The latest question: in the end will our heroes  be able to eat anything cooked?
I think we westerners can’t enjoy the food of very different countries … what about it?

Their goal is high and that’s why I want to wish them a great good luck.

Loretta

PS. Among the other things, their logo is quite nice, the five Olympic rings are replaced by round  food …

Italian restaurant reviews

We already knew the way to the restaurant: easy option and then our fatigue was so much …  what would you have done?

Il Tiratappi is a nice, little restaurant in an old building whose chef and owner is from Sicily.
Sorry, but there is no website. You have to read our review.
So Carlo and I ate both traditional Mantua and Sicilian recipes.
My menu: prawns in potato crust,  pasta with stracotto sauce and almond granita with warm Pan Brioche. All mouth-watering!
My husband’s menu: Mantua salami with grilled polenta, the same pasta dish and a caramelized apple pie. He was very satisfied too!

We paired our menu with Sicilian wines. White Etna for me and red Etna for Carlo.
Do you know the best thing? They served only a glass of wine … in other words you are not obliged to order the whole bottle!

You can find Il Tiratappi restaurant here: Piazza Leon Battista Alberti n.30 tel 0376 322366 – Mantova

The bill? more or less the same of the previous evening.
Read more on our previous evening and  Hosteria del Leon d’Oro.

Carlo & Loretta

Italian restaurant reviews

Saturday night we had a walk through its historic center. We think it is a stately, elegant city apart from the historical and artistic value. So if you are planning a trip in Italy our tip is to reserve a couple of days for it.
Among the many restaurants located in the center we chose one that had a very intriguing menu card exposed outside.
Its name? Hosteria Leon d’Oro (Via Leon d’Oro 6 Tel 338 124 23 11)
The restaurant is very cozy and suggestive. Suspended in time between past and present. Soft lights  create a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. The service is good. Friendliness and attention are its features.
But the most important is its menu card.  The owners are very careful with  modern nutrition, and so you can find a range of proposals from  Sicilian to Mantua kitchen, and then  fish, meat  or vegan dishes.
All that we ate tasted fantastic!
My menu: little polenta serving (made with pumpkin too) on creamy gorgonzola sauce garnished with hazelnuts, Mantua risotto with sausage and a chocolate cake …. very, very good!
My husband’ menu: assorted Italian and Mantua salami, Mantua risotto and the same cake.
We paired these tasty dishes with organic Lambrusco without sulfites.

Not cheap at all: little more than 70,00 €.

Carlo & Loretta

Some time ago she did coming out.  She has been suffering from diabetes for three years.
Why hasn’t she say anything  before?
Obvious. She just had to look for sponsors to continue her television program.
And then she turned her illness into business. Everything is business. Everything for money.

Probably her son  will create his own business empire on the “misfortune” of his mother by offering healthy foods.

Moral? It is not gold all that glitters …

Beware of those who have experienced sponsors.  They  can not be free to say and do what they  know or believe to be more correct and healthier about food.
It’s the death of freedom!

We really wanted to think about that with you, our readers.
Our site does not and will never have any sponsor.
Be sure. You’ll never read we are  glorifying a food or an industrial product that does not convince us or we  know it is not healthy.
It’s true that our site contains advertising but it is advertising that we do not control and that doesn’t  control us. On the other hand we must earn at least to recoup the costs.

We are and always will be free to communicate honestly with  our readers.

Carlo & Loretta

Panettone with fresh yeast

I’ve just had one of the greatest satisfaction in my life and  want to share it with you.

I have noticed in the last days that some visitors have come to our panettone page in Italian from an American blog.
Well, today I decided to visit this blog and my surprise was great!

First of all its name: Little Homestead in the Desert

The young writer tells she found our panettone recipe and our video last year. She also tells she has  the habit to look for Italian recipes in Italian to find real recipes.

Well, her first attempt wasn’t successful. She made the mistake most people do: non to follow my steps accurately. But the second attempt was so successful that her neighbor who was pastry chef and worked for Martha  was very impressed and liked it.
Read her page (homemade panettone)  for more details.

This year she published her own recipe (homemade panettone, a little bit of Italy in your kitchen) whose doses and ingredients are very similar to mine. The only difference is that she has substituted candied fruit  with orange extract of liquor.

This is the real sign my recipe works and works well if a woman who doesn’t speak Italian has understood well the recipe written in Italian looking at  our video, in Italian too.

But if you want not to make a great effort I remember  you this year we have published the real Italian panettone  recipe in English. Test it and let me know your result!

I created another panettone recipe made with felt flour. All its ingredients are organic. Fantastic!

Greetings from Italy

Loretta