by Giuseppe Larosa | Aug 5, 2026 | Tips
Pasta with pistachio pesto can become heavy very quickly when cream is used as the shortcut to a silky sauce. Pistachios already contain plenty of their own fat; what the dish really needs is starchy pasta water, controlled heat and a good emulsion. The result tastes...
by Giuseppe Larosa | Aug 5, 2026 | Tips
Ask two Sicilians for the “true” caponata recipe and you may get a lively conversation before you get dinner. The recognisable core is aubergine, a sweet-and-sour dressing, celery, olives and capers, but then town and family habits take over. Some add peppers, pine...
by Giuseppe Larosa | Aug 5, 2026 | Tips
Sicilian almond paste cookies look almost too simple until you try to make a really good batch. The ingredient list is short, yet the difference between a dry biscuit and a soft, fragrant pastry with a lightly crisp surface comes down to the texture of the dough and a...
by Giuseppe Larosa | Aug 5, 2026 | Tips
Citrus pruning is often treated like an annual appointment: a certain month arrives, the shears come out and the tree is “tidied”. Trees do not work that way. Timing depends on species, climate, harvest, vigour and the actual reason for making a cut. The most useful...
by Giuseppe Larosa | Aug 5, 2026 | Tips
Opening an avocado is a tiny gamble: too early and the flesh is hard, too late and soft dark patches begin to appear. The reason is simple. Avocados are harvested firm and continue a major part of their ripening process after they leave the tree. That means a firm...
by Giuseppe Larosa | Aug 5, 2026 | Tips
At an English breakfast table, “marmalade” and “jam” already sound like different things. In Italian everyday speech, however, marmellata is often used for almost any fruit preserve. Labelling rules are more precise than kitchen conversation, which is where the...
