This week, for #SundaySupper we are sharing recipes for homemade gifts to give to family and friends for the holidays. I LOVE this theme and I cannot wait to read all the recipes that my fellow bloggers will share. I am always on the lookout for new ideas. Like every year, this year too I…
Home-made Salted Caramel Liqueur
If you follow Manu’s Menu, you will remember that I decided to start a little series on home-made liqueurs in the weeks before the holiday season. The reason is simple: home-made liqueurs make the perfect Christmas gift, both on their own or as part of a Christmas hamper filled with different home-made goodies. On the…
Marsala Gelato with Pumpkin Sauce
Today’s recipe is inspired by the month of October. I know I say this often, but to me getting used to what I still consider “reversed” seasons is almost impossible. So October is still autumn to me, even though down here we are in the middle of spring! That is why, I decided that combining…
Home-made White Chocolate Liqueur
Italians like to make things at home. This includes tomato sauces and preserves, pasta, sausages and smallgoods and, of course, liqueurs. Home-made things are better on so many levels. For one thing, you know exactly what went into your food and then everyone knows that food prepared with love always tastes better. I have always…
Sweet Popcorn Snowballs
I made these Sweet Popcorn Snowballs as part of the menu for my daughter’s 7th birthday party. As the theme was Frozen, I thought having edible snowballs would be a fun idea. These are easy to make and look quite nice. You can make them for a winter themed buffet or save the recipe for…
Radicchio and Taleggio Lasagne
This, together with my Pesto Lasagne, has to be one of my all time favourite vegetarian lasagne! It is very easy to make and it only requires a few ingredients. Yet, the end result tastes amazing. I think Taleggio and Radicchio were created to be eaten together as their flavours complement each other perfectly. These…
PARMIGIANO REGGIANO TARTS WITH COTECHINO
If you follow Manu’s Menu quite regularly, you will remember me saying that Italians always have cotechino for New Year’s Eve. It is like having turkey for Thanksgiving… it’s a given and something that can never be missing from our table. I have shared with you a few recipes for it during the years… from…
COTECHINO WITH ITALIAN MASH POTATOES
As the last post of the year, I had to share with you a cotechino recipe. That’s because Italians always have at least one slice of cotechino on New Year’s Eve! It’s a tradition that I love to keep alive even down under. I often make my own cotechino (you can find my tutorial and…
PASTA BAKE – PASTA AL FORNO
MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! I hope you are all having a fantastic holiday season, full of laughter and love. I hope you are spending more time with your family and friends and that you take some time to slow down and really savour each moment of this special time of the year. I am blessed as…
MANU’S PODCAST – THOUGHTS ON THE TABLE
I am thrilled to announce that today I am a guest on Thoughts on the Table, at my friend Paolo’s Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu! And the biggest news is that it’s a podcast – my first EVER! So, if you are curious to know what we sound like… head over to…
COFFEE AND VANILLA LIQUEUR
Like every year, I made some edible gifts to give my friends for Christmas. Last year, I had successfully made some Bailey’s Irish Cream, so this time I wanted to experiment with other flavoured liqueurs. I love Kahlua, so I thought I would try that. I found lots of recipes and in the end I…
MANU’S CHRISTMAS MENUS – BOOK GIVEAWAY
As many of you already know, I have recently published my first eBook: Manu’s Christmas Menus. The eBook contains 20 original recipes, divided in 4 menus, to help you bring Italy to your table this holiday Season. All recipes have step by step instructions and pictures and they have never been published before (so you…
MANU’S CHRISTMAS MENUS
Today is a big day for me. I can finally share with all of you a project that I have been working on for the last three months. It’s been hard doing all of it quietly as I am not very good at keeping things to myself when I am very excited about something. But…
SALTED NUTELLA CHOCOLATE FUDGE
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…
WHITE CHOCOLATE PASSION FRUIT TRUFFLES
I told you I would not forget about you!! So here I am with a sweet tropical recipe: White Chocolate Passion Fruit Truffles! I love passion fruit and I think it goes very well with chocolate, especially the white kind, as its slightly tart flavour combines perfectly with the sweetness of white chocolate! These truffles…
COTECHINO WITH LENTILS
Today I want to share with you a classic Italian recipe: cotechino with lentils. I don’t think there is a single household in Italy that will not serve this dish on New Year’s Eve. It is a huge tradition. Also, lentils are supposed to bring good luck and money in the new year, so we…
PANETTONE
Merry Christmas everybody! I know you will be very busy in your kitchens today (or at the malls, getting your last minute Christmas shopping done!), but I just could not stop myself from sharing this special recipe with all of you today: Panettone!
GREEN LASAGNE WITH STRACCHINO, ARTICHOKES AND SAUSAGE
When I think of comfort food, the first image that comes to my mind is a plate full of lasagne… no matter how they are made (with a classic beef sauce, with pesto or with any other ingredients), lasagne represent comfort food to me (and the majority of Italians). They are easily going to be…
PISTACHIO AND CARDAMOM SEMIFREDDO WITH ROSE CREAM
Today I want to share with you the recipe for a special dessert. A few weeks ago, my friend Abeer from Cake Whiz asked me if I wanted to be a part of a special project she was working on for Christmas. She asked a few of her favourite bloggers to come up with a Christmas…
BISCOTTI DI FICHI – FIG COOKIES
Today, as part of my series on Regional Italian Cuisines, I want to share with you the recipe for a very traditional Christmas Sicilian sweet: biscotti di fichi. They are made with the same dough and filling of Buccellato (the traditional Sicilian cake I have shared with you last year), but they are a bit…
MARRONS GLACÉS
Whenever I think of marrons glacés, I think of Christmas. They are not Italian, as you would have guessed by the name, but these delicious little chestnut sweets are a very common treat at Christmas time in Italy. I am big fan of chestnuts in general and I really enjoy chestnut sweets of all kind,…
CHOCOLATE FUDGE
Who doesn’t like chocolate?? Well… I know a couple of people who are not crazy about it, but really… not many, right? When it comes to home-made Christmas gifts, chocolate never fails and I try to always include something chocolatey in my little hampers. This year I made my favourite fudge! I made it for…
