You may call this “homemade Nutella for grownups”. This morning I found myself battling against the will of a stubborn 5 year-old, convincingly arguing his point as why he shouldn’t go to school today (or any day, really). I tried to kindly, yet firmly persuade him that “school is fun”, but who am I kidding?…
Category: gluten free
Basil-Infused EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
This may well be the easiest recipe ever. Grab some good quality EVOO, a generous handful of fresh basil, and there’s your green-hued bottle of goodness ready for you. To be just a tad more specific: In a large pot, bring 500 ml (1 pint, 2 cups) of EVOO and 1 cup of loosely packed…
Chocolate Covered Candied Orange Peel
To be quite frank, I never thought I’d be making candied peel from scratch. I assumed this was a job best left to professional cooks, who know their way around pots of lava-scaulding syrups and get the job done with minimal bodily harm. This was until I went to buy some…A bag of (I counted them!) 9, thin, slivers…
Chocolate Covered Caramels
My dear choc-addicts, this post is dedicated to you! Over a month ago I posted a photo of Chocolate Caramels on my Facebook page announcing that the recipe for it would shortly follow… As it often is, life got in the way and a good 5 weeks later…here it is! I’m sorry I let you down,…
Italian Spiced X’Mas Slice, with figs, cranberries and roasted hazelnut
I had a pretty disastrous couple of days in the kitchen. First, I charcoaled the left-over potato bake, then I dropped-and shattered-the just-bought, very extravagant jar of designer-worthy vanilla paste. On the same day, as I was unstacking the dishwasher, I managed to snap the stem off two-two!– champagne flutes. And so it was only…
White X’mas with Pistachio and Cranberries
This no-bake slice ticks all the boxes when it comes to Christmas confection. It’a ever-so-easy to make so you can can safely get your little helpers in the kitchen to give a hand, wrapped in baking paper it makes a delightful Xmas treat to gift your friends with and, above all, it is utterly and…
Panforte, an Italian Christmas Treat
Panforte is as traditional Italian as it can get. Legend has it, and some historical accounts may prove this too, that crusaders themselves used to carry, on the way to their quest, slabs of what was described as a durable confection made with honey and sugar syrup, spices, nuts and dried fruits: Panforte, that is….
An Italian Roast Dinner!
Here’s the ingredients: Fine meat, great wine, fun friends! To be just a little more specific, here is the core ingredient: * WARNING*: the following image is rated EXMO (Extreme Meat-lovers Only) and it’s not suitable for Vegans and Vegetarians alike… When it comes to roast dinners, Italians favor simplicity. What could be better than…
Risotto with Porcini Mushroom
Richard and I spent the best part of yesterday afternoon perched up on a builders plank, unsafely plonked onto our window sill and the top of the staircase, in the attempt to hang seven, beautiful, paintings made by Richard himself over the course of the last two weeks. A gargantuan task, if you add the demands…
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…
Silvia Colloca 