Italy

Sicily, by the Silver Spoon Kitchen

March 31, 2013
Sicily, by the Silver Spoon Kitchen

Sicily is one of the most interesting parts of Italy, not least from a culinary position. The island’s position as the biggest in the Mediterranean, the ball to Italy’s boot, means that it’s endured attack and invasion from all sides, each successive wave of occupation leaving another layer on the island’s cuisine. The effect has [...]

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Pizzeria da Remo, Rome

June 23, 2012
Pizzeria da Remo, Testaccio, Rome, Italy

Remember the other week I wrote about trekking all over Rome to find a pizzeria late at night? The same thing happened the next evening, too, when we yomped across the city to a closed-down restaurant, complete with tumbleweed rolling past the door. Luckily, I’d idly canvassed some twitter opinion on decent restaurants when I [...]

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Pizzeria Dar Poeta, Rome

June 14, 2012
Pizzeria Dar  Poeta Rome

We’d travelled a long way, and when we arrived in Rome, it was late, right in the middle of that strange hinterland where the kids flick from being wide awake and excited to worn-out zombies within a couple of seconds. Not feeding them properly helps to hasten the transformation, so we strode out into Trastevere [...]

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What’s that pasta really called?

May 3, 2011
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What kind of pasta is on your plate? by Charming Italy

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How to make pancetta

November 17, 2010
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I’ve skirted around the edges of this recipe for a while now. It’s not really a recipe, as such…it’s more of a chemistry experiment that involves taking something a bit bland and mediocre, adding some other stuff to it and miraculously transforming it into something that’s way better than the sum of its parts. It’s [...]

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How to order coffee like an Italian

October 27, 2010
Sant Eustachio cafe - the best coffee in Rome?

Ordering a cup of coffee in a traditional Italian café at a busy time of day is a little daunting for a visitor. Firstly, the place will be chaotic, full of jostling people knocking back espresso in one gulp.  Receipts and coins fly everywhere, and at the centre of it all, there’s a gleaming espresso [...]

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Il Leoncino, Centro Storico, Rome

October 23, 2010
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The Romans have a slightly different way with pizza. Their bases are thin and crisp, in contrast to the softer and fuller Neapolitan style. A good Roman pizza will crack at the edges when you bend it, and if it’s cooked properly, the edges will be scorched. Finding a decent pizza in Rome isn’t difficult [...]

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Fifteen’s Hazelnut Torte

October 8, 2009
Fifteen's Hazelnut cake

This is a traditional Italian torte, loaded with hazelnuts and poppy seeds, rich with ricotta cheese. It goes well with a cup of good, strong coffee. First butter and line a 28cm tart or cake tin, one with a removable base, with greaseproof paper. Toast 125g of hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over a [...]

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