Archive for 'Food and Wine'

Cassoeula (also known as Cazzuola, Cazzola and Bottaggio) is a typical winter dish composed of cabbage and pork which is popular in Northern Italy and Lombardy, in particular. With a rich, strong flavour, it is the perfect, comforting dish for cold winter months.

There are several accounts of the origins of the dish, as is often the case with Italian specialities. However, one associates it with the celebration of St Anthony the Abbot on January 17th, which coincided with the end of pig slaughtering season. The parts of the pig used in the dish were those that could be immediately used after it was slaughtered and the better cuts were hung to improve the flavour of the meat. Another story states that the dish traces its roots back to 16th century, Spanish-ruled Milan. In this version of the origin story, the dish was taught to a Milanese girl by her Spanish lover, an army officer. She then served it to the noble Milanese family that she worked for and it was extremely well-received, soon gaining recognition and popularity.

This article began as a recipe. However, research made it apparent that this is a dish that only the most talented of bakers should attempt, lest the be completely bested and frustrated by the undertaking at hand. It is, of course, possible to make sfogliatelle at home but your best bet to enjoy this delicious pastry is just to find a vacation rental in Naples and pop into a bakery in the morning where you'll find the Neapolitan delight fresh, perfect and probably still warm from the oven! Sounds much more enjoyable than potentially fruitless slaving away in the kitchen, right?

Pastiera is a cake which comes from the city of Naples in Campania. It was originally made and consumed during the pagan celebrations of the return of the Spring time. The modern pastiera, however, was probably invented in a Neapolitan convent. An unnamed nun wanted to make a cake with the aroma of the flowers of the orange trees which grew in the convent’s gardens and added this ingredient into the ancient recipe. Her recipe brought together wheat, ricotta, eggs (symbol of new life and resurrection), some water which had the fragrance of the flowers, candied citron and aromatic Asian spices. The dish took off and the nuns began to make the cakes for rich families in the area.

Eventually, it entered wider production and became available from bakers and shops and now can be purchased all over the city. Find a holiday rental in Naples and you can try it while wandering the historic treats. However, if you can't wait until then, try it out first using this recipe.

The Bellini is on almost every cocktail menu in the world and is one of the world's most beloved alcoholic beverages. It was born in Venice in Harry's Bar sometime between 1934 and 1948. Its inventor was Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Bar, and it was so named due to its typically distinct pink colour (depending on ingredients used, this can vary in hue) which reminded him of the toga a saint wore in a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini. The drink started as a seasonal speciality at Harry's and later became popular at the bar's New York counterpart. Once fresh white peach purée could be shipped constantly to both locations, it became a year-round favourite.

We've already featured a recipe for granita, a Sicilian semi-frozen dessert but the dish itself is so rich in history and tradition that it seemed a waste not to discuss that at all. This delicious and refreshing dish is made from sugar, water and various flavourings and, while originally from Sicily, is now available all over Italy. It is somewhat like a sorbet or snow cone but has a coarser, more crystalline texture – though the degree of this changes from place to place. There are lots of different flavours but some common and traditional ones include lemon, mandarin orange, jasmine, coffee, almond, mint, strawberry and black mulberry. Chocolate is a particular tradition of the city of Catania.