ciao tutti! With many opportunities during the prolonged CV Lockdown for everyone to experiment in the kitchen, no doubt the kids will have some interesting and tasty lunches (homemade, self- made) packed into the school bags this week. The Little Cellar Rat finds having much used herbs & spices stored together simplifies and speeds up things.
Her 4 Amigos – Italian herbs, smoky paprika, chilli flakes and cracked paper.
buona cucina… buon appetito!

ciao tutti! The Little Cellar Rat likes basic objects that are multi-functional. Take the humble milk crate: light weight, sturdy, economical. Just for starters…. Good as a mini-table for your coffee and a read + write in the sun, helpful in the garden (now… where did those secateurs go?) as temporary storage, a handy seat if you’re tidying out a low cupboard. (DO NOT however be tempted to use as a stool, right!)
Stay safe, stay sane and remember we are all still journeying together.
CELLAR DOOR OPEN FOR TAKE-AWAYS. 4126 1311
0408 875 305

ciao tutti …. Friday and the overcast sky invites us to find a little spot in the sun. What’s on the menu for lunch? Whatever it is, choose a piece of crockery that brings a smile, summons up memories, makes you laugh out loud or shed a tear… possibly both. buon appetito….. alla prossima!
YES – Cellar Door OPEN today for take-aways. Loving the phone orders so far!! 0408 875 305 4126 1311 mangohillcottagebb@bigpond.com

ciao tutti… It’s Wednesday and those chilly fingers of a southerly are tapping on the windows here on The Hill.

Did someone say CURRY ??? If you haven’t made an acquaintance with these little beauties then now’s the time. KAFFIR LIME LEAVES work magic on just a simple Tinned Pink Salmon Curry. The little Cellar Rat likes to leave them whole, but you can finely shred them.

If you don’t have a ‘Go To Curried Salmon’ recipe, check out ours in the next post . It’s simple enough for the kids to make.

buona cucina … buon appetito … alla prossima!

ciao tutti! A bit of a chill around the workplace this morning? Hmmm…. soup comes to mind which brings the Little Cellar Rat to this morning’s post, a food related Italian idiom.

In English – ‘ every little bit helps’
In Italian – ‘tutto  fa brodo’ (lit: everything makes soup!)
Stay safe, stay sane and remember we are getting through this together. buona cucina… alla prossima!

ciao tutti…. Sunday and is that z-z-z-z-z-z I can hear! You most likely have something in the slow cooker bubbling away and filling the house with aromas that are nourishing and sing of flavour. In the Cellar Rat’s kitchen it’s slow cooked neck lamb chops with the usual suspects of red wine, tomatoes and fresh herbs. If you shy away from lamb because you find it too fatty, here are a few tips from experience and la cucina di Maria:
-cut off as much fat as you can BEFORE you brown lamb (the exception is a leg or shoulder to be roasted)
-spoon off any fat that remains at the end but you can also use several layers of paper towelling (one at a time) or throw in some ice cubes and watch the fat solidify. Sure, you can chill and remove later but if you want to enjoy immediately, these work for TLCR.
buona cucina! bun appetito!

Ciao tutti!  Friday and the end of the working week and it’s back to food.

Every cusine has its ‘go-to’ product, used as a staple for whipping up a meal in minutes and permeating so many recipes.  For Italians it has to be BASIL PESTO. The Little Cellar Rat has a pot of beautiful big-leafed basil in a pot outside the kitchen.  She made a batch last weekend as Mr B is already coming into flower. Next time it will be 50/50BASIL AND BABY SPINACH. Fragrant, creamy and rich, it originated in GENOA the Ligurian capital. FYI  ‘pesto’ comes from the Italian verb ‘pestare’ to pound, you know it already in ‘mortar and pestle’  buona cucina…. Buon appetito!

ciao tutti! Wednesday and brilliant sunshine is on the menu here on the Hill.
Time for Pumpkin Soup. The Little Cellar Rat made a batch on the weekend from Pietro the Pumpkin. She isn’t a fan of gadgets but the Breville Soupmaker is so quick and easy Don’t sniff at the humble large saucepan though. Recipe??? pumpkin, potato to total 700 g, green Thai curry paste, garlic, coconut cream, liquid (water or stock) 750 ml. If using Mr Saucepan, whizz with a stick blender at the end.
buon appetito!! alla prossima.

ciao tutti!  Tuesday are on the Hill and there’a bit to the wind.

The Little Cellar Rat came across these mango leaves during a raking session in the garden earlier this week. In the topsy-turvy world of CV 19,  the cycle of the seasons provides a stability and constancy.  Once green and shiny they are now beautiful and lacey.  Before long they will enrich the mulch heap, reminding us that nothing in nature is wasted but moves to another stage of usefulness.

All around us there is universal beauty to behold.

grazie!   alla prossima!

ciao tutti! How are all the Working From Homers and Schooling from Homers faring?
there’s a chilly wind blowing here today on The Hill.
A change of pace: time for an Italian idiom based on food.

In English we say ‘ That wasn’t my idea!;..the Italians don’t miss an opportunity to bring food into the equation so their expression is ‘non è farina del mio sacco!’ Literally: that’s not flour from my sack.

Stay safe, stay smiling and remember we are getting through this together.
alla prossima!