Today I am back with a traditional Italian recipe: Castagnaccio. It is a typically autumnal dessert found in the Tuscany, Liguria, Piedmont, and Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy. It is made from a batter of chestnut flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, and raisins, which is mixed until smooth and then baked. There are…
Chestnut Bread Rolls
I love baking bread at home and what I like the most is experimenting with different flours and flavour combinations (remember my Spelt and Hazelnut Bread?). My absolute favourite bread still remains my quick Ciabatta, but these Chestnut Bread Rolls are a must-try addition to your holiday menu. Italians often use chestnuts in our cooking,…
Apple Orange Hand Pies
I know I have already said this, but apple desserts are among my favourites. I must admit that I am not a huge fan of raw apples (even though they are really good for you!), but cooked apples are a totally different matter. I love the taste, the consistency… everything! And these Apple Orange Hand…
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Come September and I start craving warm comforting food. It does not matter that we are in the middle of spring and the days are getting longer here in Australia. I have been living here for almost 10 years, but I think my mind will never get used to the reverse seasons. So, to satisfy…
Pumpkin Rolls
Tt 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…
Cinnamon Apple Chips
During the Christmas holidays, we all tend to eat a lot. And we also snack a lot more than during other times of the year. I find it easier to snack on healthy food and fresh fruits here in Australia, as it is summer, but for all my friends and family up in the Northern…
Chai Cheesecake with Pumpkin Butterscotch Sauce
A few days ago, I reviewed the Toollio, an amazing multi-function kitchen appliance. I love it and, as promised, I am going to share a few recipes that can give you a better idea of what you can do with it. Even though you can make lots of savoury dishes with the Toollio, today’s recipe is…
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…
Apple and Dulce de Leche Tart
Apple tarts are my favourite cakes hands down. I love the contrast of the soft baked fruit with the crunchy pastry that you get with every bite. Besides, who doesn’t like Dulce de Leche? It goes really well with apples, just like every caramel sauce. It’s always a winning combination. Spring has just begun down…
CAPSICUM AND MUSHROOM BEEF STEW
Today I want to share with you a recipe that I used to cook while growing up in Milan. Yes, you read that right. I used to cook this for the family. It is quite an easy recipe all things considered. I used to cook it on the stove, but I have recently changed over…
CABBAGE AND TALEGGIO CRESPELLE
The weather is getting warmer in Sydney, though I always find it hard to think of September/October as “spring”. To me it’s still autumn, back to school season and the time during which to enjoy mushrooms, cabbage and pumpkin! I am hopeless, I know! So… before it gets even warmer down here, let me share…
SAFFRON GNOCCHI WITH SAUSAGE AND PORCINI
Todd, who is The Daring Kitchen’s AWESOME webmaster and an amazing cook, is our September Daring Cooks’ host! Todd challenged us to make light and fluffy potato Gnocchi and encouraged us to flavor the lil pillows of goodness and go wild with a sauce to top them with! YESSSSS! I love gnocchi of all sorts,…
CHOCOLATE ACORNS
I have seen these on Pinterest and I just could not get them out of my mind. I think they look really cute and they fitted in perfectly with my fairy theme for Victoria’s birthday party. I have seen many “recipes” online and they all pretty much use ready made components that get assembled into…
BAKED APPLES EN CROÛTE WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their…
WALNUT AND ORANGE GELATO WITH CHOCOLATE SYRUP
I love ice cream and not only in summer! Today’s recipe in fact, is perfect for autumn/winter as it is made with walnuts and candied orange zest These flavours always make me think of autumn, cold days and cozy nights. The home-made chocolate syrup adds a touch of decadence to the whole dessert which is always…
CHESTNUT GNOCCHI VALCHIAVENNA STYLE
Today’s Regional Italian recipe comes from the region I grew up in: Lombardy. To be precise, this recipe is from Valchiavenna, an Alpine valley to the north of Lake Como. It is a truly beautiful area and the food you can eat there is genuine and very much linked to the territory and local produce. …
PUMPKIN DOUGHNUTS
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 turn…
HOME-MADE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE
This is another one of those items that is commonly found in North American stores, but is very hard to come by anywhere else in the world, Sydney included. Luckily, this pumpkin pie spice mix is easy to make and calls for “international” spices, so it can be made at home no matter where you…
HOME-MADE PUMPKIN PURÉE
Come October-November I start seeing a lot of recipes that call for pumpkin purée… the truth is, the thought of looking for the canned version never even occurred to me. I didn’t even know it existed before I started blogging… So, I looked it up on the internet and discovered that it is plain and…
PUMPKIN AND COCONUT MUFFINS
Today’s recipe is another one of those recipes that I put together to finish up a few ingredients I had left over from making other dishes. I had a some pumpkin purée and some coconut cream that needed to be used quickly, so I thought of combining them and making something healthy that the girls…
PUMPKIN GNOCCHI WITH BUTTER AND SAGE
I love making flavoured gnocchi and these pumpkin gnocchi are particularly tasty. They are actually made with a mix of potatoes and pumpkin, so they are as soft and pillowy as potato gnocchi, with a hint of pumpkin flavour and colour. Don’t they look beautiful? I like to make these especially in autumn/winter when pumpkins…
