Gala Placidia's activity

Questions Asked

We all have cooking tips and techniques learnt through personal experience or because someone else was kind enough to tell us.

Tue, 08/04/2009 - 05:07

 A fairly comprehensive list of words related to food and wine has been prepared by a few of us. It still needs revision, corrections, additions and you may be able to help as it is a Wiki.

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 04:31

 It is official, the old Casino in Bagni di Lucca is reopening its doors after many years; however, it is going to be a modern version, more "little Las Vegas" style than its elegant and exclusive predecessor.

Mon, 06/29/2009 - 09:04

A few weeks ago I started a thread in the old forum about this topic. I still think that it would be great if we could all share our favourite recipes which our families and friends enjoy.

Fri, 06/19/2009 - 05:29

 I think that there are quite a few members who have married overseas an Italian citizen; however, I am not quite certain whether they have registered their certificate of marriage before the nearest Italian Consulate.It is advisable to do this an

Tue, 06/16/2009 - 03:43

 It is most important, if you own a property, to have a clear description for it. That is possible through the "visura catastale" which gives you and confirms many facts regarding your title.

Sun, 06/14/2009 - 05:21

 Polenta is one of those Italian dishes that you either love or hate. Considered in the past as the poor people's staple diet it is nowadays served in the best restaurants. 

Sat, 06/13/2009 - 17:53

I have just seen on TV some images regarding the Treviso tornado. I sincerely hope that any members in the area have not suffered from this disaster.  

Sun, 06/07/2009 - 16:44

 The base for many Italian sauces and dishes is the "soffritto" (sofrit in French, sofrito in Spanish), a mixture of some diced vegetables which are cooked in a heavy pan with three tablespoons of olive oil (although some other kinds of oil and fa

Sat, 06/06/2009 - 05:37

 Hi everyone, this is a warm invitation to joint this group and discuss Italian food, wine, regional cooking, recipes, tips, cooking utensils, history of cooking and any related subject you may wish to talk about.And welcome, Mimosa, glad to see t

Fri, 06/05/2009 - 08:28

Comments posted

Sun, 04/03/2011 - 11:28

Renovating an old home and seeing it come back to life is part of the fun; however, careful planning is needed. This site is full of stories about the pitfalls of renovation. Also, it is not a good idea to buy the first ruin that comes along. It is most important to estimate final costs before you even buy.

Sat, 04/02/2011 - 07:42

I would say: "Drafting of the report and the proposed upgrade" What do you think?

Thu, 03/31/2011 - 16:33

I can't see the need for an unsympathetic response to alexcal's thread. As far as I can see,  he was not asking for any sympathy as he was just informing us of what may happen with a dormant account and I think we should thank him for the warning. In any case, what members do with their monies is not of our business and certain comments are totally out of order. Sorry, Flip, you must be having a bad day, I guess.

Wed, 03/30/2011 - 13:38

You will not regret visiting San Francisco, giorgiotan, as it is a great city, the most European city in America and, although I love New York, I simply adore SFO. Local food is exquisite and it has strong influences from all the different nationalities that settled in the are and Italy is no exception. A wonderful fish and seafood stew called "cioppino" is a must there and you can also eat "cacciucco" a similar dish which originates from Livorno, in Tuscany. They are all variations of the "burrida", "bourride" and "bouillabaise" adapted to the availability of local seafood. But you can have a look at the story of this dish:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cioppino

Wed, 03/30/2011 - 13:21

Thank you, bunterboy. I do try to keep young both in body and mind; however, my birth certificate says otherwise.... Anyway, I do not think that I will ever become the typical little old lady. My enthusiasm for life will keep me young... I hope.....

Wed, 03/30/2011 - 05:27

I agree with your explanations and I do believe that these measures are directed towards certain nationalities within the EU. Also, health cover has a lot to do with it. A similar thing is happening in Spain with many people requiring medical assistance and this is becoming a real problem for health authorities. As we are over the age of 65 we do have our EU health card... so I do not think that the Italian authorities are going to worry too much about us.

Answer to: Fileto di Molva
Tue, 03/29/2011 - 16:18

As Flip says, these are all members of the cod family; however, I am wondering whether you purchased ling or skrei (for those who do not know what we are talking about, have a look at: http://www.seafoodfromnorway.com/News/News/View+media+article?key=23066 The reason for my question is that I saw a couple of days ago a program on Spanish TV saying that this year skrei is very abundant and that the Norwegians are desperate to sell them and prices are great. Following this, I saw plenty of skrei being sold at my local supermarket. Nothing wrong with it as skrei is delicious. You can use any of the cod or ling recipes.

Tue, 03/29/2011 - 15:35

I had a look at the Italian, Spanish and French versions and in all three they state that EU citizens "can" or "may" register with the State Police for stays of up to 3 months. They warn that if you do not do it, this may implicate that you have been staying for over 3 months.... "unless you can prove to the contrary" as stated by Fillide. surprise I do not know what I am going to do this time...I do not like the idea of spending a full day on this ridiculous matter. Also, that law is quite recent, 2008 is quoted.

Tue, 03/29/2011 - 07:12

Thank you for the information and I must confess that I am most surprised of this requirement for stays under 3 months.... I think that it goes against the EU free circulation policy and I do not think that other EU members have similar requirements. Anyway, this time we will comply with the instructions.... I will tell you about the reaction from the Anagrafe at Bagni di Lucca.....

Answer to: Fileto di Molva
Tue, 03/29/2011 - 05:47

Some years ago, I gave this recipe in the old forum: http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/food-drink/7954-italian-christmas-3.html As you said, any cod recipe would suitable, but this one could be considered an Italian classic. If you are using fresh molva it does not need to be soaked and you should check the salt content in the recipe.