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,…
Gnocchi alla Romana
This month, the Daring Cooks challenged us to think inside the box – the icebox, that is! Audax taught us some really cool tips and tricks for stocking our freezers with prepare-ahead meals that can keep our taste buds satisfied even during the busiest of times. It is back to school time for many families in the…
Cassoeula
As I mentioned in my previous post on how to make Verzini sausages at home, Cassoeula is one of the most iconic dishes from Milan, the city where I was born. Cassoeula is a stew made with pork meat and cabbage. In the past, people would cook pig’s ears and trotters in it too, but…
Home-made Verzini
As you may know, I was born and brought up in Milan. Foodwise, Milan is famous for risotto (especially Risotto alla Milanese, made with saffron), ossobuco, cotoletta, panettone and cassoeula. As you can see, I have already shared the recipes for the most famous Milanese food… all, but one: Cassoeula. The reason why it took…
Sbrisolona
My series on Regional Italian food is back! Finally! Today’s recipe comes from the region I was born in: Lombardy and more precisely from the beautiful town of Mantova. This area is a culinary heaven… but then again, what part of Italy isn’t? I have already shared with you the recipes for Mostarda Mantovana and Tortelli…
IMPEPATA DI COZZE – PEPPERED MUSSELS
Today, I am back with a recipe for my Regional Italian dish series! I am taking you all to Campania and Naples with a delicious and very easy-to-make dish: Peppered Mussels, also known as Impepata di Cozze.
RICOTTA FILLED GRAFFE
Today’s recipe comes from the Sicilian town of Trapani, where my mother was born. These are similar, but not the same as the more famous Neapolitan graffe, the dough of which includes potatoes. Graffe in Trapani are like doughnuts, fried and then filled with the same sweet ricotta filling used for Cannoli, Sfinciuni di San…
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…
BEEF AGGLASSATO
Today’s Regional Italian dish is yet another dish from Sicily! It is a very easy and delicious beef pot roast (kind of) made with onions and white wine. It is a recipe from Palermo that comes from my father’s side of the family. I have already shared with you the recipe for Chicken Agglassato, and this…
Homemade Sicilian Pork Sausage with Fennel
Fire up the grill for Homemade Sicilian Pork Sausage with Fennel. Juicy, flavourful, and easy to cook, it’s made for outdoor meals and relaxed gatherings. Few recipes take me back to my family’s kitchen quite like Homemade Sicilian Pork Sausage with Fennel. It’s something I’ve been making for years and have always wanted to share…
MATAROCCO
For this week’s Regional Italian dish I am going to take you back to Sicily. Today’s recipe is really easy and really tasty, it is one of those family recipes that we would always have during our summer holidays. It is hearty and delicious, full of “local” flavours as all the ingredients are easily available in…
CASSATA SICILIANA
Happy Easter everyone!!! Today I want to share with you my family’s recipe for the most iconic Sicilian cake: Cassata! It is a delicious dessert made with sponge cake, filled with sweet ricotta and chocolate and decorated with candied fruits and royal icing. Even though nowadays you can buy a cassata throughout the year, it…
CANESTRELLI
I am sure that you will agree with me on this: food and memories are linked. When I eat something, my brain starts remembering things connected to the taste I am enjoying. This happens to me all the time. Since moving to Australia though this connection has become somewhat stronger. It’s probably because I can…
MEAT FILLED APULIAN PANZEROTTI
I cannot believe it’s Carnevale time already! Didn’t we celebrate Christmas just the other day?? Anyhow, today’s recipe had to be related to this amazing festivity, which also happens to be the one I like the most. I soooo miss Carnevale… back in Italy we all dress up in masks and go around playing tricks and having…
BISCOTTI DI FICHI – FIG COOKIES
Today, as part of my series on Regional Italian Cuisines, I want to share with you the recipe for a very traditional Christmas Sicilian sweet: biscotti di fichi. They are made with the same dough and filling of Buccellato (the traditional Sicilian cake I have shared with you last year), but they are a bit…
LASAGNE VERDI
Today’s recipe is a variation on the classic Baked Lasagne that I have already shared with you in the past. The main difference is that this dish is made using “green” pasta sheets that are made with spinach. You can find a tutorial on how to make your own green pasta dough here. I can…
PESTO LASAGNE
I am very excited about today’s recipe. The reason is simple: it is one of my all time favourite dishes. I have always loved lasagne, but growing up I had always only eaten the classic meat version. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I had my first lasagne with pesto. I was at…
BEEF BOLLITO
Today’s dish is one of my favourite ways to eat beef. It is a very common dish throughout the North of Italy, but it is especially popular in Piedmont and Lombardy (this is why I am tagging this recipe under both regions for my series on Regional Italian dishes). There are many variations of this dish that…
SALSA VERDE
Today’s Regional Italian dish is Salsa verde (“green sauce”), a very famous Italian condiment that is used to serve poached meats, poultry and, sometimes, fish. It is a lovely sauce, slightly tangy and very tasty. It is also quite healthy and full of vitamins thanks to its main ingredient: parsley. This is a traditional recipe from…
POTATO GNOCCHI WITH TALEGGIO AND ORANGE FONDUE
There are many sauces that you can make for potato gnocchi, but my favourite ones are cheese based. I think the creaminess of a cheese based sauce goes perfectly well with those pillowy bites of goodness! I have already shared with you the recipe for Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola, which is one of my favourite, and…
POLENTA CONCIA
Rachael of pizzarossa was our August 2012 Daring Cook hostess and she challenged us to broaden our knowledge of cornmeal! Rachael provided us with some amazing recipes and encouraged us to hunt down other cornmeal recipes that we’d never tried before – opening our eyes to literally 100s of cuisines and 1000s of new-to-us recipes!…
FOCACCIA AL POMODORO – CHERRY TOMATO FOCACCIA
After sharing with you the Basic Focaccia recipe, the recipe for Focaccia with Olives and the one for Onion Focaccia, today I am going to post the recipe for another one of my favourites: Focaccia al pomodoro (aka cherry tomato focaccia)! I remember as a child going to the baker right after school and buying a piece…
TROFIE WITH WALNUT SAUCE
Today I want to share with you one of my favourite recipes. Well, it is actually a double recipe as I am going to show you how to make Trofie from scratch with a tutorial AND how to make a delicious, very simple and light walnut sauce to serve them with. Trofie are my absolute…
CAVATELLI CON RAGÙ DI MAIALE
Today’s Regional Italian dish comes from the small region of Molise, in the South of Italy (though, to be precise, the same dish with small variations is widespread in many other Southern regions, like Puglia or Campania or Basilicata). Molise is a small but beautiful region, famous for its pasta and extra virgin olive oil. …
FALSOMAGRO
When I think of Sunday lunches as a child, I think of this dish. I guess you could say this was our family’s equivalent of a Sunday roast. My mum would often prepare this when we had friends over and it has always been one of my all time favourite meat dishes. When I moved…
Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel / Strudel di Mele)
Fill your home with the scent of Christmas by baking Apple Strudel (Strudel di Mele), with golden pastry, warm apples, and raisins that make every slice taste like the holidays. Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel / Strudel di Mele) has always been one of my favourite desserts. Every time I bake it, the smell of apples and…
BAKED LASAGNE
Today I want to share with you the recipe for one of the most iconic Italian dishes ever: lasagne. It is a dish for special occasions or Sunday lunches spent with family and friends… so it is more time consuming than a mid-week dish. But I can guarantee you that you will not mind the…
