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Halloween Jam Posted by Serena on Oct 8, 2014
Halloween is getting closer, and with it the pumpkins season arrives. What to do with so many pumpkins? Some time ago I wrote a traditional northern Italian recipe for tortelli di zucca (pumpkin tortelli). Today I’m going to give you a recipe from Sicily in the very south of Italy: la marmellata di zucca (pumpkin…
Who’s Who? Posted by Serena on Oct 2, 2014
I’ve often noticed that English speakers who are learning Italian tend to mistakenly use chi instead of che. Of course, they look and sound very similar, and English to Italian dictionaries tend to give chi as the primary translation for who. If only it were that simple! Today we’re going to look at the difference…
Lucky Number Seven – Part 2: Mittens for Kittens Posted by Serena on Sep 23, 2014
“Ahia che male!” Ho le mani tutte rovinate, specialmente la sinistra, perché quando è l’ora della pappa il micino ci si aggrappa disperatamente con le sue unghiette affilatissime e comincia a far la pasta con le zampine anteriori. “Dar da mangiare a questo gattino sta diventando sempre più doloroso, qui bisogna trovare una soluzione. Ecco!…
The Story of Lucky Number Seven – Part 1: Lost and Found Posted by Serena on Sep 16, 2014
Mercoledì scorso, nel pomeriggio, ero seduta in cucina a rammendare le calze di Geoff quando ho sentito uno strano suono, una specie di squittio. Ho alzato la testa e ho visto Geoff scendere le scale con qualcosa in mano. Last Wednesday afternoon I was sitting in the kitchen mending Geoff’s socks when I heard a…
Pier Paolo Pasolini Posted by Serena on Sep 10, 2014
Last week, at the 72nd edition of the Venice Film Festival, the American director Abel Ferrara (of Italian origin) presented his latest film: Pasolini. Interpreted by Willem Dafoe, the film portrays the final hours and tragic death in 1975 of the Italian film director, writer, poet and Marxist intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini, whom Abel Ferrara…
La Peperonata Posted by Serena on Sep 4, 2014
It’s the end of summer, and the sweet capsicums are all ripening on the plants in the orto (vegetable garden): beautiful red and yellow fleshy peppers with their interesting contorted shapes. What can you do with so many peppers? you can grill or roast them, you can stuff them with breadcrumbs following this recipe, you…
An Ice Cream for the Prime Minister Posted by Serena on Sep 2, 2014
Last week’s cover page of the European edition of The Economist carried the image of a sinking paper boat made from a 20 euro note. Standing in the boat are, from right to left: the German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, the French President Francois Hollande, and the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and seated behind…