Italians Down Under

19/10/2022

It's a beautiful sunny day in Melbourne so I didn't want to go home for lunch but rather enjoy th sun down the beach.

That meant late light lunch: a remake of the dish that made me start to like the cannellini beans.

When I went to Italy last month it was so nice to see family and friends again after long time. In the camping I used to go when I lived there I learnt how to appreciate cannellini beans. I did it because one of my friend's mum cooked them for us with linguine pasta. Very easy, just few herbs, garlic & chilli.

I had a bit of pasta dough to use so I made fresh tagliolini with cannellini beans, herbs, garlic and chilli.

Nice&easy!
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29/07/2020

SOCIAL [media] DISTANCING
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Alright, in 7 years I never switched off any social media, not even for a week...why? Cause I thought they were ok, fun, good way to meet new people or get inspired by other people. And I loved Instagram more than the other. Was basically just photos that's it. Although, now I think they have take too much time of my everyday life. Especially in a lockdown situation. You wake up in the morning and first thing you do is jumping on your phone scrolling like a zombie, looking non looking at anything, just passively going through millions of information, sharing thing without even reading or watching till the end. And then all day, on the phone. Lunch break, on the phone. Watch tv, on the phone. Talking on Skype, on the phone with the other hand. In the bathroom, with the phone. I think I need a break. Maybe there are more things I can do if I cut all this distraction. Or maybe not. Maybe in a week I'll be back here, because after all there's nothing more interesting to do. Who knows. For now: bye!
[ Tonight I will close all my social media accounts and keep only what'sapp for messaging - if you want to stay in contact and you don't have my number send me a message before tonight - Ciao! 😁]

28/07/2020

Green spaghetti alla chitarra with mussels and whiskey. The original version is with vongole/pipis but if like me you can't find them go for the mussels. Mussels and whisky go perfectly together. Especially a slightly smoked whisky like the Laphroaig Quarter Cask. The strength of the whisky evaporates but the smokiness remain and it feels like a hug on a winter day. There are not many ingredients in this 70' Italian recipe so everything needs to be perfectly balanced. Can you guess what's the flower we used as garnish?
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28/07/2020

Green spaghetti alla chitarra. The secret for this bright green? 💚 After you blanch the spinach for 10 sec you pass them immediately in a cold bath (in a bowl with water and ice). And when you blend them add some I've cubes into the blender.
For the dough I used 300gr of semolina flour and 100gr of plain flour ( ); a bunch of spinach blended with a spoon of olive oil and 100gr of water. Mix all the ingredients together until you get a smooth dough. (Add more water if necessary). Let it rest for half an hour then using a pasta cutter make spaghetti! 🇮🇹

27/07/2020

Last week we started a series of online food experience classes in collaboration with .aus . The recipe we made was a classic 70' Italian dish: pennette alla vodka. Interested by that dish I start to look into those years cooking style. A new world has been disclosed in front of my eyes. My mom gave me this typical 70' recipe for her region: Green spaghetti with vongole and whisky. Apparently, recipes with alcohol in it were very trendy: pennette alla vodka, risotto allo Champagne, spaghetti al whisky. I couldn't find any fresh vongole so I got mussels instead and as whisky option: Laphroaig quarter cask. The strength of the whisky evaporates but a subtle smoked flavour stays all around the mussels. This recipe is a warm hug on a winter day. 70'??? I think you have some pretty good things to show all of us! 🙌
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25/07/2020

We are Italian. We have food seasons. Now it's the time to vacuum pack the salami. Of course to be sure that they are good we need to taste them. We opened one of the truffle salami. The aroma of truffle was so intense. And after few slices we had to open a bottle of wine. A Sicilian Nero d'Avola with sweet tannins and plum flavour. With a salami on the board and wine in the glass don't you open also a nice cheese? And bread? So we opted for a local Lavato, a semisoft washed rind cheese (Taleggio style), matured 4-6 weeks. This cheese combines the beauty of a pale orange coat with a golden centre and a wonderful wild aroma. Perfect way to spend another day of lockdown.

24/07/2020

Guazzetto bianco di pesce. Who said that fish is for summer only? White wine and garlic guazzetto of mixed seafood. Fresh dill on top. Home made bread crouton on the side. Winter negroni to wash it down...how does it sound? 🤤

23/07/2020

"Looking to spice up date night in isolation? Make new friends with some Chianti in your glass and Vodka in your sauce!

From the comfort of your own home! All you need is access to Zoom on your device of choice and we will take care of the rest!

We would love to make this experience as authentic as possible so feel free to impress with your home-styled hairdo and smart-casual, fun and fabulous attire!

Get ready to be transported back in time for the evening as we learn a dish made famous in the late 60's, early 70's and making a revival on the food scene today - VODKA PASTA!"

The first of a series of food- experience events in collaboration with Drool

Looking to spice up date night in isolation? Make new friends with some Chianti in your glass and Vodka in your sauce!

22/07/2020

Looking to spice up date night in isolation? Make new friends with some Chianti in your glass and Vodka in your sauce!
From the comfort of your own home! All you need is access to Zoom on your device of choice and we will take care of the rest! We would love to make this experience as authentic as possible so feel free to impress with your home-styled hairdo and smart-casual, fun and fabulous attire!
Get ready to be transported back in time for the evening as we learn a dish made famous in the late 60's, early 70's and making a revival on the food scene today - VODKA PASTA!
The first of a series of food- experience events in collaboration with .aus . This Friday, 24.6, at 6.30PM. Link in Bio.

22/07/2020

This is an old bread recipe from a village on the Amalfi Coast, Agerola. Made using wholemeal flour and maize flour. The first part of the process is similar to the one for making normal bread. After a first cooking process the bread is sliced in medium pieces like biscotti and they are dried in the oven for several hours. This old technique make possible to keep this bread for more than na year. Before consuming it it has to be dip for few seconds in water than dressed with Evo oil, salt and oregano.

20/07/2020

Pane di granone', pane biscottato, vascuotto' e pan'. Many names, many recipes, similar concept, similar ingredients. Since the first lockdown I started to be more and more fascinated by the bread making process. To be honest, it's a commitment! You have to feed the sourdough, make the dough, letting rest, folding it, cooking it, don't be overexcited and cut straight out of the oven. And you end up with do much sourdough starter but hey, just give it to your neighbours, share your food knowledge and your secret. Why keep it just for yourself? Food is meant to be shared. This last type of bread I made is traditional from a little town on the Amalfi coast, Agerola. A type of bread that was made for last longer. For those occasions that you didn't have enough time to bake. Eat as it is after a quick dip in the water to soften it up with a drizzle of Evo oil, salt and oregano or break into a soup and used as croutons. In the next post there will be the video recipe...so, don't miss it 😁