If I had to make a list of my favorite herbs, sage would be holding the very top spot. If a dish includes sage, it just can’t go wrong (unless it requires baking and the baker is me). Saltimbocca is obviously one of the very classics of the Italian kitchen. It translates as something like…
Tastes of 2020 Part 1 – Tagliatelle all’Emiliana
It is almost the end of 2020, a year that has been a challenge for us all – to say the least. Like for many, this has been a year of staying at home a lot more than usual and also cooking a lot more than usual. So I thought I would share a sample…
The Light Weight Champion – Quiche con Porcini e Gruyère
When it comes to food, I am one of those “everything in moderation” people. Life is too short for calorie-counting and worrying about each mouthful that would make your personal trainer frown. On the other hand, I have noticed that as you get older, your body starts to complain more easily if you do not…
Funghi Town – Cannelloni ai Funghi
Apparently (and admittedly), there are not many items in the Finnish food scene that Italians are jealous of. Yet there is at least one thing which should make the green-eyed monster surface in my Italian friends: mushrooms. Yes, there are mushrooms also in the Italian forests but less and with strict quotas and limitations for…
Fresh Thoughts – Gnocchi di Ricotta
Cucina Fintastica is about to reach its 5th anniversary. Time certainly flies! My activity as a blogger has had its ups and downs (as have my kitchen adventures – not to mention baking). However, my passion and excitement for cooking has remained constant throughout this time and the number of Italian recipes I have tried…
A Gnocchout Dish – Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina
If I need to name my strengths, perseverance and persistence are definitely among the top ones. They are quite useful qualities also in the worlds of blogging and cooking. They enable me to write yet another post to Cucina Fintastica after a …er… lengthy break. They also make me re-try recipes even if the first experiment…
Just Give Me a Season: Secondo – Zucchini Ripiene di Carne
As promised in my previous post, Cucina Fintastica’s special season series now continues with a superb secondo! Today’s season star is zucchini. In Finland zucchini is quite underrated. According to Wikipedia, Finns eat about 0.5 kg of it every year. In Italy, it is indeed a very different story. It is an integral part of…
Just Give Me a Season: Primo – Conchiglioni Raffinati con le Fragole
One could definitely sound like a broken record when praising the impact of different seasons on the possibilities of the Italian kitchen. Actually, on second thought, “a broken record” is probably soon an expression that millenials do not actually understand (not that I expect Cucina Fintastica to be the “it blog” of millenial hipsters though). Anyway. Sometimes…
Dinner Dare – Ravioli Verdi al Salmerino
A paradox of life is that as a child you dream of being an adult and can’t wait to grow up, and as an adult you end up fondly reminiscing those carefree, fun days of your childhood. I suppose the big thing about adulthood for kids is the liberty to do whatever you want. No bed times,…
Couple of Pairs – Risotto con Vino Rosso, Rosmarino e Cipolla Caramellata
As it was Valentine’s Day just about a week ago, maybe it is appropriate to talk about pairs in this post. I’m not actually sure if Italians really celebrate Valentine’s Day or whether it is one of those American things that was imported to all Europeans by romantic Hollywood movies and clever marketing people. Commercial,…
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