Enrica Monzani, a native of Liguria, is a celebrated food writer and cooking instructor who has welcomed our family into her kitchen during our Italian travels. She has a gift for bringing Ligurian culinary traditions to life, weaving in her family stories to create a truly immersive and memorable experience.
Each visit with Enrica starts in the heart of Genoa, where we enjoy espresso and pastries before heading to the market. There, she expertly guides us in selecting the freshest basil, the finest cheeses, and all the ingredients we’ll need for an unforgettable day of cooking in her kitchen.
Enrica has been a cherished friend of the Dalla Fonte family for years, and we’re thrilled to feature her incredible dishes in our Ligurian collection!
Our Fall Release: Lovely Liguria
During our latest visit to Enrica’s Genoa kitchen, we crafted a delicious braised chicken recipe featuring Liguria’s prized taggiasca olives. This hearty dish quickly became a favorite, and Enrica graciously shared her recipe from her Ligurian cookbook with the Dalla Fonte community. The key to making this dish truly exceptional? Using the freshest ingredients. For a top-quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), try our favorite from Le Ferre, and don’t miss the taggiasca olives featured in our Fall 2024 Lovely Liguria release.
Of course, no Ligurian recipe collection would be complete without the region’s iconic Pesto Genovese. Enrica shares a time-saving trick for making this beloved sauce in a blender—perfect for those who don’t have a mortar and pestle or are short on time. As always, fresh ingredients are essential: seek out the most fragrant basil and don’t cut corners with the olive oil. For an extra-authentic touch, toss the pesto with our Croxetti pasta from Allemandi.
Buon appetito!
Ligurian Braised Chicken
Pesto Genovese
A little more about Enrica…
Enrica is the magic behind the bilingual food blog https://www.asmallkitcheningenoa.com and the newsletter “Taste of Liguria” where she shares recipes and food stories from the Italian Riviera. In addition, she organizes regional cooking classes in her home kitchen in Genoa, food tours in Genoa, and private food experiences throughout Liguria.
Her first bilingual cookbook “Liguria in Cucina – The Flavors of Liguria” was published in April 2023 and is available in the US and Canada.
Follow Enrica’s everyday culinary adventures on Instagram @asmallkitcheningenoa