Yesterday was my birthday! YAY! Well… usually my husband buys me a chocolate cake from my favourite patisserie in town, but this year he was working in the other side of town and there was no way he could get there in time. So, I made myself a very quick but delicious birthday cake as…
HOME-MADE BACI PERUGINA
Valentine’s Day is here. I know it has become a day “used” by many companies to sell stuff you may not buy otherwise, but I still like the idea of a day in which to exchange sweet gifts with the person you love (in Italy, friends are not included on this day… it is strictly…
OCTOPUS SALAD
Today I want to share with you a very easy dish. In fact, it is almost a “non-recipe” as all you have to do is cut the ingredients and mix them together. Well, you may have to boil the octopus and potatoes too if you cannot find them ready. But that’s about it. I used…
GORGONZOLA SOUFFLÉ
Ok, I guess by now you all know how much I love gorgonzola… so I won’t bore you with that… suffice it to say that I often have some in my fridge. The other day, I just wanted to cook something new with it. There are certain dishes that I have always been scared to…
TUSCAN CABBAGE SOUP
Today I am going to share with you the recipe for one of my favourite soups. I know it’s summer here, but to tell you the truth, it has been a rather unusual summer… quite cool and rainy. And I am thankful for that as it makes it easier to have a healthy and tasty…
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…
SCALOPPINE AL LIMONE – LEMON SCALOPPINE
My mom used to make this dish quite often and I have always liked it. It is quick to make and it tastes delicious. It is also somewhat refreshing thanks to the lemon sauce. It is a classic of Italian cuisine and it is quite popular outside of Italy… so if you are interested in…
GNOCCHI ALLA BAVA
This week’s Regional Italian recipe is quite a decadent one. It comes from the Alpine region of Valle d’Aosta (Aosta Valley) that borders with France and Switzerland. It is a renowned tourist destination for winter sports and summer hikes. It is beautiful, as only the Alps can be. And the food? It is hearty and…
CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA AND THE GIVEAWAY WINNERS
Does it ever happen to you to feel like having a little sweet treat but you don’t really want to go out to the stores to buy the ingredients?? To me, it happens oh so often. So, what do you do when you have a sweet craving to quench?
MALLOREDDUS ALLA CAMPIDANESE
This week’s Regional Italian recipe comes from the region of Sardinia or, as we say, Sardegna, one of the 2 biggest islands of Italy (the other being Sicily). It is a fantastic place with some of the best food and seaside in the world (I am not kidding you). It is well known in Italy as…
BACI DI ALASSIO
My Regional Italian recipe series is back after the holiday break. This week’s recipe takes us to Liguria once again. This time, I am going to take you to the little town of Alassio, near Savona in the western area of the region. This little town is very popular for its beautiful sea and is visited by…
FISH COUSCOUS
I finally get to share with you what we ate on Christmas day and one of my all time favourite dishes: fish couscous. It is a traditional and ancient recipe from Trapani, the town in Western Sicily where my mum is from. In fact, this is a “guest post from my mum” who is presenting…
AUNT MARIA’S ALMOND PARFAIT
Almond parfait is my favourite semifreddo. I love the crunch of the almond that contrasts with the otherwise soft ice cream like texture! It is a traditional Sicilian dessert, very popular in the area of Trapani, the city where my mum was born. I have already shared a recipe for almond parfait when I first…
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…
CARBONE DELLA BEFANA – SWEET COAL
I thought of taking a little break from my Sicilian Street Food Party series of posts, to share this recipe with you. In Italy, Christmas holidays always end after January 6th as we celebrate the day of the Epiphany and the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the baby Jesus. That is also the last occasion…
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…
