Introducing Gina Andracchio, a food lover like no other. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did. Elisabetta

Unfortunately, the Italian appetiser bruschetta is now appearing in nearly every menu all over the world. Why would I say ‘unfortunately’?

My family of origin lives in Italy, so what do you do? Visit them every year, of course!

It was only at the end of week one of my visit to Italy this September that I found myself refolding my jeans back in the suitcase. Horror. They didn’t fit me anymore! After only one week?!

Although you might already know a few Italian dish names, looking at a Italian menu for the first time might feel a little daunting. Especially with no translation!

I’m no food expert, but I get really disappointed when I walk out of an "Italian" restaurant with my plate still full and my belly ... half empty. It is such a shame to see the word Italian flashing in big letters above the entrance of an enticing eatery, when it is clear that no one (owner, chef, staff, ...) has ever set foot in Italy to learn the art of authentic Italian cooking. I wonder if they have ever seen white butter or white mozzarella, ever tasted creamless gelato or fresh ‘passata di pomodoro’.

That evening my husband brought home some pasticcini, small delicious Italian pastries sold in the pasticceria. This is what happened next.

“This tastes great!”. My husband will never say that about the food I cook because … I am not your average Italian: I don’t cook. I am not like those aliens (sorry, I meant people) who RELAX when they sweat behind the stove, dietro i fornelli. Cooking stresses me. In fact, as soon as I turn the gas on I really feel like a 90-year-old person who turns the computer on… no idea what to do next (ok, I am not talking about those 90-year-old “freaks of nature” who know how to send emails!)