Italy from the Inside

This is what makes Italian gelato even more delicious

Whipping cream machine- Italy from the Inside

In Italy, every gelateria has either a machine to make whipping cream (panna) or cream already whipped and displayed like regular gelato in the big containers. You can order a cup or a cone of your favorite ice cream and then add some whipping cream on top. You can also ask for some syrup (chocolate, cherry, crème caramel, etc.) to be added on top of your amazing “gelato con panna” (ice cream with whipping cream).

Gelato with whipping cream- Italy from the Inside

In my hometown, Trieste, this is called berlina and it has whipping cream on the bottom, gelato in the middle, more whipping cream, and finally syrup on top.

{This is an excerpt from chapter 4 “Gelaterie and coffeehouses” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”. Buy our eBook on Amazon and leave us a review! If it’s good, you’ll make us happy, if it’s bad, you’ll make us improve. Thank you either way!}

 

How Italians end their meals

Caffè corretto con grappa- Italy from the Inside

Caffè corretto con Grappa

At the end of the meals and after the dessert (and not with it), Italians drink coffee, either a caffè espresso (or simply caffè), or a caffè corretto, which is an espresso with a shot of liquor. Italians don’t use half and half in their coffee. Some Italians take the digestivo (digestive liquor) or amaro to help their stomach deal with such a large amount of food it has to work on. The digestivo (served in small, two-inch-tall glasses) is a bitter liquor made of herbs. In many restaurants, especially in northern Italy, people also drink grappa, which is a very strong liquor made from grape skins (see above).

{This is an excerpt from chapter 3 “ Italian cuisine and food establishments” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”. Buy our eBook on Amazon and leave us a review! If it’s good, you’ll make us happy, if it’s bad, you’ll make us improve. Thank you either way!}

Angela’s chocolate salami

Salame al cioccolato- Italy from the Inside

Last week I had the pleasure to attend an event where my Italian friend Angela, an experienced cook, was demonstrating how to make a super easy and most of all a super quick Italian dessert: il salame al cioccolato. As the name suggests, it does look like a salami for its shape, of course, but also for its marbled appearance (by the way, those are crushed cookies not fat!). The best part, besides that it is made with Nutella, is that you can freeze it for up to a month which means that you’d always have a sweet treat ready when your friends come to visit you for an afternoon caffe’.

Here’s the recipe:

Chocolate salami recipe- Italy from the Inside

If you live in the Seattle area, Angela will be happy to help you with private hands-on classes, catering, kids classes, and more. Visit her website for more information and to see many photos of her delicious Italian dishes.