appetiser - Manu’s Menu

Ham and Cheese Frittata Roll

Frittata is my favourite way to eat eggs. My mother would make it once a week: Saturday at lunch. I love the fact that you can add many different ingredients and turn it into a completely new dish every time. The one I used to like the most while growing up was with fried potatoes,…

Beef Carpaccio alla Cipriani

Carpaccio is a dish of thinly sliced raw meat or fish served with a salad and a vinaigrette or a sauce. The beef version is one of my favourite appetisers. Carpaccio was invented in the 1950s by Giuseppe Cipriani from Harry’s Bar in Venice and it soon became very popular throughout Italy. He named it…

Ham and Stracchino Pinwheels

I recently made these Ham and Stracchino Pinwheels and it was love at first bite! I think these will make it to our dinner table during the Holiday Season. They make a great addition to any buffet! I love anything made with puff pastry, but these pinwheels are special. The stracchino cheese is what sets…

Sicilian Bell Pepper Involtini

Today’s recipe is a very simple appetiser or side dish idea: Sicilian Bell Pepper Involtini. I love capsicums (or bell peppers), I always have. I have already shared a Bell Pepper Involtini recipe before, but this one is different. They are filled with what we call the ”Zangaras’ trademark”, as we use this same stuffing…

Parmigiano Reggiano Brutti ma Buoni

Today’s recipe is a savoury variation of the more famous sweet Brutti ma Buoni (click here for the sweet recipe that I have already shared a while ago). Brutti ma Buoni are cookies made in Lombardy, the region I was born and grew up in, mainly to utilize leftovers – especially egg whites and nuts….

Sicilian Eggplant Bake

Eggplant are my absolute favourite summer vegetable (while artichokes top my list in winter!) and today’s recipe is an absolute keeper. It is a Sicilian Eggplant Bake made with tomato sauce, salami, mozzarella, breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano and topped with beaten eggs. It is then baked till golden brown. It is sort of like a variation…

Swordfish Caponata

Today’s recipe is a variation of one of the most popular Sicilian dishes: Caponata (click here for the recipe I shared a while ago). This Swordfish Caponata has all the ingredients of the original dish – including eggplant, olives and capers, plus swordfish. Caponata could be described as a cooked salad made up of fried…

Warm Pizza Dip

You know how I always complain about “Australian mozzarella”? It always feels like plastic and it never stretches enough, like real mozzarella should. Remember my video on how mozzarella is made in Italy? Well, my dear Sydneysiders, I have great news for you. I found a place that makes very good fresh mozzarella: La Stella…

Eggplant Caviar

Eggplant is one of my favourite ingredients when it comes to make anything with vegetables. It is a very common ingredient in Italian cooking, especially in the south where it is present at almost every meals during the summer months, when eggplant is at its best. Today I will share with you a recipe for…

Pinzimonio

Today I want to share with you a traditional Italian recipe called Pinzimonio. It is more than just a recipe, it is a style of eating raw vegetables by dipping them into a vinaigrette. You can use the vegetables you prefer, based on the season. I like to use carrot sticks, celery sticks, fennel, radishes…

Black Olive Tapenade

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…

Schiacciata

Today’s recipe is from the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, in central Italy. Schiacciata is very similar to focaccia, but it is much easier and faster to make than the traditional Focaccia from Genoa. The word schiacciata literally means “pressed” and it refers to the fact that you need to press the dough down with your…

Bhel Puri

I am taking you all to a beach in Mumbai with today’s post! Bhel Puri is a savoury snack and a type of chaat made with puffed rice, sev, chutneys and other ingredients. It is thought to have originated within the street food stalls of Mumbai’s beaches and the recipe has spread to most parts…

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…

Easy Chicken Tacos

My family’s favourite Sunday roast is my Roast Brined Chicken. It is very moist and because we all like it so much, I usually buy a big chicken so that we get leftovers for the following day. I usually make a classic Chicken Salad with the leftover chicken, but this time I thought of trying something…

Baked Goats Cheese Rolls with Honey and Thyme #SundaySupper

Welcome to this week’s #SundaySupper event which is all about “mum”. Yes, we are celebrating our mothers and cooking up one of their favourite recipes in honour of the upcoming Mother’s Day! I recently planted some thyme in my backyard and I must admit that it is growing nicely. I love to use fresh herbs…

1
2
3
…
6
Next Page »