The king of Italian cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano’s heritage dates back 900 years! Parmesan, pea and asparagus risotto Serves 4 – Preparation 10 minutes – Cooking 30 minutes Ingredients 70g butter 1 onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 stick celery, chopped 150g asparagus, chopped 300g risotto rice 200ml white wine 700ml vegetable stock 150g […]
Mario Matassa reveals his choice of the top ten holiday resorts in Italy. From the mountains to the sea, for food fans or culture vultures, there’s a destination for everyone… In a country synonymous with history, art, architecture, style, fashion, gastronomy – not to mention seemingly endless golden sands, striking and rugged landscapes, grand historical cities […]
Italy is a major player in the EU dairy industry. It is not the biggest producer, Germany is, but in terms of exports to France – arguably a telling statistic – Italy is Number 1 in Europe… As you will be aware, the French and the Italians have a friendly little argument going on between […]
This is a classic Sicilian Pasta alla Norma recipe, blending the flavours of aubergines, tomatoes, basil and ricotta. The term Norma seems to refer to the lady who developed the dish whose standard was deemed as high as Bellini’s opera La Norma. ➤ Serves 4 ➤ Cooking Time 45 minutes ➤ Easy Ingredients: 2 medium aubergines, sliced width-wise, layered and salted with coarse salt and […]
Tagliolini con Parmigiano, prezzemolo e panna This delicately flavoured pasta dish is simplicity itself. If you serve it on its own, it will make a filling starter. With salad and some Italian bread, it becomes a complete meal. Use good-quality fresh pasta to cut down on time, because it cooks very quickly, although you can […]
Named after the region in which it is produced, delicious Parmigiano Reggiano is by far Italy’s most popular cheese. We test seven and give you a flavour of our findings… The recent earthquake in northern Italy has deeply affected the production of Parmigiano Reggiano. During the disaster, high stacks of shelved cheese wheels – each […]
Angie McNee is living the dream ? after? relocating to Rome she was inspired by the use of seasonal ingredients and started her own dessert chocolate company, Squisitezza? When did you first fall for Italy? I was offered a job in Rome in 1994. I had only anticipated a brief six month stay, but by […]
Hannah Bellis heads to Banca in Mayfair, London to sample their new evening aperitivo. Celebrate this Italian tradition in your own home with a tasty selection of recipes for titbits and light bites created by their talented chefs… On a weekend evening in Italy we would often have seven or eight Negroni cocktails,” the barman […]
With such a multitude of classic pestos adorning the supermarket shelves, it’s important to choose the best for your store cupboard. Here are our favourites… Simple and versatile, the humble jar of pesto is a staple ingredient of Italian cooking. It originated in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria in northern Italy, and has since […]
Emilia-Romagna has a reputation for food which is unsurpassed in all of Italy. Mario Matassa looks at the excellent produce that comes from Parma, with plenty of ideas on how best to enjoy its famous prosciutto… The range and quality of products that stem from the region of Emilia-Romagna is staggering and it is little […]