Archive for 'Food and Wine'

Pizza all'Andrea is a pizza dish from the Liguria region of Italy. It is also known as sardenaira or sardinaira and is similar to the pissaladière of Provence in France. It is classified as a pizza but is often considered more like a focaccia and is made with anchovies and olives on top. The origins of the dish are a much debated thing but it is often attributed to admiral Andrea Doria (1466-1560) and is thought to be named after him as well. He is said to have invented and loved the dish: a slice of bread topped by olive oil, garlic and salted anchovies. The dish was invented before tomatoes were readily available and used in Italy, pre-dating the better-known Neapolita pizza, and, therefore, traditionalists do not add tomatoes. However, we are presenting you with a recipe that includes tomato as some can find it too dry without. Enjoy this dish now and then find a villa with pool in Liguria and taste it again while on holidays.

Frico is a typical dish of Friuli and is similar to another popular Alpine dish called Rosti. Both consist of thin pieces of fried potato and cheese, creating something akin to cheese “crisps”. As the area was rather impoverished in the past, this dish was a way of using and recycling bread crusts so as not to waste any food at all. It is made using high-fat hard cheeses, preferably and traditionally either Montasio or Asiago. Frico is made in thin wisps or in loaf-like or pancake-like shapes that are fried in a pan and which can then be sliced. It is not usually eaten on its own or in its own right and is generally used as a garnish in soups or stews.

This tasty dish is very quick and easy to make and is an economic way to use food. If you want to try the authentic thing, find a holiday rental in Friuli and use the recipe below to taste it first!

The best ice-cream, or gelato, of your life might seem like a silly reason to visit Italy but it's really a rather legitimate one. You will genuinely be hard pressed to find ice-cream anywhere else in the world which is even half as good. However, there's another delicious chilled treat that Italy has to offer which you may not have heard of. Granita is a flavoured iced dish which comes in a wide variety of flavours and is not unlike sorbet but has a rougher texture, almost like a slush puppy or snow cone. You can try the dessert outside of Italy and all over the country itself but it originated in Sicily and is still most popular and varied there. The refreshing lemon version is the one most well-known outside of Italy but in Sicily you'll find traditional Sicilian flavours like strawberry, mulberry, peach and almond. Its origins probably stretch back to Roman times, as with gelato, though it was later widely popularised by the Arabs. Find a luxury villa in Sicily and try it on a warm afternoon while taking in the breath-taking scenery

Potato and pizza sounds like a crazy combination, right? Yet, it is a classic recipe from Apulia, in the south of Italy. As it can be shaped and topped and refrigerated up to 12 hours before baking, it is also really handy to prepare for a tasty dinner or lunch when you know that you're going to be busy later. Just allow it to return to room temperature and you can pop it in the oven – it's really that simple. In fact, the whole recipe is fairly simple and easy to follow. Try it for yourself and then get a taste of the real thing on a sunny day during a holiday to Apulia. Find a luxury villa in Apulia and taste the delicious dishes the state has to offer while living it up in the lap of luxury.

We've already shown you how to make the famous Cacciucco alla Viareggina but the best known variety of this type of dish is actually Cacciucco alla Livornese from the town of Livorno on the Tuscan coast. Find a holiday rental in Livorno to try out the real deal and give the recipe a go for yourself for now.