Author: mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine

La Cucina Italiana… for Everyone, Anywhere in the World. Francesca&Marinella, two Italian food-wine lover friends met outside Italy, now living in Copenhagen and Zurich, but still cooking “together” the recipes of our Cucina Italiana, suitable for everyone, anywhere in the world.

Matching Italian Food and Wine: Parmigiana Style Tart and “Il Sangiovese” Red Wine – Noelia Ricci

~ mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine ~ 1 Comment

This week we want you to bring to your table the Mediterranean colors and flavours. With this super easy tart you will impress your guests pairing it with a glass of “Il Sangiovese” red wine. This Noelia Ricci wine is well structured with good acidity and a pleasantly lingering finish. It features a light-medium body, fresh fruit notes of blackberry and raspberry. This wine is easy to drink and perfect for accompanying an Apero’, but just be careful because one glass leads to another!

*This wine is imported to Denmark by Vinimondo.dk, a wine wholesaler that works with some of the best wine suppliers in Italy, Portugal, France and Spain.

🍷Francesca & Marinella🍴

Continue reading “Matching Italian Food and Wine: Parmigiana Style Tart and “Il Sangiovese” Red Wine – Noelia Ricci” →

A Truly Italian Recipe: Spaghetti with Peperoni Cruschi and Breadcrumbs

~ mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine ~ 1 Comment

During the recent event named “True Italian Taste” organised by the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Switzerland, we got to know many Italian products which are the feather in the cap of the Italian cuisine, among many excellent wine brands. The first of all, the Cruschi Peppers, also called Peperoni Cruschi or Peperoni di Senise from the Basilicata, the Region they represent. The Peperoni di Senise are sun dried in the late summer and then fried to become Cruschi (which means crunchy). When they are fried, they are very good as a ready-to-eat snack, but also good to add a strong flavour to many dishes.

We have to thank Da Vinzi, an Italian wholesaler who imports many niche products from the Basilicata region to Switzerland, for making us taste his Peperoni Cruschi, the bronze drawn Spaghetti and his extra virgin olive oil. All these high quality products made the following recipe a sophisticated dish, despite its simplicity. To paraphrase the Da Vinzi slogan : “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.

If you want to know more about the Basilicata Region and the European Capital of Culture Matera, follow the links below:

About Matera
Orecchiette Pasta and Sweet Ricotta Calzoni from Matera

🍷Francesca & Marinella🍴

Continue reading “A Truly Italian Recipe: Spaghetti with Peperoni Cruschi and Breadcrumbs” →

Matching Italian Food and Wine: Mussels au Gratin – La Gioiosa “Ca’ Divo” Spumante Extra Dry

~ mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine ~ 1 Comment

Mussels au gratin are a flavorful seafood appetizer. It features mussels with the shell, stuffed with a filling composed of breadcrumbs and grated cheese, all scented with parsley and lemon peel.
This seafood appetiser goes very well with a glass of a chilled sparkling Extra Dry “Ca’ Divo” Spumante.

This delicate Spumante, made from the Glera, Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco grapes, presents the typical fruit of the Prosecco wine, natural bubbles and a green apple curd flavor, among with the tropical aromas of the Chardonnay grape. The presence of the Pinot Bianco adds a touch of elegance and gives the wine a creamy fullness.

*This wine is imported to Denmark by Vinimondo.dk, a wine wholesaler that works with some of the best wine suppliers in Italy, Portugal, France and Spain.

🍷Francesca & Marinella🍴

Continue reading “Matching Italian Food and Wine: Mussels au Gratin – La Gioiosa “Ca’ Divo” Spumante Extra Dry” →

A Mediterranean Twist to your BBQ

~ mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine ~ 3 Comments

BBQ season is finally here… or at least it should be! Despite the quirky weather, we are ready for the summer BBQ parties in all-Italian style. Let’s start by preparing grilled zucchini and peppers, and baked crushed potatoes to be served beside a tasty piece of meat.

If this summer you happen to be in Apulia (South Italy) and you would like to try a local meat BBQ accompanied by crushed baked potatoes, don’t miss a stop in a macelleria ( butcher’s shop ) – restaurant in one of the charming towns of the Itria Valley like Cisternino or Locorotondo. The original recipe of this potato dish requires being cooked under the hot ashes of the fireplace, wrapped in aluminium sheet. We are showing you an easier version to make at home without losing the distinctive taste of this side dish.

🍷Francesca & Marinella🍴

Continue reading “A Mediterranean Twist to your BBQ” →

A Genius Dessert: Affogato al Caffè – Pistachio Ice Cream with Espresso Coffee

~ mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine ~ Leave a comment

The genius thing about this Pistachio Ice Cream with Espresso Coffee is that you need no longer than 5 minutes to prepare this impressive dessert.

The only suggestion we would like to recommend is to prepare a real Italian Espresso coffee, either with a moka pot or with an espresso machine. ☕

🍷Francesca & Marinella🍴

Continue reading “A Genius Dessert: Affogato al Caffè – Pistachio Ice Cream with Espresso Coffee” →

A Mid-Week’s Dinner Idea: Tuna Loaf and Salsa Verde

~ mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine ~ Leave a comment

This mid-week’s dinner recipe is mainly prepared with tuna fish. This dish is present all over Italy, but every family has their own traditional recipe. We wanted to give a distinctive touch, deciding to serve it with a salsa verde, a recipe we inherited by one of our Nonne. We do hope that you appreciate our own version. 

🍷Francesca & Marinella🍴

Continue reading “A Mid-Week’s Dinner Idea: Tuna Loaf and Salsa Verde” →

Matching Italian Food and Wine: Spaghetti with Seafood – “Elementi” Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC White Wine*

~ mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine ~ Leave a comment

There isn’t a better pairing than the Trebbiano d’Abruzzo white wine and a luscious dish of Spaghetti with seafood. There isn’t a better place to enjoy them than in an Italian restaurant with a sea view and the relaxing sound of waves! Even just imagining that makes me immerse in the Italian holiday atmosphere. A steaming and flavoured dish of seafood Spaghetti under your nose will accentuate this feeling even more ;).

The Trebbiano d’Abruzzo white wine is the equivalent of the red wine Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. The “Elementi” Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC wine is produced following a certified biodynamic farming regime. The wine is golden in color, typically dry with a delicate bouquet and a refreshing, crisp acidity. It is a representative product of a territory where the thermal shock caused by the proximity to the mountains makes the scents of Mediterranean scrub more intense, with a palate of freshness and persistence.

*This wine is imported to Denmark byVinimondo.dk, a wine wholesaler that works with some of the best wine suppliers in Italy, Portugal, France and Spain.

🍷Francesca & Marinella🍴

Continue reading “Matching Italian Food and Wine: Spaghetti with Seafood – “Elementi” Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC White Wine*” →

Prosecco Wine-Fresh Berries with Semi-Whipped Cream

~ mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine ~ Leave a comment

If you have a bunch of strawberries, or of any other fresh berries, a glass of a sparkling Prosecco wine, a cup of fresh cream, and five minutes of time, then this recipe is tailor- made for you.

We wish to thank the Granarolo group for letting us try their fresh cream.

🍷Francesca & Marinella🍴

Continue reading “Prosecco Wine-Fresh Berries with Semi-Whipped Cream” →

Matching Italian Food and Wine: Avocado and Smoked Salmon Tartare – La Gioiosa Spumante “Rosea Brut”*.

~ mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine ~ 1 Comment

The colour of this Spumante wine from theValdobbiadene area, in the northeastern corner of Italy, is a delicate pink with violet reflexes, while the nose is fruity with red and blue stone fruit.

You can enjoy La Gioiosa Spumante Rosea Brut either as a welcome drink or to be served in an afternoon aperitif.

To enhance the freshness of this sparkling Spumante , we have paired it with a light salmon and avocado tartare. Cin Cin!

*This wine is imported to Denmark byVinimondo.dk, a wine wholesaler that works with some of the best wine suppliers in Italy, Portugal, France and Spain.

🍷Francesca & Marinella🍴

Continue reading “Matching Italian Food and Wine: Avocado and Smoked Salmon Tartare – La Gioiosa Spumante “Rosea Brut”*.” →

A Classic Italian Easter Cake from Naples: La Pastiera

~ mad & delicacy - Italian Food and Wine ~ Leave a comment

The Pastiera is a traditional Neapolitan cake that can’t be missed on the table in Naples and its surrounding area, especially during Easter. Most likely, the cake you’ll eat during Easter won’t be the one you prepared, but rather the one that a friend of yours, or a neighbour, offered to you. It is in fact tradition to give the Pastiera as a present to the ones you care for. As the process of preparing the Pastiera is fairly long, but not complicated at all, you have to begin making it on the Thursday (or Friday) before Easter. This way, you will have all the time to go visit your friend with a fragrant Pastiera and wish him Happy Easter!

Many thanks to our friend Francesca from Naples, (@asheepinthekitchen), for revealing us the secrets to prepare a traditional Easter Pastiera.

🍷Francesca & Marinella🍴

Continue reading “A Classic Italian Easter Cake from Naples: La Pastiera” →