Tag: Italian Recipes

How to Make a Bombardino, Italy’s Cozy Après-Ski Cocktail

22 December 2025

This warm winter drink tastes like dessert in a mug. Try it for yourself with this recipe by Tuscan Women Cooks.

There’s a certain kind of cold that calls for something richer than mulled wine — something creamy, comforting, and unapologetically indulgent. Enter Bombardino, Italy’s beloved Alpine winter drink, traditionally enjoyed après-ski in the Dolomites and northern mountain towns.

Part cocktail, part dessert, Bombardino was invented in the early 1970s to revive skiers after long days on the slopes. Its name, loosely translating to “little bomb”, hints at its warming power. While many bars rely on bottled liqueurs, this version from Tuscan Women Cook keeps things beautifully simple and homemade, using rich eggnog, brandy, and a cloud of whipped cream.

It’s the kind of drink you make slowly, savouring the ritual as much as the result — ideal for snowy evenings, holiday gatherings, or anytime you want to channel a little Italian mountain magic.

Recipe: Bombardino

Serves: 2

Ingredients

  • ½ cup eggnog

  • 3 ounces brandy (such as Vecchia Romagna, Etichetta Nera, or Gran Gala orange liqueur)

  • Whipped cream

  • Ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Gently heat the eggnog over medium heat until just barely simmering — do not boil.

  2. Divide the hot eggnog between two glass mugs.

  3. Add 1½ ounces of brandy to each mug.

  4. Top generously with whipped cream and finish with a light sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

  5. Serve immediately, preferably somewhere cozy.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Tuscan Women Cooks.

Pasta alla Norma

Celebrate your Last Vegetable Harvests with a Sicilian Classic: Pasta alla Norma

2 September 2025

Late summer in Italy is a sensory feast. Markets overflow with tomatoes that practically glow from within, basil perfuming the air in bunches, and eggplants so glossy they look lacquered. In Montefollonico, where Tuscan Women Cook welcomes guests for immersive culinary adventures, these ingredients star in seasonal favourites like tomato bruschetta and panzanella salad. But when the eggplants ripen, the program takes its inspiration southward — to Sicily, home of the iconic Pasta alla Norma.

Named in honour of Vincenzo Bellini’s beloved opera Norma, the dish has long been considered a masterpiece of Sicilian cuisine: a perfect harmony of fried (or roasted) eggplant, bright tomato sauce, torn basil, and a snowfall of ricotta salata. “The secret to a memorable Pasta alla Norma is in the eggplant,” says Coleen Kirnan, owner of Tuscan Women Cook. “Frying transforms eggplant into something almost meaty, while roasting provides a lighter, equally delicious version.” Either way, it’s a dish that captures Sicily at its peak — humble ingredients, handled simply, creating something that tastes like the last few days of summer.

Recipe: Pasta alla Norma

Yield: 4 first-course servings
Recipe and photo reprinted with permission of Tuscan Women Cook.

Ingredients

  • Olive oil as needed, at least ½ cup

  • 2 medium eggplants (about 1½ pounds)

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic

  • 2 lbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (or 2–3 cups tomato sauce)

  • 2 tbsp tomato paste

  • 1 dried hot chili pepper (optional)

  • Pinch dried oregano or 1 tsp fresh

  • ½ lb penne rigate or rigatoni

  • Several large basil leaves, torn into small pieces

  • Grated ricotta salata or pecorino romano

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush generously with olive oil.

  2. Remove stems from eggplants; cut into ½-inch slices. Brush slices with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 20 minutes. Flip, brush again if dry, and continue roasting until browned and tender (about 40 minutes total).

  3. While eggplant roasts, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Soften garlic, then add tomatoes (or tomato sauce), tomato paste, chili pepper, and oregano. Simmer until reduced, about 15 minutes (10 if using sauce).

  4. Cook pasta in abundant salted water until al dente. Toss pasta with tomato sauce, a splash of cooking water, and basil. Adjust seasoning.

  5. Divide half the pasta into four bowls. Scatter with ricotta salata, tuck in eggplant slices, then repeat with remaining pasta, cheese, and eggplant.

Variation: Fry eggplant slices in ⅓–½ cup olive oil until golden on both sides; drain and keep warm. Prepare the sauce in the same pan.