QUICHE WITH ASPARAGUS AND SPECK

This recipe is not only great as appetizer for a dinner with friends, or a light meal next to a big salad. It can also be packed and brought to work.

As usually, for this quiche I prepared my home made shortcrust pastry (see the recipe here), but if you are in a hurry you can use the frozen one. It will even more quicker and easier to prepare this delicious quiche with asparagus and speck. And if you don't find speck, you can substitute with ham, pancetta, mortadella or...salmon!

Orzotto with porcini mushrooms and sausage

Orzotto, or pearl barley cooked like risotto, is a specialty of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, in the northeastern Italy. My recipe, however, combines together the flavors of that region with mine, the Veneto region. Sausage and dried porcini mushrooms, that I brought from Italy, match perfectly with pearl barley. The result is a warming up dish ideal for a cold winter day.

PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI PESTO SAUCE AND BROCCOLI

After the Christmas binges all what we need is simple, healthy fresh food. But this does not mean tasteless!

This pasta with zucchini pesto sauce, broccoli and walnuts is a light, healthy and fast but tasty dish to prepare.

TRONCHETTO DI NATALE - Christmas Log

A recipe to finish your Christmas lunch or dinner with an Italian dessert. The tronchetto di Natale is a very nice and attractive cake, that you can decorate according to your taste. 

I wish you all a Happy and Joyful Christmas with your family and friends!

PUMPKIN AND SAUSAGE LASAGNA

Believe me: this lasagna is awesome! It is a tasty but delicate dish, perfect to be served during the festivities of Christmas. It will be love at first bite!

BISCOTTI FROLLINI - SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

Shortbread biscuits: one dough that can be easily personalized with the flavors and and ingredients that you prefer.

Of course, I use a vanilla shortbread dough, but you can flavor it with lemon zest, almond or lavender.

This is an example of what you can prepare with only one dough:

- simple shortbread biscuits

- shortbread biscuits with jam

- shortbread biscuits filled with Nutella 

SAFFRON BISCUITS

Homemade biscuits are a special present for the persons you care the most. You can create lovely packages with one or different types of biscuits. 

This is why a few years ago I started to bake biscuits as Christmas gift. I like to try unusual recipes, with particular ingredients, as the one in this post that I found years ago on a magazine: biscuits with saffron. They are all but traditional: slightly sweet and savory biscuits - you will definitely love them!