Crushed Peas, Mint and Pecorino Bruschetta

This post is dedicated to all of you in the northern hemisphere, you lucky duckies about to savour and immerse yourselves in the long-awaited spring season. And the vast array of green goodness it brings. Think sweet baby broad beans, prickly but juicy artichokes, pointy and proud asparagus and the vivid green of plump, fresh…

Bretzels

If you have travelled around those magnificent lands in the north of Italy, right on the border with Switzerland and Austria, you may have wondered if all of a sudden you had crossed the frontier! Fair enough, the first language spoken in Trentino Alto Adige is German and the culinary traditions of the area borrow…

Panini alle Olive (Olive and Rosemary bread rolls, made in a food processor)

Happy 2012 to all! Given my self-confessed obsession for yeasted baked goods, it only makes sense that the first post of the year is -yet another- bread recipe. I have been experimenting with doughs and flours and I really wanted to offer you an alternative to hand or machine kneading, and it turns out that some breads can be mixed in…

My favourite Baguettes (French bread stick)

Baguettes are, quite possibly, the western world’s most-loved bread. The reason being that this starchy good, with its morish texture and savoury crumb is simply and utterly divine…It’s the ideal accompaniment to any cheese and cold cut of meat, it’s best friend with terrines and  pâtés and it doesn’t fail to impress when married with jams…

Roasted Pumpkin, Spinach and Pecorino Salad

October is that time of the year when northern and southern hemisphere seem to share seasonal similarities. The temperature is still quite cool and crisp in Sydney, and although the fruit and vegetable stalls are starting to show the first crops of  spring peas, fava beans and mangoes, the wintry sturdiness of spinach and pumpkin is…

Panzanella (A Tuscan Bread Salad)

Panzanella is another great example of how well Italians do it the kitchen when fridge and pantry look desolate and empty. This has so much value in the Italian culinary tradition of Cucina Povera. It is very easy to create a good meal out of sophisticated and extravagant ingredients. It requires a lot more skill…

Buttermilk Sandwich Bread (Pan Carre’)

Another bread post… I know, I have developed a slight obsession for bread-making, but the truth is there are so many ways to make beautiful breads, and now that I have embarked upon the journey of home-baking, I owe it to myself to search and experiment like there’s no tomorrow. So many breads, so little…

Authentic Italian Focaccia

I feel the need to specify authentic because I am afraid l there is an overall misconception about what focaccia is and should be. Focaccia should not be thick or doughy. I have encountered so many of this kind, such disappointing, heavy-as lead thick breads so wrongly called Focaccia, that I am now compelled to…

Grissini (Italian Breadsticks)

Grissini have become very popular world-wide and there are plenty of varieties offered on the market, but they hardly compare to the fragrant crispness of home-made ones. Their irregular, gnarly shape and sun-burnt colour are the promise of something delicious. They look so inviting, they must be good for you! They are far from complicated…

No-knead Bread

“What?? Is she going mad?” You are probably wondering. No, I haven’t lost my mind, my friends. In my recent bread-making frenzy, I have come across an ancient, wondrous recipe that will turn each one of you into an Artisanal Baker. In Italy this bread used to go by the name of Pane Cafone, boorish bread, but it…