Saffron carrot soup. And the omnivore’s dilemma

I am not a human indifferent to ethical issues, and over the past year, I have been thinking about my relationship with food and eating meat. And while it may seem funny to serve this reflection thinking up with a steaming, vegetarian carrot soup, I'm going to tell you what I think. The omnivore's dilemma I was…

ByMonica25 October 20210Comments

Aperitivo Bologna Food Breads and Pizza OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Crescentina fritta: the typical fried bread of Bologna

Crescentina fritta is a traditional fried bread of Bologna that, with different names, you can find all over the Via Emilia. Crescentina fritta of Bologna is a typical fried bread In Modena and Reggio Emilia it is called gnocco fritto. When in Parma calls for torta fritta. In Romagna piadina fritta, in dialect piê fritta. Sometimes it…

ByMonica27 August 20210Comments

Aperitivo COURSES Gluten-free INGREDIENTS Legumes OCCASIONS RECIPES Savoury Cakes

Chickpea farinata: a traditional Italian peasant recipe

Chickpea farinata is a type of thin, unleavened bread. I love everything about this vegetarian and gluten-free recipe: the simplicity of preparation, the smell, the taste. Chickpea Farinata. This is a traditional peasant recipe, based on water and flour, and typical of areas where chickpeas are grown. Chickpeas are used to make yellow flour with a…

ByMonica25 May 20210Comments

COURSES First Course INGREDIENTS RECIPES Rice and Grains

Lemon And Rosemary Risotto. And That Need To Re-Define

Rice, rosemary, lemon. During cooking, the rice absorbs the citrus notes of the lemon and the herbaceous ones of the rosemary, creating a dish that reveals an incredible flavor from the first taste. My first taste of rosemary risotto. I was at Podere Ciona, in Chianti, when I first tasted this risotto prepared by my friend's mother.…

ByMonica4 February 20210Comments

COURSES Desserts Fruits INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

No-Bake Pear And Chocolate Cake With Pear Gelée

How do you develop an original recipe? This is the question I often hear. And I would like to answer it today telling you how the pear cake was created. The creative process never follows a single direction. Sometimes inspiration comes from an ingredient, sometimes from a flavour. It happens that I visualize the project of a new…

ByMonica31 December 20200Comments

COURSES First Course RECIPES

Pumpkin and smoked cheese carasau lasagna recipe

When I turn off the last Christmas lights, it's finally time to embrace the winter in the wardrobe and on the table where I welcome warm, nourishing dishes typical of this time of year, like a steaming tray of lasagna. I made that with carasau bread, which I used instead of a traditional pasta sheet, baked…

ByMonica29 December 20200Comments

COURSES First Course Gluten-free INGREDIENTS RECIPES Rice and Grains

Rice casserole with potatoes and mushrooms. Pure comfort food

When I think about comfort food, firstly, I guess steaming dishes like this rice casserole with potato and mushrooms, a revisitation of a famous Italian dish from the South, rice, potato, and mussels tiella. But what exactly does comfort food mean anyway? However, I suppose it changes for each of us, above all today, with…

ByMonica2 October 20200Comments

Bologna Food Breads and Pizza OCCASIONS RECIPES

Tigella or Mountain Crescentina from Modena

Some foods remind me of special memories and experiences. So it is for me with tigella, a typical flatbread of the Emilia-Romagna region. I grew up in Romagna and tigelle (at the plural), or crescentine montanare, an Emilia specialty. I only discovered and appreciated them after moving to Bologna. It is true that decades ago, they were not…

ByMonica12 September 20206Comments

COURSES Gluten-free INGREDIENTS Legumes RECIPES Salads and Sides

Raw zucchini salad with aragula and lentils

What's your favorite salad? The zucchini salad combines summer flavors with lentils which, in Italy, are usually associated with winter and, for this reason, remain forgotten in the pantry for months (what a shame!). I hope you will try it, I enjoyed developing this recipe and even more eating it. Salad is a recipe. The Italian food…

ByMonica25 August 20200Comments

COURSES First Course OCCASIONS RECIPES

Summer Food: Cold Pasta Alla Checca And Other Recipes

What are the summer dishes you prepare most often? My list is long enough but don't think about elaborate dishes. Cold pasta and salad are among my favorites, confirming a clear preference for recipes where seasonal ingredients are the protagonists, often, in all their genuine simplicity. Cold pasta: simple but not boring The recipes in my summer…

ByMonica10 August 20200Comments