This is a throwback from last year’s December, 4th: that one was for patrons only, this one is published for everybody. Plum Porridge, is described by Alison Weir as «a thick broth from mutton or beef, boiled in a skin with plums, spices, dried fruits, breadcrumbs and wine». Flour was added in late XVI Century, […]
On Friday evening, we went to see a Rocky Horror Show rendition put together for the 50th Anniversary of the show, and currently touring Europe. I don’t even know how many times we’ve seen this anymore: every time a new group comes to town, we try and grab a ticket. We missed them last year, […]
The recipe is taken from Thomas Dawson’s The Good Huswifes Jewell (1596), and it’s for a variety of long-lasting bread that was usually not particularly tasty, and it’s called this way because it’s cooked twice, like a biscuit. Alternative versions and an amended, modern one are available on this page. Ingredients: 450 grams of flour; […]
As a passionate geometry student since I was a kid, Morandi and De Chirico have always fascinated me, though I must admit they don’t always spark an emotional response in me. Palazzo Reale dedicates to the metaphysical Italian painter Giorgio Morandi a neat exhibition, curated by Maria Cristina Bandera. She’s Director of the Roberto Longhi […]
The dish is also known as Capons in Dorre, and it features in MS Pepys’ Gentyll Manly Cokere (1490). You can read the original here, alongside some translations. Grind blanched almonds, temper them up with clear water and stir until it starts to look like milk. Strain the mixture, place it in a pot and […]
December starts on a Friday this year, and Friday used to mean fish, so let’s stick with tradition. It always amazes me how many people haven’t tasted eel, which is traditional in my part of Italy, but let’s not be like cooking blogs, so… recipe first. Spit-roasted Eel Ingredients (serves 4 people) 800 grams of […]
As many of you know, the novel I’m working on has flashbacks from Tudor times, and some characters come from that Era. I have a ton of notes of stuff which didn’t make it into the book and it’s customary for me to do a daily post throughout December, leading up to Christmas, so this […]
I’ve been sharing with you my writing journey for a while now, either here, on the Blog or on my social platforms (mostly The App Formerly Known as Twitter), and one of the most recent developments is that I’ve closed deals with different readers to get a look at my most developed draft. Specifically, one […]
Let me start with one simple but fundamental assumption: I hate Rodin. Not artistically, of course, but I think he was a sick piece of shit and a bastard through and through, who used women, abused Camille Claudel both emotionally and artistically, stole her stuff, and up to these days we still say she “died […]
I’ve been following Ioanna Papadopoulou on Twitter for quite some time now, and I know how passionate she is about mythology, folklore and her Greek heritage. I also knew she was working on what she called “a dark retelling” of the myth of Demeter, and I knew I was going to buy the book because […]