Pasta

Italy is calling me . . .

For anyone following my blog you’ll know that I have a long held affection for Italy. It is my special place, the place where I always feel like the best version of myself.

Perhaps it’s because their whole approach to food and life resonates deeply with me. In Italy food is such an intrinsic part of their identity. It is how families come together; it is how they celebrate the bounty of the land and the sea; secrets are passed from generation to generation. They have a certain touch that I’ve not experienced anywhere else in the world.

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Linguine with Courgette and Bacon – celebrating the summer squash

I seem to be starting every post lately with an apology for my absence from the blogging world. It’s been a particularly crazy few weeks for me so many apologies go out to my lovely followers.

But I’m back and excited about the change of season going on in New Zealand. Spring is nearing its end and we have – hopefully! – a long, hot summer to look forward to.

I love the way food changes with the seasons, how each season has its own offering that gives us something special with which to celebrate that time of the year. Parsnips alone make the arrival of winter worthwhile. I can whip up a large batch of my Spiced Parsnip Soup and close the curtains on the weather.

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Christmas Down Under (and a deliciously festive pasta dish)

Last week I talked about how much I long for a traditional winter Christmas with all the trimmings that add the festive cheer associated with this time of year.

But this morning I was up early walking on the beach and it was so perfect I had to concede that perhaps having Christmas in the summertime is a small price to pay for living in such a wonderful place.

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Italy’s Campania region – Pompeii and Capri (and a delicious recipe for spaghetti with Italian sausage)

Last week I talked about Sorrento, the popular town that is the gateway to Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Both Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast sit on the coastline of the Campania region, which is situated in southwestern Italy. In my next couple of posts I’d like to share with you some of the places worth travelling to from this gateway.

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A birthday, a helicopter flight – and how to make a delicious pasta dish with roasted butternut

Birthdays are a funny thing. Some love them, some hate them and some are simply indifferent, failing to see the point of celebrating being another year older.

I will have to confess to the first. I do love my birthday but this year it surpassed my expectations. Let me explain why.

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ROME, the Eternal City – and how to make a classic Spaghetti Carbonara!

Rome, the Eternal City – so named because the ancient Romans believed that the city would go on forever regardless of what happened in the world surrounding it.

I have been to Rome twice in my lifetime and on both occasions I was captivated by the city. We all know of its impressive history – empires and armies and gladiatorial conquests. The fact that any remnant of this ancient civilisation still remains today is something to marvel at.

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RAVELLO, a gem of the Amalfi Coast – and how to make the most delicious seafood linguine!

I came to travelling later in life than most. Or perhaps I should say later in life by the standard of my generation. When my mother was in her twenties it was something quite exceptional if you travelled as far afield as Europe or the United States.

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