Over the weekend, I was invited by Barilla Australia to one of their Hands-on Cooking Classes at Casa Barilla, here in Sydney. The class was about food from Emilia Romagna, home of many iconic Italian products like Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, Balsamic Vinegar and Mortadella, to cite just a few. It is a true…
Smorrebrod
You may not know this, but I have always had a fascination for Scandinavia. I have visited Denmark a few times and I have been to Finland and Norway too. Growing up, I have had my share of Scandinavian food and I must say it is delicious. One of my favourite dishes is definitely Smørrebrød…
Elsa’s Plait
I love savoury dishes much more than sweets, so I always make sure to have a few savoury options at parties as I know kids will need something more than sugary treats. I made this bread plait for Victoria’s Frozen party, to simulate Elsa’s long plait. It’s a soft bread filled with ham and mozzarella. …
Cucumber Sandwiches
The first time I had Cucumber Sandwiches, they were served as part of a high tea I attended with friends. To me, the idea of having savoury treats along with tea sounded quite weird. You see, Italians only have sweets with tea (mainly cookies or pastries), so the thought of eating a cucumber sandwich (of…
Victoria’s 7th Birthday
On the 16th we celebrated my eldest daughter Victoria’s 7th birthday!!! I know I always say this, but I really cannot believe how fast time flies. Victoria is turning into a beautiful and thoughtful little girl and I am trying to enjoy these years as much as I can, as I know she will soon…
Panino con la Salamella #SundaySupper
Today the Sunday Supper group is inviting everyone to a big Virtual Picnic! It is summer in the Northern hemisphere and a picnic is in order. Even for us down here, stuck in the coldest months of the year, picnic food is fun and always great to pin and bookmark. I love “dreaming” of summer time and…
Salmon Sliders with Aioli
Who said burgers have to be made with meat?? I love a good veggie burger and I love a fish burger even more. These sliders are made with fresh salmon, home-made buns, vegetables and home-made aioli, so besides being utterly delicious they are also fully home-made and they are a healthier take on regular sliders. …
Hot Cross Buns with Honey Butter
Today’s recipe is not Italian. In fact, I had never eaten Hot Cross Buns before moving to Australia 8 years ago. Hot Cross Buns are traditionally eaten for breakfast on Good Friday and they are marked with a cross to represent the crucifixion of Jesus. Traditionally these buns are made with lots of spices (especially…
Sticky Ginger Marmalade Tea Loaf
It is time again for the “Secret recipe club” reveal! I am sure you all know what the club is about, but for the few of you who still don’t know about it, here goes a brief explanation. It is a great concept… each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a…
Fattoush with Sumac Dressing
For March’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge, Ruth, Shelley and Sawsan asked us to totally veg out! We made salads and dressings, letting the sky be the limit as we created new flavors and combinations that reflect our own unique tastes. Ohhhh yesss! That’s exactly what went through my mind when I read about the challenge! It…
Olive and Walnut Mini Madeleines
Today I want to share with you the recipe for a great appetiser: mini savoury madeleines made with walnuts and olives. I saw these in an Italian food magazine and I just HAD to make them. Actually, I made these for Christmas and served them as one of our appetisers, with blue cheese and honey. …
Durum Wheat Italian Bread Rolls
I have a confession to make. I don’t eat bread. Mmmm, well, that’s not really true. Let me start again. I don’t usually buy bread. The reason is simple… I like bread so much that if I have it in the house, I cannot leave it alone. And my little ones like it even more…
Lamb Gozleme
I love Gozleme. Did you know that the name “Gozleme” comes from the word goz that means “eye” in Turkish? Apparently it derives its name from the little round black spots that form on the dough after cooking it! Since discovering this little tasty pocket of Turkish goodness, I have tried many different fillings and…
SPINACH AND FETA GOZLEME
I have only recently discovered Gozleme. Sydney is full of little Turkish shops that sell amazing food, but I had always ordered a kebab or a pide. At least until a few months ago, when I had a spinach and feta Gozleme and I loved it so much, I have never ordered anything else. I…
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE WHOLE WHEAT BANANA BREAD
Today’s recipe came about from another one of my attempts to use up leftovers. Though I must admit it was a bit more crumbly than I had expected (especially the next day), it still tasted delicious and I thought it would be a pity not to share it with all of you. Besides, it is…
CRESCENTINE – TIGELLE
For this week’s Regional Italian recipe, I want to take you to the region of Emilia-Romagna, a culinary heaven. Suffice it to say that it is the region where Balsamic Vinegar, Mortadella, Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano are produced… just to mention a few of the amazing delicacies that this region is famous for. …
BREAD MALFATTI WITH BUTTER AND PUMPKIN CREAM
Last year, my mother gave me one of my grandmother’s cookbooks. It is full of notes and extra recipes that my nonna would pin down in all the white areas in between pages. I love it. I love being able to read her comments, I love being able to once again see her curvy handwriting,…
PIZZA FLAVOURED PIGGY BUNS
I saw these piggy shaped buns on Pinterest and I could not get them out of my mind! They look too cute! As the theme of my youngest daughter’s birthday party was Peppa Pig, I thought it would be a good time for me to try and make them! I had so much fun and…
CIAMBELLA RUSTICA – SALAMI AND SMOKED SCAMORZA BUNDT CAKE
The weather is getting warmer around here… this is the time of the year when I prefer to eat out. In a few weeks it will be too hot for my liking. So I try to enjoy this weather as much as I can! Today I am going to share with you the recipe for…
CANEDERLI CON SPECK IN BRODO – SPECK CANEDERLI IN BROTH
Canederli, also known locally as Knödel, are bread dumplings typical of the area of South Tyrol, even though similar versions are found in Austrian, German, Hungarian, Croatian and Czech cuisines. The classic Italian recipe calls for Italian Speck, which is a smoked prosciutto typical of the area and they are traditionally served in broth as…
WALNUT BANANA BREAD
If you like banana bread, this is a fantastic recipe. I must admit I am not a great Jamie Oliver follower when it comes to his take on Italian food, but I do trust him for the rest. I had already tried and fallen for his brownies a little while ago and this recipe was just…
NAAN
I don’t think there is anything as hearty and delicious as home-made bread. Any kind of bread. The smell itself is soothing… My girls LOVE eating bread, so I try and make it at home as much as possible. Whenever I cook an Indian meal, I make naan, either with garlic or, like in the…
FOCACCIA AL POMODORO – CHERRY TOMATO FOCACCIA
After sharing with you the Basic Focaccia recipe, the recipe for Focaccia with Olives and the one for Onion Focaccia, today I am going to post the recipe for another one of my favourites: Focaccia al pomodoro (aka cherry tomato focaccia)! I remember as a child going to the baker right after school and buying a piece…
MASALA DOSA
The first time I ate a masala dosa I was still quite new to Indian food. I think it was the second Indian dish I had ever had (the first being tandoori chicken) and I loved it so much that it quickly became one of my favourite take-away dishes. More than 10 years have passed…
DOSA AND COCONUT CHUTNEY
Over the next couple of days I am going to share with you some South Indian recipes. Today I will show you how to make a “basic” dosa from scratch. Dosas are very thin and crispy crêpes, made from a fermented batter of blended lentils and rice. They are delicious and I can never get…
WHOLE WHEAT SANDWICH BREAD
I know I have said this before… but before I started bogging I do not recall baking bread at home. My husband and I do not eat a lot of bread (I am very “un-Italian” in this aspect) and I always thought that baking bread at home was too complicated and not worth it. My…
GARLIC NAAN
Naan is my favourite Indian bread… and I always order garlic Naan when we eat out. My girls love it too (they are both bread lovers) and as I have been baking much more bread since I started blogging, I had to try and make these at home. I have to say that they came…
