My absolute, number one, favourite ingredient is for the letter O: Olive Oil. I prefer any type of oil over butter, but the Queen of oils is the one for me. With so many different olive variations, producing techniques and regions, there is an endless supply of this golden liquid. It all started an immense…
Category: Recipes
All recipes categorized.
M is for Mozzarella
I’ve mentioned mozzarella before in my post about the Joy of Italian Cheeses. But honestly, I feel like this cheese deserves some alone-time in the spotlights. Besides that, I wouldn’t do the Italian cuisine theme of this challenge any justice without writing at least one post about this yummy cheese. How often do you get…
L is for Limoncello
Limoncello. The deliciously acidic lemon infused liqueur so characteristic for Italy. Namely southern Italy, where the most beautiful lemons are produced. Think of the Gulf of Naples, the Amalfi coast, as well as the islands of Capri and Sicily. The lemon liqueur is made of the zest of the lemons, preferably the Sorrento type. The zest,…
F is for Foccacia with Sea Salt, Rosemary, and Olives
After visiting Capri, Emilia-Romagna & San Marino, and Sicily, we’re traveling to yet another region in Italy. It’s time to take a trip to Liguria, in the northwestern part of the boot, neighbouring France. Supposedly, the name derives from the Latin word for hearth or place of baking: focus. Which seems like a probable reason to…
E is for Even More Crostini
Crostini might just be the best thing to have ever been created. I’m not kidding. A crunchy base of bread, infused with garlic and olive oil, topped off with whatever combination of fresh ingredients you can think of. You might’ve noticed the terms bruschetta and crostini being interchanged, although technically they are different. Crostini are typically round…
Week 1 of the A to Z Challenge
The first week of the A-Z Challenge is over! I’ve seen loads of great posts, came across pretty awesome blogs, and got a lot of nice comments myself as well! Thank you so much, guys! Let’s rock the next three weeks! Here’s a re-cap of what I made the last week: A is for Arancini…
D is for Dining in Italy
There is quite an art to dining in Italy. And I mean dining in the formal sense, so not just a meal that you quickly prepare and eat after a long day at work, but an actual sit-down, take-your-time dinner, for celebratory reasons or when dining out with friends. In Italy it’s not just starter, main,…
C is for Caprese
From the coast of Ipanema to the Island of Capri… And that’s where we’ll end our journey. The Island of Capri, located in the Mediterranean Sea on the western shore of the boot of Italy, is the birthplace of one of Italy’s most loved dishes. Well, actually Napels is, but the salad wasn’t named after…
B is for Bustrengo
Forget everything you know about apple pie. I mean literally everything. Cause this Bustrengo is an apple pie like you haven’t had before. Bustrengo is a traditional Sammarinese recipe. Wait what? Sammarinese? What the hell is that? Well, my dear readers, this is the first recipe ever that I know about which originally comes from the…
A is for Arancini
The A-Z Challenge has begun! And day A already brings you so much greatness with these wonderful Arancini. These cuties are Sicilian rice balls. Filled rice balls, mind you. The name derives from the Italian word for oranges, which the rice balls definitely do resemble after you have deep fried them. Although nowadays most of the…
My Favourite Easter Recipes
Easter is almost upon us! Just one working week left, and then it’s time to celebrate and mostly eat lots of stuff. For once in my life, I am actually not in Holland during the holidays. No no, the time has come for me to finally pack my bags and travel to Rome for a…
No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake
You people. You have no idea how happy you make me and how I blessed I feel. All your sweet comments and likes on my blog have made me feel on top of the world. And now there are more than 200 awesome folks following Basil and Oil! To show you how much I care,…
Basil and Oil 