These are definitely not Italian traditional cookies, but I have always loved them and I have made them every Christmas since moving to Australia (my girls leave some on a plate for Santa to eat on Christmas Eve along with a glass of milk…). I guess you could say it’s an “acquired” tradition in our…
BEEF FILLET ROAST STUFFED WITH PURÉED CHESTNUTS
I have always loved meat (much more than any seafood) and beef above all. And what’s better than beef fillet? Nothing! I have to say that Australian beef is among the best in the world, so I consider myself very lucky to able to enjoy it whenever I feel like it. Back in Italy, beef…
POTATO, SPECK AND LEEK PARCELS
In my opinion, there is no better side dish for a steak than potatoes, in whatever shape or form, so I knew I had to make some to go with the Beef fillet roast that I prepared for my Foodbuzz 24×24 Christmas in July event. The thing is, when you are making a special meal, you want…
ORANGE, FENNEL AND BLACK OLIVE SALAD AND AWARDS
My series of posts dedicated to my Foodbuzz 24×24 Christmas in July event is back after a few days’ break and 2 guest posts! Thank you again Kankana from Sunshine & Smile and Erin from Big Fat Baker! This is a typical Christmas salad as it is made with winter ingredients, but I love it all…
COCOA GNOCCHI WITH MASCARPONE AND WALNUT SAUCE
This was a complete new recipe to me. I had always wanted to use chocolate in a savoury dish, but had never had the courage to actually go ahead and do it. Since I started blogging though, I got a bit more self-confident with my cooking skills and so I thought that my Foodbuzz 24×24…
ARTICHOKE AND RICOTTA MEZZELUNE ON A PARMIGIANO REGGIANO FONDUE
This stuffed pasta dish is the second of my series of posts dedicated to my Foodbuzz 24×24 Christmas in July event. Italians always have some sort of stuffed pasta at Christmas, especially at their Christmas Eve dinner (at this meal we traditionally do not eat meat). This does not mean the meal is light though! …
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…
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…
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…
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…
MOUSSAKA
This is definitely not an Italian recipe. As everyone knows moussaka is a traditional Greek dish. I still remember the first time I ate it. I was in Paris with my parents and we went out for dinner in the area of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, an area filled with little French and foreign restaurants. I was a…
QUINCE JELLY MACARONS AND MY FIRST GIVEAWAY
After making cotognata I had some left over “quince water” in which I had cooked the quinces… that liquid makes some fantastic quince jelly! But I did not want to eat the jelly by itself… I wanted to make something unique to celebrate a special occasion, but more on that later. What’s more special than…
COTOGNATA – SICILIAN QUINCE PASTE
This is another one of my family’s recipes. It is a traditional sweet of many Italian regions (especially in the south) and when my parents were kids, it used to be among the most awaited gifts that Sicilian children would get for “all souls day”. You can find out more about the traditions of “all…
MACARONS WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE AND MINT GANACHE
I must admit I had never attempted to make macarons before! Yes… you got that right! I have always been intimidated by how “precise” you need to be. Besides, I am not a “baker”. Mind you, I do bake occasionally (and I am doing more so lately), but I tend to use the stove more…
ROSE CHEESECAKE
Lately I have really felt like eating cheesecake. I had some cream cheese in the fridge, but I didn’t feel like making a fruit cheesecake. While looking in the pantry I saw a bottle of rose syrup that we bought from the Indian grocery store. We all love this syrup and we drink it diluted…
ANZAC BISCUITS
This is definitely not an Italian recipe. It is as Aussie as it gets. But then… I am Australian too! I found this recipe on ninemsn.com.au last year and loved it. These biscuits are traditionally baked for the 25th of April. This date is very special for me: for similar reasons, both Italy and Australia…
ONLINE BAKE SALE FOR JAPAN – MANU’S MENU SNEAK PEEK
As many of you already know, Manu’s Menu will take part to the Online Bake Sale for Japan organised by Sabrina at The Tomato Tart. More than 90 food bloggers around the world have come together to support the initiative. Each of us will bake one or more goodies that will be put up for…
MARZIPAN – MARTORANA
This is a traditional Sicilian sweet made with almond meal. When my parents were kids, children in Sicily would get presents for “all souls day”. The dead people of the family were seen as “friendly ghosts” who would come back home on the night of “i morti” (“the dead”) to gift the new generations with…
PANNA COTTA “TRICOLORE”
This is the last dish of the menu that I have created to celebrate the 150 years of the Unification of Italy. When I decided to make a theme menu for the occasion, this dish was the first I pictured in my mind. I knew I wanted to make a layered sweet to represent the…
STRASCINATI “TRICOLORE”
This is the second dish from the menu that I have come up with to celebrate the 150 years of the Unification of Italy. It is the main dish of the theme menu and, like the entree already published -“Tricolore salad”- it also has the colors of the Italian flag: white, red and green. This…