Today is the birthday of Michelangelo Buonarotti, born here in the village of Caprese Michelangelo in 1475. So famous was he, that the village officially added his to their name in the early twentieth century. In his honour, I am publishing a reproduction of the Doni Tondo, a depiction of the Holy Family currently in the …
Buon Compleanno Maestro: Happy Birthday Michelangelo! Read More »
Panna cotta needs no introduction, unless you’ve been on the moon for the past fifteen years. Like the other Italian dessert, panna cotta has a relatively short history, it being generally accepted that it has its origins in early twentieth-century Piemonte. However, that still makes it more than twice as old as tiramisù, which is …
Panna cotta allo zenzero e arancia rossa (recipe) Read More »
Lunch was performed in the traditional three acts: the ‘primo’ consisting of pasta or risotto, the ‘secondo’ of meat or fish, and then the dessert. Preceded by a prologue of ‘antipasti’, the curtain came down after an epilogue of coffee, espresso of course, cappuccino strictly reserved for breakfast or elevenses. — From ‘How we Found our Home.’
We all think we know Italian food. After all, there are plenty of Italian restaurants right down the road, right? Many of our big cities have got a ‘Little Italy’ and an Italian deli to die for. Travelling will tell us that Italian restaurants are the same the world over—except, that is, in Italy. Many …
Five things you didn’t know about Italian food … probably. Read More »
The queue outside the butcher’s in Sansepolcro never seems longer than when he has a simple sign in the window: Porchetta oggi! Roast pork today! For Italians porchetta means party. In Tuscany at least, a village fête, market, or other festive gathering is incomplete without the porchetta van. These catering trucks have whole spit-roast pigs, …
The sformato, a kind of vegetable soufflé, has to be one of the best-kept secrets of Italian cuisine as I’ve never seen it on a menu outside Italy. (Please let me know if you have.) I first had them in the excellent restaurant Da Alighiero, in the Tuscan town of Anghiari. They are often served …
