Our Daring Cooks’ December 2011 hostess is Sara from Belly Rumbles! Sara chose awesome Char Siu Bao as our challenge, where we made the buns, Char Siu, and filling from scratch – delicious! When I saw this month’s challenge I was really happy as I had already made Char Siu once and we had all liked it, so…
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SUPPLÌ AL TELEFONO
Today’s recipe takes us to the Italian region of Lazio. Lazio is a coastal region in Central Italy and it includes Rome, the capital of Italy. Many of the most popular Italian dishes come from this area. They include carbonara, amatriciana, abbacchio, carciofi alla giudia and many more. So stay tuned for more recipes from…
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CHEESE TWISTS AND PILLOWS
These are great both for parties and for appetizers. I made these for Georgia’s birthday party but have also served them with a chilled glass of white wine before a more formal dinner. At first I wanted to make only the basic cheese twists, but then decided to spice them up a bit and make…
GEORGIA’S 2ND BIRTHDAY
As some of you already know, these last few days have been quite hectic for me as I have been organising my youngest daughter’s birthday. Georgia turned 2 today (on December 1st) and we had a nice, quite family day as we had a little birthday party for her last Sunday with some of our…
MINI SANDWICHES WITH CHÈVRE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
I made these for my daughter Georgia’s 2nd birthday party. They are very easy to make and taste delicious. The filling can be used as a dip or as a spread for bread or crackers. I love the orange colour too! Pin It
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GORGONZOLA AND MASCARPONE FILLED DATES
I love cheese… I am almost as addicted to cheese as I am to chocolate and coffee!!! And gorgonzola is my all time favourite cheese. This is a very easy “recipe” for an elegant appetiser that is perfect for Christmas or New Year’s Eve or any other special occasion. The contrast between gorgonzola and the…
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BUCKWHEAT BLINI WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE AND SMOKED SALMON
Today’s recipe is a very easy one. I love blini and this is my favourite way of eating them: with crème fraîche and smoked salmon. You can also add some horseradish to the crème fraîche, for that little extra kick. Buckwheat blini are part of traditional Russian cuisine. “They are also widespread in Ukraine where…
BLUEBERRY CURD
I think I might have said this already, but growing up I never liked berries. The berries you find in Italy are often too sour for my taste buds, so I never enjoyed eating them (well, apart from the times I would actually pick them on the mountains… but that’s another story!). So I was…
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SCONES
Oh no, this is not an Italian recipe. In fact, scones are unknown in Italy. A few weeks ago, I went out for high tea (again, something not Italian at all) with some girl friends (they were Italian though! ;-)) and among all sorts of yummy goodies, they served us scones with cream & strawberries…
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OLIVE ALL’ASCOLANA
This has always been one of my favourite antipasti, perfect along a good glass of chilled white wine while waiting to serve dinner. I have never seen it here in Sydney and I was looking for the perfect occasion to try and make it at home. And what better occasion than my series on Regional…
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FARINATA DI CECI
This week I want to take you all to Liguria for my weekly Regional Italian dish. Liguria is a coastal region in North-western Italy famous for its seaside, colourful villages and delicious food. Who hasn’t heard of Cinque Terre or Portofino and who hasn’t eaten pesto or focaccia at least once? Unfortunately this area has also been hit…
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HAM AND CHEESE SOFFICINI
After moving to Australia I haven’t been able to eat many of the dishes I grew up with as they simply do not exist. If you have ever moved internationally, you will know the feeling… At the beginning you do not miss the food you left behind as you are too busy discovering all the…
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CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND COOKIES
My mom often used to make these cookies for me when I was a child. I used to love them… but is there a child who does not like chocolate cookies? I don’t think so. But these are special, as the almond meal gives them a little extra flavour. Besides, they are really easy and…
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HALLOWEEN TREATS
I must admit I have never celebrated Halloween before moving to Australia. When I was a child, we did not have Halloween in Italy. We used to celebrate the 2nd of November which is “All Souls Day” (or “il giorno dei morti” as we call it). That’s the day we remember our loved ones who…
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PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN TEA CAKES – THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB
Another month has passed and it is time again for the “Secret recipe club” reveal! I am sure everyone knows 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…
MULTI GRAIN PANINI
My girls love bread. They would eat bread all day long if I let them! So, in an attempt to give them something healthier, I am baking more bread than I used to. And I have taken up baking whole meal or multi grain breads more than white bread. This is a very easy recipe…
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MOO SHU WITH CHINESE STEAMED PANCAKES AND HOME-MADE HOISIN SAUCE
The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce. When I saw this I was a bit…
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CHICKEN SHAWARMA – COOK AROUND THE GLOBE
I often associate memories with food (or food with memories?) and eating kebab always reminds me of Paris. Strange, eh? Well, not so much. As I have already mentioned in my post on Fried Rice, foreign food restaurants and eateries were not so common while I was growing up in Italy. And that too in…
TARATOR SAUCE
Do you know that sauce that looks like hummus whenever you order a kebab at your favourite kiosk? Well, that’s tahini sauce… or tarator sauce. I love its intense and tangy flavour and I always order it with my kebab! I also found out it is pretty easy to make at home and it has…
WHOLE MEAL PITA
I love home made bread. I think there is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread in the house, at any time of the day. Maybe not many of you know, but some of the best bakers in Milan are actually of Arab origin. And they make fantastic bread. One of my favourite…
PIADINE WITH SWEET FILLINGS
Some time ago I shared with you my friend Marco’s recipe for piadine. They are a fantastic bread-like street food from Romagna in Italy, filled with all sorts of yummy goodies. I shared with you the recipe of a savory piadina filled with stracchino, prosciutto slices and rocket salad and I can tell you that…
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…
