Rustic Restaurants, punctures and snow in Southern Italy
Posted: March 12, 2012 Filed under: Campania, Drinks, General, Liqueur, Regional Cuisine, Uncategorized, Wine | Tags: food, Italian Food, Italian lifestyle, italy, living in Italy, restaurant, rustic, snow 4 Comments »Il Brigante, Sieti (SA)
The name of this restaurant is “the robber”, but it won’t run away with your money, honest! This was one of the very first restaurants I came to with the Italian boy and friends, and where I first experienced a group meal “the Italian way”, that is to say with a lot of gesticulating, shouting across the table, good natured banter and free flowing red wine.
Homemade red wine in chipped ceramic ware...
If that sounds like your thing (and to be honest, it it isn’t then Italy isn’t really your thing either) then look no further than here. Even if it is a pain in the proverbial to get there and back. More on that later…
Mandarinetto liqueur
Posted: February 6, 2012 Filed under: Campania, Drinks, Liqueur | Tags: amalfi coast, Campania, Christmas, citrus, citrus liqueur, digestif, digestivo, food, food and drink, fruit, homemade liqueur, Italian drink, Italian Food, italian liqueur, liqueur, mandarin liqueur, Mandarinetto, mandarins, Winter Leave a comment »Mandarinetto from Campania
Most people have heard of limoncello, that sweet, tangy oh-so-mediterranean liqueur from the Amalfi Coast which just screams of summer, sun and after dinner drinks on a balcony surrounded by the scent of the sea. Yes, limoncello is deservedly famous. And easy to make… but that’s for another post.
How many of you have heard of its equally delicious winter equivalent, mandarinetto? Not many of you I bet.
Yummy mandarin liqueur
With its richer, darker colour and sweeter, even more aromatic flavour, mandarinetto is every bit as goos as limoncello as well as even easier to make. So when I saw a basket full of mandarins sitting in the corner of the green grocer’s on the corner for 80ç, I bought them.
Coffee liqueur
Posted: December 17, 2011 Filed under: Drinks, Liqueur | Tags: alcohol, coffee, coffee liqueur, coffee liqueur recipe, drinks, Italian Coffee, italian liqueur, Italian recipe, liqueur, recipe 4 Comments »
Italians like their liqueurs… and so do I. For the Italians, liqueurs are made to be sipped out of small glasses after dinner as a digestivo, ie. to help their food go down. You can get liqueurs made out of almost anything, but probably the easiest to make at home is liquore al caffé, coffee liqueur.
You will need:
Excuse the messy table...
One litre of pure, food grade alcohol
500g (minimum!) of caster sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
One litre of STRONG coffee
The coffee maker in the above picture is a Moka, used to make Italian espresso at home. Read the rest of this entry »
Wine tasting – Primitivo di Manduria
Posted: December 17, 2011 Filed under: Apulia, Drinks, Regional Cuisine, Wine | Tags: Aperitivo, Apulia, Drink, food, Italian Culture, Primitivo, Puglia, Red Wine, Wine, Wine tasting, Zinfandel 2 Comments »Mmmmmm…. Red wine….
Hi Carlo!
I love wine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an alcoholic or anything (honest!) I just really enjoy a glass of wine, with a predilection for anything red and full bodied, in particular in the winter. So yesterday, with the wind and the rain howling outside of the bar, Primitivo di Manduria really hit the spot…
Anyone for an Aperitivo?
Posted: December 15, 2011 Filed under: All regions, Drinks, General, Lombardy | Tags: Aperitivo, Buffet, Cheap, Dinner, drinks, food, Italian beverages, Italian Cocktails, Lombardy, Milan, Negroni Sbagliato, Northern Italy 8 Comments »Today I’m feeling a little bit sad because one of my very best friends in Salerno is going back to New Zealand and it will be some time before I get the chance to see her again. To say goodbye though, we went for one of my favourite Italian rituals – the aperitivo!
Italian Aperitivo in Sicily
The aperitivo is not a happy hour. Sometimes it is translated this way, but it is definitely not the same thing… At happy hour you get money off drinks, two for the price of one offers etc. At an aperitivo you may actually find yourself paying more for your drink, but it will be accompanied by food (aha! Now you understand why I like it so much).
Italian Coffee Part 1: The Killer Espresso
Posted: December 12, 2011 Filed under: Drinks, Other | Tags: Espresso, Expresso, food, Italian, Italian Coffee, Italian Culture Leave a comment »Expresso, or more correctly espresso, is to other kinds of coffee as rocket fuel is to coal. Or vodka to beer. A Ferrari to a Morris Minor. It is powerful stuff, designed to really give you a caffeine kick and wake you up in the morning.
It might look and sound like it should be bitter and harsh, but when done correctly – and trust me, the Italians know how – it is anything but. It is rich, aromatic and truly delicious… as well as being highly addictive!
The best espresso is made in the many bars that line the streets of any Italian town or city, and can be recognised by a slightly sweet smell, a thick, almost syrupy texture as it pours, and the slight crema or light foam which forms on the surface, as can be seen in this photo:
Good Italian Espresso
This coffee is so good that sugar is optional: I tend to use a little myself but not always, and you should never use so much that it masks the flavour of the coffee. If you find yourself having to add lots of sugar to make it drinkable, it is probably slightly burnt, or made from old beans – not good!
Italians take their coffee very seriously, and opinions on how to make espresso vary across Italy, Read the rest of this entry »
