The first time I ate falafel I was in Paris… as it often happened with Middle Eastern food that was almost unknown in Italy. I am talking about 20+ years ago! I still remember the shop I bought them from. It was near Place des Vosges, in my favourite area of town: the Marais, which…
SWEET AND SOUR PUMPKIN WITH GARLIC AND MINT
This is a very versatile dish: it makes a great side dish for meats, but it can also be eaten as an appetizer or finger food on some toasted ciabatta. It is my family’s favourite vegetable dish. We all like its sweet and sour taste and I usually make a lot of it and keep…
BAKED SWORDFISH
This is one of the easiest recipes to make delicious and healthy fish. It is also the way I prefer eating swordfish as it reminds me of my childhood. My mom would always make it this way at home and when there was swordfish for lunch or dinner I would always be happy. This is…
PASTA WITH CREAMY BROCCOLI AND PINE NUT SAUCE
I have always liked broccoli (which in Italian are referred to as “broccoletti” to differentiate them from the big roman or purple broccoli), even as a child. Then again, I also used to like brussel sprouts, so I guess I was not a fussy child when it came to eating my veggies. Anyhow, this very…
MARINATED LAMB CUTLETS
This is a very simple lamb dish that I came up with since moving to Australia. Lamb in Italy are much smaller than they are here and it is not easy to find some cuts of meat. I don’t remember seing this kind of cutlets at the supermarkets in Italy… but I haven’t been back…
RIANATA
A while ago I published the recipe for sfincione, which can be considered to be the pizza of Palermo. Today I am going to give you the recipe for the pizza from Trapani: rianata. There are a few versions of this pizza, some are made only with oregano (the name rianata comes from origanata which…
BAKED POTATOES WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY
This is one of my family’s favourite side dishes. Who doesn’t love potatoes, especially when they are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside? The best thing is that these potatoes are not even fried, they are baked, so they are also healthy. They go well with everything, especially meats. I personally love…
CASARECCE WITH TUNA AND LEMON TOPPED WITH GARLIC BREADCRUMBS
This is a very simple, yet flavoursome pasta dish. I ate it for the first time many years ago at a family friend’s house (Laura) and I have been making it ever since. What I love the most about this pasta is the contrast between strong flavours (lemon and garlic) and between textures: the softness…