zuppa inglese di pandoro, con amaretti, crema di mascarpone e ricotta – pandoro trifle with amaretti, mascarpone and ricotta cream

I’m surprised myself, to be honest. Two dishes using mascarpone in the space of a month. First pasta, and now this. 2014’s entire mascarpone consumption squeezed into the last couple of weeks of the year. A glance at the main ingredients, not to mention the title (trifle in Italian is zuppa inglese, ‘English soup’, although I have no idea why), will have alerted you to the fact that this is another recipe from outside Sicily, Continue Reading →

sweets for the dead – ossa di morti

Yesterday I was back at my favourite pasticceria, Scandaliato (http://passioneat.it/2013/12/dolce-natale-sweet-christmas/). The Italians say that “la qualità non ha prezzo” – you can’t put a price on quality. Let me set you straight on that one. You most definitely can, and it’s high. To try and make myself feel better, let’s just say it’s a price I’m prepared to pay. That, at least, is how I’m going to pitch it to my wife. And anyway, it’s Continue Reading →

dolce Natale – sweet Christmas

Sicilians seem to have a traditional dish for every occasion. There are zeppole di San Giuseppe for St. Joseph’s Day, there’s cuccia for St. Lucy’s Day, and pasta ‘ncaciata for the Assumption of the Virgin on 15 August. Not to mention the Easter specialities, which change from town to town. But I’m only scratching the surface here; I could probably dedicate this blog solely to Sicilian feast-day food, and still have plenty to write about Continue Reading →