Something different – Neapolitan – to mark Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday/Carnevale/Pancake Day)
cucina povera
A little bit of Kenya in London: Coconut Greens Stew
A coconut stew from London via Nairobi.
Neapolitan Classics: Simply Delicious Everyday Tomato Sauce
History Despite that tomatoes were only introduced to Italy in the mid-16th century, tomato sauce, or la salsa di pomodoro, is another staple of cucina povera, which literally translates to poor kitchen – peasant food. The first recipe for tomato-sauce-topped pasta and pizza appeared in 1779 in Antonio Nebbia’s cookbook Il Cuoco Maceratese. Today, the humble tomato sauce is ubiquitous,…
Neapolitan Classics: Pasta e Patate
This is a very typical Neapolitan dish and almost embodies the essence of cucina povera. In Naples, you will find it at home and in many restaurants and trattorie. It is very easy to prepare and is inexpensive. Yes, this is, in fact, a recipe for pasta and potatoes. Carbohydrates are not bad for you. They…
Easy Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta
Polenta is an easy, savoury Italian staple that is delicious warm and cold. In this dish, I’ve combined greens and grains for a “whole” meal in one.
Neapolitan Classics: Migliaccio Alla Mela
An autumnal twist to a winter favourite semolina cake
Neapolitan Classics: Pizza Napoletana con Salsicce e Friarielli
My cousin Dana asked me about this recipe and a good thing too. It’s easy, delicious and I had been wanting to make this for some time. This is a typical Neapolitan dish found pretty much all year around. Pizza in Napoli doesn’t just mean the flat round food we automatically think about. It is…
Neapolitan Classics: Pizza di Scarola (Escarole Pie) with a side of History
There’s so much going on in this recipe: cooked lettuce, umami, history, tradition… all my favourite things. Let’s start with what is this. This is a savoury stuffed pie that is typically Neapolitan. In the 19th and early 20th century, this pie would have been eaten on Christmas Eve as a light fare because no…
Neapolitan Classics: Neapolitan Minestrone
Minestrone is a staple of cucina povera. It has existed in one form or another since Roman times. This is the Neapolitan version and it always contains a base of tomatoes and potatoes, which, despite their being fundamental today, were only introduced in the mid-16th century.
Neapolitan Classics: Vegan Baked Zeppole
Wales has St. David; England St. George; Scotland St. Andrew and Italy has a lot of other saints. One in particular stands out. On 19 March, Italians celebrate the feast day of St. Joseph and it is also Father’s Day. In Naples, we tend to celebrate events and feast days with pastries (ok and all…
