Archive for 'Recipes'

Zuccotto is a delicious semi-frozen, chilled dessert made with brandy, cake and ice cream, said to have originated in Florence, though many Italians have not heard of it before. The name means "little pumpkin" in Italian and is so-called because of the shape of the mould used for making it. Thought to have been inspired by the “Duomo di Firenze”, Florence's main cathedral, topped by a distinctive dome. Another theory says that it was inspired by a cardinal's semi-spherical skullcap or zucchetto.

Originally a “semifreddo” dessert that contained ice-cream, this is now often replaced with fresh cream. Typically, however, you can expect to find semifreddo surrounded by sponge cake. The inside is usually of two colors, a white half, which sometimes has candied fruit or bits of chocolate, and a dark half, to which cocoa is added. Finally, ricotta, sugar and cream are added. It is served cold and can be served with the same liquor used inside the dessert or with a coffee liqueur.     Read More

Torta di Riso alla Carrarina, or “Carrara-style Rice Cake”, may not be the sexiest sounding dessert but it is actually quite the delicious treat.

As one might imagine from the name, the dessert originates from the town of Carrara in the northwest of Tuscany, a town primarily famous for its marble quarries that were beloved of Michelangelo. However, like the rest of Tuscany, it is also well-known for its comforting and tasty peasant food tradition. Torta di Riso alla Carrarina is no exception.     Read More

There are several reported stories of the origins of the Negroni cocktail. One of the most popular and supported stories recounts that it was, supposedly, invented in Florence in 1919 at Caffè Casoni (now called Caffè Giacosa). Count Camillo Negroni asked the bartender, Forsco Scarselli, to strengthen his favourite cocktail. His regular Americano, was suddenly transformed by adding gin rather than the normal soda water. To help differentiate between the old and new, the bartender also added an orange garnish rather than the typical lemon garnish of the Americano.     Read More

Garlic Bread and Bruschetta are probably very familiar to you already if you have any interest in Italy and/or Italian cuisine – though most Italians would consider garlic bread a whole different and inauthentic beast to their own cuisine. Simple, easy to make, comforting and incredibly tasty, this family of dishes is a staple of many a diet around the world. The word bruschetta comes from the term “abbrustolito”, which means grilled or oven-roasted. It is a term that originates from central Italy, though it is safe to assume that bruschetta has been made all over Italy for a very long time and has been suggested to even date back to the ancient Romans. Traditional, bruschetta is a simple piece of grilled bread that is rubbed with garlic, drizzled with fresh extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkled with salt, then a variety of things can top it, such as tomato, basil, Parmesan and capers, among other things.     Read More