Buon Giorno!

My name is Silvia Colloca  and I am an Italian-born food lover living in Sydney, Australia.

In Silvia’s Cucina, you are invited into my kitchen to share the unfussy, delicious, recipes that have been passed down through my family for generations. My food is traditional, authentic and mostly simple, and embedded in it is the legacy of the hands of my mother and grandmother (those hands, always at work on some sauce or buried in dough!).Since leaving Italy eight years ago, I’ve seen, of course, how much Italian food is loved around the world. But I’ve also come to understand that it is a cuisine that is perceived as rich and fatty, to be approached occasionally, and then with some caution.In Silvia’s Cucina,  I am striving to change this misapprehension, by showing how to cook everyday authentic, healthy Italian food. For although the Mediterranean diet allows the occasional indulgence in rich and festive foods, people are amazed to learn just how little fat is required in everyday Italian cooking. They are also surprised to know that not every plate has garlic. Neither does it have to be dusted in parmigiano and black pepper, nor submerged in olive oil.Italians are fiercely passionate and opinionated about their food, its preparation and its consumption, and I am no exception!

Follow me on Silvia’s Cucina and I hope you will find my private insight of Italian family home-cooking joyful and inspiring.

Ciao!

Silvia’s Cucina is on Facebook and Twitter

47 thoughts on “Buon Giorno!”

  1. Hi Silvia, this is one old friend from Milano. I’m Valeriano.
    Well done! I discovered this site from Loredana. I think i’ll try NOW your marble cake.
    I ‘ll let you know about it ..

    Ciao to you all down under.

    P.S.: Nice pictures!

    Reply

  3. Ciao Silvia,
    Sono anche supra blogger: http://www.divainthakitchen.blogspot.ca/
    Volevo inviare queste informazioni privatamente a voi, ma non avete una e-mail indicato.
    Questo è stato il mio primo blog e poi ho deciso di avere una seconda su WordPress. Si prega di check it out e darmi tutte le risposte che si sente mi può aiutare. Inoltre, se si dispone di un una e-mail dove ti posso inviare alcune domande o commenti, si prega di inviare a me! Ciao tesoro

    Reply

  6. Silvia, I made the Spaghetti cooked Risotto style and my hubby and I LOVED it!!! I am following daily and I thank you for sharing your love of cooking with us!

    Reply

  7. Hi Silvia! I am new to this blog but already addicted. Your food all looks so scrumptious and yummy I want to have a go at cooking it all! I hope you don’t mind but I added a link to your blog under my “Projects I Support”/Blogroll. Just want to share the awesomeness. :)

    Reply

  8. Hi Silvia,

    Good Day!

    How are you? Hope you are doing great especially with your blog. I was browsing google and looking for Italian Food Blogs and I saw yours. I am a food lover and I really want to know how a food from other country should really taste. Right now I am into Italian Food, because there are a lot of Italian Restaurants here but I am quite in doubt if that how should an italian food taste. My question here is, what is the taste of a real Italian food?

    Hoping for your response.

    Thank you and Regards,

    Henry Morato

    Reply

  9. Love the blog Silvia. Do you ever host travel and food tours to Italy??? I am looking to visit Italy again in October and would love your perspective as I will be travelling this time by myself (not verybrave) but something I feel compelled to do. Love to hear some of your ideas!

    Liz

    Reply

    • HI Liz, no I don’t do that, but if you want my advise, try to travel around Piedmont, that time of the year is divine and you will be right in time for truffle season! Good luck. Silvia

      Reply

  10. Hi Silvia
    I am the food director of Delicious magazine. I am up at Qualia for the race week. I was chatting to Richard about you as it would be great to do something with you for our Italian issue . Do you have an e mail address I can contact you on?
    Oh and Richard said to check with you the name of the restaurant near Asti he thought it was called Tra Levigne . I am off to piedmont in a couple of weeks to give a cooking class there
    Hope to hear from you
    Valli

    Reply

    • Dear Valli,
      Thank you for your lovely message. I have replied to the email address you provided, let me know if I may have ended up in your spam filter and I will re send it!
      All the best
      Silvia

      Reply

  14. G’day Silvia,
    I’ve been working on this recipe for some time now and I’m close to getting it how I like it.. If you’re willing to give this a go and offer me some feedback I will be very much appreciative… Negative feedback is more than welcome :)

    Here is a copy/paste from my .doc file.. I did contact you on Facebook regarding this.. I hope you don’t mind it being posted here.

    King Regards,
    Paul

    Paul’s Bolognese
    I guesstimate my quantities on the fly so give or take the following as you require:
    1kg Mince (Pork, Veal or Beef.. bit of each?)
    1 Onion – Finely Diced
    1-2 Tbsp. Oregano
    1-2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
    1-2 Tsp. Crushed, Dry Chilli (optional)
    1-2 Tsp. Ground Fennel Seed
    4 Cloves, Ground
    ½ – 1 Cup Red Wine
    1 Tbsp. Crushed Garlic
    1-2 Tbsp. Salt
    1-2 Tsp. Black Pepper, fresh ground
    Bunch of Fresh Basil
    3 Fresh Bay leaves
    ½ Cup Full Cream Milk
    4-6 Tins Tomato (or equal amount of home-made sauce)
    Method:
    Combine Mince, Garlic, Oregano, Salt, Pepper, Chilli, Cumin, Fennel Seed, Cloves, Onion & Red Wine together in a mixing bowl and leave it sit for 1-2 hours.
    Preheat oven to 200degrees with an oven dish (sauce will be cooked completely in the oven using this) in to get nice and hot.
    Once oven and dish are hot add olive oil and toss your mince through and break it up a little.. put in oven for 20minutes, then stir it real well, breaking up the mince and put back in for another 20minutes, give it a good roast.
    After the 40minutes roasting time reduce oven to 170. Add your tomato, milk, fresh basil (stalks and all), bay leaves and a little extra red wine if you wish as well as a little more salt. Give it a good stir covering up the basil and bay..
    Cook in the oven (uncovered) for 3-4 hours, while stirring a few times, until the sauce becomes nice and thick.

    Serve with your favourite pasta or use in a lasagne. Again, I guesstimate my quantities so you may need to adjust the above as it suites you and your oven, enjoy

    Reply

  15. Dear Silvia, I have been learning to cook Italian, and my wife and children (3 girls/1boy) love it. Do you have a Lasagna recipe you enjoy? I love your blog and recipe’s.
    Regards,

    Jonathan Sims

    Reply

  17. Appreciate fantastic food. I just now meant it was and this sampled brilliant: -)
    Excellent web site by using meal tasty recipes me for anybody who is intrigued I have a blog with cake recipes myself if you are interested. You can find it at http://recipes-cake.net.

    Reply

  21. Ciao Silvia

    Trovo la tua blog domani cercando per un ricetta per focaccia autentico. La tua blog è fantastico!

    Io cucino adesso – il menu è la tua ricetta per focaccia, ragù di maiale, tagliatelle fresca e tiramisù perchè la famiglia vistano a la fine settimana.

    Sono Scozzesse e adesso, è undici ore in la notte e faccio la focaccia e comminciato in la televisione adesso è…Lesbian Vampire Killers! Incredible!?

    Mi dispiace non parlo l’italiano perfettamente, non parlo la lingua per molto anni.

    Grazie mille per la ricetta, io invio un fottografia della mia focaccia presto.

    Tony

    Reply

    • This is really funny! I bet you could not have guessed that vicious vampire could cook!v Grazie mille per il tuo messaggio, soon davvero contenta che la focaccia ti piaccia.
      Ciao, Silvia

      Reply

  23. I just love the name of your blog! My name is Silvia as well. I am a second generation Italian in the United States, married to an Italian. We love the Amalfi Coast and your “Spaghetti Vongole” has my mouth watering. It is exactly how my husband makes it. You can smell Positano when that dish is cooking. He does add a few cherry tomatoes to it, as they do at the Hotel Luna in Amalfi.

    I look forward to trying all your recipes. I hope you will try some of mine and let me know what you think.

    Ciao,
    Silvia Del Priore

    Reply

    • Ciao Silvia, lovely to meet you! I agree with you, Spaghetti Vongole speaks to me of summer in Italy, sipping Pinot Grigio and enjoying life at its best! I’ll come and visit you blog straight away!

      Reply

  25. What a deligth to read your blog. I’m French living in Sydney and love food :)
    I’m working on a completely different topic: fashion and would love to know your opinion as an Italian. We can further discuss by private message. Julie

    Reply

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