Hi, yesterday night we ate in a “trattoria”, that is a traditional little restaurant. Its name is Da Fifina (Corso Umberto 63 – Bernalda).
We tasted traditional cuisine of this region.
The owner suggests the typical dish of the day. So we started with a selection of seafood (octopus salad, steamed mussels and marinated anchovies) and land food (omelette,   raw ham, grilled aubergines in vinegar, bell peppers in oil, artichokes in oil, mozzarella cheese and bruschetta with tomatoes). Then the first courses: pasta with beans and mussels for me and pasta with aubergines, cherry tomatoes and bell peppers for Carlo. We closed with a platter of tasty fried fish.
Low cost, tasty food … a nice evening

Greetings from Italy

Carlo & Loretta

This year we have decided to spend our holidays at Metapontum, near Bernalda in the south of Italy.
Metapontum is in Basilicata. Basilicata is an Italian region known also as Lucania. Basilicata has two coasts: on the Ionian and Tyrrhenian sea.
Metapontum is in front of the Ionian Coast, on the part of the Gulf of Taranto, as you can see in the Google map.
This coast of Basilicata facing the Ionian sea is one of the best destination for families who had children. Its beach is long, wide and sandy; the sea bottom is shallow.
We have chosen to stay at Bernalda; so we  are in a little hotel  (Hotel I Pitagorici) with little apartments so we can cook everything we want and are independent. Metapontum is 12-13 kilometers from here.
There is a little market near the hotel where we can buy very fresh fish, local vegetable and fruit, typical cheese and meat.
We like this place. We’re spending slow holidays, far from frenzy of  the modern  life.

Besides it’s a place rich in culture. Metapontum was founded by Greeks in the seventh century BC. So you can visit  some archaeological sites including Tables Palatine, a zone vestiges, a agora, a theatre and a museum. We are going to tell you about these archaeological sites in the following days.

We’re going to test local cuisine in a typical trattoria at Bernalda tonight. Tomorrow we’ll tell you of the traditional dishes.

Greetings from Italy

Carlo & Loretta

Hi, Italy is famous in the world for its food and cakes are well known. But there are some cakes that are not so famous abroad such as La Gata a cake made and eaten in Vicenza (Veneto).
What are its ingredients? The usual ingredients that make a cake so tasty! Butter, eggs, sugar, white flour, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, almonds, milk, honey, candied orange peels, cornmeal, grappa …
What are its origins? We could say that this cakes was born from the experience of seven friends and its name derives from folk tales, historical events and the common term “gatto” (cat) used in Vicentinian language.

Greetings from Italy
Carlo & Loretta

Do you want new ideas for cold dishes?
We have collected our best recipes in a page called dedicated to summer.
Pasta salad, rice salad, meat plates, desserts … and more.
Our last recipe is a pasta salad with octopus and cranberry beans. It tastes fantastic …

Greetings from Italy
Carlo & Loretta

Hi, today we want to give you some recipes for a Sunday menu. On Sundays we like to cook something tasty, don’t we? Naturally they are Italian recipes.
Well. Last Sunday I and Carlo had a rabbit to cook and the only thing we knew was we didn’t want to eat the usual rabbit. So we thought to boiled rabbit. Its meat, boiled, is very tender and tasty.
This is the unusual recipe we created.

Boiled rabbit
Ingredients / Serves 4
1 1.3 kg (2.8 lb) whole rabbit
1 onion
2 halves dried tomatoes
2 cloves
2 sachets of Saffron ground powder (0,30 g)
A little bunch of chives, finely chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Prepare the onion. Peel it and insert the cloves. Boil the rabbit in abundant salted water in which you also have to add the onion and tomatoes. When the water is boiling add the saffron too. Let the rabbit boil for about 70-80 minutes and then cool in its cooking water. You can also cook it the evening before.
When the rabbit is cold remove its meat from the bones and cut into pieces. The surface is yellow for saffron but the meat is clear inside. Dress the rabbit meat with chives and olive oil. Stir accurately and season to taste with salt if necessary.
It’s a simple recipe but a delicious cold dish for summer. It’s a light recipe as you can see in the following nutrition facts.
k Cal 340 kJ 1422
Protein g 45,9
Fat g 17,4
Carbohydrates g 0 Sugars g 0
Fibres g 0
Serve the rabbit with a seasonal salad made with green salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, grated fresh carrots … Another solution could be grilled courgettes (zucchini). Complete your menu with fresh fruit.
This is your dinner, prepared in advance.

Meanwhile preserve the rabbit stock, you can use it for a tasty Italian risotto with bell peppers. Here it is its recipe! So you have your lunch!

Risotto with bell peppers and rabbit stock.

Ingredients / Serves 4
Rabbit stock
320 g (11 1/3 oz) rice
50 g (2 oz) fresh young onions, finely chopped
1 250 g (8 1/2 oz) red bell pepper, diced
1 250 g (8 1/2 oz) yellow bell pepper, diced
A glass of red dry wine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Strain the rabbit stock and bring to the boil. Meanwhile put the olive oil in a pan together with the onion and bell peppers. Let all the ingredients fry lightly on low heat. Add the rice. Let the rice flavour, stirring, and then sprinkle in the wine. When the wine is well evaporated begin adding the stock: a couple of ladleful. Stir frequently and continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, until the addition has been absorbed. This will take 18-20 minutes or the time necessary according to the instructions for cooking the rice you have. Remember to keep the stock very hot or boiling. When the rice is tender and the cooking juice retired your dish is ready.
You can prepare this dish in advance and warm it up just before serving.
This is nutrition facts of risotto.
kCal 342 kJ 1429
Protein g 7,0
Fat g 5,6
Carbohydrates g 70,3 Sugars g 5,5
Fibres g 2,6
You can complete your menu with a side dish such as boiled vegetables or seasonal salad and fresh fruit.

Greetings from Italy
Carlo & Loretta