I rarely eat pasta, almost never bake it and definitely never switch on the oven it when it’s 33°C outside! Yet, today something made me cook pasta, patiently simmer a sauce with vegetables, boil eggs and prepare a dish which turned out perfect for such a hot summery day. I didn’t follow any recipe, but simply opened my cupboards…Continue Reading “Baked Pasta with Aubergine, Eggs and Anchovies”
In many countries imported fresh chilli is available all year round, but the most delicious aromatic local ripe chilli – the best for preserves – is sold only for a limited time. In my part of Europe the beginning of August is the best moment to start thinking about preserving this fresh aromatic chilli, find the most…Continue Reading “Chilli Lovers’ Preserving Reminder”
If – as I have heard several times – you also think that dried chillies can easily replace fresh ones, you would certainly change your mind after tasting this amazing condiment. Apart from their obvious heat, fresh chillies are naturally sweet, vibrant and fruity. The combination of these qualities combined with garlic and olive oil create here a unique taste…Continue Reading “Peperoncini freschi sott’olio (Fresh Chilli in Olive Oil)”
One is not supposed to refrigerate tomatoes since they easily lose their delicate aroma at lower temperatures. I manage to follow this advice, but when the summer becomes particularly hot, there is a risk of ending up with ugly, wrinkled tomatoes. This was the case with my beloved datterini I found last week dying in…Continue Reading “Tomates Confites (Semi-Dried Tomatoes)”
If you ask Italian friends or family how they prepare their ragù alla bolognese, everyone will give a slightly different list of ingredients, the cooking stages, and, of course, everyone will claim his or her ragù is the authentic one. When one looks at different recipes from “prestigious” sources, carrot, celery, onion, meat, wine and…Continue Reading “Ragù alla bolognese, My Way”
Home-made pizza is never perfect. The main problem is of course the home oven temperature. Mine doesn’t go further than 250°C, so the crust I love is never slightly burnt on the sides and its taste is never as good as at some pizzerias. In spite of all that I enjoy my home pizzas a…Continue Reading “Pizza with Smoked Provola”
Ramsons, wild garlic, buckrams, bear’s garlic, bear paw garlic… (Allium Ursinum) is a wild, wide-leaved plant with a very distinct garlic scent and apparently a favourite of bears, who would dig out its bulbs (hence the name). Its edible long leaves are very similar to those of the lily of the valley and mixing them…Continue Reading “Ramsons (Wild Garlic, Bear’s Garlic) and Almond Pesto”
Some pretend pesto (pronounced “pestu” in its home Liguria dialect), dates back as far as the ancient Rome. “Pesto genovese” (Genova is the capital of Liguria) has a DOC label (Controlled Origin Denomination) and shouldn’t be confused with “pesto alla genovese”, since labelling their jars this way producers are no longer obliged to follow the…Continue Reading “Pesto with Almonds, or Pesto alle mandorle”