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

Contact me

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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

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It has been a while since I posted one of my lunches with mamma from when she was living in her home in Vermont South. At this one we ate a zucchini frittata, home made thick cut potato chips and salad. .
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I think I will take her lunch today - some of my “everything that is in the fridge” vegetable soup, some bread (which she misses sorely), a bit of salad and some stone fruit.

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Wheat has grown abundantly on our earth for many many thousands of years. It is a hardy crop and has fed countless people through the ages in the relatively stable climate we have enjoyed. But it is being challenged now and will be more so in years to come as our earth warms up. I would like my children’s children to be able to make pasta the same way my mother and nonna did. I would like our food supply to be safe. .
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A lot of change and adaptation is required by individuals and families as well as by businesses and governments; it is not business as usual once we recover from the current bushfire crisis. We must change and adapt and inspire/encourage others - together we can do it!
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I will continue to post stories on my feed that focus on being sustainable in the kitchen (in my highlights under “Green kitchen”) eg. minimising food waste, making foods from scratch, eating seasonally, avoiding single use plastics and eating mostly plant-based, with a bit of dairy, sometimes fish and meat reserved only for special occasions. .
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And I would love to hear your sustainable kitchen stories. This dish is an egg based pasta with mixed greens in the filling, served with melted butter and will be in my 3rd “yet to be named” cookbook

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As Melbournians are waking up and finding the city swathed in bushfire smoke yet again (and the air quality very poor according the the EPA site), I wonder if this will be the new norm. My dear @commissario brings me a cup of coffee on bed (as he always does) and I think of THIS CAKE - pear and chocolate cake from Emiko’s wonderful first book Florentine @emikodavies

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After these difficult few weeks I feel ready for some Sunday morning day-dreaming. This photo was taken on a hot day in the middle of summer 2006 when I first did the long coastal walk from Monterosso to Riomaggiore along the coast of Liguria. I also want to say a huge THANK YOU to the 12 people who are coming to CROSTATA e CAFFÈ in ITALIANO on 23 February with me and Monica @sumisuraitaly . You raised $1,370 for organisations that will assist in bushfire recovery. A special shout out to the 13th person - who will be with us in spirit, Judy @ciaoaiello who donated the cost of the class anyway though she lives on the other side of the world

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CROSTATA, COFFEE in ITALIAN - join me and Monica @sumisuraitaly for an Italian afternoon of cakes and coffee to raise money for BUSHFIRE RECOVERY on Sunday 23 February at my home in North Fitzroy. (UPDATE: S O L D - O U T 🙌🏻 💛)
We will be making several free form crostate with my favorite short crust pastry using the apricot jam that Monica and I made earlier this week and speaking Italian while we do it! We’ll have a relaxed afternoon tea eating apricot jam crostata (as well as at least two other homemade cakes that I will make) drinking coffee or tea (maybe a bit of my home made limoncello if anyone is keen to!). And all in Italian.
If you would like to come along (there will be a maximum of 12 people), all we ask is that you donate $100 or more to one of the following organisations today (because of this post) or over the next few days (until the event sells out) @redcrossau @vinniesvictoria @salvosau @foodbankaus @rspca_vic @wildlifevictoria @wireswildliferescue @cfavic - then email me with the receipt italyonmymind@gmail.com and I will reply to confirm you have been booked in.
Please join us and help the recovery 🇦🇺 🇮🇹 PS. You do not need to be fluent in Italian to join in, but it will be a good opportunity to learn a few new Italian words - CROSTATA e CAFFÈ in ITALIANO con PAOLA e MONICA

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I spent yesterday afternoon making jam at Monica’s new beach-side home (which is at the start of a part-renovation). The home has a decent sized back yard with several fruit trees including an apricot tree (and a giant avocado tree!). There is nothing quite like back yard apricots; the ones you buy at the shops pale in comparison. We spent the afternoon chatting, chopping, cooking and finally making a real mess pouring hot jam into jars. We used some 8kg of fruit so there is rather a lot of jam. It is a bit on the runny side but will be excellent in dozens of crostate that I will no doubt be making this year. Cooking is always better with friends @sumisuraitaly

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I am recipe testing for my third cook book and this vegetarian strudel baked in a pie dish is a winner. I have made it twice and though it is meant to serve four, the two of us polished it off in the blink of an eye PS trying to get back to normality here even though the sky is still heavy with bushfire smoke

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I almost did not post today as my mind and heart is full of Australian bushfire destruction, loss of homes, habitats and wildlife. I am looking at the news obsessively as no doubt many of you are, hoping it will end soon, considering how best to help out/donate. But we need some moments of joy in our life too, and the fact that tomato season is upon us brings me joy. Here is a favourite summer recipe from Adriatico, one that makes the most of super ripe tomatoes, the ones that you think might be just starting to turn by blistering them in the pan with olive oil, garlic, oregano and salty capers. This is my version of “pomodori scattarisciati” that is eaten in southern Puglia. Mopping up the pan juices with crusty bread is the best

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