This Sicilian pasta is actually more Sicily-inspired than really Sicilian since it’s another one of my “fusion” dishes. The pasta is Tuscan (wonderful Gigli toscany by Pasta Panarese), the sun-dried cherry tomatoes come from Noto, Sicily, and the olive oil I used for drizzling the finished plate is an Apulian one, the amazing Empress by BONO, one of their…
This little recipe is quick, easy and very, very satisfying. I’ve used the wonderful, dark organic spaghettoni (thick spaghetti) by Bio Alberti made with Senatore Cappelli, an old type of wheat which after the 60’s was almost forgotten and has – luckily – seen a fierce come-back in the Southern regions of Italy. It was originally “created” by Italian genetist…
From January 7 to 9 I’ve been once again acting as Resident Chef at Bellavita Amsterdam, the expo where you can find the best Italian food & wine products every year (here some of the photos made by the amazing Bellavita photographers). One of the great chefs that I had the pleasure of working with is Peppe Zullo, a…
A little, wonderfully creamy dessert represents the perfect way to celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of a new one, don’t you think? Parfait, what’s in a name? Whether it’s for the last or the first meal of the year, this lovely semifreddo will put you in the right mood for sweet new beginnings. A bit…
For Italian site Principessaplatessa.it dedicated to promoting Dutch plaice in Italy I’ve developed this recipe inspired by a classic of the Roman tradition usually served on Christmas eve. It’s a rich soup prepared with arzilla, the name with which Romans call thornback rays. A lovely fish which I replaced – replaiced, actually 🙂 – with plaice to offer an alternative,…
A French dish with an Italian twist: the Niçoise salad. There are different versions of this classic: with or without potatoes, often without green beans but with crunchy raw peppers, and then anchovies and black olives that are typical of the surroundings of the French city of Nice. I really like potatoes and green beans in my nizzarda, and…
Sangría is one of my favourite cocktails and yesterday I decided to make my own version with an Italian twist, which I named Sangriella. To prepare it too, use a big carafe or pitcher for about 1 litre or else make half the quantity. It’s lightly sweet due to the use of Martini Bianco vermouth (I prefer to avoid soft drinks to sweeten…
This is the simplest brown rice salad for the warm Summer days, made with tuna, tomato, green olives and an unusual and unexpected ingredient, at least for Italian dishes: a dash of ketchup. My mum always adds a little bit of ketchup to her rice salad and I’ve learned to appreciate its pleasant sweet-and-sour taste in it. I buy a good organic one and…