Italian food and drink

‘It knocks your head off!’ How limoncello became a sudden, surprising, soaring success

When I was in northern Italy this month, I spotted the same sunshine-yellow drink wherever I went. Limoncello spritz – sweet-sharp lemon-flavoured liqueur, mixed with prosecco and soda water...

Cocktail of the week: Bibo’s dark boulevard – recipe | The good mixer

This twist on the boulevardier merges the bitterness of Campari with the deep, rich notes of dark chocolate....

Beans means wines: how to match wines with pulses and beans

Pulses were among the first cultivated plants, grown since our hunter-gatherer forebears began developing agrarian communities around 11,000...

Cocktail of the week: Cardinal’s Cinderella Rockefella – recipe

This drink came about because so many customers were ordering manhattans over something from our house cocktail list...

Ageing tastefully: the enduring appeal of old vine wines

“I call them ‘human wines’, not ‘natural wines’,” says renowned winemaker Salvo Foti as we stand in the...

Store cupboard saviours: how to make the most out of tinned sardines – recipes

Little fish, big flavour. A tin of silvery sardines bathed in oil or tomato will give you a headstart on dinner, whether they’re left...

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for tomato crumble | A kitchen in Rome

Two years ago, a friend bought me a book at an auction. “Dear friend, will you accept this little book?” she joked, before handing...

How to turn stale bread into pasta – recipe

The Italians are longtime masters of zero-waste cooking, and many of their most classic dishes are naturally thrifty and waste-averse. They have numerous bread-saving...

Crab and corn risotto and fig tarte tatin: the Unruly Pig’s late summer gastropub treats

Given the choice, I always choose crab over lobster, and I think most professional cooks would do the same. Fresh crab offers the best...

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for baked chicken with tomatoes, and a green bean salad | A kitchen in Rome

The male wears silky, orange-red feathers, has deep-purple wings and a highly exaggerated wattle and comb, while the female has soft, rusty-brown plumage and...