The change of seasons continually amazes me. Summer brings periods of heat so intense, I cannot recall from a few short months before what it felt like to be cold. The joy of spying the newest of seasonal produce hitting the markets just as the weather changes can sometimes overshadow the continued enjoyment of what…
Autumn is here! Wild mushrooms on toast to celebrate
Autumn is here and new varieties of apples and pears are popping up daily at the local fruit vendors. Crates full of gleaming red and green apples and pears in all shapes and sizes are too good to resist in the peak of their season. While apples are available year-round, they are picked now and…
Pollo e patate (chicken and chips): a dish everyone will want to come home to
There is this unconvincing expectation that when the children start school, free time will be in abundance. In contrast, I find September to be the most exhausting month as everyone adjusts to going to school, doing homework and the commitment to be on time, well turned out with prepared items in hand. Then there are…
Sicilian swordfish
If you are noticing a big game fish theme these past few weeks, it’s partially because we are coming towards the end of swordfish season. Swordfish are a majestic species of fish which play an important role in the cuisines of Sicily and Calabria where they are historically fished. It is highly prized for its…
A great seaside take on the traditional spaghetti carbonara
Tuesday was the pinnacle of the Italian summer holidays. The word “ferragosto” is synonymous in most Italians’ minds with the seaside. For my friends who work at the seaside, ferragosto is the equivalent of Wednesday in most people’s work week. They know that after ferragosto, the season will start to end as the holiday makers…
Seared tuna with sweet and sour Tropea onions
The month of August brings in a festival in celebration of the Tropea onion which takes place in Ricadi, Calabria. The red Tropea onion was introduced to Calabria by the Phoenicians some 4,000 years ago and has always been famous for it’s sweet flavour and crunchy texture. In addition to its culinary values, the Tropea…
Picnic season food: pasta frittata
Young children and summer holidays involve some degree of planning to keep it stress-free. I don’t know about you but summer holidays for me go something like this: kids get up, eat breakfast, slowly pull on their clothes and then are bouncing off the walls, desperate to get out of the house. I inevitably make…
Ravioli filled with burrata in cherry tomato and basil sauce
One of the greatest combinations of ingredients ever is tomato with mozzarella and basil. To think this trio was not possible until the new world was discovered (along with potatoes, corn, chillies and aubergine/eggplant to name a few more) gives a different view of what food on the Italian peninsula must have been like. Happily…
Pork, fennel and bread skewers
No smell is more synonymous with summer than smoke coming from the barbecue. Mouthwatering meat blackened by lapping flames springs to mind at the first whiff of smoke on a sunny day. Never a more primordial desire existed since the invention of fire. One of the most ingenious uses I have seen of day-old bread…
In France but still tasting Italy
Despite being in the south of France this week, I keep finding myself ordering French variations on my favourite Italian dishes: crudités à l’anchoïade is similar to bagna cauda, beignets de fleurs de courgettes are fiori di zucca (battered and deep-fried courgette blossoms), pissaladière is similar to sardenaira, nicoise salad is similar to condiggiun from Liguria and…
Fig and prosciutto crostini – the only solution for hot summer nights
Sorry to miss you last week. It was my birthday and I decided to spend it doing as little as possible. Back in action this week. However, it’s almost too hot to eat which is rather disappointing given the bounty of the season. Fat, shiny aubergines, plump courgettes with pristine flowers attached, tart and juicy tomatoes,…
A favourite beach time snack in Italy and France
School is nearly out, the sun is shining and the produce has changed from spring to summer. Nectarines, peaches, cherries, tomatoes and berries of all sorts have popped up in the shops. We are off to the south of France shortly to soak up the sun, swim in the sea and enjoy the splendid food….
Kaiserschmarrn: the Kaiser’s delightful pancake mess
A few summers ago, staying in the mountains outside the spa town of Merano in the German-speaking region of Alto-Adige, we discovered Kaiserschmarrn. This fluffy concoction is similar to a sweet fried souffle made with raisins and dusted with icing sugar and served with lingonberry jam. It is of Austrian origin but is eaten throughout Alto…
Urbino’s treasured golden flatbread: crescia sfogliata
Crescia sfogliata is a flaky, slightly addictive flatbread from the town of Urbino in Le Marche. The recipe dates back to medieval times. Crescia sfogliata are related to neighbouring Romagna’s piadina (a flatbread) and are a variation on the paratha from India and the shou zhua bing from China. Eating one for the first time is…
Asparagus: the joy of springtime
Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto is the perfect dish at this time of year. Fat, juicy spears of asparagus wrapped in salty prosciutto and cooked until crunchy. If the weather is lovely, pop these on the grill to crisp them up. The smell will make everyone go wild. These cloaked spears are a perfect finger food…
The stunning Calabrian coast
Driving off the ramp of the ferry after crossing the Straits of Messina, we entered the mysterious land of Calabria. Tales of the “miseria” (an era of hardship and famine) propelling the expulsion of entire families across the Atlantic made us think the landscape would be dry and infertile. What lay between Naples and Sicily…
‘Nduja- a uniquely Calabrian salami
‘Nduja is a spicy spreadable salami from the area around Monte Poro, the area just inland from the Capo Vaticano between Nicotera and Tropea. While its origin is unknown, some believe that ‘nduja is derived from andouille (the French sausage made from tripe) and was introduced by the Spanish when they ruled southern Italy. Before…
Peas and prosciutto – a match made in heaven
Pea season is upon us. The beginning of the season is the best with the taught pods bursting with plump peas. At the end of the season, the skins will turn leathery and the peas hard and floury. The surprising sweetness of the young peas is the perfect match for salty prosciutto. This is the…
Dreaming of Sicily: aubergine/eggplant pasta timbale
We were fondly reminiscing about our trips to Sicily after my post last week. As usual the discussions led to the food – the intensely flavoured vegetables, the remarkable cheeses and the freshness of the seafood. Our children had many favourites of the trip, some of which surprised me, such as pasta with sardines and…
Sicily’s Ionian coast
We were looking to extend the summer by heading south in the beginning of autumn. We choose to base ourselves around Etna so that we could explore the volcano and its many up-and-coming wine estates and taste the famous Bronte pistachios, visit the plains of Catania famous for their anti-oxidant rich blood oranges, spend some…
Spaghetti bolognese Venetian style
It’s somehow always the one thing you can’t have that you desperately want. I remember longing daily for steamy, buttery mashed potatoes while on safari in Africa. I would imagine my daily cornmeal mush was actually potatoes (and I like cornmeal mush). Then there was the time I spent a weekend on a rice boat…
What all Italians want you to know
So let’s just say that there is one common mistake made internationally when preparing Italian food. It is the most complained of mistake amongst Italians; an unforgivable faux pas. It is also easily rectifiable. This advice does not come lightly as I do always think that whenever a generalisation is made about Italian food, such as there…
Casatiello: an iconic centuries-old recipe for Easter bread
I remember my first Easter in Italy. A group of friends had planned to go to Naples to see the museums and eat at the famous pizzerias. Afterwards we would explore the islands and the Amalfi coast. Upon arriving in Naples, we went into a bakery looking for picnic fodder and on the counter sat…
The perfect spring dish: lamb and artichoke stew
Spring is here and with it appear bouquets of tightly closed artichokes. While cleaning artichokes may seem a painstaking process for some, I love the feel of their rubbery petals and the squeaking sound they make as you snap them off. My children love it too and we make short work of what might otherwise…
Agnello di sfoglia: just when you thought mille-feuille could not get better
Easter is upon us and chocolate eggs and bunnies are popping up everywhere. Less represented in the Easter array is the spring lamb. The ubiquitous Colomba (a fluffy dove-shaped Easter cake flavoured with candied citron zest) may be the most popular Italian Easter cake. However, there is another Easter cake which shares the same origin…
Apple tart: caramelised apples with vanilla custard baked in a crisp shell
I was window shopping at one of my favourite pastry shops in Torino, Perino Vesco. In the window, I spied a tart with caramelised apples melting into a creamy vanilla custard cradled by crisp pastry. About the same time, a reader was asking me about fruit and custard tarts. By happy coincidence, when I got…
Montebianco: the most delicious cure for ski nostalgia
We are nearing the end of ski season but the memory of Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc) lives on in an edible form. This dessert was created in honour of the majestic Monte Bianco, visible even from long distances away in Italy and France. The ingredients make the most of local ingredients- their luscious cream from Alpine…
Pizzocheri: the buckwheat pasta gem from Valtellina
We are finally nearing the end of winter. The bird have returned, the sun is shining and the crocuses have sprung from the soil. Ski season is still here though and with that the bounty of the mountains in the winter….cheese, glorious cheese. In my mind, skiing is intertwined with melted cheese. Whether this is…
Bunèt: Piedmontese chocolate amaretti creme caramel
Piemonte is one of my favourite dessert destinations. Not only are they famous for their chocolate making skills but they have a mouthwatering range of desserts using local hazelnuts, almonds, eggs, cream and milk. These range from from peaches stuffed with amaretti, panna cotta, gianduia (a hazelnut chocolate spread), hazelnut cakes and biscuits, nougat, brut…
Lasagne di carnevale: It’s carnival time
I love how many Italian holidays seems to feature a lasagne somewhere in Italy. This lasagne from Naples is made during carnival. It is a rich dish comprised of layered meatballs, Neapolitan meat sauce (prepared for the quintessential Sunday family meal), sausages, ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, mozzarella, hard-boiled eggs (optional) and pasta sheets; the perfect dish for…
