Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso have declared February 5th “World Nutella Day 2012″ – “a day to celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly, to EAT Nutella”. Yay! What a FANTASTIC day! I know… nowadays Nutella is famous all over the world. And that is awesome as so many people…
CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA AND THE GIVEAWAY WINNERS
Does it ever happen to you to feel like having a little sweet treat but you don’t really want to go out to the stores to buy the ingredients?? To me, it happens oh so often. So, what do you do when you have a sweet craving to quench?
BACI DI ALASSIO
My Regional Italian recipe series is back after the holiday break. This week’s recipe takes us to Liguria once again. This time, I am going to take you to the little town of Alassio, near Savona in the western area of the region. This little town is very popular for its beautiful sea and is visited by…
AUNT MARIA’S ALMOND PARFAIT
Almond parfait is my favourite semifreddo. I love the crunch of the almond that contrasts with the otherwise soft ice cream like texture! It is a traditional Sicilian dessert, very popular in the area of Trapani, the city where my mum was born. I have already shared a recipe for almond parfait when I first…
PROFITEROLES
Maybe not everyone knows that profiteroles, also known as choux pastries, are originally from Italy. In fact, they were introduced in France by Caterina de’ Medici, wife of Henry II of France, together with many other dishes. I love choux pastries or bignè, as we usually call them. They are so light and fluffy and…
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…
RUM, DATE AND PECAN ICE CREAM – THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB
And 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. Each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a recipe from and in…
PASTA WITH SAUSAGE, ARTICHOKES AND SAFFRON
We all love sausage in our family. When I say sausage I am referring to the Italian style sausage made of pure pork. I am lucky enough to find some good quality Italian style sausage in Sydney, nonetheless I often make it at home from scratch, as nothing beats home-made things (I used my home-made…
TAHITIAN LIME MOUSSE SHOOTERS – THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB
This is the second month I am participating in the “Secret recipe club” and I LOVE it! It is a great concept… each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a recipe from and in turn someone else will be assigned your blog. All you have to do is choose a recipe,…
LEMON MERINGUE PIE – MERINGATA AL LIMONE
This is a more fruity version of the classic meringue pie, which I will surely make later on. Being that it is summer for most people in the world, I thought of sharing my recipe for a lemon meringue pie, which is definitely more refreshing in taste. This pie also brings back very happy memories…
MONTE BIANCO – MONT BLANC
This is the recipe of a dessert that is quite popular both in France and Italy. In fact, the 2 nations share a border and the highest mountain in Europe (Monte Bianco/Mont Blanc) which gives the name to this dessert made with chestnuts, whipped cream and chocolate. Its shape reminds of a mountain covered in…
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! …
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…
DOUBLE NUTELLA KULFI WITH TOASTED HAZELNUTS – MY GUEST POST OVER AT FLAVOUR FIESTA
When Divya asked me to write a guest post for her beautiful blog Flavour Fiesta I was so honoured and excited! She has an amazing site… please check it out!!! It is a feast both for your tastebuds and for your eyes. She is a very talented foodie and her recipes are mouthwatering. Not only,…
PAPPARDELLE WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS
This is a classic dish. It is very easy to make and will impress even the fussiest eater! Porcini mushrooms are the key here. Their flavour and aroma has no comparison. I consider them to be the “king of all mushrooms”. In my opinion, no other mushroom gets even close to them in flavour. They…
PINEAPPLE LAYERED DESSERT
This is a very easy dessert and you can make it in a matter of a few minutes. It is so easy to make that I made it for my husband’s birthday, the day before our second daughter was born (yes… they were born on 2 consecutive days!). You can make your own custard or…
LAMB KORMA
Lamb Korma is one of my husband’s favourite curries. It is a delicious, creamy and mild curry. When cooked well the lamb is so soft that it should melt in your mouth. I have been looking for years for the perfect recipe for lamb korma and, as it often happens, I found it by chance. …
STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM IN PUFF PASTRY CASES
When I was a child I didn’t like sweets made with puff pastry: they would crumble so easily leaving my hands dirty and sticky. Traditionally, Italians do not use puff pastry for sweets very often… I remember eating lots of it in France though. Well, I have grown up and the times when I did…
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…
PENNE WITH ZUCCHINI AND SPECK
This pasta brings back lots of wonderful childhood memories. I still remember the first time I ate this pasta even though I was only 7 years old. It was a very cold winter evening and I was on a ski holiday, a “settimana bianca” (literally a “white week”) as we call it in Italy. We…
FARFALLE WITH SALMON – FARFALLE AL SALMONE
This is a very easy and quick pasta recipe. I really like it because it is one of those dishes that is fast to prepare and looks and tastes very good. I remember eating this at my friend Elena’s house during our high school years and whenever her mom made it, it would be a…
RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH THREE SAUCES – TRIS DI GNOCCHI DI RICOTTA
What can I say? Ricotta gnocchi is one of my favourite dishes… and for my birthday, I thought I deserved a triple treat! The classic way to serve ricotta gnocchi is with butter and sage, but I love them with lots of different sauces. Have I mentioned that gorgonzola is my favourite cheese? So, I…
PENNE WITH SAUSAGE SAUCE – PENNE CON SUGO DI SALSICCIA
This is one of my family’s favourite pasta sauces! The first time I have eaten this dish was many years ago, at some family friends’ house in Sicily. Their names are Giovanni and Giovanna. It is a very earthy pasta dish and my girls love it. Do not worry about the Brandy/Cognac shot… the alcohol…