You may call it schiacciata, pizza bianca or focaccia toscana, but the fact remains that, if you grew up in Italy or you have holidayed there at some point in your life, this would have been part of your daily ritual, offered to you as a snack, merenda, by your mamma, nonna or a friendly…
Tag: healthy Italian food
Roasted Carrot and Kale Chips Salad
If you have not heard yet of ‘kale chips’, then, quite frankly, where have you been? The ‘blogsphere’ has gone bonkers over this new healthy fad, and if it weren’t for the fact that I love -LOVE- kale, I probably would have never had a go at making kale chips just to prove to myself I don’t…
Easy Home-Made Tomato Passata
Have you ever been tempted to make your own tomato pasta sauce, but got put off by the daunting thought that this is a complicated job, best left to the expert, wrinkled hands of a good-old Italian Nonna? Think again! Home-made passata is within everybody’s reach. All you need is a food miller, some empty glass jars and, naturally, the…
Chillie Mussles in White Wine Broth (Cozze in bianco alla Marinara)
Finding myself going through the chills of winter in Melbourne, knowing that the northern hemisphere is now enjoying a hot, steamy summer, doesn’t always come easy. For a European girl like me the months of June, July and August are instantly associated with hot weather, drinks by the beach, seafood eaten with bare, sandy hands….
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…
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…
Spaghetti cooked Risotto-Style
A few nights ago, I had dinner at my cousin Elena’s house in Milan. She is the sweetest, most gorgeous girl, but, notoriously, she can’t cook to save her life! Lucky for all the guests, she also invited her bother Giorgio along, who was born with the cooking gene. Giorgio has always been a flamboyant wine connoisseur…
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…
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…
Silvia Colloca 