The December Edit
An end of year round up of fun times
It’s been a whole month since I’ve been away from Australia and life away from home is always a bit fun, different and now with a small child, has had its challenges. This month’s edit is a small reflection on everything I’ve been enjoying during the festive season, including a couple of highlights from our trip to the UK and Bologna.
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ICYMI - posts you may have missed!
Prep for an easy dinner party with me - when I’m back in Brisbane I plan to write up and share more of this because I’ve had so many messages about the lamb! But for now, paid subs will be receiving the recipe for my quick same day gigantes shortly. In the meantime, if you want to see how I make my Greek salad, you can find the recipe share in this post.
The Grande Tiramisu from last Christmas - to be honest this dessert is an all-year-round kinda thing. It’s a tiramisu but multi-layer - perfect for feeding a crowd. Spoons in. Also my tiramisu x panettone hybrid that I’ve been making for the past three years now. I made this on Christmas Day and it was a highlight (my family’s words, not mine!).
My favourite way to end a busy day of exploring in Bologna - travelling with a baby (for us, at least) = busy days out and more quiet evenings in. I loved buying little bits from around Bologna to enjoy at home with a lovely local wine in the evenings. We picked up some tortellini from Paolo Atti and even grabbed one of their bottled fresh brodo, too.
These cacio e pepe ravioli in video form - truth be told this recipe took me two days to film on this trip because of low light conditions. Living in sunny QLD I definitely have started taking for granted how many blue sky days we have in a year. Over here there’s approximately 6 hours of daylight and even then I don’t think I’ve seen the actual sun in a month. Someone send help. Or a SAD lamp.
Of course I managed to squeeze in a bit of pasta therapy, finally getting to try the Clarence Court Burfood Brown eggs that I have noticed many UK foodie people using. The yolks are insanely deep orange in colour, which gives the dough a lovely yellow hue, however if you want my 2c don’t bother with the large size - the yolks are the same size as their medium eggs and you just get a whole lot more whites. Which isn’t actually great for making pasta. PS still nothing compares to my favourite eggs I get back in Aus.
Delicious things I’ve been eating!
This cheese and radish snack plate from Andy Baraghani - I subbed parmesan for manchego and served this up on Christmas Day. Will 1000% be making again and again.
Crescentine!! With prosciutto and squacquerone at Bocco di Lupo in London - and subsequently again in Bologna. It’s a typical fried bread of Bologna that sort of balloons into a little light and airy pocket of pure love. Fill it with cheese and cured meat and you cannot go wrong.
This little chocolate pot with maraschino cherries I inhaled at St. Eia in St. Ives. A delight!
Gramigna anything. Currently my favourite pasta shape, seemingly almost impossible to source outside of Bologna. Enjoyed mostly with some kind of sausage sauce. Heavenly.
Pub food - specifically this lovely cured salmon plate from The Brown Dog in Barnes.
Oh, what’s occurring? Bologna edition!
Watching
Of course if you’re gearing up for a trip to Bologna, you’ll probably be interested in learning a little more about it before you go. Stanley Tucci’s Searching For Italy series has an episode that focuses on Bologna and the region of Emilia-Romagna. And if you’re into your fresh pasta - which I am guessing by reading this newsletter, you might well be! - of course you’ll want to watch the Evan Funke ep from the latest season of Chef’s Table.
Eating
I have been following Ahimè on Instagram for an age and my husband convinced me that we could squeeze a lunch in, with a sleeping baby in tow. We snagged a late lunch sitting and practically had the restaurant to ourselves. An absolute stand out meal and something a bit different to the usual and more traditional Bolognese delights. Everything from start to finish was perfection, considered, interesting and presented so beautifully. Not the mention the team were so damn lovely.
Doing
I’m not usually one to go on a tour when abroad because I like to explore on my own and work it all out. However, with a limited amount of time and with a baby, we decided a tour could be a lovely way to experience some of the more typical foods from Bologna. My pal Jacqui recommended Taste Bologna, having done one of their tours herself in the summer and it did not disappoint. We walked through Bologna, learning about its culinary history, typical dishes and produce, tasting as we went. We browsed markets, watched sfoglia being rolled, sipped on pignoletto and sat down to enjoy a curated lunch plate full of meats, cheese and other delicious thing. 10/10 recommend!
Another year done and dusted, almost! Thank you for reading, sharing, cooking and eating my recipes - it’s a joy to bring them to you.
Until 2025, friends.
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