Monthly Archives: October 2008

My fried focaccine

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Fried focaccine (little focaccia) is a recipe that I invented when I was about 10 years old only to find out years later that it actually is a recipe. Unfortunately I forgot the name so you have to call it by the name I used  when I was little. There are other similar preparations some add eggs some add baking powder, they’re more famous than this basic recipe but I still love this one best.

The whole thing started from my great love for fried zucchini flowers, if I could I would have eaten them every day. I used to experiment in the kitchen in the afternoons when my mom was outside. I prepared this simple batter, the same for fried zucchini flowers, I fried it giving the “focaccine” a nice and round shape. Continue reading →

Spiced Squash Soup

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Squash Soup garnished with chopped almonds on a white squared dish

I love squash in every possible way and this is the best period of the year to find good ones. The markets here are still filled with some summer squash, mainly the butternut type which are so sweet. I usually prepare a simple squash soup: I can still satisfy my palate and in the meantime eat a low calorie dish. This time I decided to make a different recipe trying to resemble a soup that I ate many years ago that a Dutch friend made. She  never gave me the exact recipe so I tried to recreate that interesting flavor. It actually came out pretty good and I’m definitely making it again. Continue reading →

Riso e latte from my childhood

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Rice with Milk

Fall has definitely arrived and my desire for warmer dishes is increasing. I especially need what I call, “comfort food” which in this moment means some particular dishes that I used to eat when I was a child. I started to think about those times and I came out with so many dishes that I had almost forgotten. I’m sure I wouldn’t eat some of them anymore, but all of them them brought back some nice memories.

One of my favorite dishes was, and still is, Riso e latte, rice and milk. When my sister and I wanted to feel “cuddled” we asked my mom to prepare us Riso e latte. We always followed the same ritual before eating it  we used to pour it in our bowls and let it sit until it firmed up a bit and the milk would form a thin film over the top.  I can tell you it was hard to wait because we wanted to taste it so bad and it was difficult to resist that long but we always did it. Lately I started to prepare it for my own child and he’s definitely one of the Riso e latte clan too. Continue reading →

Ending on a sweet note

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I’m back home I feel a little bit sad but I had a wonderful vacation. The weather has been almost perfect I didn’t recall such a warm sea in September, a real delight for a person who is always cold like me. I rested, relaxed and now I’m ready to face the cold winter full of energy and new ideas.

My stay in Calabria has also been a culinary adventure as you may have seen I rediscovered some old dishes like the Pasta and Potatoes and learned some new ones. The last days I got a chance to talk with our cook at the beach and he really revealed  some tricks to me but I’ll tell you about them in a future post. Continue reading →

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