agosto 15, 2011
Diana is one of the first international foodbloggers I got to know: every time we have worked together, being it a guest post or just chats over food themes, I was impressed with her kindness and the sunny character that shines through her words.
Besides this, I love her attention to the local food movement and to the urban organic gardens. I wanted to write a special guest post for Diana, so I looked back in my memories to find a special summer recipe.
Now it happens years before, but I had my first holidays alone with my friends when I was 19, with Simona, Federica and Margherita, we stayed at Simona’s grandmother in Bibione. We lived the sea life that we used to make with our families when we were little children, despite it being our first holiday as grown up girls.
Go to Diana’s blog A little bit of Spain in Iowa, to read the rest of the story and the recipe!
Posted in Family recipes, Fish, Quick Recipes 
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agosto 11, 2011
When I was a little girl and I was on holidays, those long summer holidays marked by a slow pace of read books and TV movies, lunch time was the moment I was expecting everyday, even at that time. I spent the mornings and the afternoons at home, or in the garden, or riding our country roads with my friend Chiara, but at lunchtime I used to go to my Grandma’s house: the kitchen was always fresh, the shutters were kept ajar to prevent the scorching sun from entering the house.
I remember distinctly one of those summers, the one I was passionate about Northen Exposure, the one when Grandma used to make the Russian salad every now and then. Even today, when I make a Russian salad, I think of those crazy characters of that show set in Alaska, which kept me company for the whole summer.
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Posted in Quick Recipes, Side Dishes, Spring, Summer, Vegetarian Recipes 2 Comments »
agosto 8, 2011
This is not a dish for vegetarians, though it is one of the dishes that I most enjoyed making, let alone eating! When I first made this chicken galantina, it was one of those wrong evenings when everything was spinning in the opposite direction to where you would like things to go. I chose one of my favorite escape route, cooking.
I chopped, cut and shredded, mixed all the ingredients and filled up a whole chicken, boiling it in a pot so big that it seemed a tub bath. When the next morning I took the chicken out from the broth I had the proof that every cloud has a silver lining… the tension and blue mood of the evening before had produced one of my best recipes!
P.S. Greetings from London!
The ingredient list is long and the process may seem elaborate, but I assure you that the chicken aspic is a dish you can rely on to impress your guests and to be sure of the result. Trust this recipe, it comes directly from my family butcher.
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Posted in Appetizers, Autumn, Meat, Spring, Summer, Tuscan Recipes, Winter 5 Comments »
agosto 4, 2011
Today I’m leaving for my holidays: a nineteenth-century train travel towards Paris, where I’ll spend 30 hours, just 30 little and lonely hours to enjoy la Ville Lumière, where I’ll be for the very first time! I have not a plan yet, though I have a long journey by train to read my guide and shape my short – very short – tailor-made itinerary. After Paris, I’ll move to London, by train again, where for the first time I will spend about ten days, instead of the usual hit and run weekend!
But here we are with the second recipe for our midsummer night’s dinner. Since I am a fresh pasta maniac, what could be the first course if not a good deal of fresh pasta?!
The lasagna is one of the dishes that best suits a dinner with many friends, because it can be made in advance and slightly warmed just before serving. In summer, try this lighter and fresh version, it will soon become one of your favorite dishes.
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Posted in First course, Fresh Pasta, Seasonal, Summer, Vegetarian Recipes 9 Comments »
agosto 1, 2011
It’s Monday, and I’m at home. I woke up slowly, very slowly, I had leftover dessert for breakfast, and I read once again with pleasure my birthday greeting cards. It’s Monday, but I’m on holidays for 4 weeks and yesterday I celebrated my birthday with a ’50s style garden party with a dear friend.
I’m happy for many reasons: first of all I eventually got my much needed holidays and this upcoming month is already full of expectations and comes at the right time. Secondly, thought at a second thought this should definitely be the first reason, yesterday I felt all day overwhelmed by a high tide of friendship. Never before I have been so clearly aware of how much I love all those people who were there and how makes me happy that they love me.
That said, time to tell you which are my plans for this holiday season! I had already planned a series of posts dedicated to a summer dinner in the garden to be published while I’ll be traveling around Europe (we’ll talk about this next time) but after my opening words about the ’50s party, I am now even more confident that I chose the right theme for this August … a midsummer night’s dinner in the garden with your best friends.
I like dining out, watching the sun that slowly disappears behind the hills and the stars that light up one by one in the summer sky.
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Posted in Appetizers, Summer, Vegetarian Recipes 6 Comments »
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