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…
FRIED MOZZARELLE WITH ANCHOVIES
This is a very easy recipe for a very tasty aperitivo. Aperitivo could be considered the Italian equivalent of the Spanish tapas and it is basically finger food eaten along with drinks. It can also substitute a more substantial appetizer for a dinner party. When I first met my husband he would often tell me…
FOCACCIA CON LE OLIVE
In Italy you can find all kinds of focaccia and after finding the perfect recipe for plain focaccia, I decided it was time to start jazzing it up a little. I made focaccia con le olive for Victoria’s birthday as it is very common to find it at birthday parties in Italy and also because…
PANINI AL LATTE – MILK PANINI
I guess we all have memories of our childhood birthdays… I was born in February which is often the month of Carnevale in Italy, so I used to have dress up birthday parties. It was a lot of fun. There would be games, prizes, music and lots of laughter! If I think back about the…
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…
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,…
RUSSIAN SALAD IN HAM CANNOLI – INSALATA RUSSA
Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and…
CHOCOLATE COVERED MARZIPAN RUM BALLS – MY GUEST POST OVER AT SANDRA’S EASY COOKING
A few days ago I got an email from Sandra of Sandra’s Easy Cooking asking me if I would write a guest post for her fantastic blog. Would I?? Of course I would! I felt so flattered and honored to be asked by one of my favorite foodies to be a guest over at her…
FOCACCIA DI RECCO
This focaccia is typical of a little town called Recco which is near Genoa, in Liguria. It is not the same focaccia that you would normally see. It is not thick and fluffy, as it is not made with yeast but it hides a very tasty and creamy “secret” inside: stracchino. Stracchino is a soft…
STROZZAPRETI WITH SPECK AND PISTACHIO PESTO
The last time I went to Italy was in 2008. We went during summer, so we also went to Sicily to spend some time at the seaside in a small village called San Vito Lo Capo (Wiki). Our eldest daughter was 1 year old then and Clint and I could finally leave her with my…
COTOLETTE ALLA MILANESE
Cotolette is a typical dish from Milan. The original recipe is slightly different than mine as I do not usually fry mine in butter, but I use vegetable oil. This is the version that my mom and my grandma have always made and it is the one that I make regularly at home. The traditional…
PANNA COTTA “TRICOLORE”
This is the last dish of the menu that I have created to celebrate the 150 years of the Unification of Italy. When I decided to make a theme menu for the occasion, this dish was the first I pictured in my mind. I knew I wanted to make a layered sweet to represent the…
STRASCINATI “TRICOLORE”
This is the second dish from the menu that I have come up with to celebrate the 150 years of the Unification of Italy. It is the main dish of the theme menu and, like the entree already published -“Tricolore salad”- it also has the colors of the Italian flag: white, red and green. This…
“TRICOLORE” SALAD – INSALATA TRICOLORE
To celebrate the 150 years of the Unification of Italy I thought of creating a special theme menu. In the next few days I will post 3 recipes (an entree, a main and a dessert) with one thing in common: they will all have the colors white, red and green in honor of the Italian…
CHIACCHIERE
This is a very special time of the year for all Italian children: it is “Carnevale”. It is the time to dress up as a princess or a super hero and go around town to play tricks on people or throw coriandoli (round shaped paper confetti) in the air. There are many famous Carnevali in…
FIRST EVENT AND… SECOND AWARD!
As all of you know, I am Italian. Even though I have been living in Australia for almost 5 years now, I was born and brought up in Italy. On March 17th 2011 Italy is celebrating its 150 years of Unification, so to celebrate I thought I would host a special event on my website. …
MY SPAGHETTI CARBONARA – SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA ALLA MIA MANIERA
That’s right… “my” spaghetti carbonara. Carbonara is a very popular dish and it is well known all over the world. The name derives from “charcoal” (carbone in Italian) either as a tribute to the secret society Carboneria (whose members were known as Carbonari – Wiki) that fought for the unity of Italy in the 19th century,…
OSSO BUCO MILANESE – OSSOBUCO ALLA MILANESE
This osso buco (or oss bus a la milanesa) is another typical dish from Milan, the city where I was born, and it is traditionally served with Risotto alla milanese on the side. The ingredients are very simple, but the flavours are really intense, thanks to the gremolada, a mix of parsley, garlic and lemon…
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…
CANDIED ORANGE ZESTS – SCORZETTE D’ARANCIA CANDITE
This is a typical Italian winter sweet and is often (but not only) used as a decoration for other desserts or served at the end of a meal with some coffee. My mom used to make lots of them for Christmas because that is the time of the year when oranges are at their best. …
“CAT’S TONGUES” BISCUITS – LINGUE DI GATTO
These biscuits are a classic of Italian cuisine. Every pastry shop sells them and they are very often served with ice cream. Their name literally means “cat’s tongues” as their shape and size resemble a cat’s tongue. I simply love them… they are thin and crispy and the aroma that they create while baking takes…
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…
