• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

LA BELLA VITA

The Art of Italian Living

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cooking Classes
  • Culinary Tours

Cookies for Breakfast
Italian Wholegrain Breakfast Cookies {GF}

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Spiced Brown Butter
Gnocchi di Patate Dolci al Burro Nocciola Speziato

Busiate with Trapanese Pesto
Busiate al Pesto Trapanese

Inspiration in your inbox!

Get posts & recipes by email.

March 24, 2023 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Cookies for Breakfast
Italian Wholegrain Breakfast Cookies {GF}

Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please, or rather, si’ grazie! And that’s exactly what I eat in Italy, where a light breakfast of Italian croissant (called cornetto or brioche) or a few cookies dipped into frothy cappuccino or caffe’ latte is customary. No eggs and bacon for breakfast here, which are reserved for spaghetti alla carbonara…

Read More

January 29, 2023 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Spiced Brown Butter
Gnocchi di Patate Dolci al Burro Nocciola Speziato

Sometimes, inspiration strikes just when you need it and that’s exactly how this recipe was born. It was a cold, grey winter day and I craved potato gnocchi for comfort. Only I didn’t have any russet potatoes on hand. What I did have, however, was a nice big Jewel sweet potato. Pear shaped with dark orange…

Read More

September 7, 2021 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Busiate with Trapanese Pesto
Busiate al Pesto Trapanese

Nothing says summer like sun kissed tomatoes—ripe, juicy, and bursting with flavor. And, nothing says summer pasta like Busiate with Trapanese Pesto (Busiate al Pesto Trapanese) starring those peak-season, sun saturated tomatoes. Yes, tomatoes in pesto. It’s the “other” pesto—a sultry, seductive southern Italian version of the Genovese classic. This ethereal pasta dish comes from…

Read More

July 22, 2021 By Deborah Dal Fovo 3 Comments

Apricot Almond Cake
Torta di Mandorle e Albicocche

apricot almond cake with crown of slivered almonds

Funny how what goes around comes around…even in cake making! This Apricot Almond Cake has its origins decades ago when I was living in the countryside of Tuscany and the fruit trees on our property had an unexpected bumper crop one year and I found myself with bushels of apricots to make use of. Some…

Read More

June 17, 2021 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Apricots in Vanilla Syrup
Albicocche Sciroppate

Apricots in Vanilla Syrup

Carpe diem! That’s the Latin phrase meaning “seize the day” and it was exactly what I did when I spotted the first apricots of the year at my farmers’ market. While I always prepare jam with summer apricots, this fruit was so small and perfect that I decided to make my Apricots in Vanilla Syrup…

Read More

February 15, 2020 By Deborah Dal Fovo 2 Comments

PROOF IN THE PUDDING
MAGIC LEMON PUDDING {GLUTEN AND DAIRY FREE RECIPE}

magic lemon pudding on blue plate

Once in a blue moon, I come across a recipe that surprises me. This Magic Lemon Pudding is one of those. When my food writing mentor and friend, Tori Ritchie, posted a genius recipe for Lemon Meringue Pudding on her blog, I was intrigued. She found it in her mother’s recipe box and it was an…

Read More

April 18, 2019 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

SAVORY EASTER TART
TORTA SALATA PASQUALE

savory-easter-tart

Easter is a time of new beginnings. Of transformation and rebirth. So, why not give a traditional dish new life with a modern update? That’s precisely what I was thinking when I did a riff on the classic Italian Easter pie, Torta Pasqualina, to create my Savory Easter Tart. Don’t get me wrong—I love Torta Pasqualina with…

Read More

February 14, 2019 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

BITTERSWEET LOVE {SALAD}
Blood Orange, Arugula & Red Onion Salad

bittersweet love salad

For lovers around the world, Valentine’s Day is a giddy time to celebrate shared love with hearts and flowers, candy and candle-lit dinners. But what about those of us who are love-less? The ones who lost love, were betrayed in love, or for whom love never even bothered to show up. You know, the kind…

Read More

January 21, 2019 By Deborah Dal Fovo 4 Comments

Ribollita
Tuscan Bread & Vegetable Soup

ribollita with spoon

Brrrr, it’s cold outside. The perfect time to make a big pot of Ribollita, the iconic Florentine soup that appears on every restaurant menu in Tuscany and beyond each winter. In fact, it’s so popular that the entire Tuscan region has adopted it as its own. Ribollita is the queen of la cucina povera Toscana—Tuscan peasant cooking—and…

Read More

February 13, 2017 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day Dinner:
Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

Beet Pasta Ravioli with Ricotta and Radicchio Filling

How do I love thee? Let me count the ravioli. Seriously, there’s no better way to say “I love you” than with a plate of handmade pasta lovingly crafted and offered as a token of your affection. After all, you put a little bit of yourself into every bite by kneading, rolling and shaping the…

Read More

January 27, 2017 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Patience and persimmons
Persimmon and Pecan Bread

Persimmon and Pecan Bread - Hachiya persimmon pulp is the star ingredient in this irresistibly fragrant fruit and nut bread.

It’s often said that patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait. This is especially true when it comes to Hachiya persimmons, an obscure and misunderstood winter fruit known as kaki to the Japanese and cachi to Italians. These persimmons are often confused with the flatter Fuyu variety that is eaten firm…

Read More

December 20, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 2 Comments

Sweet Italian Christmas:
Panettone Filled with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Hazelnuts

Most Italians would agree with me when I say that it wouldn’t be Christmas without Panettone. This golden dome-shaped sweet bread studded with raisins, candied orange peel and citron, that traditionally makes its appearance for Christmas and New Year, is a must to celebrate the holidays in Italy. You see them everywhere from artisan bakery windows to specialty stores and supermarkets, wrapped in…

Read More

November 5, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Tuscany in California: Schiacciata con l’uva
Tuscan Grape Focaccia

Grape Focaccia - Schiacciata con l'uva: A sweet wine harvest flatbread from Tuscany made with layers of bread dough filled and topped with wine harvest grapes and sugar. When baked, the grapes and sugar meld together to create a jammy center with crunchy seeds. Simply deliziosa!

When I lived in Tuscany, autumn’s arrival each year was heralded by a sudden flurry of activity in the countryside. The spell of summer’s lazy lull was broken by a revived energy as locals awakened from their sleepy trance eager to return to normal routine. One of the first signs of this risveglio was the annual wine harvest called la vendemmia. As if beckoned by the waving of a flag at the starting…

Read More

October 16, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

An Ode to Pasta:
Straw and Hay Pasta with Truffles

An Ode to Pasta - Handmade egg and spinach pasta ribbons simply dressed with butter sauce and adorned with fragrant truffle shavings is the ultimate delicacy and ode to pasta.

Today, October 17, is National Pasta Day! To celebrate, I’m honored to partner with premier Italian cookware maker Lagostina for my first ever giveaway. I’m giving a Lagostina Martellata Hammered Copper Pastaiola, like the one you see in this post, to one of lucky readers/followers (a $249.99 retail value!!). Lagostina gave me one of these beautiful pots to make my recipe for pasta day…

Read More

September 23, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 2 Comments

Sweet September:
Pork Tenderloin with Figs and Balsamic Sauce

A funny thing happened last week while I was thinking about writing this recipe post: my friend Dorothy invited me to an impromptu dinner at her house. I jumped in my car and headed down the hill before remembering her mention that the fig tree in her garden was particularly bountiful this year. So I turned around and went home to grab…

Read More

August 30, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo Leave a Comment

Savoring Summer
Baked Sunset Peaches with Amaretti Filling

Baked Sunset Peaches with Amaretti Filling - Yellow peach halves are filled with fragrant ground almonds, sugar and fruit pulp then baked until luscious and gloriously golden with ruby red rims.

When I was a little girl, I used to play a secret game at the dinner table. I would identify my favorite food on the plate and save a bit of it off to one side to enjoy last. I wanted the special taste to linger in my mouth—and in my mind—after the meal ended. When dinner was almost over,…

Read More

August 27, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 5 Comments

Love & Pasta
Spaghetti all’Amatriciana

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana - This world reknowned dish hails from the town of Amatrice and was adopted by Rome as one of its signature dishes. It's made with cured pork jowl bacon, tomatoes, garlic and - of course - spaghetti or bucatini. Simply deliziosa!

Everyone knows the world famous Pasta all’Amatriciana. You’ve most likely eaten it at your favorite Italian restaurant or (if you were lucky) during a trip to Rome, the city that adopted it as its own. But you probably didn’t know that this pasta dish—one of Italy’s greatest—originated in the ancient, hillside town of Amatrice located in central Italy 140 kilometers from Rome….

Read More

August 15, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 2 Comments

The Sweet Taste of Summer
Peperonata Crostini

Peperonata Crostini – Colorful, sweet and tangy Peperonata makes a vibrant and tasty topping for toasted bread as an irresistible appetizer.

When life gives you peppers, you make Peperonata. Then you make Peperonata Crostini to accompany a pre-dinner glass of wine to tease the taste buds and get the party started. That’s exactly what I did this summer in Italy. We invited last minute guests to dinner and I needed bite size appetizers to serve with the aperitivi. When my friend…

Read More

June 24, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 4 Comments

You say tomato, I say “Pomodori al Riso”
Baked Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

Baked Rice Stuffed Tomatoes - Pomodori al Riso is a beloved Roman summer dish featuring intensely flavored tomatoes filled with garlic and herb scented rice then baked until wrinkly on a sea of golden potatoes. Simply deliziosi!

No sooner did I set foot in Italy last summer than the entertaining began. We just arrived in Tuscany and there was already a huge bash happening that night at the villa to celebrate Gianni’s niece’s 18th birthday. A gran gala complete with all the trimmings of an A-list affair had been in the planning…

Read More

June 10, 2016 By Deborah Dal Fovo 9 Comments

A Warm Welcome Home – My Return to Tuscany
Tuscan Farro and Bean Soup

Chef Deborah Dal Fovo at her kitchen door in Tuscany

It was almost midnight when the loud ping of my cell phone announced a message had arrived on WhatsApp. Must be from Italy, I thought, since all my friends here in California were probably asleep. I clicked open the phone, unprepared for the emotional surprise it held. “Gallena vi aspetta!” read the exclamation beneath a photo,…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

ABOUT ME:

Ciao, I'm Italian chef & cooking expert Deborah Dal Fovo and welcome to my delicious world! In this blog I share my art of creating the beautiful Italian lifestyle known as "la bella vita". Enjoy! Read More…

STAY CONNECTED:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

“TASTE TRENTINO!” CULINARY TOUR:

collage-trentino-500 Join me for TASTE TRENTINO CULINARY TOUR IN THE DOLOMITES, my 7-day/6-night gastronomic adventure in the breathtaking Italian Alps from June 18-24, 2023 and September 3-9 2023. Reserve your spot now!
See More →

Get Inspired! Follow La Bella Vita.

LATEST INSTAGRAM POSTS:

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

RECENT POSTS:

  • Cookies for Breakfast
    Italian Wholegrain Breakfast Cookies {GF}
  • Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Spiced Brown Butter
    Gnocchi di Patate Dolci al Burro Nocciola Speziato
  • Busiate with Trapanese Pesto
    Busiate al Pesto Trapanese
  • Apricot Almond Cake
    Torta di Mandorle e Albicocche

POPULAR POSTS:

Cookies for Breakfast
Italian Wholegrain Breakfast Cookies {GF}

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Spiced Brown Butter
Gnocchi di Patate Dolci al Burro Nocciola Speziato

Busiate with Trapanese Pesto
Busiate al Pesto Trapanese

apricot almond cake with crown of slivered almonds

Apricot Almond Cake
Torta di Mandorle e Albicocche

Footer

Menu:

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cooking Classes
  • Culinary Tours

LATEST INSTAGRAM POSTS:

Baking tip: here’s my secret to getting the perf Baking tip: here’s my secret to getting the perfect split down the center of banana breads and loaf cakes. Pour the batter into a prepared pan and level it by shaking the pan. Then use a sharp knife to score a straight line down the middle of the loaf. Voilà…picture perfect split every time!

#baking #bakingtips #bananabread #loafcake #loafbread #cookingtips #cake #cakesofinstagram #food52 #feedfeed #deborahcooks #cheftips #cakereel
💚 Here’s a storage tip@from@my kitchen to you 💚 Here’s a storage tip@from@my kitchen to yours! 
My homemade Italian Wholegrain Breakfast Cookies for perfectly into 12-ounce glass jars with screw tops. They stay beautifully crisp (and beautiful to look at on your counter) and ready to dip into morning cappuccino. Get my recipe and tutorial for these healthy breakfast cookies in my previous post and on my blog (tap the link in my bio). 

Follow me for more cooking tips and Italian recipes 💚

#italiancooking #italianfood #italianchef #cookingtips #recipe #cookingvideo #cheftips #foodstorage #breakfast #breakfastcookies #cookiesforbreakfast #wholecookies #italiancookies #healthycookies #cooking #kitchentips #storagetip deborahskitchen #deborahsitaliankitchen #cookingwithdeborah
☀️Buongiorno e buona colazione ~ good morning ☀️Buongiorno e buona colazione ~ good morning and good breakfast! These healthy oat cookies are my homemade dupe of the popular wholegrain Italian breakfast cookie, ‘Gran Cereale’ (meaning big cereal) biscotti by Mulino Bianco. Crunchy and barely sweet, they’re high in fiber and flavor with a satisfying texture and taste. These cookies are my go-to breakfast in Italy and I developed this recipe to replicate at home, making them gluten-free and super digestible with oat flour and plant based milk for an even healthier cookie (although you can use whole wheat flour and cow’s milk for the OG biscotti). Dip these crisp, honey-kissed cookies into a frothy cappuccino and pretend you’re in Italy! 

Get my recipe on the blog by tapping on the link in my bio or visit: http://www.theartofitalianliving.com/

#italianfood #italiancooking #italianchef #italiancookies #cookies #biscotti #cookiesforbreakfast #grancereal #oatcookies #wholegraincookies #baking #cooking #breakfast #breakfastcookies #recipe #cookingvideo #reels #deborahskitchen #deborahcooks #deborahsitaliankitchen
I welcome the equinox and first day of Spring 🌿 I welcome the equinox and first day of Spring 🌿 with a reverent bow of gratitude to Mother Nature and offering of my asparagus risotto 💚. Amen 🙏. 
Benvenuta Primavera!

@risobuono 

#italianfood #italiancooking #italianchef #spring #springtime #springhassprung #asparagus #risotto #rice #risobuono #comfortfood #italianentertaining #labellavita #theartofitalianliving #deborahsitaliankitchen #deborahcooks
Crostata is Italian pie in both sweet and savory v Crostata is Italian pie in both sweet and savory versions. Here are some of mine in the works and ready to serve (scroll to view). What’s your fave pie or crostata?
Happy Pi (π) Day!

#italianfood #italiancooking #italianchef #baking #pie #piday #pastry #pastrychef #piesofinstagram
Nothing like a rainy day (or month!!) 🌧️🌧️ to tweak my recipe for homemade Gran Cereale breakfast biscotti. It’ll be coming to you soon…with sunshine I hope ☀️!

#italianfood #italianchef #recipe #recipedevelopment #biscotti #baking #cookies #breakfast #grancereale #mulinobianco #homemade #colazione #biscottiforbreakfast #cookiesforbreakfast #oats #oatcookies #reels
Follow up news on the Italian Mimosa Cake I made f Follow up news on the Italian Mimosa Cake I made for International Women’s Day yesterday (see previous post with video). It’s now gone and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite 😋. So light and delicate that it hardly had any calories 😂. I did make it with homemade GF sponge cake though 😇. I’ll post the recipe for next year’s #internationalwomensday ~ promise, but hold me to it🤞. 

#italiancooking #italianchef #womensday #internationalwomensday #festadelladonna #cake #mimosacake #tortamimosa #baking #cooking #learntocook #deborahskitchen #deborahsitaliankitchen #cookingwithdeborah #sweetlife #dolcevita #itsmydream #dream
🌼 Italian Mimosa Cake for Women’s Day🌼 To 🌼 Italian Mimosa Cake for Women’s Day🌼
To all my soul sisters out there…this cake is for you (it’s GF too)! Torta Mimosa is the traditional cake for International Women’s Day (Festa della Donna) in Italy, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather share it with more than all my lady friends and followers who support and nurture me to do the work I love every single day. 

Love you all! Happy Women’s Day 💛

#italiancooking #italianchef #womensday #internationalwomensday #festadelladonna #cake #mimosacake #tortamimosa #baking #cooking #learntocook #deborahskitchen #deborahsitaliankitchen #cookingwithdeborah #sweetlife #dolcevita
❤️Cooking tip from my kitchen to yours! Ever ❤️Cooking tip from my kitchen to yours!

Ever open a can or tube of tomato paste to use a little bit then forget it in the refrigerator too long? It goes bad after a couple months and is a shame to waste. Instead, transfer tomato paste to a freezer bag labeled with name and date. Lay it on a baking sheet and press into a flat layer about ¼ inch thick, making sure to press out all the air before sealing shut. I use a pastry scraper to smooth tomato paste and press out air. Freeze the bag of tomato paste until solid, then store it upright in the freezer to save space. It’s so thin and takes up no space at all! 

Tomato paste lasts 3 to 6 months in the freezer as opposed to 2 months in the tube or container (if using canned paste, always transfer what you don’t use to another container before refrigerating). When you need tomato paste, just break off as much as you need (it’s easy to see a tablespoon amount) and toss it frozen into your pan. I always have fresh tomato paste in my freezer 🥰. 

No more tomato paste waste❣️

Follow me for more cooking tips. 
Ciao ciao 👋 

#italiancooking #italianchef #cheftips #cookingtips #freezingfood #tomatopaste #howtocook #cooking #learntocook #deborahskitchen #deborahsitaliankitchen #cookingwithdeborah #frozenfoods #tomatoes
🎁 MY BIRTHDAY GIFT TO YOU! 🎁 It’s my birth 🎁 MY BIRTHDAY GIFT TO YOU! 🎁
It’s my birthday 🎂 but I want to give you a gift! I’m offering a $250 discount on bookings to my 2023 Taste Trentino Culinary Tours in the Dolomites. This gift is good for either of my 2023 tours—June 18-24 or September 3-9—and valid for reservations made by March 8, 2023. Just reserve your spot on my website before March 8 to get my birthday discount. Space is limited, so first come, first served cake : ).

As an official daughter of the Dolomites ⛰️⛰️, my tours are insider views of the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy—a hidden gem in the Italian Alps 💎that everyone’s talking about as the new must-visit travel destination. 

Join me for Taste Trentino Culinary Tour—a food & wine adventure in the Dolomites! Tap on the link in my bio to visit the website and reserve your spot: http://deborahdalfovo.com/italy-culinary-tours/trentino-overview/

#travel #italy #italytravel #travelitaly #culinarytour #dolomites #dolomiti #trentino #trentinoaltoadige #cookinginitaly #italianalps #foodtravel #foodandwine #traveltuesday #travelandleisure #cntraveler #nytimestravel
Load More Follow on Instagram

Stay Connected:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

© 2016-2023 Deborah Dal Fovo, La Bella Vita - The Art of Italian Living. All rights reserved.

 

Loading Comments...