Just in time for Halloween: Vegan huhu grubs

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Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Tiramisù di Alessandra

I developed this recipe many years ago when I was living in Japan, and it has two particularities:

it is made with cream instead of mascarpone (which was difficult to find then, but then became my signature dish - thus the name!) and the topping is not cocoa but Italian ground coffee. I also like to use whisky, good quality, it makes all the difference!

Tiramisù di Alessandra

Ingredients

3 free range eggs, separated

300ml cream

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp sugar

15ml espresso coffee

15ml whisky

20 (1 x 250g packet) savoiardi or sponge biscuits

espresso coffee powder for dusting (or cocoa)

Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks. Lightly  whip the cream, then fold in the eggs whites and beat together for a few seconds. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks together with 1 tbsp of sugar until runny. Add to the cream and egg white mixture and beat again for a few seconds, In a wide soup bowl mix the espresso coffee, whisky and the remaining sugar and quickly dip the savoiardi biscuits, sugary side only, in the liquid. Arrange the biscuits soaked side up, in a 5cm deep 20x20 serving dish. Spoon over a little more coffee liquid if the biscuits look dry. Spread hald of the cream mixture over the biscuits and repeat with the remaining ingredients, Bang the dish on the working surface to remove any air bubbles in the dessert and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight,. One hour before serving dust with plenty of ground Italian espresso coffee (or cocoa). Refrigerate again, cut into squares and serve.

Recipe by Alessandra Zecchini ©, from the book Sweet As…easy to make desserts and baked treats, New Holland Publishers NZ

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

I like to enter this post for Sweet New Zealand #39, the blogging event open to every one blogging in NZ, and all the Kiwi bloggers living overseas! This month of September is hosted by Lesley at Eat, etc.. Click here to enter! And let me know if you are keen to host Sweet New Zealand in November!

Israeli cous cous with grilled eggplants and capsicums

I cannot wait for summer, capsicums and eggplants! Nearly there, in the meantime I use char grilled veggies preserved in oil, they are very versatile for a quick meal. For this dish I cooked a packet of Israeli cous cous (but fregola pasta is perfect too) with just water and salt, then I drain it and rinse it under cold water to cool it down and separate the 'grains'. I added extra virgin olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, and finely chopped herbs and garlic. Then I mix it with the eggplants. Finally I filled some of the capsicums with it. It needs to rest for a few hours at room temperature, so that the cous cous gets more flavour. Easy and quick, and it makes such an impression!

And now just some pretty things I saw: loved this wallpaper with plates, + real plates!

Cans and tins look good on tables, although I wander if this mackerel was also on the menu too… I don't eat fish so I wouldn't know, and the restaurant, albeit rustic, was not a cheap one!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Festival Italiano 2014 - photos by Joe Shearman

KSDA Kim Santarelli Dance Academy students performing the Tarentella at the Festival Italiano - Auckland

Italian market in Osborne St 

Crowd

Art of Produce stall

Kid's area

Gina's boy

Piazzetta and kids area

Osborne St.

Gina's restaurant

Osborne St

KSDA Kim Santarelli Dance Academy students performing Mambo Italiano at the Festival Italiano - Auckland

United Travel Newmarket stall

Pranzo, Italian lunch

Deanna Tolj and Ken Were from United Travel Newmarket

Luca Manghi and Mary-Ann Di Cesare

Sandro, Renee and Paolo Rotondo

From left: Paolo Rotondo, Festival Italiano MC;
H.E. Carmelo Barbarello, Italian Ambassador in NZ,
Shale Chambers, Chair of the Waitemata Local Board, Mark Knoff-Thomas - Chief Executive New Market Business Association

Face Painting

Selling raffle tickets

Eating area

Face painting

Lunch

Mark Knoff-Thomas - Chief Executive New Market Business Association

Ciro

Eating area

From left, Christopher Dempsey - Waitemata Local Board, Pippa Coom - Deputy Chair Waitemata Local Board, Mike Hannan - Peroni Nastro Azzurro NZ, Alessandra Zecchini, Massimo Ciccioni - Dante Auckland President, Shale Chambers – Chair Waitemata Board, Mark Knoff-Thomas - Chief Executive New Market Business Association, Rob Thomas Waitemata Board 

Osborne St

Fans of Italy

Italian cheeses

Gina's

Alessandro and Spiderman

Cool T-shirts!

Alessandra, John and Fiorella

Luca and Niccolò

Osborne St

From left: In front, Paolo Rotondo, Festival Italiano MC;
Back: H.E. Carmelo Barbarello, Italian Ambassador in NZ, Massimo Ciccioni, President, Dante Alighieri Society,  Mark Knoff-Thomas - Chief Executive New Market Business Association, Shale Chambers, Chair of the Waitemata Local Board

Tastings

Sandro Aduso and Mario Magaraggia

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