Festive flavours
12:12:2011
My gloriously rich, yet lighter-than-light zabaglione is scented with Christmassy flavours including Marsala Superiore which is matured in oak casks for at least 2 years.
Christmas crostini
02:12:2011
Once cooled, the bases are spread with a rich and indulgent blue cheese cream, before being topped with caramelised pear slices – soft and hot inside, with a sweet crunchy caramel on their exterior.
Buon Natale!
02:12:2011
There can be few other places on this planet that ‘do’ family meals quite like the Italians.
Twice-baked brilliance
23:08:2011
A method used originally for preservation and now, as far as I can tell, as an excuse to make dunking a biscuit in a drink acceptable in public!
Perfect pomodori!
10:08:2011
I would find it hard to describe Italian food without mentioning tomatoes. To my mind they are as linked to the cuisine as pasta and olive oil. But Italy isn’t the only country to produce perfect pomodori!
Inimitable Italy
10:08:2011
I experienced an infectious lust for life and a passion for simple pleasures – for friends, family and tradition. This passion was evident in no small part in the glorious food I was offered in Italy.
A taste of Sicily
09:11:2010For an easy dessert, beat some ricotta cheese and double cream together until smooth, then stir in the finely grated zest of an orange, a little caster sugar to taste and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Serve with biscotti and a glass of sweet Marsala.
Read moreReaching for the sky in Érice
09:11:2010Each of the tiny streets merited exploration and each held little treats in the form of a shrine, café or courtyard. Or indeed, a bakery!
Read moreCouscous fest – where cultures collide
05:11:2010Later, leaving my new found friends behind, I progressed north along the coast road. The journey was interspersed with dramatic views of the rugged coastline and vast swathes of undulating olive groves.
Read moreSalt of the earth
04:11:2010Teams of bare-chested men were grouped together, all toiling under the hot Sicilian sun with spades, rakes and wheel barrows, each shovelling and carting burgeoning barrows full of pure sea salt.
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