Coconut Cherry Chia Pudding

If you follow food blogs and healthy vegetarian sites, you have undoubtably seen chia pudding recipes. It's no wonder it has become a healthy snack of choice because it is simple, fast and packed with nutrition. Chia seeds have come a long way from the spreadable paste to make fluffy green 'pets'. Today, chia seeds have earned the title of "superfood" for their high protein content, soothing affect on the digestive system and their cholesterol lowering omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, they make great pudding!

Spiced Vegan Rice Pudding

This vegan, refined-sugar free rice pudding is simple, fast, and one of my favourite treats. Made with creamy coconut (or almond) milk and warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom, it is sure to warm you up on a cool day. Sweetened only with bananas and dates, there is no added sugar, but it definitely doesn't lack in sweetness!

Persimmon Tart

Persimmons, or kaki, are very particular fruits. They have a sweet, delicate flavour, somewhat like browned sugar with a slight floral aftertaste. Their season is quite brief, starting in late autumn and finishing before the winter frost sinks its teeth in. If you don’t live in an area where they grow, they can be hard to come by. When ripe, the plump orange bulbs swell with a golden goo and the thin skin easily splits apart. For this reason, they don’t do well in grocery stores and certainly can’t be shipped across the globe like apples. 

Growing up in Northern California, I never saw persimmons, nor ever tasted one. If it hadn’t been for my father talking about them being his favourite fruit, I may never even have known of their existence. Fortunately, they are very common in Italy and the hills of the Cinque Terre are speckled with these bare trees, branches weighed down by heavy orange fruits. My first experience was in Sicily when we bought a flat of ‘cacchi’ from a guy in a parking lot. This if often where you’ll get the best produce in Sicily--from the back of a truck in a random parking lot.

How to freeze lemons to use year-round

It's the height lemon season right now, and if you have a tree of your own, you may have more lemons than you know what to do with. Well, not worry because one of the best things to do with all those lemons is also the simplest and most healthy.

Freezing your lemons is becoming popular now that research has shown it's the healthiest way to ingest the sour fruit. Lemon water is known to detoxify and alkalise the body, but beyond squeezing a wedge into the glass, the peel of the lemon is usually discarded. The problem with that is the peel is the most powerful part of the fruit!

Roasted Pumpkin Gnocchi

It's no secret that autumn is my favourite season. From the chestnuts, to the mushrooms; from pears and clementines to pomegranates and persimmons; Autumn brings us some of the most savoury and sweet produce. Pumpkin is a fantastic vegetable full of beta-carotene and fibre. By oven roasting the pumpkin (or butternut squash) first, it creates a drier base for using as a thick sauce or as a puree for desserts.

The base of this recipe is incredibly versatile, working well as a filling for homemade ravioli, mixing in for a sweet and savoury risotto, or just as a delicious side dish to a classic fall menu. But the quickest and simplest dish is to stir it with fresh gnocchi. But be careful, like risotto, gnocchi can be very filling and heavy, so I recommend a smaller portion than you may be accustomed to.

Kiwi Clementine Tart

Although the depths of winter can leave you feeling dark and depressed, nature livens up the season with some very cheerful, colourful and vitamin C rich foods. Citrus and kiwi are two such fruits that come onto season during the winter. Did you know that the kiwi is one of Italy's biggest exports? This may be one of the least-known facts about this country. This vibrant cure for dreary days all started with a bag a kiwis that a friend gave us. They have a vine in their yard and were up to their ears in kiwis. But there are only so many tart kiwis one can eat before one starts to think: "what in the world am I going to do with the rest of these things??"

Sometimes a little free time in the kitchen and a bunch of fruit can yield spectacular results! When I entered the kitchen that afternoon, I certainly didn't expect to wind up with this gorgeous fruit tart. But for me, inspiration comes when I least expect it. Now, I wish I could tell you that I'm an organised, methodical person of clear mind and I set out to make a grand fruit tart. But no such luck--I am an artist at heart and my accomplishments in life are made in a much more Bohemian sort of way--I need to feel inspired.

Leftover Panettone-Part 4

This is the fourth instalment in what I call: "Leftover Panettone". In Italy, panettone is sold during the Christmas season and is the classic gift you bring to someone's home when visiting during the holidays. If you have a lot of friends and family, that can add up to some serious numbers! So it isn't unusual to have more panettone than you know what to do with. If you find yourself in this particular Italian predicament, please also see part 1,  part 2  and part 3 for the other ideas.

Dinosaur Kale

If you frequent Pinterest or any healthy/Paleo food blogs, you are aware of the recent Kale Chip craze. Picture after picture of crunchy, curly kale looked so good to me and I wanted to try it. But that lush, curly kale just doesn't exist in Italy. I certainly haven't seen it, even after searching far and wide. What I did find, however, was a very dark veggie with long flat spears that look just like, well, spears. I discovered that this "cavolo nero" or black cabbage, is called Dinosaur kale in English. The flavor is very similar to curly kale, but it is a bit stronger and mostly stalk with very little tender leaf. I'm not sure how it compares to the curly variety nutrition wise, but eating it makes me feel very strong and healthy! I even suspect this is what was in Popeye's spinach cans!!

Ricotta & Red Onion Pasta

 
Today was our first day of storms and rain and it made me think of this warm, autumn pasta. It is a recipe from my mother-in-law and it quickly became one of my favorite pastas. After several continuous days of heavy red sauce, this light creamy pasta is a welcome change. It has a very delicate flavor and I like to add fresh thyme to round it out. If you like the sweet flavor of red onions, you will be sure to like this pasta.

The Best Whipped Cream Ever!

Sometimes the best discoveries are made when you have to use something up before it expires. This was the case with a tub of mascarpone cheese the other day. It was the beginning of yet another long Sunday lunch with the family and my mother-in-law didn't know what she should do with the huge tub of cheese. 

If you are not familiar with mascarpone cheese, it is has the consistency of cream cheese but a mild,  a buttery taste. Mascarpone is the main ingredient in Tiramisù, which gives it the delightfully creamy texture. It is thoroughly versatile in the kitchen as it can be used to make sauces thicker and creamier, it can be used for savoury dips, dessert frosting (I make an orange frosting for spice cake with it), scone recipes and numerous other desserts. It can even be served plain with fruit. It's possibilities are endless.

Grapefruit and Fennel Salad

The weather has finally turned warm again and taking advantage of the sunny day and the flat of fennel bulbs in the pantry, I decided to make a lovely and refreshing salad: Grapefruit and fennel, topped with crispy, crunchy prosciutto crisps. Now, this is just as delicious (but not as salty) without the prosciutto, so to make it vegetarian/vegan, just omit it.

By broiling thin slices of prosciutto crudo for about ten minutes, they become like salty, savoury crisps that you can eat as is, or break up into pieces. It’s sooooo good! Plus, a salad based on fennel needs something nice and salty, so it is a great combination.

Crunchy Grapefruit & Fennel Salad: 

Clementine Elderberry Scones

 

 

I was in a creative baking mood and I came up with the most delicious scones I have ever made! I am very excited to share these with you because it also utilizes the elderberry syrup that I showed you how to make this summer. They have a lovely purple hue to them, plus the drizzle of elderberry frosting makes them just as good to look at. I try to limit my use of white flour as much as possible, so I split the amount with almond flour. Most of the flour in your baking recipes can usually be split with half almond flour, but for baked goods, you do need some of the flour to hold its consistency. If you don't have almond flour, just use 2 cups of plain flour. I think the combination of elderberry and Clementine is a fantastic pairing. Here is my recipe:

Pepperoni Pastina

Having a nearly empty fridge can cause some very creative dishes. Seeing as how I try to have fresh vegetables in everything I make, I took the last fresh veggies from my fridge (a trio of pepperoni or bell peppers) and whipped up a deliciously creamy and vegan pasta dish. Super simple, light and nutritious! Here's how to make it:

Strawberry Liqueur

I love fruit. I love liqueurs. I love the two of them together! Italian summers bring some of the sweetest, most delicate strawberries I have ever tasted. I have recently done a series of vodka infusion experiments, including the successful pear vodka I previously posted about, and the not-so-successful melon (which I did not post about). But with these delicious strawberries, I think it would be pretty hard to mess up.

Here is how to make your own Strawberry Liqueur

Pear Elderberry Cocktail

Summer in Italy brings with it amazingly delicious fruit. I, of course, always want to find ways of preserving these scrumptious flavors to savor for the rest of the year. As you may have read in earlier posts, I have made jelly out of several fruits, including fig, mulberry, pomegranate and watermelon. But another way to capture the flavor of fruit is to infuse vodka with it. 

Ligurian Picnic

My husband is not a picnic guy--it's not that he doesn't like picnics, it's just that he never thinks it's a good idea. But the other day, he came into the kitchen and suggested we go into the hills for a picnic to watch the sunset. Wow! I was not about to pass that up! Luckily, I had already made some roasted eggplant hummus and roasted vegetable tabbouleh for dinner, which was all easily portable food. So I packed everything up into containers, grabbed some blankets, a bottle of wine and we were off!

We drove a bit to find the right spot, sometimes driving in circles on the little narrow road to the Cinque Terre. But after much deliberation, we found the perfect spot with smooth concrete walls to sit on, use as a table and drink in some stunning views of the Mediterranean sea and the mountains around Riomaggiore. It was down a private road for residents only, but we figured that was to keep the tourists out. We were a little worried that someone might have a problem with us setting up our picnic on their 'private' wall, and the residents that passed us did have something to say--"che bell'idea, buona cena!" which means, "what a good idea, have a good dinner!"
I love the Italians.

Sciroppo di Sambuca

Elderberry Trees grow all over Liguria and when you come across a tree with it’s branches hanging heavy with these clusters of black fruit attached to bright magenta stems, it begs to be picked! Unfortunately, I missed the flowers this season (there are so many wonderful things you can make with the incredibly floral Elderberry flower), but the bunches of berries did not escape me.

**Please note that elderberries are NOT to be eaten raw. They contain alkaloids that must be cooked out before consumption.

Making Limoncello

Like caffé, Limoncello is a quintessential Italian libation. If you have never had the pleasure of trying Limoncello, it is a very strong after-dinner liquore made from the skin of lemons. It is sweet, refreshing and can sooth that stomach ache you get from over-eating. Served in tiny chilled glasses, limoncello is so strong that you’ll be knocked off your feet if you have more than a little. For many who have traveled to Italy, this syrupy, bright yellow liquor conjures up visions of hot summer evenings, large delicious meals and the Amalfi coast. 

What you may not know, is that limoncello is incredibly easy to make yourself! It is a long process, but with only four ingredients, it is also very simple. Here is how to make your very own authentic limoncello, right in your own kitchen. You will wind up with almost two liters of limoncello, so, have enough bottles clean and ready. Smaller bottles are great for gift giving. *Make sure to use organic lemons, as this is made from soaking the peel in alcohol*

Patriotic Dinner

On the first official day of summer, I went to the fruit and vegetable market downtown. Oh, there were so many great things! As I meandered around, I was inspired to make some delicious and classic Italian dishes for dinner. 

I started with a Caprese Salad, which is now being called insalata di tre colore (three color salad), as the official salad of Italy for it's 150th anniversary (it's a green, white and red salad=patriotic). If you are not familiar with the insalata Caprese, it is a very simple arrangement of sliced tomato, mozarella di buffala, fresh basil and olive oil.

Hummus Genovese

I love to whip up a quick hummus because it is so quick and easy and you can make all kinds of flavors. This is not a traditional hummus, of course, but you can’t find tahini in Italy. In this version, I use a handful of fresh basil, however, you can make it with any other herb, or roasted red peppers, or roasted garlic, or sun-dried tomato…the possiblities are endless! And seriously, this takes less than ten minutes to make.