italy on my mind

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About me
- Press
Recipes
Classes, tours & workshops
Cookbooks & Italian Travel
- Travel in Italy
- My cookbooks
Blog
Contact me

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Recent posts

Giardiniera – preserving Italian style
An upside down apricot cake to welcome 2021
Biscotti di San Martino – simple wine biscuits with fennel seeds
Goats cheese and tomato tart with a pecorino crust – my summer terrace garden
Mamma

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An apricot upside down cake - introduced to me by

Happy to say farewell to 2020, a most difficult y

Happy to say farewell to 2020, a most difficult year. Hoping that 2021 will be that little bit better for everyone

Summertime - a favourite corner at my sister’s b

Summertime - a favourite corner at my sister’s beach house

Boxing Day looked like this: cicchetti, paella and

Boxing Day looked like this: cicchetti, paella and beach time

The day before Christmas is always so busy. Up and

The day before Christmas is always so busy. Up and early with my roller skates on to get everything done. But before that, coffee and panettone. And thanks to my friends at @barillaaus for this lovely Christmas gift

‘Tis the season to make crostoli - store them fr

‘Tis the season to make crostoli - store them free of icing sugar and dust just before serving - my mamma’s recipe (which is in Italian Street Food)

About last night - I only managed to get photos of

About last night - I only managed to get photos of the antipasto, then I got too busy and the light got too dark. A fun night celebrating Christmas and my mother in law’s birthday with dinner at home and a game of ultimate charades boys v girls. Such a long time since I’d had prosciutto & melone; also made tigelle, basil pesto, roasted capsicum, grilled marinated zucchini and smoked scamorza rolls, insalata caprese

CHRISTMAS BAKING - I love making biscuits (cookies

CHRISTMAS BAKING - I love making biscuits (cookies) at Christmas! Apart from panforte and crostoli, I usually make these: mostaccioli Pugliesi. I am sharing the recipe of these with you which you will also find in my cookbook Adriatico. And they happen to be vegan!

makes 35-40

60 g roasted almonds, coarsely ground
peel of 1 small orange, zested
250 g plain flour,
90 g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
30 g dark bitter cocoa powder
40 g dark chocolate , finely chopped
½ tsp vanilla essence
100 ml vincotto
½ tsp balsamic vinegar
2 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp warm water, plus extra if needed
Icing: 100-200 g dark chocolate

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, spices and cocoa in a large bowl and give it a good whisk to remove any lumps. Stir in the ground almonds, orange peel and chocolate, then pour in the vanilla essence, vincotto and balsamic vinegar (if using), then the olive oil in a stream, stirring as you go, until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add half the water and stir, then start to bring the mixture together with your hands. Add enough of the remaining water to form a cohesive but still fairly dry dough. Don't add all the water if it isn't needed (or add a bit more if required to reach the right consistency).

Line two large baking trays with baking paper. Cut the dough in half and roll out each portion between two sheets of baking paper to 3–4 mm thick. Using a diamond-shaped cookie cutter with 5 cm sides to cut out your biscuits. Place on the trays, leaving a little space for spreading, and bake in batches for 12–14 mins or until they feel firm but are still soft. Allow to cool completely on the trays.

To make the icing, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering
water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water, and let it melt, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the pan. Working in batches, dip half the biscuit in the chocolate (or you could dip the whole biscuit). Place on a sheet of baking paper until the chocolate sets.

Travel Tuesday and one of my favourite places to v

Travel Tuesday and one of my favourite places to visit in Venice - the elegant seafood market hall at Rialto

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