A Japanese legend tells of a warrior who became so old that he outlived his family. His most precious memory was of playing underneath a cherry tree, but when it died, he was so devastated that he wanted to die too, despite the fact that a new tree had been planted nearby. That winter, the […]
Choux pastry isn’t made like other types of pastry. Here the fat is put into a pan with water and when this has boiled, the flour is poured in and the mixture beaten. It’s really important that you only beat the flour until the pastry is smooth and it only takes a few seconds.If you […]
For many people, if you were asked to name a fruit or vegetable that reminds you of a specific country, the humble tomato, would probably score very highly when discussing the country of Italy. The rich, vibrant red color used in so many famous Italian dishes; the base sauce for traditional Pizza, Ragù alla Bolognese […]
Anelletti al Forno. From the city of Trapani in Sicily comes this delicious baked pasta dish, similar to a Baked Ziti, but with a smaller pasta shape. I switched out the usual meat sauce of pork and beef and used ground turkey, which is lighter and perfect for the hotter days of Summer. I sent […]
When my grandmother was preparing the dish every Sunday in Italy, no one in the family was late for lunch! I can still remember the aroma of the ragu that was cooking all morning. In my house we strictly respected the Bolognese tradition in the making of this dish, but during the years she adapted […]
Soup is a wonderful meal to serve as a starter, a light or not-so-light lunch and for any supper. Tomatoes lend themselves to soup and are used as an ingredient in almost all soups to give color, to add flavor and zest. Tomato soup was fashionable in the sixties and then it was canned – […]
Just last week a friend and I had a discussion on quinces because she’d found a tree laden with fruit at the university where she works. The next morning I went down to the garden to see whether our quince tree was still standing but it seems as if it’s been taken out and I’m […]
There’s no doubt that my favorite panettone is the Poli and and the best spumante I can think of is the Giulio Ferrari, Riserva del Fondatore which is why, if you can get hold it, it’s the Christmas gift to give any Italian. And me. If anyone needs to know where to deliver mine, just […]
This Italian cheese bread is a traditional Easter bread from two bordering regions of Italy: Umbria and Marche. In Umbria is called “Pizza di Pasqua”, while “Crescia al Formaggio” in the Marche region. Regardless of its name, it’s delicious!
The caper (Capparis spinosa) grows on a perennial spiny bush that has big white flowers (sometimes even pink) and fat fleshy leaves. The caper is a bud and is the part that’s commonly picked for culinary purposes. WHERE DOES THE CAPER COME FROM? It’s generally found in the Mediterranean region nowadays and grows wild on […]
A frico is a cheese pancake that isn’t really a pancake because it has no eggs. Fried until it’s firm and crisp, it’s typical of Carnia, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Potatoes are usually added but the variations are endless and each village and mountain valley has their own interpretation or recipe. Nowadays […]
Lombardians have far too often been unfairly accused of failing to contribute to the Italian cuisine – and that because they were the ones building the economic hub driving the Italian economy so that the South can indulge in a few extra long and lazy lunches! It is forgotten, all too soon, that Italian blood […]
Even though I always believed that this well loved sweet was originally the brainchild of Apicius who lovingly described nucatum (also based on honey, walnuts and eggs) in his writings, it was probably the romantic in me and it does seem that nougat, in it’s current form was invented in Marseilles during the 16th century and was probably the result […]
Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) is a flowering plant native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia and tastes a little like liquorice, tarragon and fennel – all mixed together. Star aniseis the fruit of a small evergreen tree native to southwest China but now cultivated in Japan and Southeast Asia. Botanically, the plants are entirely different, though […]
One of the most popular lunchtimes dishes on menus are omelettes and occasionally one does find really good omelettes; but that’s occasionally and it’s strange because they’re pretty easy to make, both plain or filled. The trick here, again, lies in the eggs and the pan. Eggs need to be fresh and the pan should be […]
I don’t know whether it’s a kick back from the childhood days or whether it’s just a thing with me but I love beans – especially cannellini beans and Tuscan bean soup leaves me weak at the knees. There’s no single recipe for it and I’ve come across dozens in my life, eventually settling for […]
This classic Tuscan cake has been exported all over the world and there are a myriad of recipes in existence. It’s delicious and always worth the effort but it’s terrible when it’s made badly, as is everything else. Everyone needs to have a recipe for this to be able to make it quickly and this […]
Although many of us love to cook, if you are the main chef in the home, work full time, and have to come up with interesting and exciting meals on a daily basis, it can be all too easy to slip into the habit of preparing the same food week in and week out. You […]
Tiella pugliese is a hearty layered casserole similar to potato gratin or paella. The name “tiella” refers to the cooking vessel as well as to the food inside it. Typically, a tiella is made of terracotta, but a cast iron skillet also works well for this recipe. One of the tricks to making a good […]
Vitello Tonnato first began appearing in cook books in the 19th century because Piedmont was allied with Liguria where tuna was canned along the coast. At this time, also, lemons and capers from Sicily and a variety of olive oils from the rest of Italy started to arrive in Piedmont and the tonnato sauce was […]
Peaches would definitely appear somewhere near the top of our list of the sexiest fruit on earth if we ever got around to drawing up and publishing one – which, with a little help from our readers is something we’ll be getting around to. Some time. They’ve always been associated with fine dining and good […]
Who made the first bread ? When? Where? In order to answer this question one would have to back in time to the discovery of fire when man learnt how to cook food which, if you think about it, made him human. Yeast has been around since prehistoric times. Airborne yeasts have always there. Any […]
Creamy yellow Gorgonzola, abundantly veined with a blue green mold, can also be produced as an unaged paler, creamier version. Traditionally the cheese is made with raw cow’s milk and even sheep’s milk cheese varieties are available today. It’s been made outside Milano since the eighth century, when it was hung in huge caves to ripen. Nobody knows when […]
There is no certainty about the origin of the word “Tarallo”, indeed there is considerable disagreement about where the word came from. The origins are inspired by different languages and the most accredited suggestions are the four listed below: – from the Greek daratos, a kind of bread – from the Latin torrere, to toast […]
The Pastiera is the emblematic and legendary traditional Neapolitan Easter pie. Made with traditional ingredients like, ricotta, cooked wheat and orange blossom water, is an Italian dessert to absolutely prepare it at least once in a lifetime!
