Morbidosi al cioccolato fondente e cocco You might be wondering what I did with the leftover spongecake after making my Valentine’s day cupcakes… I hope that if you made them you didn’t throw the sponge out because in this recipe I use it to make soft chocolatey bites – I really hate to waste food,…
Category: Food
Aubergine Parmesan
Parmigiana di Melanzane from Campania… no, Apulia… no, Sicily! Nobody is quite sure where this dish comes from and its origins are hotly disputed between the above regions. Some people mistakenly assume that it comes from Parma in Emilio-Romagna because of the name, but that is not the case. In fact, I lean towards the…
The world’s easiest cake
Torta allo yogurt The Italian boy went to the supermarket for me on Sunday because I hadn’t been feeling well and had no food in the house. Naturally, I gave him a shopping list. Equally naturally he… embellished it. Chocolate biscuits for example, were added. This didn’t surprise me, but I was surprised to see…
Cuttlefish stuffed with broccoli
Seppie ripiene con broccoli e gamberetti from Campania I’ll be honest, this isn’t so much a traditional recipe as a twist on something I tried in a restaurant and liked. It is a winter version of something of a summer classic, as cuttlefish, although available all year round in Southern Italy, is mainly eaten, lightly…
Roasted vegetable soup
Vellutata di verdure al forno from Liguria You all know that I like soup in the winter. Really like it. It is absolutely the best thing, with some lovely crusty bread, to warm up the cold winter nights or to provide a healthy, satisfying lunch on a freezing, grey, dismal day. I also adore roasted…
Wholewheat pasta with courgettes
Mafalde integrali con zucchine from Lazio Wholewheat pasta gets a bad rap. That probably has something to do with the horrible gluey types that first came onto the market – you know, the ones that never quite cooked right and became a sludgey outside and kind of chewey inside. Well, wholegrain pasta has come a…
Pasta with Chickpeas
Pasta e ceci alla romana from Lazio This is definitely a dish that is eaten regularly in Italy in winter, and it is from what is known as la cucina povera (poor cuisine) because the ingredients are so cheap and readily available. The homely roots of this pasta dish don’t make it any less tasty than…
Baked Mediterranean Swordfish
Pesce Spada alla Livornese from Tuscany I remember the first time I tried swordfish, on holiday in Spain with my parents. I was very young, and the idea of a fish with a “sword” attached to its face was fascinating to me, and I spent the rest of the holiday trying to catch a glimpse…
Pork rolls with provola and salame
Involtini di maiale con provola e salame from Campania There’s something about cheese which just makes it more decadent when it’s melted. Especially when it’s wrapped in something and it ooozes out as you cut into it…. You can make this recipe with other lean meats too, but I used pork medallions because I think…
Spicy bean and endive soup
Minestra di scarole e fagioli from Campania It’s cold. It’s wet. It’s miserable and dark. Yes, even in Southern Italy, it is December after all! All of this means only one thing… Soup! When you come home on one of those horrid winter nights after a long day at work there’s nothing better than a…
Roast potatoes with parmesan and rosemary
Patate al forno con parmigiano e rosmarino from Emilia-Romagna Roast potatoes. There really is nothing better… Soft, fluffy and light on the inside and perfectly golden and crunchy on the outside. This recipe from Emilia-Romagna, home of such delights as parmesan cheese, parma ham and mortadella (bologna sausage), adds a twist to this classic dish…
lovefromitaly 