It is often mistaken for being from Abruzzo, but this lesser-known Italian red wine from a village in Tuscany is an absolute gem, as Paul Pettengale discovers… Tuscany is, as any wine lover will attest, one of the most important of Italy’s wine-producing zones, especially when it comes to the reds. The various Chianti wines […]
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 […]
Look no further for authentic Italian pasta recipes than Lucio Galletto’s and David Dale’s The Art of Pasta… From the culinary luminaries who brought Lucio’s Italian Restaurant to Australia comes this new guide to making and cooking pasta. The Art of Pasta is filled with 160 authentic recipes, complemented by elegant artwork and photography. The […]
Enjoy a wealth of pasta recipes with Nino Zoccali’s Pasta Artigiana… Pasta Artigiana by Nino Zoccali, Murdoch Books, £20 (hardback) If you miss the taste of Italy while waiting for your next overseas trip, Nino Zoccali’s Italian recipe book should help sate those cravings. As the title suggests, this is a heavily pasta-based cook book, […]
This simple ingredient has always been important for the Italian cook, so we embarked on a mission to discover the best Italian passata possible with these seven candidates. At the end of summer, when tomatoes are at their ripest and most tempting, growers all over Italy will be harvesting and cooking them into passata to […]
Anna Del Conte brings Italy to your kitchen and brightens up your cookery skills in her new book, Italian Kitchen… Italian Kitchen by Anna Del Conte, Square Peg, ?20 (hardback) This is one of those recipe books where you start marking your favourite pages, only to discover that ultimately you have littered the whole book […]
We?ve got some superb Italian Christmas gift ideas to prepare you for the festive season? Tuscan, tasty, and oh-so-pretty, we love this adorable trio of stackable specialities from Trattoria La Vialla. New to their range for Christmas 2012, this gift pack contains 250ml bottles of extra-virgin olive oil, Tuscan wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar of […]
What better way to complete a dessert, and indeed a meal, than to compliment it with a glass of sweet Italian dessert wine? Paul Pettengale indulges his love of la dolce vita? The Italians are well known for their love of all things sweet. No meal is finished until dessert has been savoured, whether a […]
Mario Matassa looks at the rich culinary traditions in Campania and shares some Italian recipes from the Amalfi Coast… In a country renowned for its cuisine, it is Campania that best conjures the popular image of Italian food, epitomising the ideal of the Mediterranean diet and the Italian reputation for good living. And in a […]
A wonderfully versatile ingredient, we profile some ideas for this month?s top seasonal vegetable with Italian pumpkin recipes from the Vegetarian Society… Pumpkin soup Zuppa di zucca Serves 4 | Preparation 10 mins | Cooking 45 mins 1kg pumpkin 2 onions, chopped 25g butter or margarine 1 medium potato, peeled and diced 2 garlic cloves, […]