Pizza chiena – stuffed meat, cheese and egg pizza

Neapolitan Pizza chiena as Easter treatPasqua (Easter) is approaching and this means different things for different people around the world. On my small, crazy and messy planet Easter is about going back to Naples and spending time with my family, seeing my cousins and nephews and… and… yes, I can read your mind. You know what is coming. For millions of Neapolitans, Easter means Continue reading

Salame di cioccolato – chocolate salami

Salame di cioccolato served in a plate
I am all you need

This is the one cake that will hypnotise you. Salame di cioccolato is one of those simple and basic recipes that require no baking, and is lots of fun to make. You will need to read more to find out what the fun element is… Continue reading

Supplì al telefono – rice and mozzarella croquettes

Suppli al telefono with melted mozzarella
The phone’s ringing. Is there anyone there…?

After having had the guts to publish a recipe from the north of Italy – tiramisu –  on a southern Italian food blog, it feels relatively legitimate to publish one of the most popular dishes in Rome: supplì al telefono.

These are gorgeous bites of Continue reading

Monachine napoletane – custard and morello cherry parcels

Monachine covered with custard and morello cherries
I am older and wiser than all of you. I was born in 1700

There is something fascinating about using recipes that were born centuries ago. That is the case for monachine napoletane (little nuns): delightful puff pastry cakes with a yummy filling of crema pasticcera (custard, which must be home-made) and morello cherry conserve.

Nuns and monks were renowned for Continue reading

Migliaccio salato – spaghetti, semolina and ricotta timballo

Slice of migliaccio salato straoght out of the oven.
You have never seen something like me. I am unique and I come from Pozzuoli

I have a feeling migliaccio salato, or tatiello, might ring a bell for some of you loyal readers of Coochinando. Please meet the savoury sibling of migliaccio di carnevale! If you think that migliaccio di carnevale looked awesome, then  Continue reading

Lasagne bianche – white lasagne

Slice of white lasagne or lasagne bianche on a plate
I am a white lasagne, hope that is okay with you

There is often, but not always, a reason why I share a certain recipe at a given moment: it might be linked to an Italian festivity, as with migliaccio di Carnevale, or to an event. White lasagne is definitely linked to the latter… and an exciting one!

Yesterday I played chef Continue reading

Pasta e patate – pasta and potato soup

A bowl of pasta e patate, with basil on top

Meet the Neapolitan queen: pasta e patate! I realise I haven’t shared many pasta recipes since I started blogging. Partly it is a coincidence and partly it is my determination to show that Italian food is not just pasta and pizza (as still far too many people I talk to seem to believe…): there is so much more to it. So I decided to start with an unknown

Continue reading

Ciambellone al limone – lemon cake (with a hole)

Italian recipe for ciambellone al limone made by Mariacristina
Very hard to resist when it’s there in front of you…

Sometimes you really need to get creative when it comes to translating names of Italian food into English. For ciambellone al limone, no matter how much I searched, the only possible word that would give a vague idea of what ciambellone refers to in terms of shape, at least, was doughnut. My ears would not accept it, though, and my eyes filled with  Continue reading