Tag: Italian bakery

The first time I’ve tried garlic bread it wasn’t actually at my Grandma’s. In fact the person who introduced me to the tastiest garlic bread I’ve ever had is Mrs. Frances from Buffalo New York.

I don’t know if you’ve read a little about her story, so I’m going to shortly introduce Mrs. Frances to you.

[Mrs. Frances story and recipes are included in my new Book:
“Discovering Italy. Mediterranean cooking and lifestyle. Recipes and stories from Tuscany and more”
To See the Book>>> Click Here]

… It was in the late nineties when from my small town in Tuscany I flew to the USA and spent a year in Buffalo NY with Mrs. Frances and her family. We had an awesome time together and most of all we enjoyed trying different recipes from both our cultures so we would plan theme parties and dinners filled with delicious Italian or American recipes and sometimes both.

One night I was about to make my special chicken recipe (which I will tell you about in more details later on in this post) and she suggested that we made garlic bread to go with it.

When I went back to Tuscany I made garlic bread for my Grandma and she loved it although she still prefers her own version.

But let’s get back to party night…It was me, Mrs. Frances, her husband Leo, her son Anthony and various guests who were going to come over: friends, coworkers and neighbors.

Mrs. Frances and I went grocery shopping the night before the party, we started cooking in the morning just like my Italian Grandma would have done: “start cooking early so that everything is ready on time and…there’s time left to make a little extra”!

So the main course was going to be my special chicken recipe. As an appetizer we were going to make my special baked dried prunes with bacon (yes, don’t worry I’ll reveal the recipe to you before the end of this article!). Then she suggested garlic bread (different variation and alternatives) and as dessert all American chocolate chips cookies and peanut butter blossoms.

Continue reading “Garlic bread: variations and alternatives” →

<<Have you ever tried authentic Focaccia bread?>>

Authentic in this case means authentic Italian Focaccia bread but in fact, if someone ever asks you such a question, you have to reply:

<<what do you mean by “authentic”>>?

Authentic Focaccia bread from Liguria (the Italian Riviera), from Puglia (a region of southern Italy) or Focaccia bread from Susa (that is sweet Focaccia from the northern area)? .. And you thought it was a simple question, right?

Whenever Grandma and I travel from the Piedmont Region down to Tuscany (where we live) we always “have to” stop at Recco and eat Focaccia bread.

In the Liguria area you’ll find many different kind of Focaccia bread toppings like rosemary Focaccia, Focaccia with black olives and coarse sea salt on top, Focaccia bread with onions (I love this one!). But the most typical around here is Focaccia di Recco (from the town Recco) filled with Stracchino soft fresh cheese.

Focaccia bread from Recco consists of two layers of dough filled with Stracchino cheese and baked in the oven. You should eat this warm to enjoy it the real Italian way! The dough of Focaccia di Recco is worked real thin and it’s similar to pizza and bread dough.

Continue reading “Focaccia Bread Recipes [and a sweet version]” →