Spring has arrived but the winter chill is still lingering. I am savouring the last moments with the flavours of winter- slow cooked beef ribs, hearty stews and the earthy flavours of chestnuts, hazelnuts and mushrooms. We are away for the Easter holidays and I spied on the flight, a pear and chocolate cake on…
Archives for March 2016
One sauce makes 10 recipes
We drove through Carmagnola, the pepper capital of Piemonte, on our way from Torino to the Langhe last autumn. Carmagnola is famed for producing four varieties of peppers including the peperone corn di bue di Carmagnola (the bull-horn shaped pepper from Carmagnola) which comes in bright yellow or red and has a firm meaty flesh….
Easter pizza
The egg is a symbol of Easter because it represents the resurrection of Christ, rebirth and the beginning of Spring. Colourfully painted eggs and chocolate eggs are popular ways of celebrating this festival around the world. In Italy, there are many types of special breads prepared at Easter using eggs, both in the dough and on…
An ancient cooking method revisited: salt baked fish
Sealing food in pastry, dough, salt crust or even leaves is an ancient method of cooking. Before pots and pans were invented, people living near geothermal springs would either wrap the food up and cook it in the springs or bury it in the hot earth near the spring. In Iceland today they still bake…
My favourite winter salad
In the winter, puntarelle (a type of endive typical in and around Rome) begin to pop up in the markets. The long, young, crisp leaves and shoots are dressed with a garlicky anchovy sauce and are the perfect accompaniment to a plate of salumi. The slightly bitter, crunchy leaves contrast well with fatty, silky soft prosciutto…