“Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

Christmas food, candles, Christmas tree

This chapter covers the time when George had failed to get into remission after the first line of treatment and had just started a clinical trial.

Weeks. Weeks and weeks of planning it had taken us to book our flights to Naples for Christmas. And less than a minute to cancel them. One day we were planning our next adventures and chasing our dreams, the next our cheeks were stinging from the violent slap life had dealt us. I wanted to stamp my feet in protest, to shout to the world how unfair this was, to pull my hair out. But I knew that would just upset us both even more.
 
Wrapped in our warmest jumpers one freezing December evening, while chatting over a mountain of spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino, I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh. George pushed a rebellious spaghetto into his mouth and swallowed.
 
“Mariacristina. What’s up? What crazy thoughts could possibly stop a chatterbox like you in mid-flow?”

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Bucatini alla Ninfea – Bucatini with a butter and onion based sauce

Pasta with butter and tomato sauce
A rare beauty

Bucatini alla ninfea is the recipe I chose to share today, two years after I last posted on my beloved, but sadly neglected, Coochinando. Why this recipe? Because this pasta dish offers simple, uncomplicated joy. And it is a recipe that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s that special.
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Falso tiramisu alla Nutella – No egg and no sugar Nutella tiramisu

Tiramisu alla nutella
Looks like tiramisu but it is not!

Summer seems to have arrived. And I say seem because it is never really the case here in London. You get the illusion, you thank God for the sun and the more forgiving temperatures. But by the time you dared to switch

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Treccia di salmone e formaggio – smoked salmon and cheese puff pastry braid

Treccia di salmone e formaggio
The perfect starter

It is often the most simple things that give us the biggest pleasure. (Okay, that may be a controversial statement – feel free to disagree!) This treccia di salmone e formaggio is just Continue reading

Mozzarella in carrozza – golden-crusted fried mozzarella sandwich

mozzarella in carrozza
Comfort at its best

There are very few dishes as comforting, gratifying and as easy and quick to make as mozzarella in carrozza (mozzarella in a carriage).

The name goes to show how precious this cheese is to Italians: so precious that it deserves Continue reading

Roccocò – almond spiced biscuits

Roccocò which are almond spiced biscuits
The perfect present to heal the January blues

As unconventional as it may be to share a typical Christmas Neapolitan biscuit recipe after Christmas, I have to go ahead and post the recipe for roccocò today. It’s simply because of the sheer number of people who sampled the awesomeness of this biscuit and requested the recipe.

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Tagliatelle alla boscaiola – tagliatelle boscaiola

Tagliatelle alla boscaiola are a perfect winter warmer
A perfect winter warmer

Tagliatelle alla boscaiola is a traditional Tuscan pasta dish. However, it is so yummy that it is cooked in many Italian regions, with a number of variations.
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Dolce al cioccolato – gooey chocolate cake

Dolce al cioccolato
“I will cheer you up”

This dolce al cioccolato is a guarantee for a decadent cuddle when your body is shouting and begging for comfort and pure pleasure. It’s a very Continue reading

Penne con panna e zucchine – cream and courgette pasta

Pasta con panna e zucchine
I am all the comfort you need
When comfort is all you crave and need then there is only one pasta dish that will do the job: penne con panna e zucchine. And note that I say cream before courgettes for good reason, because the Continue reading