Archive for 'Recipes'

We often lump all food from Italy together as “Italian cuisine”. However, considering the complex history and cultural heritage of the country this is hardly accurate. The food of Italy and vary quite a bit from region to region and, even, town to town. For example, there are dozens of types of stuffed pasta which are no longer unique to, but originate specifically from, particular towns or areas. One of these types of stuffed pasta that you're less likely to have ever heard of before is Casoncelli. This stuffed pasta dish originates from Bergamo in Lombardy and is a typical dish of the town. It is a kind of stuffed pasta with a very particular shape, filled with sausage, breadcrumbs, parsley, eggs and garlic. In modern times, cheese and a few other more “noble” ingredients were added too. Casoncelli alla Bergamasca (Bergamo style) are served with a butter and sage sauce and sautéed Italian Speck (or Pancetta). The best place to try the dish is, of course, in Bergamo. However, if you want to try it out as you plan your trip and look for the perfect vacation rental in Lombardy, follow the recipe below!     Read More

If you have a sweet tooth, Friuli Venezia Giulia is the region for you. It may be best known for its wine and its Austrian and Hungarian influenced savoury dishes but its sweets need to be experienced to be fully understood. Strucchi, for example, are a particularly delicious treat: sweet crumbly dough filled with pine nuts, hazelnuts, and grappa-soaked currants and raisins. They are boozy, bite-sized and delicious and can be cooked in a variety of ways. Baked, boiled or fried, they are typically served with powdered sugar or a scoop of gelato and are just the thing to warm you up in the colder weather of this mountainous region. Named for the Slovenian dumplings called štruklji, these small rectangular cookies are a tasty Italian take on the dish. If you want to try them at home while you pack and plan to head off to the perfect holiday rental in Friuli Venezia Giulia, just try out this recipe.     Read More

As it turns out, there are recipes for so-called “drunk” chicken dishes from all over the world. China has multiple regional variations as does Italy. In fact, in Italy, many different regions and towns try to claim the dish and its origins as their own. As the case often is with such things, the true origins have long since been lost. The dish has been claimed by Friuli Venezia Guilia, Trieste, Padua, Umbria and Tuscany but, no matter the region, it is cooked in a very similar way with the same ingredients – chicken cut into pieces, red wine and carrot, celery, onion, garlic and parsley. The only difference being that the wine used needs to be from their region with Sangiovese or Chianti used in Tuscany and Orvieto or Montefalco used in Umbria. There are variations on this, of course, but the base generally remains the same wherever you go.

While the exact origins of the dish are uncertain, it is apparent that Orvieto holds it up as one of their particular specialities. As a result, if you want to taste the authentic dish as the Italians make it, you'll first need to find a holiday rental in Orvieto.

If you're unable to wait until you get there to try this delicious dish, why not try out our recipe first?     Read More

The Rossini is a cocktail which comes from Venice and is a highly popular variation on the Bellini. Although it is one of many variations, this one is particularly rich and sweet and is a brilliant, lovely red colour.

Veneto is known for her capacity for inventing delicious alcoholic beverages like Aperol Spritz and Campari Spritz. The region is also known, however, for its Prosecco di Valdobbiadene and the Venetians invented a lot of Prosecco-based drinks, in particular, as a result. Both the Bellini and its cousin, the Rossini were born in the area in and around Venice and use Prosecco as a base. The Bellini was invented in Harry's Bar which remains open as an iconic Venetian haunt and the perfect place to grab a cocktail once you've found a vacation rental in Venice. The waiters still dress sharply in dinner jackets, the simple décor retains early twentieth century charm and, above all, the food and drink is legendary. The bar's founder, Giuseppe Cipriani, invented the Bellini sometime between 1934 and 1948 and named it thusly due to its unique pink colour which reminded him of the toga worn by a saint in a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Belllini. While the Bellini is made with Prosecco and peach purée, the Rossini is a variation made with strawberry purée in place of the peach and is named after Gioachino Rossini a famous Italian composer.

If you're planning a brunch, having a cocktail party or just fancy a treat this evening, here's how you make this delicious cocktail.     Read More