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Cocoa and ricotta cake. About a weekend kitchen project

Stroll through the stalls of one of the food markets that, every Sunday morning, you can find in my neighborhood. I am one among many, the still floppy cotton shopper slung over my shoulder lazily waiting to be filled. I glance at the food the stalls offer, looking more carefully at my favorites. I take…

ByMonica26 April 20242Comments

Breakfast and Merenda Cakes and Cookies COURSES OCCASIONS RECIPES

5 minutes cake, a typical recipe of Emilia-Romagna

In this gastronomic journey along the Via Emilia in search and rediscovery of familiar memories and flavors, sometimes it happens that I discover little culinary surprises. Recipes I have never heard of, such as the 5 minutes cake or, in Italian, torta dei cinque minuti. Honestly, I was surprised to discover that The Slow Food Dictionary…

ByMonica8 February 20244Comments

Cheese Christmas COURSES Desserts INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS Sunday Lunch

The special tiramisù recipe of Nonna Sara

Nonna's special tiramisù is a recipe we had lost and recently found again. So many of her recipes brighten tables that are not our own. Nonna left few written recipes compared to her enormous repertoire. On the other hand, she shared them by letter with other women and as many as she received. Or she exchanged them with…

ByMonica19 December 20220Comments

Bologna Food Breakfast and Merenda Cakes and Cookies COURSES OCCASIONS RECIPES

Pinza of Bologna. A typical cupboard ciambella

Pinza of Bologna is a recipe that speaks Bolognese. It is a pantry cake made with a few simple ingredients. It was once a typical homemade preparation that was never missing from the table of Bolognese families, especially those of peasant origin. Pinza and sweet mustard: two typical products of Bologna The recipe for pinza first appears…

ByMonica17 December 20220Comments

Chocolate COURSES Desserts INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Amaretti and chocolate cake: a great Italian classic dessert

How many chocolate cake recipes are there? So many, and I would like to try them all. A chocolate cake and a book I love The recipe is from The Great Dixter Cookbook; Recipes from an English Garden. A book where cooking follows the seasons, using ingredients from the garden of Great Dixter, a historic garden home located…

ByMonica16 November 20220Comments

Cheese COURSES Desserts INGREDIENTS RECIPES

Gelato cake (without ice cream maker)

Some dishes make you travel into the past, bringing back memories forgotten at the bottom of some memory drawer. Ice cream cake is a classic example of a nostalgic trip. If you read the post, you will understand why. When I thought of sharing the recipe for this simple homemade dessert that Grandma, especially in the…

ByMonica5 July 20220Comments

Cheese COURSES Desserts INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Robiola cake and the notebook with the black cover

Most of my grandma's recipes, like this robiola cake, live in our memory. Sometimes, I feel sorry thinking about the ones we lost. But, more often, I am happy for those we have recovered, patiently cooking until we have reconstructed the flavors we remembered. Nonna collected recipes as others do stamps. Her repertoire ranged from…

ByMonica31 May 20220Comments

Christmas COURSES Desserts Gluten-free INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Nougat semifreddo with chocolate drops

With nougat semifreddo, there is an almost familial connection. Semifreddo and, in general, spoon desserts make me think of the lunches that never finished when the adults stayed at the table for hours. And if the occasion was official, even we children had to remain seated until we were expressly authorized to leave the table. Those were other…

ByMonica4 April 20220Comments

Christmas COURSES Desserts Fruits Gluten-free OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Alchermes poached pears filled with mascarpone cream

Poached pears in alchermes, and cooked fruit in general, recall me the old-fashioned cuisine. When fruit, stored in boxes for the winter, was always present on the table. Fresh and in season, or cooked. Today, I eat less fruit than I used to and, consequently, buy less. And to think that until a few decades ago, when I…

ByMonica10 February 20220Comments

Cakes and Cookies Cheese COURSES INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

A sweet ricotta tart (crostata) to celebrate a new awareness

I am a reserved person. I don't usually talk about my feelings or problems. I don't remember doing so with such sincerity in my buckwheat cake post (HERE). In January 2019, I asked myself where to find the strength to get through a difficult time. After three years and a long fall, I am here to share the answer. And…

ByMonica21 January 20222Comments