Chickpea and Aubergine Warm Salad

And so, without fail, we have bid our adieu to yet another year and welcomed the new one with expectant hearts. We have duly complied a list of resolutions for 2016 and on day 5 we are still sticking to it. Marvelous! Drink less, exercise more, work less, laugh more, play lego with boys, don’t…

Potato and Shallot Frittata

Please allow me to introduce you to one of the most classic Italian staples: the humble frittata! No Italian household can be such without the fundamental ritual of frittata making. Frittata perfectly incapsulates the genuine spirit of Italian Cucina Povera (peasant cuisine), a cost effective way of cooking that relies mainly on fresh, inexpensive, seasonal…

Gluten-free Lemonade Cakes (Tortine alla limonata senza glutine)

Serious gluten allergies affect so many people these days that the need for creating options that cater for them is necessary and, quite honestly, a challenge I am ready to embark upon with enthusiasm. Whether you are celiac or just not a fan of wheat and its derivates, I have high hopes you will enjoy biting into these…

Roasted Olives with Lemon and Chillie (Olive al Forno)

It is a known fact that Italians take their foodstuff rather seriously. We have a traditional meal structure that we observe like our lives depend on it. We have frugal breakfasts, proper lunches and nutritious dinners. But in a country where supper takes place in between 8 and 10 pm, we need that extra fuel…

Fusilli with Zucchini (hallo summer!)

I am a summer girl through and through. I was born in July, at the height of estate Italiana (Italian summer) and my body and brain both crave the warm and reassuring feeling of the sun on my skin, filling me with endorphins and zest for life. Now that I have made Australia my home,…

Cocoa Swirled Meringues (Meringhe variegate)

I often find myself planning recipes that only require the use of yolks so that I can have some egg whites to play with. As I type this I will concede that this may sound odd to many, but I cannot renounce who I am, a food nerd, really! How many times have you separated…

X’mas Hazelnut Cookies (Dolcetti alle Nocciole)

The Christmas season is heralded in my house with the inebriating smell of sweet treats baking in the oven, may they be my almond pastries, favoured by my boys for their resemblance with Rudolph’s red, shiny nose, or my dad’s morsel of choice, soft hazelnut cookies. These rustic looking nuggets are simply irresistible and they…