As you know, I love to play around with pasta’s colours and shapes. With Valentine’s Day coming up in a couple of days, I thought heart shaped pasta would be in order. And to make it even more appropriate for the occasion, I thought of making it pink. You simply add some beetroot to your…
Swordfish and Pistachio Pasta
Pasta, finally. You know that, even though I am Italian, I don’t share pasta recipes as much as I’d like. The main reason is that I don’t like to take pictures of pasta. There, I said it. When I take the shots for my blog, I don’t like to be rushed and I prefer to…
Pappardelle alla Contadina
A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Toollio, an amazing multi-function food processor that really makes your life easier in the kitchen. I am very happy with it and, as promised, I am doing a little series on recipes developed using the Toollio to showcase its versatility. After making some hearty meatballs and a luscious cheesecake, today…
Saffron Gnocchi with Ham and Peas
Today it’s back to basics, with an Italian classic recipe… but with a twist. Ham and peas are a very common pairing and Italians love to use this combination in a pasta sauce. I love it too and it reminds me of when I was a child and I would often ask my mum to…
Casoncelli alla Bergamasca
Today’s post is all about tradition. I often say that talking about Italian cuisine is not very accurate… every region (and sometimes even city!) has its own cuisine, so it would be more correct to say Italian cuisines. Every area of Italy has its own traditional stuffed pasta which can differ in shape, size and/or…
Minestrone
Having grown up in Milan, where winters are quite cold, I have had my fair share of soups. In fact, my mum would often make soup for dinner. My favourite has always been Pasta e Fagioli, but she has always made a fantastic Minestrone. Contrary to what it may seem, Minestrone is actually a pretty…
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Finally a pasta dish again! I cannot believe I haven’t published a recipe for pasta in a while! When we were living in Italy, we used to eat pasta once a day… almost every day. Yep, that’s the way Italians do it. But after moving to Australia, we don’t eat it quite as often. Still,…
Beetroot and Ricotta Gnocchi with Gorgonzola
I have always love beetroot, a taste I share with my dad. I remember often buying it at the store whenever it was available. We would buy it cooked, ready to be sliced and eaten. My favourite way to eat beets was to make them into a simple salad with extra virgin olive oil and…
Taleggio and Walnut Mezzelune with Parmigiano Reggiano Fondue
I love making pasta from scratch. Some people find making bread relaxing and soothing… to me making pasta has the same effect. I love kneading the dough and creating all kinds of different shapes. I was going through my pasta tutorial page a couple of days ago and I realised I do have quite a…
Malloreddus with Walnuts and Prosciutto
Today I am going to share with you one of my Regional Italian recipes! And this time I will take you all to the beautiful island of Sardinia or, as we say, Sardegna. Sardinia is a popular holiday destination for people who love the seaside. In fact it has some of the best beaches and…
An Ode to Pasta and a Barilla Hamper #Giveaway
Today I am very excited as I am partnering with Barilla Australia for a special giveaway! Yes, you got that right: Barilla is offering one of my lucky readers the possibility to win a hamper full of exciting and delicious Barilla products! Read on to find out all the details! Barilla is the number one…
Radicchio and Gorgonzola Tortelloni with Butter and Walnuts #SundaySupper
Happy Sunday everyone! Always more people are looking for meatless meal ideas, especially during Lent, so the fantastic people of Sunday Supper have come up with yet another great event: a fabulous Sunday Supper without meat! I must admit that while I LOVE my vegetables and I have grown up in a family where red meat…
Linguine with Potatoes
Today’s recipe is not my own. It’s actually my mother’s. It is one of her favourite pasta sauces and she made it for all of us when visiting from Italy. Usually, as a rule of thumb, Italians do not eat other carbs together with pasta, but this is a delicious exception. I often say that…
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…
CAPPELLACCI WITH SAUSAGE AND PORCINI
Happy New Year everybody! I hope you had a fun (and food) filled New Year’s Eve and I wish you all the best for 2014!!! Today I want to celebrate the beginning of the new year with a special recipe. We had these on Christmas Eve and they were a huge hit. Every year we…
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…
ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND FENNEL TOPS
I know many people find making bread relaxing. And I do understand why… kneading is good for you and it does take your mind away from everyday worries. I have a very similar experience when making pasta. And more precisely when shaping pasta with my hands. I find it a very relaxing and fulfilling activity. …
LASAGNE WITH ZUCCHINI PESTO, SPECK AND SMOKED SCAMORZA
Mmmm Lasagne! My favourite dish ever. Growing up my parents and I would make Lasagne for big occasions, like Christmas or birthdays. And they would always be the classic meat version (you can find my recipe here). Well, lately I have been making all sorts of Lasagne. Remember my Pesto Lasagne (my all time favourite!), or…
FRESH TUNA RAGU
This is a recipe that I learnt from my dad. He loves tuna (and so do I), so whenever we saw tuna at the markets, we would buy some and make a ragù with it. Ragù is a generic term that Italians use for tomato based sauces predominantely made with meat, but not only. The…
SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS
Today’s recipe is yet another classic of Italian cuisine. Spaghetti wit Mussles is originally a dish from the South, where fresh mussels are very common, but it is one of those dishes that is now widely eaten throughout the country.
Tortelli di Zucca (Pumpkin Tortelli)
Tortelli di Zucca, or Pumpkin Tortelli, is one of Mantova’s most loved dishes, pasta filled with roasted pumpkin and amaretti, served with golden butter and crisp sage leaves. After sharing how to make Mostarda Mantovana, I couldn’t wait to show you one of my favourite ways to use it. Tortelli di Zucca (Pumpkin Tortelli) is…
PURPLE GNOCCHI ON A PARMIGIANO REGGIANO FONDUE WITH TOASTED HAZELNUTS AND CRUNCHY SPECK
I love experimenting with pasta and gnocchi. I love the fact that you can make them of many shapes, flavours and colours. I saw these amazing purple Congo potatoes at the market and I could not resist buying them. They are not imported from Congo as they name might suggest, but they are grown in…
TROFIE WITH TALEGGIO AND ZUCCHINI
It’s getting cold down here and when it gets chilly, I find myself craving for cheese… better if it is melted! I also like to spend some time in the kitchen making pasta with my youngest daughter (she is quite talented I must say) and the pasta we have the most fun making together is…
SPAGHETTI WITH VONGOLE
Today’s recipe is one of my favourite pasta dishes! Back in Italy, I would make it regularly as I could easily find fresh vongole at the market. Finding them here in Sydney instead is not easy at all. And even when I find them, they are often frozen… So when I saw these at the…
PRAWN AND ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI
I must admit I am not a huge fan of prawns… but I am the only one in my family. My mum would make this pasta often during our holidays in Sicily as we were able to get amazingly fresh prawns over there. It is a very easy recipe and the sauce takes just a…
SPAGHETTI WITH HOME-MADE TOMATO SAUCE
I cannot believe it! I have blogged for over 2 years and I haven’t posted this recipe yet! Spaghetti with home-made tomato sauce form the BASE of Italian cuisine. So much so that Italians refer to this dish as pasta “al sugo”, which means “with sauce”, taking for granted that the sauce is tomato sauce. …
BUSIATI WITH EGGPLANT AND GARLIC & THYME BREADCRUMBS
Today’s dish is a recipe I came up with a little while ago. Do you ever have a day when you want to use up ingredients that are taking too much place in your pantry or fridge? It happens quite often to me and when it does, I take them all out, put them on…
