Black Olive Tapenade is a Provençal dish consisting of puréed olives, herbs and olive oil. It is a popular condiment in the south of France, where it is generally eaten as an appetiser, spread on bread. Maybe not everyone knows though, that olive based tapenades are very common in Italian cuisine and trace back to…
Coca de Espinacas a la Catalana #TourDeManger
Today marks the start of a classic European bicycle race: The Tour De France. To celebrate this, Sarah and Tim from Curious Cuisiniere are hosting a fantastic event: Eating The Tour De France! The idea is to share a dish from one of the regions of the Tour de France race route and to post it…
Espinacas a la Catalana
Today I am taking you back to Spain, to Catalonia to be precise. I have realised I don’t have many side dishes on the blog, so this recipe for Espinacas a la Catalana is an attempt to fix the problem. When I was a child I used to dislike spinach. They tasted bitter and just…
Homemade Spanish Chorizo
Skip store-bought sausage and make Homemade Spanish Chorizo. Fresh pork seasoned with smoky paprika and garlic delivers an authentic Spanish taste you simply can’t get from a packet. I never really thought about making homemade Spanish chorizo until one day I had no choice. My local supermarket suddenly stopped selling it, and I needed some…
Sangria
As I wrote in my last post about Pa amb Tomaquet, I will be sharing Spanish recipes this week. And what’s more Spanish than Sangria?? I am actually surprised I haven’t shared this recipe yet, as Sangria is one of my most favourite drinks. There are many recipes on the Internet on how to make…
Pa Amb Tomaquet
This week Manu’s Menu will feature 3 Spanish recipes! I love Spain and Spanish food is among my all time favourite! It is also very close to Italian, and even more so to Sicilian, food, so I guess it would be very hard for me not to love it! Let’s start with a very simple…
Pasta with Braised Onions
Pasta with Braised Onions, or Pasta con la Cipolla as we say, is one of my mother’s recipes. It is a very quick, easy and affordable dinner idea that tastes delicious. It’s part of my series on quick and affordable pasta recipes just like Pasta with Peas and Pasta with Fried Zucchini. These are all dishes…
Italian Grilled Vegetables
Grilled vegetables are a staple at our place especially in spring and summer. In fact, this recipe is dedicated to all my friends in the Northern hemisphere (though my readers who are going into winter should definitely bookmark it for later!). When I met my husband, he barely ate any vegetable. True story. But these…
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad
I often have salad for lunch and I like to jazz it up with different ingredients and flavours so as not to get too bored. Today I would like to share with you the recipe for a very satisfying salad made with grilled chicken. This is no ordinary grilled chicken though, it is marinated in…
Pasta with Peas #SundaySupper
Welcome to this week’s #SundaySupper event which is all about spring! As you know, I live in Australia, which means we are in the middle of autumn at the moment, but that doesn’t stop the Italian in me to think of April as spring… so… Today’s recipe is part of my little series about quick, simple…
Cream of Asparagus and Spumante Risotto
I have always loved asparagus. When spring comes, they are on my table at least once a week! I love them poached with home-made mayo or aioli, but I also like to make risotto with them. I have already shared an Asparagus Risotto with Raspadüra recipe on the blog, but this Cream of Asparagus and…
Baked Nutella Iris
Today I will take you all to Sicily, once again! Sicilian street food is among the best food in the whole world. Besides, you can find everything: desserts, snacks, savoury treats and even pasta in street food form! I am not joking, it is that awesome. I would actually go as far as to say…
Pasta with Fried Zucchini
I know I don’t even enough pasta recipes on the blog… and that’s such a pity! So, I decided to fix it and I am planning a little series about quick, simple and affordable pasta recipes. Who says that you need to go out of budget to have “real, healthy food”? Pasta usually makes everyone…
Snapper all’Acqua Pazza
I must admit, we don’t eat a lot of fish. I think it’s because my kids are not crazy about it, so I just find it easier to cook something that pleases everyone. On the other hand, I grew up in a family that LOVES fish and we would eat it at least 3 times…
Mushrooms in Escabeche
I love Spanish food, just as much as I love Spain. I really like the flavours and its simplicity and it reminds me of summer time, seaside and holidays! I enjoy making tapas, especially when I have people over or for special occasions. It’s a fun way to serve and taste many different dishes. I…
Tuna and Onion Pizza
Everyone loves pizza, right?? Today I am sharing with you the recipe for one of my favourite topping: Tuna and Onion Pizza! You know how I feel about pizza toppings, to me a “real” pizza must have only certain toppings. No gourmet pizza for me – I love tandoori chicken or bulgogi, but not on…
Bosnian Burek
Flaky, savoury, and wonderfully simple, Bosnian Burek is a pastry filled with seasoned meat and baked until golden. It’s warm, satisfying, and perfect for family meals. I grew up in Europe during the 90s, and the war in the former Yugoslavia felt very close to us in Italy. I had visited Croatia as a child,…
Home-made Grapefruit Liqueur
I love making my own liqueurs. I find that they taste great and require minimal effort. They are also a fantastic gift idea and you can make them of many different flavours. I have already shared with you a few recipes (you can find them here) and today I’d like to add this Grapefruit Liqueur…
Prosciutto, Goat’s Milk Ricotta and Rockmelon Skewers
As I promised, today I am back with an idea on how to use the home-made Goat’s Milk Ricotta from my latest post. Today’s recipe is the perfect summer appetiser, but it also works well as a palate cleanser any time of the year. It looks very elegant, but it is actually very easy to make. If…
Warm Maftoul Salad with Roasted Vegetables
I love salads, but sometimes I feel like eating something warm instead. I had some pearl couscous (maftoul) in my pantry and when I looked through the vegetables that I had in my fridge I thought it may be a good idea to make a warm Maftoul salad with all of that. I must admit…
Troccoli with Nonna’s Pork Ragu
Today’s recipe is very dear to me. It was my grandmother Maria’s speciality and, as I have recently shared my guide on Palermo, I thought it would be the right time for me to share this recipe, that has been sitting in my archives for a little while now. I learnt how to make this…
Bell Pepper Involtini
Today’s recipe is a very simple appetiser idea: Bell Pepper Involtini. I like to serve these involtini as part of a buffet or a barbecue and they are always a hit. They are very easy to make and I love how colourful they look. Besides, they should be served at room temperature, so you don’t…
Grissini Torinesi
Grissini, aka breadsticks, are a weakness of mine. They originate from the Italian city of Turin, in Piedmont and they have been around for centuries! I love how crunchy they are and I often serve them wrapped in prosciutto as an appetiser or aperitivo. I even like to dip them in Nutella, when I am…
Polipo Accupatello
Today I am sharing with you a special recipe. It is a Sicilian octopus stew with potatoes that my parents learnt from an old lady in the little village of San Vito Lo Capo. My dad started his teaching career at the local school when he was very young and he used to rent a…
Olive Bread
Since moving to Australia I have become more and more interested in baking my own bread. When I was living in Italy, buying artisanal bread was easy and convenient. I never lived too far from a bakery. In fact, come to think of it, nobody lives more than a 5 minute walk from one, at…
Skillet Pizza Chicken
My kids love pizza… I know, I know… who doesn’t? The thing is, when it comes to pizza, they are very picky. It must be their Italian genes… They also love chicken (it is their favourite source of protein), so I thought it would be a great idea to combine these 2 likes into a…
Marinated Fresh Anchovies
Marinated Fresh Anchovies, known as Alici marinate in Italian, are a classic Italian appetiser. You can find this dish in almost any restaurant and I have always loved it. When I was younger, my dad got the recipe from our fishmonger and has been making it at home ever since, with some minor modifications. So,…
