish worth remembering was this tuna dip that we had as entree. We actually liked it so much…
PIADINA AND CRESCIONE – MARCO’S RECIPE
A few days ago I made and shared with you the recipe of my first piadina: Homemade piadina with prosciutto, stracchino and rocket. When I shared it on my Facebook page, my friend Marco Drudi, who is from the area in Italy where piadine come from, kindly shared with me his family recipe! The ingredients…
EGGPLANT PATTIES – POLPETTE DI MELANZANE
What I love about eggplant is that they are so versatile and they are sweet inside with a slightly bitter skin. I use them in many dishes, probably because of my Sicilian origin (yes, Sicilians do eat lots of eggplant!). This is my mom’s recipe for what we call “polpette di melanzane” (eggplant patties). They…
HOMEMADE PIADINA WITH PROSCIUTTO, STRACCHINO AND ROCKET
Piadina (Wiki) is a very traditional bread/sandwich from Romagna (Wiki), a historical area that corresponds to the south-eastern portion of the Emilia-Romagna region. Piadine make very tasty sandwiches and they are often filled with cheese (squacquerone or stracchino are among the favorites), cold meats and/or vegetables. The filling that I prefer is the most classic…
