Asparagus and egg risotto

Mario Matassa shares his ‘risotto mimosa’ recipe. The dish is a staple of Italy’s Festa della Donna in March… Serves 4 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 20 minutes Ingredients: • 2 shallots, peeled, finely chopped • 320g risotto rice • 300g asparagus • 2 hard boiled free-range eggs • 1-1.5 litres of vegetable or chicken stock • […]

Butternut squash soup with prawns (zuppa di zucca e gamberi)

Una zucca is usually a pumpkin or marrow but it can apply to anything in the squash family – this flavoursome soup is hearty and comforting at any time of year By Mario Matassa Serves 4 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 30 minutes Ingredients: • a few tablespoons of olive oil • 1 small onion, peeled, finely […]

Lake Garda travel guide

Jon Palmer shares some highlights from his e-biking trip to Lake Garda – there’s plenty for all ages to enjoy! Read on to get inspired for your trip… Photos by Parco Natura Viva, Verona Garda Bike & Getty Images What to see & do Gardaland Lake Garda’s best amusement park (and Italy’s first) has fun and […]

E-biking in Italy, part 1: Lake Garda

If you really want to experience the beauty of a natural landscape there’s no better vehicle than the bicycle. And it needn’t be an exercise in strength and endurance. Jon Palmer goes e-biking in Italy… Photos by Getty Images & Verona Garda Bike The hills of Valpolicella, which rise in an uncoordinated eruption of undulations […]

Italia! photos of the month: January 2019

We’re kicking off the new year with these spectacular shots from all over Italy – all taken by our talented readers… This month’s winner:  “Ortigia, Syracuse, Sicily. 13 December. The Festa di Santa Lucia, which commemorates the patron saint of Syracuse. The highlight is a procession during which an enormous silver statue of Saint Lucia […]

Country ring cake (ciambella rustica)

The ciambella rustica is a simple country cake made throughout Italy. It tends to be quite dry and so is often accompanied by a glass of white wine Makes one 26-cm cake Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 45 minutes Ingredients: • 400g self-raising flour • 180g caster sugar • 160g unsalted butter at room temperature • 3 […]

Beef stew with Barolo

In Mario Matassa’s ‘brasato al Barolo‘ the meat is slow-cooked, which makes for mouth-wateringly tender meat, flavoured with this quality wine Serves 4-6 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 3 hours, 10 minutes Ingredients: • 1 onion, peeled, finely diced • 2 celery stalks, finely diced • 1 carrot, peeled, finely diced • olive oil • 1 […]

Mixed crostini

Crostini are a smaller version of bruschette – here, Mario Matassa explains how to make tomato & aubergine and bean versions of the dish Serves 6 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 10-15 minutes For the tomato & aubergine crostini Ingredients: • 1 small aubergine • 6 ripe plum tomatoes • 9 thick slices of day-old rustic bread […]