This is an apple tart of my youth. We used to call it the “metro” because you can really eat a meter of it… You can either use a large mold or 5–6 small ones. The small ones are a better solution if you use the tart as a dessert at dinner, then they will…
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These glorious meatballs are one of the most successful dishes you can make when you have to cook for many and you would like to have something that you can prepare in advance and just wam up before serving. I like using them as a “cicchetto” as well, just a couple on a small plate to…
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This delicious raw sauce comes from western Sicily. It might be far less famous than its brother from Genova but I often prefer it to it because of its freshness. Normally it goes with a pasta called “busiate trapanesi”, a kind of twisted spaghetti, but you can surely use regular or “alla chitarra” spaghetti. I learnt this recipe…
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Pellegrino Artusi is the legendary author of the classic Tuscan cookbook “The Science of Cooking and the Art of Fine dining”, appeared in 1891. This book has aged so well that most of its recipes still work wonders; I use it very often and these biscuits are something I make regularly, they are simple and…
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Fried zucchini blossoms are a best of the Italian summer recipes. I like when the batter is without egg and the result is crispy and light like a Japanese tempura. They make a really great aperitivo. Time: 20 min Ingredients (4 people, 3 flowers each) 12 zucchini blossoms 150 g flour type 00, sifted 100–120…
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Among the thousand ways to perepare pizza and the many different ones I tried out over the years, this is what for me works best in a home-oven (which normally reaches a temperature of 250°C). The most important thing is the quality of the flour — try to find a good Italian type 0 and…
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When in Tuscany in the summer, weather you have a kitchen or not, this is one of the best meals to have: figs, ham and bread. You can certainly reproduce this somewhere else but you know that when a meal is so simple, the quality of the ingredients is essential, and there’s only one place…
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Breadcrumbs are something really valuable in a kitchen. I use them a lot when I bake vegetables in the oven to give a little crispness on top but also when I make cakes with fruit because they absorb the humidity, or in some kinds of pasta, or as a layer underneath pies. I always make…
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These biscuits come from a book I loved called Ke:xs, published by a Vienna-Munich based publishing house that I also love called Brandstätter Verlag (I changed only a few things after having tried out the recipe some times). They contain lavender, which I find wonderful on cakes as well as in some kinds of bread. Great little sweets…
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This summer salad contains al the tastes of the beautiful Pantelleria island. The sweet red onions, the olives, the oregano, the tomatoes and above all the capers. They are usually preserved in salt and you can find them in many Italian specialty shops around the world. Enjoy this salad in a hot summer night with your…
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