Raspberry & Cream Cake

allora - grab a bowl, a spoon , a cup and a whisk and in this order pop everything in the bowl and stir….

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup cream ( I used thickened)

1 grated rind of a lemon

1 vanilla sachel (or from a pod, or vanilla essence - whatever you have)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb soda

about 1 1/2 cups raspberries (blended in food processor - I used frozen)

2 1/2 cups 00 flour ( or if you use self raising you don’t have to put the baking powder or bicarb)

METHOD

Put the ingredients all in a bowl in the order written and stir. Place batter in a greased cake tin and bake for abotu 40 minutes on 175c

For the Panelle -

About 300 gr chickpea flour

500ml water

1 tsp aniseed (if you don’t like it leave it out )

Salt and pepper

A handful of chopped parsley

** in a pan - bring to boil stirring for approx 8 min (until thick), add the parlsey once cooked, spread onto baking paper until about 1cm thick and leave to cool and set.

Once set, cut in to squares or rectangles and fry lightly in sunflower oil. Set aside to be served with the vegetable stew.

For the Carciofi -

Half and onion sliced

4-5 Artichokes

About 3 handfuls peas

About 3 handfuls fava beans

1 tblsp capers

Handful Parsley

**I cleaned the carciofi and boiled the hearts seperately and set aside. Then fry the onion in some evoo, add the carciofi, peas, fava beans. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with about half cup of water and let simmer with lid on for about 15 mintues. Add parsley and capers once cooked.

Head to instagram to watch the method - https://www.instagram.com/the_little_italian_school/

Sicily in a plate. Tuna is huge in Sicily and nope - no Sicilian ties on my part at all, apart from my mamma’s ‘vicina di casa’ (neighbour) who has been sharing some amazing recipes with me…..and here is one of them.

I had onions on hand, old wine that we now use as vinegar, and tuna steaks I had picked up at the supermarket. Simple, easy and delicious and great with a loaf of bread and a salad.

You’ll need -

At least two onions (I used the purple spanish ones but the white onions are fine also great)

About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 Tuna steaks

3/4 bottle red wine vinigar (it will evaporate and make a nice juice)

For the method head over to the reel on our instagram account https://www.instagram.com/the_little_italian_school/

Method in summary - cut onions, place in bowl of water. Heat pan, place onions on pan and salt - lid on and let collapse. Add oil - cook a little more. Place cooked onions to the side of the pan, fry tuna steaks. Remove tuna, add red wine vinegar and let cook with the onions until it has reduced. Place your tuna back in the reduced ‘agrodolce’ (sweet and sour sauce). Enjoy x

I am huge on ‘no waste’. I had made an Italian Orange Cake a few days ago with Ricotta Cream Icing and needed to use up the left over icing before it went off. I love to create new meals with leftovers - or ‘gli avanzi’ as we call them in Italian. So I created these ‘zeppoline’. - mini donuts. Soft and fluffy balls of lemony heaven. Crazy easy to whip up and gobbled up quicker than you can fry them.

Here are more or less the ingredients. Just add them in order I have listed them.

-about 250gr ricotta

-about 4 tablespoons icing sugar (whip ricotta and icing sugar to make a cream)

-3 eggs (whip through ricotta cream with a fork)

-zest of one lemon

-a little bustina of vanillina (or a little vanilla pasta, or from the pod - whatever you have)

-1 teaspoon baking powder

…Mix them together

-Add about 2 and a half cups of self raising flour

The dough should be quite firmish

Heat your sunflower oil - about 3-4cm deep - I use a small pot

With a couple of teaspoons, start grabbing the batter and placing in the oil. If they burn on the outside and are raw inside, your oil is too hot.

Once cooked roll in some sugar or some icing sugar.

If you have any questions send them to my instagram profile here https://www.instagram.com/the_little_italian_school/?hl=en

ENJOY!

Cheese an veg lovers rejoice. You could work your magic and do a few variations with this I am sure. An addition of fried mushrooms? Or why not add the slices of salumi you have in the fridge not getting eaten if you fancy a little meat? You could even make this with layers of pasta. Unleash that wild imagination.

Scroll down for recipe…

Ingredients below but head to REELS in instagram for the method https://www.instagram.com/the_little_italian_school/reels/

For the besciamella:

1/2 litre of milk

50gr butter

About 1/4 cup of 00 flour (but if it seems too thick to spread once cooked then just add a little more milk)

Salt and pepper to taste.

For the rest of the dish:

3 large zucchini (sliced long ways, and plced in to layers in a colander , with each layer getting a sprnkle of salt before the next is layed)

about 2 cups worth each of chopped or sliced mozarella, parmigiano and breadcrumbs (all ready to be sprinkled on the layers as you make them.

Cook on around 185 c - fan forced - for about 40 minutes or until bubbling and golden on top

The time has come to farewell winter (thank gosh) which also means saying goodbye to the winter menu.

Here’s a quick and easy ‘Spezzatino’ Recipe (Meat stew - also known as ‘Carne e Patati’ in Calabrese Dialect). You can watch the method on my Instagram Reel page here https://www.instagram.com/the_little_italian_school/reels/

INGREDIENTI !

1kg gravy beef

1 onion diced

2 carrots chopped chunky

4 celery sticks chopped chunky

4 potatoes chopped chunky

1/4 cup white wine

Lots of bay leaves (at least 5)

Salt (quanto basta)

Topped with water and left to simmer for a good 2 hours or more

Eaten with good bread though steamed rice could also be an option.

I floured the meat lightly before frying- it helps thicken the sauce

I am lucky to have been able not only to live in Italy, but also to return to our loved ones there on a yearly basis (apart from the last two covid stricken years).

This helps to stay up to date with changes, which are happening more rapidly now because of technology, and things are definitely always evolving – yes even fairytale Italy!

There are some Italian cultural traits that are pretty standard, but of course still always ‘general’. Things like family values, meal rituals and no cappuccino after 11am are thankfully embedded in the bloodline. Then, there are the others that make us cringe when we hear them being mentioned.

‘Ciao bella!’

No. Just no. You just won’t hear it in Italy. And it makes me cringe when I hear it. By all means, ‘ciao bella’ your heart out. Just remember it’s not an Italian saying.

‘Italians speak loudly’

Well, let’s say we are animated…and sometimes it can get loud when there’s a room full of family or friends. I also think this depends on the different Italian regions. Southern Italians are generally a little more animated than northerners.

‘We use our hands and body language to speak’

This is definitely true, but some people more than others. It will always depend on what is being spoken about. The gestures are often more prominent when the discussion is getting heated or when someone really believes in what they are saying.

 ‘We listen to the piano accordian all the time’.

NO ! Infact the opposite! Italians love music and like most cultures have their traditional folk songs. The instruments played can vary but the most well known about overseas is the piano accordian. But no, you barely hear or see it these days like once upon a time. It still exists, a few still play it, it’s no doubt a beautiful part of history, but over the last 40 years I have seen it played once at a baptism because my friend’s brother pulled it out, blew the dust off it and belted out some tunes. The new generation don’t really dig it.  

‘We eat pasta and pizza everyday’

Well, I can say that this can actually be true. Pasta is a mealtime staple. Pizza is one of those things you may grab in the evening when you go out and get peckish. I think people imagine we eat huge quantities of it all in one day– and that is simply not true. Small portions are key to a balanced diet.

It is also true that what other cultures dress their pasta with, or slop on their pizza, may be the reason for weight gain, and why they think pasta and pizza are bad for you. Our condiments are generally light and delicate, and often vegetable based! On special occasions we like to lash out and may eat something fried.

Italians aren’t afraid to show affection in public

This is true. It really is a way of life, and I think it’s wonderful. Infact we don’t mind displaying all of our other emotions in public either.

Italians are always late

I wouldn’t agree with this one. Maybe our relaxed approach to life confuses everyone. Most of the people in our circle are pretty punctual, but like anyone anywhere, you’ll always get the person who is always late to everything.

Family is the most important thing in life

This is true. The family unit is everything. Could this be why a lot of Italians seem so sassy and confident? It’s a pretty good bet it is. Family is the foundation of life and you can always count on them. If you have nothing else, you have always got your family, and they always have your back.

All Italians are ‘Mafiosi’

Just no.

Italians love coffee

This is generally true but I know many Italians who don’t drink coffee, but those who do are extremely passionate about it. The ‘pausa caffe`’ is so much more than just about the coffee. It’s about pausing, chatting, and briefly catching up on what’s been happening, so even those who don’t drink coffee may prefer a different drink to enjoy the ritual with.

All Italians are soccer crazy

Well a lot of us are, but of course not all. So I guess you could say this has a little truth to it.

Italians live at home until they marry.

If we are living in the same town as our parents that is very likely. It used to be standard, but nowadays a lot of Italian youth are leaving to find work overseas, so yes if we need to we will, and we aren’t ashamed of it! When I married we ended up living with our parents for a year or two until we could move out. Family stick together.

Here is the amazing recipe for these super soft, light and fluffy ‘Graffe’ Napoletane. Hold on tight while your senses take a ride all the way to Italy and back with the first bite. The smell and taste of these scrumptious Italian donuts scream the local bar in Napoli ! Enjoy….

(and if you want to watch a snippet on my instagram reels click on the link - https://www.instagram.com/the_little_italian_school/)

INGREDIENTS-

Add all of the below ingredients (except the butter) in a bowl and knead all together until you get a soft, sticky but workable dough. You can do it in an electric dough mixer if you have one.

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon dry yeast

2 eggs

Rind of 1 large lemon

Bustina of Vanillina (or a teaspoon of vanilla essence)

4 tablespoons of sugar

1/4 cup water (approx.) - add the water slowly until you get a sticky but workable dough.

50 gr room temperature butter

METHOD:

Once mixed, flour a board where you will now add the butter and knead again until it is all amalgamated. If you are using an electric dough needer, just add the butter and mix.

Try and form a nice smooth ball of dough, pop it back in the bowl and cover with a teat towel or glad wrap. Leave for 1-2 hours depending on the rooms temperature.

Once risen, take the ball of dough out of the container and onto a board that has been floured.

Cut the large ball into long strips to be able to join them at the ends to make the ring shape.

Once you have made the ring shapes, place them on a tray and let them rise for another hour or so. (depending on the temperature in the room)

Once risen a second time, fry them in some sunflower oil, roll them in some sugar, and take that sensory travel to southern Italy !

2 Eggs

1 Cup of ricotta

2 Tablespoons of sugar

1/4 cup milk

2 Cups Self raising Flour

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Grated rind of a 1 lemon

Handful bluberries (or a few more if you want more)

Mix all of the wet ingredients. Add the flour and mix. At the end add the blueberries and fold through.

Heat sunflower oil in a frypan and using a tablespoon, scoop the mixture and drop into the oil. Careful not to have the oil too hot or they will burn.

Pop the cooked mini donuts onto paper towels as you cook them so they excess oil drains. Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve and eat.

We all have names we love, and some not so much. Some names are classic and are timeless while others are ‘on trend’ - in one day and out the next. When we had children we decided to stick to classic Italian names. We also chose to use the names of our parents either as first or second names, not only because we are a little traditional, but we also liked that they have a bit of family history attached. It’s not for everyone though, and not as common in Italy as it used to be.

When I was carrying my 3rd child, I knew she would be called Flavia after my mamma. Not only do I love the name, but it has a lot of meaning for us. My bis nonna (great grandmother) was also named Flavia. People would ask me, ‘but what if you’re having a boy’? In Italian that’s easy because all you have to do is change the last letter. Masculine names usually end in -o, while feminine names end in -a. There are also some boys names ending in -a but very few. Names like Nicola, Luca, Andrea, Mattia and Gianmaria.

In Italy there are some names that combine two family member’s names to form one. Names like Gianfranco, Gianmarco, Gianluigi, Gianluca, Giancarlo, Mariateresa, Maristella, Marianna and Mariangela, to name a few. Second names are not as popular in Italy as in some other parts of the world. Newborns are usually given only a first name.

Wives don’t take their husbands name in marriage either, but children take the father’s surname. When I asked my nonna why, she told me ‘because you always know who the mother is, but you don’t always know who the father is!’ I’m not sure that’s true, but it’s her theory, and it makes total sense.

Below is a list of this year’s top 25 names in Italy and there are so many beautiful ones to choose from!

Here is a list of top 10 Italian baby names of 2020

Boys names:

1. Leonardo

2. Francesco

3. Alessandro

4. Lorenzo

5. Mattia

6. Andrea

7. Gabriele

8. Matteo

9. Riccardo

10. Tommaso

11. Edoardo

12. Federico

13. Giuseppe

14. Antonio

15. Diego

16. Davide

17. Cristian

18. Nicolò

19. Giovanni

20. Samuele

21. Pietro

22. Marco

23. Filippo

24. Luca

25. Michele
    

Girls Names: 

1. Sofia

2. Giulia

3. Aurora

4. Alice

5. Ginevra

6. Emma

7. Giorgia

8. Greta

9. Beatrice

10. Anna

11. Martina

12. Chiara

13. Sara

14. Nicole

15. Ludovica

16. Gaia

17. Matilde

18. Vittoria

19. Noemi

20. Francesca

21. Alessia

22. Camilla

23. Bianca

24. Arianna

25. Elena