My new cookbook is officially out! As I sit here drinking my third coffee for the morning, listening to the whir of the air conditioning in the background and contemplating the news that we may be hit with a cyclone by the weekend, my book is sitting on bookstore shelves and being ordered through cyberspace….
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Torta Sbrisolona – Crumbly Cake
It’s still school holidays and my boys are home. I love having them around. I enjoy their company. The house just feels right with them both here. My eldest son spends much of the year at university, 2000km from home, so this time of the year is extra special for me. Don’t get me wrong,…
Ricciarelli – Almond Biscuits from Siena
Ricciarelli are addictive. Seriously. I can say this confidently. Take one bite and you will understand. Sweet, tender, with a hint of orange, these biscuits have an almost chewy texture and just melt in your mouth. I can’t stop eating them. But that’s ok. There are worse addictions, and if Ricciarelli is mine then so…
Fresh Plum Cake
Plums. Aren’t they beautiful? My grandparents always grew their own in their backyard and this time of the year was when we could pick them off the tree, ripe and hot from the sun. I remember how sweet they were, and how the juice would explode in my mouth, dribbling down my chin and staining…
Almond and Cranberry Biscotti
The days are longer and warmer now, and the garden struggles to survive. The fragile leaves of the herbs in my little patch simply wilt and I can almost hear them gasping for air. The intensity of the sun bares down with ferocity and we retreat inside, thankful for the air conditioner which provides a…
Roman Style Oxtail Ragu
Eating innards, organs and off-cuts might not sound appealing, but they are the backbone of the Italian cucina povera (poor kitchen) where the undesirable cuts of meat are transformed into food rich in comfort, flavour and downright deliciousness. In 18th century Rome, these off-cuts were known as quinto quarto, the fifth quarter. From the slaughterhouses…
Pitti Pi – My favourite biscuits in the world
I just received the first proof of my new book “The Sweet Life” a few days ago. It’s so exciting to see the words and pictures come to life. I am really happy with it and can’t wait to share it with you, out February 2018. It’s all about sweets, such as cakes, tarts, desserts,…
Spaghetti Frittata with Tomatoes and Feta
If there is something I do well, it’s cook waayyy too much food. I know it’s a classic Italian stero-type, the Italian Mama that likes to over-feed you, but in my case it’s definitely true. Maybe not so much the over-feeding bit, but definitely guilty of the ‘cooking too much’ bit. I do like to…
Pizza Rustica
Just like Dean Martin sings ” When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that’s amore… ” you will fall in love with this delicious rustic Italian pie. As the name suggests it’s rustic, so no perfectionism required, and even though I’ve weighed out all the ingredients I’ve used to make the…
Smoked Salmon, Mascarpone and Wasabi Pizza
Pizza has got to be one of the most loved meals in the world. There are so many versions and so many possibilities. Like pasta, a pizza base is a blank canvas waiting for you to add an infinite variety of toppings to suit your taste (or most often for me, whatever you’ve got lying…
