This is a quick, easy peasy recipe that is also super healthy and 100% comforting. It’s thick and creamy, but without the cream. I added a little bit of love, serving it with a little Pecorino Romano and guanciale, but obviously it is just as …
With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to start baking! Whether you’d like to make these as an original gift idea, (I often made cupcakes at Christmas time for my children’s teachers) or you want some festive looking place cards to enhance your Christmas …
Sometimes I think I won’t make a traditional Christmas Cake, but then I usually get a big attack of the guilts and decide Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without it. Even though I know my son Joseph probably won’t even taste it, I have this need to create ‘food memories’ for when my children are older and reminisce over childhood Christmases. (Well that’s my hope anyway). The fact that I am divorced means my children have two Christmas celebrations, one with their father and one with me. I feel this strong sense of responsibility to continue the baking traditions of my mother and to also prepare a more ‘British’ Christmas lunch, knowing they’ll be getting the Italian traditions anyway. I usually compromise though and always make the very traditional Tortellini in Brodo to start and then we’ll have a traditional roast, sometimes pork, more recently we have been having Turkey.
I always make Fruit Mince Pies but because I don’t do a Christmas Pudding I feel there is no excuse not to make a Christmas Cake. My mother would make it all, mince pies, pudding, Christmas Cake, Shortbread and almond bread. My childhood Christmases were made magical by 3 people. Firstly my mother and her cooking and the flair she had for entertaining. Secondly, my father and the Christmas Tree selection every year. My father would go to the ‘Christmas Tree Farm’, where he would choose a tree that was then chopped down. Every year my father managed to choose a tree that was way too big, and every year he would swear as he dragged it into the house. I loved the smell of the pine needles that permeated the house as soon as it crossed the threshold. Our Christmas Tree was without doubt the tallest in the street. Our house had a mezzanine level, so imagine the ceiling being two storeys high… so yes.. our tree was always huge. Having said that, my Daddy still managed to always have to chop off a bit at the base to make it a little shorter to allow it to stand upright inside. The third person that made Christmas magical was my English grandmother Doreen. She was responsible every year for untangling the Christmas tree lights, and without her, we wouldn’t be able to start to decorate the tree. I have so much nostalgia for these childhood moments and it is these moments – the tree, the food, the Christmas carols, Christmas Eve dinner with Christmas crackers – that I can easily say are among the happiest moments of my life.
I suppose I better say 4 people and include my twin sister Lisa. I am starting to giggle as I remember how every Christmas Eve we would sneak out and open one present each. We’d then expertly close it up and then feign our surprise and joy on Christmas morning. Lisa always had a sneaky way of guessing what I had bought her for Christmas too…. well not exactly guessing as going through my wallet and looking for receipts was one way she discovered her present from me. Lisa on the other hand would buy me things she’d like… and not necessarily something I’d like. The best present though from my sister would have to be the year she bought me a bra that she loved…. in HER size…. So it really is the thought that counts, because she ‘thought’ very carefully about how that present would end up as hers.
So, back to Christmas Cake. My mother’s recipe is double this recipe and also requires six hours in the oven. It really requires the love and care of at least six weeks (better 8) of brandy feeding, and if I am running too late to do her recipe any justice, or if I want an extra, but quicker recipe, this is a great alternative. I sometimes change the fruit a little to make it a bit more interesting and original. The weight of the fruit stays the same, but I decided to use dried figs, cranberries, dates and visciole (which are a type of sour cherry), to change the normal raisin/sultana/currant combination.
My mother would serve Christmas cake with the top decorated with almonds and glacè cherries. This cake is decorated in a more traditional fashion and so I don’t add these on the surface of the cake before baking it. In The United Kingdom, it is traditional to cover a Christmas fruit cake (after it’s been fed with brandy for weeks) with a layer of marzipan, and then a layer of fondant. I have omitted the marzipan layer and used a thin layer of brandy buttercream instead. The cake is then covered with fondant (sugarpaste) and Christmas decorations made by Mamì. This cake can be eaten the week you make it. It won’t be as compact as a cake made and fed with Brandy for 3 months, but it is rich with flavour and not at all dry. The Brandy Buttercream is a nice accompaniment, but if you are not intending covering your cake in fondant, I would suggest serving this cake with brandy butter.
This is a recipe made in collaboration with Mamì.
Cake
Brandy Butterceam
Torta
Crema al Burro al Brandy
Hummingbird Cake is a cake made famous in America when the recipe was published in the 1978 issue of Southern Living and the recipe went on to become that magazine’s most requested. The recipe was submitted by Mrs. L.H. Wiggins, although historians believe the recipe …
I have an old recipe book, one that you write your recipes in. It is about 25 years old, and I bought it with the intention of collecting recipes over the years. I am grateful that my mother’s handwriting is there, the first recipes written …
Cecina is a very popular street food found predominately in Liguria, Livorno and Toscana, cooked in a wood fire oven and has a characteristic crunchy, golden crust. It’s basically made from chickpea flour, water and olive oil so for street food I’d call it quite a healthy choice. It is however a poor recipe made with simple ingredients and very common in other regions of Italy too, and like so many recipes in Italy, the name changes despending where you are eating it. Cecina is the name found in and around Pisa, in Livorno it is called ‘torta di ceci’ (chickpea cake), the ‘socca’ in Piemonte, and ‘fainè’ in Sassari, Sardegna. Although the name may change, the authentic and exquisite taste of this Italian street food doesn’t. When I lived in Tuscany, this would be a favourite afternoon snack during cold Winter weekend afternoons, and I can’t believe I never considered trying to make it myself. Now, living in Rome I don’t see Cecina in every pizzeria like you would in my old neighbourhood so when nostalgia and cravings hit the other week, I decided to make my own. While many swear that this must cook in a pizza wood oven, I was very impressed with how it came out of my little domestic oven at home. This recipe is so easy so I’ll definitely be making it often during the cold months. It is best eaten hot, as soon as it comes out of the oven with a light sprinkling of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Apart from a snack, this would be perfect to serve with pre-dinner drinks!
Cecina è un cibo da strada molto popolare che si trova prevalentemente in Liguria, Livorno e Toscana. La Cecina è cotta in un forno a legna e ha una squisita crosticina croccante e dorata. Fondamentalmente è fatta con farina di ceci, acqua e olio d’oliva, quindi per il cibo da strada la definirei una scelta abbastanza salutare. È comunque una ricetta povera fatta con ingredienti semplici, ed è molto comune anche in altre regioni d’Italia, e come tante ricette, il nome cambia da zona a zona. Cecina è il nome che si trova a Pisa e nei dintorni, a Livorno si chiama “torta di ceci”, la “socca” in Piemonte, e “fainè” a Sassari. Sebbene il nome possa cambiare, quello che non cambia è il gusto autentico e delizioso di questo street food italiano. Quando vivevo in Toscana, questo sarebbe stato uno spuntino pomeridiano preferito durante i freddi pomeriggi invernali del fine settimana, e non posso credere di non aver mai pensato di provare a farla da sola. Ora, vivendo a Roma, non vedo la Cecina in ogni pizzeria come mi capitava nel mio vecchio quartiere in Versilia, quindi quando nostalgie e voglie hanno colpito l’altra settimana, ho deciso di cucinarla. Mentre molti giurano che si deve cucinare la Cecina in un forno a legna per pizza, sono rimasta molto colpita da come è uscita dal mio piccolo forno domestico a casa. Questa ricetta è così semplice che ho deciso che la farò spesso durante i mesi freddi. È meglio mangiarla calda, appena esce dal forno con una leggera spolverata di sale e pepe nero macinato.
Oltre a uno spuntino, questo sarebbe perfetto per servire con un aperitivo prima di cena!
Ingredienti
There isn’t limit to the imagination when making risotto as far as ingredients go. We all know that the key to replicating beautiful Italian recipes is to respect and follow the seasons. This said, the abundance of pumpkins and Porcini mushrooms at the local markets …
I made these jellies throughout summer and they have become my go-to favourite when I want something sweet, yet fresh, refershing and relatively healthy. The ‘healthy’ part depends on what you add to your jelly. The key to making this is using Agar Agar, and …
I love that Autumn fills the markets with delicious pumpkins and every year I love to make Pumpkin Soup . Whenever I make soup though I always make too much, but this is a good thing because it means I can freeze some. What also usually happens with any soup I make is that the next day it becomes risotto. My mother used a different method when she made pumpkin risotto, she would first roast the pumpkin, and then stir it through the risotto midway through cooking the rice with broth. Roasting the pumpkin does add that particular nutty & caramelised flavour especially if you roast it until the corners are almost burnt.
Usually when I make risotto, I follow the traditional method as taught to me by my sister’s Italian boyfriend at the time when she was living in Florence. I had gone to visit her (I am referring to over 20 years ago) and Marco taught me how to make Porcini Mushroom risotto. You cook onion (and garlic if you wish to add it) in olive oil and then stir through the rice, ensuring it is covered by the oil. You stir until the rice is hot and then broth is added a ladel at a time, and the rice is stirred until it’s cooked. For this recipe it is made a little differently, but that is just because it’s a risotto recipe that is created from leftover soup. SO, knowing that, I will first write the recipe for the soup, and then explain how it became a delicious bowl of creamy risotto.
Adoro autunno quando i mercati si riempie di deliziose zucche e ogni anno mi piace fare la zuppa di zucca. Ogni volta che faccio la zuppa però (di qualsiasi tipo) faccio sempre troppo, ma questa è una buona cosa perché significa che posso congelare un po’ per i giorni quando non ho voglia o tempo per cucinare. Ciò che di solito accade con qualsiasi zuppa che faccio è che il giorno dopo diventa risotto. Mia madre usava un metodo diverso quando faceva il risotto alla zucca, lei prima arrostiva la zucca e poi la mescolava attraverso il risotto a metà cottura con il riso e il brodo. Cuocendo la zucca prima nel forno aggiunge quel particolare sapore caramellato, specialmente se lo si arrostisce fino a quando gli angoli sono quasi bruciati.
Di solito quando si prepara il risotto, si cucina la cipolla (e l’aglio se si desidera aggiungerlo) in olio d’oliva e poi si mescola con il riso. Il brodo viene aggiunto un mestolo alla volta e il riso viene mescolato fino a quando non viene cotto. Questa volta lo faccio in modo un po’ diverso, ma è perché è una ricetta di risotto che viene creata dalla zuppa avanzata. COSÌ, sapendolo, scriverò prima la ricetta per la zuppa, e poi spiegherò come è diventata una deliziosa scodella di risotto cremoso e saporito.
Ingredienti
When I think of Autumn baking, I think of American classics that are celebrated during ‘Fall’, but especially during Thanksgiving festivities. Although it is true that we don’t have Thanksgiving here in Italy, or in Australia where I grw up, I don’t feel we should …