Tag Archives: salt

Quiche Frascataine

Warning … caveat Emptor … this is a rather long post … if it’s the recipe you are after, and to be honest it would be worth your while taking a look at it, just scoll down until you come … Continue reading

Posted in italian home food, Recipes from outside Italy, Travel and Tales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Artichokes and Pecorino Cheese

Artichokes can be enjoyed in Rome practically all year round these days … because when they aren’t available locally, many restaurants will import them from Brittany in France. I, being a little conservative on matters of seasonality, prefer to wait … Continue reading

Posted in Artichokes - Carciofi, italian home food, Loving the Leftovers | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Spelt and Orange Salad – Farro con Arance

Whenever the word ‘salad’ gets drawn into conversation, I immediately think of lettuce, rocket/arugula and green, leafy ‘things’ and associate it with Summer – because that’s when salad used to get eaten, i.e. only during the Summer months when the … Continue reading

Posted in Contorni and/or side dishes, Herbs and plants, italian home food, salad | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sweet and Sour Squash for Sunday’s Roast …

It’s that time of year … pumpkins and squash and Thanksgiving if you live in the USA … and orange being such a gastronomically beautiful colour !  Not to mention the fact that orange is supposed to be THE colour … Continue reading

Posted in Anything sweet, Basic Techniques, Contorni and/or side dishes, Herbs and plants | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Polenta Wafers – Inspired by Salvatore Tassa and his “Colline Ciociare” Restaurant

And now … for something completely different! As the Monty Python used to say.  And by ‘different’, I mean something a trifle unnecessary but oh-so-delightful in the kitchen department. Goodness knows, anyone who has cause to read my blog on … Continue reading

Posted in Antipasti, Basic Techniques, Places to eat, Shops and Stores | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Testaccio Market, Wrong Season, Wrong Reason, Right Recipe – Courgettes Sweet and Sour – Caponata di Zucchine

I had a somewhat bizarre experience at Rome’s Testaccio market once.  The old Testaccio market, that is, the one that was razed to the ground a couple of years ago.  An appointment had been made for me to meet a … Continue reading

Posted in Antipasti, Basic Techniques, Contorni and/or side dishes, Herbs and plants, Shops and Stores | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Deep Fried Roman Artichokes – Carciofi alla Giudia

Perhaps not everyone knows that many a traditional Roman recipe owes its origin to the Jewish cuisine of Rome, which in turn harks back to techniques and textures that go all the way to southern Italy and Sicily.  I am … Continue reading

Posted in Artichokes - Carciofi, Basic Techniques, Contorni and/or side dishes, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Borage even in the Bathtub – Borragine Fritta

Borage here, borage there, borage, borage, everywhere! It’s that time of year … borage shows up at markets with its intensely blue, five-petal flowers, which is why this herb is also known as “starflower”.  Nature can be such a ham … Continue reading

Posted in Antipasti, Herbs and plants, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

The Frying of a Christmas-Tree Floret – Broccolo Romano Fritto

Now then … this is a broccolo romano … Roman broccoli.  Is it just me .. or does it somehow resemble a Christmas tree? This is what it looks like from underneath … very sturdy. You can see how the … Continue reading

Posted in Antipasti, Basic Techniques, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Kale Soup and the Sausage

I dedicate this post to Johnny Hepburn of ” feedthepiglet.wordpress.com ” whose take on soup never fails to amaze me as I look on and imagine the layers of taste constituted by him therein.  He is a superb soup maker. First, … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and plants, italian home food, Soups, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments