Italy Translated

This dish is often made for Christmas in Rome. The Romans will sometimes use onion in place of the garlic, so it is up to you on your preferences.

The good news is, this dish is so easy to make, that you can have it all year round. We often have this for lunch because it is so quick to make, and I usually have the ingredients on hand. It includes tuna, which as an American, I usually associate with sandwiches, but the Italians like to eat a hot meal for lunch – something I have commented on in the past. And actually, I have come to prefer preparing pasta or rice for lunch – seems so much faster than getting out all that bread, cheese, salami, mustard, etc…

So next time you think about a tuna sandwich, why not have tuna pasta instead?

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When life gives you lemons (and let’s face it, the whole world seems to be dealing with lemons right now), make some limoncello bars. I wrote a post with the same tagline referring to a recipe for limoncello a few years back. But given the circumstances, don’t you think we need to add a little something to the limoncello? Like sugar, butter and cream? I think so!

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I wrote a post about how to make your own Italian-style hot chocolate at home. Yummy, soul soothing and totally satisfying ganache…oh…I mean hot chocolate. But let’s face it, the Italian version IS basically like drinking a cup of ganache. It is rich and thick and to “drink” it, you need a spoon. Read More

It has been particularly cold in these last days of February. Rome even got a dusting of powdered sugar last night and the city woke up to a snow covered Colosseum. So what is the best way to enjoy these cold, cozy days?  With a cup of hot chocolate of course! ITALIAN hot chocolate that is. Italian hot chocolate is more like a dessert all by itself. It is has a thicker consistency than its American cousin and is more like drinking chocolate ganache than warmed up chocolate milk.

There is a boxed hot chocolate available in Italy, and it is called Ciobar. It kind of gets a bad rap here as something processed and disgusting, but having a look at the ingredients, they look similar to my recipe. Here they are:

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I have been pretty much MIA all summer long.  Time just flies so fast.  But while there is still a little of summer left, there is just enough time to make this easy zucchini frittata.   Read More

In Italy, we often have lots of leftover panettone after Christmas. The question is – what to do with it all?

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A few weeks ago, we had a big birthday celebration for my son with lots of his friends. So how exactly do you keep a bunch of 10-year-old Italian boys happy at a birthday party?  With pizzette of course!  These mini pizzas will make just about anyone happy – – adults included.   Read More

Recipe – Homemade Nutella – I came across a recipe in an Italian cooking magazine for homemade Nutella. I was so excited about making the candy bar in a jar on my own! Read More

Polpette di Carne are just meatballs. AGAIN the Italians can make something so crude sounding in English sound so fab in their language. Anyway, these polpette are often served with a tomato sauce, but in my house, they are fried up and served as is, usually with a side salad – after the pasta of course. Read More

So when I post recipes, I always include a photo of the finished product.  Usually something like this photo above.  And sometimes I even include pics of how to prepare the recipe with a set of photos similar to the group below.  But the reality? Just take a look at the next three photos. Read More

Here is an “Italy, so hello to America” recipe.  A true crostata is NOT made with pie crust.  The crust is almost the same, but there will be eggs added to the mix and sometimes even vanilla.  I love, love, love pie crust, so I make mine with pie crust. Read More

With eggplant in season, take advantage of the period and prepare this classic dish that is always a crowd pleaser: eggplant parmesan otherwise known as parmigiana di melanzane, or melanzane alla parmigiana or simply: parmigiana.   Read More