
Lasagne is the ultimate comfort food. It is made by layering white sauce, bolognaise sauce and lasagne sheets and baking it until the pasta is soft. Click here for the recipe for Spaghetti With Bolognaise Sauce.
Continue reading LasagneLasagne is the ultimate comfort food. It is made by layering white sauce, bolognaise sauce and lasagne sheets and baking it until the pasta is soft. Click here for the recipe for Spaghetti With Bolognaise Sauce.
Continue reading LasagneThe rainy weather in Johannesburg at the moment is probably not ideal for ice-cream eating, but make it so long for when the sun comes out! It only has 4 ingredients, and you do not need an ice-cream maker to make it! After tasting Tartufo at Bar Tre Scalini in Rome in 2005, I have been trying to recreate this delicious dark chocolate ice-cream. Tartufo (tahr-too-foh) means “truffle” in Italian. Not that this ice-cream tastes or smells like truffles (thank goodness!).
Continue reading Tartufo (Dark Chocolate Ice-cream)This classic Italian dessert Panna cotta is made of sweetened cream which is thickened with gelatin and usually moulded. The cream may be flavoured with vanilla, coffee, rum, etc. Although the name does not sound appetizing at all (it means ‘cooked cream’ in Italian), panna cotta is silky smooth with a melt-in-the-mouth texture and is as close to perfection as it gets!
Every home should permanently have a jar of Biscotti in the kitchen! Best biscuits ever to nibble or dunk in coffee or as the Italians do, in sherry or wine! Thanks to the clever Italians! New style biscotti are light, crisp and irresistible and have gained popularity worldwide! These Italian “biscuits” were traditionally hard and dry and to become palatable, they were dipped into dessert wine or after dinner cappuccino. Currently many delightful variations are made which can be nibbled on as is, at any time of the day! And best of all, they are not difficult to make at home!
This Ancient Roman dish makes the perfect appetizer. You can use the Tapenade, also known as Olive Paste, as a condiment, with pasta or as a spread. Be sure to try Olive Tapenade Palmiers.
Continue reading Olive TapenadeThis uncomplicated bread is quick to mix and bake and what is used when making an authentic Muffuletta Sandwich, the ultimate make-ahead picnic sandwich.
Continue reading Muffuletta BreadPanzanella is a Tuscan salad consisting of chunks of soaked stale bread and tomatoes, sometimes also onions and basil, dressed with olive oil and vinegar. Making Panzanella salad is a terrific way to use up stale or leftover bread.
Continue reading Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)The most effortless recipe for home-made Italian bread. Ciabatta literally means “slipper” in Italian, so keep this in mind when shaping the bread! The bread is deliciously hard and crisp served soon after baking but may be enjoyed within a day or frozen, thawed and reheated.
Continue reading Ciabatta With VariationsThis tangy, somewhat salty Italian pasta dish has ingredients that are typical of Southern Italian cuisine: tomatoes, olive oil, anchovies, olives, olive oil, capers and garlic. Traditionally, the sauce is served with spaghetti, although it also goes well with penne, tagliatelli, linguine and even rice.
salt and pepper to season the chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 100 g each)
olive oil to fry
125 ml white wine or chicken stock
2 medium onions, peeled and finely diced
200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
30 ml tomato paste
10 ml crushed garlic
15 black olives, pitted
15 ml capers
30 ml basil, finely chopped fresh
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Photo credit: https://www.deliciousmeetshealthy.com
Gnudi (pronounced nude-y), is basically meatless meatballs, and the best way to eat spinach! I adapted this recipe from a recipe by Canadian-Italian celebrity chef David Rocco. It is a firm family favourite and I get requests to make it often!
600 g baby spinach leaves
1 large egg, (yolk only)
60 ml spring onion, finely chopped
200 g ricotta cheese, crumbled
50 g parmesan cheese, grated
5 ml salt
10 ml crushed garlic
150 ml cake flour or additional grated parmesan cheese
Makes between 16 and 20 balls.
Affogato (Italian for “drowned”) is a coffee-based dessert. It is basically a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a shot of hot espresso. Quick and easy!
1 liter vanilla ice-cream
10 shots (30 to 45 ml per person) hot fresh espresso coffee
To serve
Italian biscuits, e.g. biscotti or amaretti
Tiramisu means “pick me up” and is a popular coffee-flavored Italian dessert. It is made of ladyfingers or Boudoir Biscuits dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa. Countless variations of Tiramisu exist. (see variations below). Marsala wine can be added to the recipe, but other liquors are frequently substituted for it including dark rum, Madeira, port, brandy, Malibu, or Irish Cream and especially coffee flavored liqueurs such as Tia Maria and Kahlua.
Continue reading TiramisuEnjoy as is or dip in coffee or sweet dessert wine such as sherry as the Italians do!
Continue reading Almond Cantucinni/BiscottiThis is one of my all-time favourite recipes to make – it has so many uses! Stir it into cooked pasta or roasted vegetables, use it as a topping for bread or baked potato, etc. You are going to need a food processor to make it. Unless you want to try and do it Jamie Oliver-style with a pestle and mortar – not my idea of fun!
Continue reading Home-made Basil PestoPanettone is an Italian type of sweet bread originally from Milan, which is usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year. Traditional Panettone is flower-pot shaped and to achieve this effect it is baked in a deep high container with slanted sides. You can use a silicon mould, a 1.5 litre soufflé dish, a flower pot or just loaf tins – whatever you fancy!
Continue reading PanettoneThis dish is a Milanese specialty of cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth. It is often garnished with gremolata and traditionally served with polenta or mashed potato. When loosely translated from Italian, Ossobucco means hollowed bone – a reference to the large piece of marrow in the center of the veal shank bone.
Continue reading OssobuccoVitello tonnato is a Piedmontese dish of cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy, mayonnaise-like sauce that has been flavored with tuna. It is served chilled or at room temperature as the main course of an Italian meal or as antipasto. This dish has unlikely ingredients, but the end result is quite delicious! Be sure to read the post The Veal Deal for more info and recipes on veal.
Continue reading Veal With Tuna Sauce (Vitello Tonnato)This is my version of focaccia bread that I ate in Tuscany, Italy a few years ago. Focaccia (pronounced “fo-KA-chee-a”) is an Italian flatbread, often topped with herbs and spices or other ingredients such as cheese, vegetables or meat. It is similar in style and texture to pizza dough, but without the tomato sauce base that most pizza’s have.
Continue reading Parmesan & Potato Focaccia
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