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…
Category: extra-virgin olive oil
Sausage and Peas Risotto
Combine the creaminess of Carnaroli short grain rice with the perfume of red wine and the savoury deliciuosness of pork and fennel sausages, with stewed sweet leeks and a generous amount of butter and Parmigiano and you have got yourself joy on a plate. Risotto is the ultimate comfort food and it is really quite straight…
Chicken Diavola (Devil’s Chicken)
The Devil’s Chicken. Why, you may wonder? Because it is seriously spicy and devilishly irresistible. Judge for yourselves… INGREDIENTS serves 8 2 organic chickens, spatchcocked (ask your butcher to do so, or follow instructions below) 1/2 cup extra-vrigin olive oil 1/2 cup of dry white wine 5-6 red hot chillies (chilly peppers), cut into chunks Fresh herbs…
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…
A Mighty Good Winter Stew
Although the sun is shining, the southern cold wind keeps picking up. It’s winter here in Sydney and we should stop pretending we don’t really have a cold season. I still stumble upon guys in shorts and flip-flops as I walk down the streets of Avalon bundled up in leather coat, hat, scarf and boots and…
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…
Nonna’s sauteed potatoes
One of the best things about having started a food blog, is the chance to connect with food lovers world-wide and exchange recipes and culinary traditions and adventures. I recently posted on my Italian blog an article about roast potatoes and one of my readers, Sandro, shared his Nonna’s recipe and I felt 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…
Minestrone con Cavolo Nero, (Tuscan Kale Vegetable Soup) Super food in a bowl!
This is the ultimate Italian winter meal. You may call it minestrone, I have dubbed it “super food in a bowl”! How can you go wrong when your meal is packed-full of dark green, robust leaves, antioxidants and vitamins? With the added nutrients of borlotti beans, extra-virgin olive oil and the kick of chillie, you…
A hearty winter soup: Lentil, Sweet Potato and Cavolo Nero
Whoever said that Sydney doesn’t really have a winter is a big, fat liar! This is my fifth Sydney winter and I can safely say, it does get cold, it does get wet, it definitely does have a winter. I have made the assumption that Australians are in denial about winter because every time I meet some Aussie…
Silvia Colloca 