Spaghetti with prawns and pistachio nuts recipe

Spaghetti with prawns and pistachio nuts

Spaghetti with prawns and pistachio nuts is a favourite fish dish in Italy, and with good reason. Give this recipe a try today.  Spaghetti with prawns and pistachio nuts has become something of a national tradition in Italy. It’s a dish that has become commonplace on the table on Christmas Eve when Italians prefer to […]

Grilled polenta with cime di rapa and gorgonzola sauce

A staple with ancient origins, polenta has now found favour around the world. Mario Matassa demonstrates how wonderfully versatile it can be in this grilled polenta recipe Polenta’s versatility is such that it is used in Italy for any course, ranging from a simple antipasto, a hearty piato unico – a dish that serves both […]

Polenta Almond Crumble Cake Recipe

Almond crumble cake

Treat your tastebuds to an unconventional cake, with this sweet and nutty polenta almond crumble cake recipe…  Polenta is perhaps one of the oldest dishes known to Italy. Made originally from any pulse – often a mix of spelt and rye – it was boiled to a thick gruel, with cheese or herbs added when […]

Courgette Flower and Gorgonzola Risotto

courgette flower and gorgonzola risotto

This courgette flower and gorgonzola risotto is a perfect recipe for a simple but stunning dinner. If you can’t get hold of courgette flowers, pumpkin makes a fine substitution. There are no shortcuts for making a good risotto. Good quality homemade stock makes the world of difference, as does a good quality variety of rice. […]

Polenta Pizza Margherita Recipe

Polenta Pizza Margherita Recipe

A staple with ancient origins, polenta has now found favour around the world. Mario Matassa demonstrates how wonderfully versatile it can be in this recipe for polenta pizza margherita Polenta is perhaps one of the oldest dishes known to Italy. Made originally from any pulse – often a mix of spelt and rye – it […]

5 foodie reasons to visit Bologna

Characteristic food shops in the historic center of Bologna

Discover the delicious reasons to visit Bologna in Emilia-Romagna … 1. Authentic ragù When you think of Bologna, Bolognese sauce may spring to mind – but you won’t ever find it teamed with spaghetti in this city. This is a common misconception that spread across Europe and the United States when the ragù left its […]

Polenta with black bean and spicy sausage stew

polenta with black bean and spicy sausage stew

A staple with ancient origins, polenta has now found favour around the world. Mario Matassa demonstrates how wonderfully versatile it can be in this recipe for polenta with black bean and spicy sausage stew. Cooking polenta There’s good news and there’s bad news. I always like to start with the latter, as it pays to […]

Gastronomic Panettone

Turn Christmas leftovers into the perfect party starter with this panettone gastronomico recipe by Mario Matassa. This savoury take on the classic sweet panettone has in recent years become a fashionable antipasto in Italy, often served before Christmas lunch. Alternatively, prepared in the days after Christmas, I see it as the perfect vehicle for a good […]

Rice Cakes with Mozzarella and Tomato

Learn to make Crocchette di riso con mozzarella e pomodoro with Mario Matassa’s Italian rice cake recipe Okay, if you form the exact same ingredients set out below into a ball, then arancini is the word you’ll be looking for. But, while working the lunch menu in restaurants here in the north, we more often formed […]

Mediterranean Rice Salad

Indulge your taste buds in the vibrant flavours of Italy with this delightful ‘Insalata di riso’ Mediterranean rice salad recipe. Rice salad has been described as the caposaldo, ‘cornerstone’, of Italian summer cuisine. Every Italian has an opinion about what makes a good rice salad, and there are as many variations on the recipe as there are […]