italy on my mind
  • About me
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • antipasti
    • primi – pasta, rice, gnocchi, soups
    • verdure e salse – vegetarian dishes, salads, sauces
    • carni, pesce e pollame – meat, fish and poultry
    • dolci – sweets
    • food and travel
  • Classes, tours & workshops
    • Cooking classes in Melbourne
    • Trieste tour
    • Southern Puglia Tour
  • Cookbooks & Italian Travel
    • Travel in Italy
    • My cookbooks
  • Blog
  • Contact me
  • About me
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • antipasti
    • primi – pasta, rice, gnocchi, soups
    • verdure e salse – vegetarian dishes, salads, sauces
    • carni, pesce e pollame – meat, fish and poultry
    • dolci – sweets
    • food and travel
  • Classes, tours & workshops
    • Cooking classes in Melbourne
    • Trieste tour
    • Southern Puglia Tour
  • Cookbooks & Italian Travel
    • Travel in Italy
    • My cookbooks
  • Blog
  • Contact me

Recipes

Antipasti

Crostini con crema di carciofi – crostini with artichoke spread

Involtini di prosciutto, fichi e formaggio blu (prosciutto wrapped figs with blue cheese)

An Italian Christmas antipasti round-up

Bresaola, rocket (arugula) and Parmesan cicheti

Olivigna – a Melbourne agriturismo

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Primi – pasta, rice, gnocchi, soups

Stinging nettle pasta

Gnocchi di ricotta di Fabrizia con piselli, fave e menta (Fabrizia’s ricotta gnocchi with peas, broad beans and mint)

Pesto di finocchio (fennel frond pesto)

Gnocchi con aglio nero (gnocchi with fermented black garlic)

Zuppa di funghi (mushroom soup)

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Verdure e salse – vegetarian dishes, salads, sauces

Stinging nettle pasta

Fabrizia’s ricotta gnocchi with peas, broad beans and mint

Soufflé di formaggio – twice baked cheese soufflé with chard 

Gnocchi con aglio nero (gnocchi with fermented black garlic)

Patate con rosmarino di Livia (potatoes with rosemary)

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Carni, pesce e pollame – meat, fish and poultry

Calamari con salsa tonnata (calamari with tuna mayonnaise)

Fettuccine with pippies – plans for 2015 and a visit to see family in Italy

Whole baked snapper with chilli and oregano

Roast chicken with fennel and orange

Mamma and her recipe for veal ragu

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Dolci – sweets

Taralli al limone (lemon taralli)

Il tiramisù di Gemma (Gemma’s tiramisu)

Crostata di ricotta – a new favourite 

Lime, olive oil and yoghurt cake

Liquore di fragole (strawberry liqueur)

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Food and travel

Soufflé di formaggio – twice baked cheese soufflé with chard

Spaghetti alla chitarra – and a visit to L’Antico Feudo agriturismo

Celebration of the pig at the De Bortoli Winery in the Yarra Valley

Lemon, caper and red onion salad – I left my heart at Case Vecchie, Sicily

Salina – the sea, the capers and “il Postino”

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Recent posts

  • Tiella cozze e riso – rice and mussel bake – a Pugliese classic
  • Intorchiate – lemon and almond twists
  • Chicken Cacciatora
  • Crema della nonna in Bassano del Grappa
  • Crostata di crema di Viviana

Instagram

Instagram post 2196021736583250540_1747630 La bella figura even on the beach in the 1950s somewhere on Port Phillip Bay - my godparents Marino and Maria on the left, and Antonietta next to mamma on the far right. I am not sure who “la bella stella in mezzo” is but check out the Ansett “beach” bag next to mamma’s feet
Instagram post 2195309852129453251_1747630 We will be in this beautiful courtyard at @masseriamontenapoleone in just under five months time - we have three nights in the loveliest of masserie. I look forward to sitting in this lovely courtyard (isn’t it stunning?!). There are a few spots left for my 6-night tour of Southern Puglia with @southernvisionstravel in the first week of May - will you be there with us? Please DM me if you have any questions or would like to know more
Instagram post 2194577620385830680_1747630 I love this green metallic bowl - which is also a saucepan - a birthday gift from my husband. Yesterday at Pasta 101 class was the first time I used it to both cook the zucchini and mint sauce and then serve the fusilli al ferro made during class. My cooking classes for 2019 are almost finished (only two more), but there are lots of classes in 2020 starting in late February. So if you are interested please book in early as they sell quite a few months in advance. I have gift vouchers too which make a great Christmas gift. Click the link in my profile to find out more. And in case you are wondering about the bowl/saucepan, it is made by KnIndustrie - the most beautiful lightweight design - you can find it at @mondopiero
Instagram post 2193856545775147767_1747630 Yesterday I spent the loveliest afternoon with childhood family friends Samantha and Jenny. We listened to stories as remembered by Iolanda, Sam’s sprightly 86 year old mother, about how our three fathers met, their connection to Istria and stories of their arrival in Australia in 1950. Her memory was incredible. We looked at old photos and Sam baked two lovely cakes. I was especially taken by her nonna Nita’s apple cake (in the background)
Instagram post 2192401115735448333_1747630 The best appetiser in spring and summer (when asparagus is in season) - grilled asparagus, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese - the spears are briefly blanched before being drizzled with olive oil and lemon zest, and then wrapped in thin slices of prosciutto and topped with shaved Parmesan and popped under the grill
Instagram post 2191694325674923953_1747630 Hanging out the washing (ie. the Italian flag and some gym boots) to dry
Instagram post 2190945261903548024_1747630 About last night .... agnolotti del plin filled with ricotta that we ate with a sauce of reduced home made beef stock, peas and butter. I should have taken a photo of the cooked agnolotti earlier - there were only three left in my plate! These are a bit labour intensive as they are so tiny but lots of fun to make with their little pinch (“plin”) in the pasta dough
Instagram post 2190224576860280525_1747630 It is cherry season and I cannot wait to bake this one again: dark chocolate, cherry and almond cake. Fresh cherries are best but you could always use preserved cherries, as long as you drain them really well. Happy baking 🍒
Ingredients: 
150 g dark chocolate (45% cocoa solids),
80 g almonds
150 g unsalted butter, softened
140 g caster sugar
3 eggs
150 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
300g fresh cherries, pitted and halved
extra cherries to serve
Greek yoghurt to serve
Method: 
Preheat oven to 160C. Process chocolate and almonds in a food processor until coarse crumbs form, set aside. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well combined, then stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir through almond and chocolate mixture. Lastly add the chopped cherries. Pour into a 22cm-diameter springform cake tin greased and lined with baking paper. Bake for 50 minutes or until an inserted skewer withdraws clean, cool in tin for 10 minutes, turn out and cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
Decorate with extra cherries and serve with thick yoghurt (optional). The cake will keep, stored in an air tight container in the fridge, for 4 days
Instagram post 2189095508207034072_1747630 Dear Tassie, I have loved visiting you - highlights of our three nights included a Friday feast at @fat_pig_farm, a dinner at @diermakr and drinks at their sister bar @lucinda.wine, wine tasting at @stefano_lubiana_wines, shopping at @thedrillhallemporium and  wonderful accomodation with a view at @thesnughaus - and there was so much more. Cannot wait to return x

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