Latteruolo pudding milk, an old-fashioned dessert from Romagna

In the rural Romagna of long ago, the latteruolo was a gift that, on the occasion of Corpus Domini, a religious holiday that in the countryside marked the end of the harvest, the sharecropper's wife would prepare for the landlord's family. When milk was plentiful, azdore would prepare the…

ByMonica3 April 20260Comments

COURSES INGREDIENTS Main Course Meat OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Stuffed meatloaf recipe. And the wisdom of the home kitchen

The world is a tough place, and life is too short to waste time on pre-ready packaged meals. For these reasons, I try to turn something as simple as Monday's lunch or Wednesday's dinner into an event or to make every day special, even those that start with waking up at dawn. I counteract daily fatigue with…

ByMonica7 April 20250Comments

Bologna Food COURSES OCCASIONS RECIPES Savoury Cakes

Herb pie of Bologna (Torta d’herbe) and Italian cuisine

The Bologna herb pie is one of the many possible recipe versions with peasant origins, widespread throughout Italy. The most famous version in Emilia-Romagna is the erbazzone pie. This is one of those recipes that, without the need for many words, proves that Italian cuisine exists and is thriving despite its many critics, including famous ones. In…

ByMonica27 March 20250Comments

Cakes and Cookies COURSES RECIPES

Sweet tortelloni from Bologna. A Carnival recipe

Sweet tortelloni, usually fried, is a specialty of the Bologna Carnival. On the other hand, Carnival means fried food. Each city has its own mask and a handful of fried treats. Castagnole is probably the most widespread and versatile Italian Carnival sweets. Zeppole and chiacchiere belong mainly to the Southern Italian tradition, while frittelle (fritters) are more…

ByMonica19 February 20250Comments

Christmas COURSES First Course INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Rice and Grains Sunday Lunch

Rice bomb (bomba di riso), recipe from Emilia-Romagna

The rice bomb is a flan. And flan, in Italian sformato, is the name we used to call it at home. It must be said, however, that it is an Emilian rather than a Romagna dish. In fact, each Emilian province has its own version of the recipe. You can find the bomb bolognese, the one from…

ByMonica28 March 20240Comments

COURSES First Course OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Artichoke lasagne. And time to cook

Artichoke lasagne belongs to the long list of dishes that have graced my family's Sunday lunch and a variety of other occasions such as, for example, Easter lunch or Easter Monday, above all, if it fell early, that is, in March, like this year. Grandma used to execute the recipe in her own way, cooking the…

ByMonica21 March 20240Comments

COURSES Desserts OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Chocolate salami (without eggs). Nonna’s recipes

If a book about grandmothers served the purpose of not missing mine, I would look for it. I'm usually able to manage memories, but some days, it is hard to manage their B-sides. Yes, memories have two sides, like coins and old vinyl records. Side A makes memories a soft dough that will rise in the oven; it…

ByMonica1 March 20240Comments

COURSES INGREDIENTS Main Course Meat OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Salame matto (fake salami). A recipe from cucina povera of Romagna

Salame matto (fake salami) is a typical meatloaf from the humble cuisine of Romagna that brings to mind many a family meal, especially Easter lunch. First of all, I think a clarification is necessary. Some Italian recipes, in the title, contain the adjective finto (fake) or matto (which translates as crazy but has value as…

ByMonica21 February 20240Comments

Easter Bracciatello bread, recipe from Romagna

Appetizers Breads and Pizza Breakfast and Merenda COURSES OCCASIONS RECIPES

Easter bracciatello bread: an old recipe from Romagna

Bracciatello bread is a somewhat forgotten recipe from the Romagna tradition. It is a doughnut, usually not very sweet, typical of Easter breakfast. And although it finds a place among cupboard cakes in Romagna cookbooks, it is an almost-bread. The ciambella version, with raisins or chocolate chips, is recent. Originally it was almost certainly a dry cookie that has…

ByMonica4 April 20230Comments

Cakes and Cookies COURSES RECIPES

Sweet tortelli of Saint Lazarus, a typical Lenten cookie

The sweet tortelli di San Lazzaro are typical cookies of Lent and the city of Faenza, a small town in Romagna that I frequented for a long time with my family. Faenza was the destination of many Sunday walks with my family. I remember the walks in Bucci public garden and merenda with fried crescentine bought hot…

ByMonica22 March 20230Comments