DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Here is a perfect cake for all occasions: the Dark Chocolate Cake.

I love to call it torta cioccolatino, because its consistency is similar to that of chocolate pralines (cioccolatini): a humid, soft and creamy cake that melts in your mouth!

This easy and quick dessert is wonderful served at the end of a dinner with friends, or with a cup of tea. Even your partner won't certainly be disappointed if welcomed with this lovely cake after a long working day.

Though, I think that this is the perfect comfort food you desire in a cold and rainy day, when all what you need are cuddles and something really rich in chocolate (as I say in Italian: qualcosa di davvero cioccolatoso)...it'll warm up your soul!

MOZZARELLA & POMODORO: the happiest marriage!

When pomodoro (tomato) met mozzarella it was love at first sight! During a sunny summer day, with the help of two witnesses, oregano and olive oil, they got married in Italy, the land of good eating.

This is the story of my caprese, a variation of the famous traditional Italian salad. The original one indeed is made with fresh basil, but when I tried it with the wild oregano that I received from a close friend, I really felt in love with this version!
The pungency of oregano matches perfectly with the sweetness of tomato and the fresh and delicate taste of mozzarella.

 This is a simple but incredibly delicious dish when made with the best ingredients and in the proper season. Summer is the best period of the year to eat caprese, because it is when you will enjoy it the most and the ingredients have the best flavor. Indeed, apart from 10 minutes, all what you need are tomatoes (the best would be a red fresh homegrown pomodoro), mozzarella or, if you are lucky enough to find it, a real mozzarella di bufala, genuine olive oil and Mediterranean dried oregano.

You can serve mozzarella & pomodoro as an appetizer or as a main dish. It's lovely in both cases ;)

TIRAMISÙ WITH PAVESINI...love at first taste!

The first recipe that I want to share with you is that of tiramisù.

This well known Italian dessert has played a fundamental role in my life. As a child, before discovering how beautiful it is to eat, I was the despair of my mother: I used to eat almost nothing and it was very difficult to feed me. Then she found out that I had a true passion for only two things: tiramisù and pumpkin gnocchi. As my mother usually says, I grew up with (or thanks to?) these two traditional Italian dishes.

Tiramisù has a very controversial history. Many Regions claim the creation of Tiramisù; however, its father was a chef working at the restaurant "Le Beccherie" in Treviso, a town near Venice, in the Region of Veneto.

There are different versions of tiramisù and many techniques to prepare it (everybody has his/her own).
The recipe you will find below is the one of my mother. It is really easy (you don't even need a scale) and lighter than the traditional one, because it uses pavesini instead of savoiardi (ladyfinger biscuits). Though, I can assure you that "my tiramisù" is very appreciated among all my friends...and not only!

One tip before starting: prepare your tiramisù in the morning and eat it the same day.  The fresher it is, the most you will enjoy it!

WAITING FOR THE FIRST RECIPE....

In less than three hours I will be back home for my "Italian holidays". While waiting for the boarding,  I cannot stop thinking about the recipes that I want to share with you.
I know which one will be the first (...a traditional italian dessert well known all around the world...and that is addictive for me!) and I have quite a few ideas for the following recipes.  However I really would like to hear from you what's the dish that you look forward to seeing posted!

Contrary to here, in The Netherlands,  a full fridge and a well furnished cupboard are waiting for me in Italy!

Let me know if there is anything in particular that I can prepare for you! 

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In the meantime, be ready to take notes of easy Italian recipes and more :)