Monthly Archive for agosto, 2014

Blackberry jam

Published by Lucina, on 30 agosto 2014 in English Recipes and jam. 2 Comments

blackberry jam

Dear readers, apologies for the long silence but we encountered technical problems on the blog. Basically when we logged in  as administrators it was all a big blank, as if everything had disappeared. Cue in panic attack…What? The work of over 4 years down the drain? Luckily Candi has a techno savvy son and he managed to sort it out for us (thank you Matteo!!!) but we had to wait until he came back from his holidays. He was trying to explain to me what had gone wrong but it was like he was speaking double dutch. FTP files? What are they? Plugins? Akismet?  They sound like characters out of the Muppet show…Anyway, we are back in business so today I would like to share how to make blackberry jam with you. I love this jam, seeds and all, and it is so easy to make. It sets really well and quickly. Honestly: everyone could make it. I have already made 3 batches as blackberries are beginning to ripen now (earlier than usual) and are readily available if one knows where to look. Do take yourself in the countryside, collect some and have a go! And by the way, you will have to be patient once more as both me and Candi will be away for the next 2 weeks. Continue reading ‘Blackberry jam’

Minestrone soup

Published by Lucina, on 7 agosto 2014 in English Recipes, Soup and vegetarian. 1 Comment

lovely minestrone soup

Is this possible? Have I never blogged minestrone before? Unthinkable! Absurd! (to use one of the lines from the excellent musical The Fiddler on the roof). Well….in truth I don’t know why I have never done it until now as I LOVE minestrone and I often make it. I tend to make a huge batch of it, then either eat it for days on end or freeze some of it. To an Italian person minestrone will not sound all that exciting. After all it is pretty basic stuff . Still, we are here to share what we eat and, as I mentioned, minestrone is a welcome, frequent guest at my table. Plus my English friends will approve, I am sure. I know: summer is not exactly the right season to blog soups BUT , let’s face it, from what Candida has been saying, WHAT SUMMER? The weather in Italy has been very much minestrone weather so far, I’d say. Coming back to this queen of soups. The only minus point compared to other soups is that it is rather faffy to make as you have to neatly chop all your vegetables into bite size pieces  instead of chucking them  in the pot, boiling and liquidizing them. In other words, making minestrone is a labour of love: it takes time and patience. But you will be rewarded at the end. Trust me! Basically the more vegetables you put in the better. Always remember to include some potatoes and onions and some borlotti beans or similar, to give it body. Continue reading ‘Minestrone soup’

Patate Hasselback

Published by Candida, on 2 agosto 2014 in Chiacchiere/Chatting, Cucina regionale, Ricette in Italiano, vegetables and vegetarian. 1 Comment Tags: , .

Mi lancio nei luoghi comuni. Il tempo è impazzito, non ci sono più le stagioni di una volta… E infatti Laura a Bruxelles mi guarda dallo schermo Skype in canottiera mentre io le rispondo con una bella felpetta a maniche lunghe. Lucina in Inghilterra sceglie dal florilegio del blog tutte le ricette rinfrescanti e io penso a qualche bel piattino caldo per le fresche serate di questa mezz’estate con l’ombrello. Il cielo ha più di 50 sfumature di grigio e la programmata gita in montagna da fare col sole dovrà aspettare, mi sa, dicembre. Ecco dunque questo piatto tradizionale per niente estivo ma che noi abbiamo gradito. Ok, molto burro, ma per una volta… (ahi, mi sa che anche la prossima ricetta che posterò non sarà molto light…). Ah, dimenticavo: pare che Hasselback fosse un ristorante svedese (quindi ecco una ricetta degna di entrare nelle tradizioni di famiglia). E la foto? C’era, c’era ma l’ho cancellata per sbaglio! Continue reading ‘Patate Hasselback’