Tag Archives | best Italian food blog

Strawberry Crumble Cake

How to Make Strawberry Crumble Cake Indulge in a delectable dessert with a twist – a strawberry crumble cake that is sure to impress. Furthermore, this dessert boasts a rich and flavorful taste, making it a treat for all the senses. Additionally, if you’re a fan of the classic combination of strawberry jam and crunchy …

almond cake recipe

Almond Cake

Almond cake might just make you change the way you think about dessert! It is dense yet moist and you can adapt to suit your taste and add any fruit you choose – I added fresh figs and let me tell you, it took my almond cake recipe to a whole new level! You can also substitute plain flour for buckwheat and make it a flourless cake with the same flavoursome taste! Try this quick and easy almond cake recipe to create this moreish treat and let me know what fruit you add!

zeppole recipe

Zeppole – Zippoli Calabrese

Zeppole calabresi are divine savoury donuts on high demand in our household! This zeppole recipe uses the traditional Calabrian method, taught to us by Nonna Maria. She has been making her family drool for these for years and while the original is with anchovies, there is a caprese surprise in store for you too. Make these fresh with your family and friends and eat them hot on a special occasion. No one will dream at stopping at one when you recreate this zeppole recipe.

Vincenzo's Plate Chicken Broth

Chicken Broth

CHICKEN BROTH WITH CREPES:
Chicken broth served with parmesan crepes is a traditional recipe from my Nonna’s region of Teramo in Abruzzo. It is a deliciously tasty slow cooked broth served with light, thin crepes filled with salty parmesan cheese. This twist on classic chicken broth warms my heart (and my tummy!) with as it’s truly one-of-a-kind. Passing on this recipe to me felt like I was gaining a part of Nonna’s history and I will treasure it forever and hope you do too! While it’s a perfect dish for the changing weather, it can be enjoyed as an entrée in smaller portions and will surely become a family favourite in your homes too.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN BROTH:
½ organic chicken (cut into pieces)
5 pieces of veal
1 whole onion
3 celery stalks (complete with leaves)
1 carrot (peeled)
1 cinnamon stick
3-5 cherry tomatoes
Rock salt
INGREDIENTS FOR CREPES:
8 tablespoons of flour
8 eggs
Water
Pinch of fine salt
Grated parmesan cheese
UTENSILS:
1 XL pot
Knife
Chopping board
Small-medium size fry pan
Tablespoon
Extra virgin olive oil
Whisk
Ladle
Kitchen paper
Hand held sieve

METHOD TO MAKE THE CHICKEN BROTH:
1. To make chicken broth with parmesan filled crepes, put the pieces of chicken into your pot, add the veal and fill it almost to the top with water.
2. Put the pot on the stove at a medim heat, and once it starts to boil, you will notice foam at the top of the water. This needs to be skimmed off the top and discarded.
3. Leave this to boil for up to 10 minutes and keep removing the foam.
4. To add extra flavour to your chicken broth, add 1 whole onion (skin peeled off), the celery, carrot, cinnamon stick and cherry tomatoes, along with a generous pinch of rock salt.
5. Leave this to boil for up to 2 hours.
METHOD TO MAKE THE CREPES:
1. To make the crepes filled with parmesan cheese for your chicken broth, start by placing 8 tablespoons of flour into a bowl.
2. Crack open the 8 eggs into a separate bowl and whisk well. Then, add a pinch of salt to flavour and keep whisking.
NONNA IGEA’S TIP: One of the eggs will be used as a measure. Try to crack it open from the very top, so it remains almost whole. Rinse it out with water, and this will be used to add the water to your crepe mixture.
3. Next, to make your crepe mixture, add a handful of flour at a time, and sprinkle it into your mixture while whisking it at the same time. Do this carefully to avoid lumps!
4. Now, add 8 “egg-fulls” of water to your mix, and keep whisking through really well.
5. Leave this crepe mixture in the fridge for approx. 5 minutes.
6. Now it’s time to cook the crepes! Get a small-medium size pan and place it on the stove at a low heat, add a few drops of extra virgin olive oil to the pan, and using kitchen paper, wipe the excess off, making sure the pan has enough left on it so the mixture doesn’t stick!
7. Using a ladle, scoop up some of the crepe mixture, hold the fry pan in the other hand, then pour the mixture inside and quickly flick your wrist making the pan move in a circular motion to spread the mix around creating the form of a crepe.
8. Try not to have any holes in each crepe and remember, the more you make, the better you will get!
NONNA IGEA’S TIP: Don’t add too much crepe mixture to your pan as the crepes should be kept nice and thin. The more you practice, the better these will come!
9. After 10-20 seconds (depending on how hot the pan is), use a fork to gently scrape all around the each of the crepe, and if its cooked it will start to peel away, then once ready, flip it over and cook the other side.
10. The crepes will be ready on no time as they are very thin and your pan is hot! Once ready, prepare a tablecloth on top of your table/board and place them on top, next to one another covering them with a tea towel so they don’t dry up.
HOW TO SERVE THE CREPES AND CHICKEN BROTH:
11. Get each crepe, one at a time, and sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top of one side – all over.
12. Now, roll it up gently, and nice and tight, before placing it into a large soup bowl (for serving).
13. Layer them tightly next to one another in one direction until the bottom is covered, and then the other direction, with a layer on top.
14. When you are ready to serve, take the chicken broth off the stove, and using a ladle, scoop out the broth in one hand and pour it into a sieve, over the top of the bowl of crepes, so that none of the vegetable pieces go into the soup.
15. Add another sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese to the bowl and enjoy while its nice and hot!

E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate…Enjoy!

pasta al limone

Pasta al Limone

Pasta al limone is a quick and easy recipe that is refreshing and simple but the mix of lemon and mint will take your tastebuds on an Italian Summer holiday! Keep this delicate dish which comes from the south of Italy, for a mid-week treat; add some Italian music in the background to spoil someone special and surprise yourself with this flavour bomb!

roasted chicken

Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

Roasted chicken: it sounds simple because it is! But there are a few tricks to getting this Sunday lunch of roasted chicken with oven crunchy potatoes absolutely perfect; so I asked my Nonna Igea to share her secrets so that you can taste the real flavours I grew up enjoying at her house with my family. Crispy skin roasted chicken with golden potatoes will absolutely warm your heart. Watch my recipe with Nonna now, make them ASAP, then share photos with me later as I would love to see you eating this with your whole family.

butternut-squash-soup

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash soup is a wholesome, delicious meal, and each family has their own version – now, here’s one with a twist! Join me along with Emmy nominated recording artist Alfio from NYC as we turn the traditional pumpkin soup recipe into an Italian inspired one – you might be surprised by some of our special ingredients!

pasta arrabbiata spicy

Arrabbiata Sauce

Arrabbiata pasta sauce is a simple recipe for spicy tomato sauce that uses fresh ingredients right from the garden! It is bold in flavour thanks to the combination of chilli and peeled tomatoes with just the right amount of fresh parsley. Sprinkle it with pecorino cheese and you will have a healthy, delicious, vegetarian meal you can enjoy almost any time of the day. But BEWARE, Arrabbiata means “angry” because it’s traditionally enjoyed quite HOT.

spaghetti vongole

Spaghetti Vongole

Spaghetti Vongole. Taste the flavours of the sea on a plate with this simple spaghetti vongole recipe. The secret is in slow cooking these little shellfish until they create a beautiful broth which then coats each strand of spaghetti until it looks silky and tastes like perfection.

vegetarian lasagna

Vegetarian Lasagna

Vegetarian lasagna is an alternative to the traditional meat filled version and it’s still jam-packed with flavour! My version includes zucchini, capsicum, mushrooms, carrot and celery, but you can mix in your favourites…the real secret is in the sauce, which incorporates my traditional passata, with creamy ricotta, adding a whole new excitement factor for your tastebuds.

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