The most beloved pasta of Bologna is tortellini in brodo. I have explained in an earlier post the difference between this and tortelloni. I recently learned to make both of these and tagliatelle, which is the pasta usually eaten with ragù alla Bolognese, at the laboratorio of Bruno e Franco. This is one of my … Continue reading Sfoglia
It’s probably time to talk pasta. Pasta is the most important food in Italy and Bologna is no exception. Most Italians eat pasta every day either at lunch or dinner, or both. Each region has its specialities. In Wellington the pasta section in the supermarket is one or two bays in an aisle. In Bologna … Continue reading Pasta
In our Italian kitchen we are eating sausage, pasta, rice, and lots of vegetables. The market has such an amazing range of fresh seasonal vegetables that it is easy to get carried away. It is easy to buy only vegetables produced in Italy, mostly from the south it is true, but they haven’t travelled far. … Continue reading Verdure
New Year in Italy involves fireworks and lentils. Fireworks I suspect because they are rumoroso and lentils because they resemble small coins and will bring good fortune to the home. We celebrated with friends over a meal of lentils, sausage, radicchio with grapes and creamy rainbow chard. I think you will want to make these … Continue reading Il anno nuovo
I have really enjoyed the festive season in Europe. As the days grow shorter and darker and colder, Europe turns on the twinkly lights and the celebrations begin. While Christmas is celebrated on the 25th December and New Year on the first of January, each city has its different customs, characters and foods symbolising the … Continue reading Le festività
Napoli is the capital of Campania in southern Italy, and sits on the Bay of Naples. We decided to take a long weekend to visit the city of Napoli as well as nearby Pompei and Ercolano which were destroyed by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 CE. We stayed in a bed and breakfast … Continue reading Napoli – home of pizza …and friarielli
In our apartment, we have an excellent if compact kitchen. We tend to prepare Italian food because with a few exceptions we can only buy Italian ingredients. However, I am not sure I will ever completely master cooking or eating like an Italian. The Italian day starts with calazione around 7.30. This is usually just … Continue reading Eating like an Italian
Here we are in Bologna, renowned for its food. The Italian classics we all know and probably have in our cupboards at home, Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar and prosciutto, hail from the region of Emilia-Romagna of which Bologna is the capital. The most famous Bologna dish is probably spaghetti Bolognese, which has the local Mayor … Continue reading Bologna basics
I spent two and a half weeks visiting family in Berlin. I was staying in a pension in Weissensee, which was a borough in East Berlin and is now part of the larger borough of Pankow. Fun fact – it is the location and title of a popular German soap opera set in the 1980s, … Continue reading Hello and goodbye to Berlin
I leave this town on Thursday and I thought I would share a few thoughts before I go. Top of mind is how summer happens outside. Almost every weekend we have been here there has been some kind of three-day summer event Thursday to Saturday. When we arrived there was a music festival that that … Continue reading Parting thoughts and Preiselbeeren
Around the Table 