Mushroom Risotto

A true classic, the mushroom risotto! And like with all the classics, using good quality ingredients and following a few simple steps to the letter is the key to achieving great results. I'd say this is one of my signature dishes, and an all time Italian food lovers favourite.

Roasted Aubergine & Cherry Tomato Ravioli with Pesto

This is a truly excellent dish, if I may say so myself :-) Roasting the aubergine and cherry tomatoes before whizzing them up for the filling really concentrates their flavour, and as a result each mouthful of  ravioli is an explosion of delight.  I chose to serve them drizzled with pesto, as aubergine and tomato both marry well with garlic and basil to make a scrumptious, summery pasta dish.

Coconut Biscuits with Dark Chocolate Topping

A lovely treat to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee, these biscuits are also easily transportable, and therefore suited for a picnic buffet. For the topping, I used dark chocolate with 50% cocoa solids, as it tastes less bitter and is a good compromise even for milk chocolate lovers.

Chickpea & Millet Falafels

Millet is the "new kid on the block" in the world of grains. Its popularity has increased significantly over the past few months, due to its health benefits such as being easy to digest, gluten-free, high in fibres and antioxidants. Consequently, it is being featured in more and more recipes in magazines, blogs and restaurants. Regardless of how fashionable it is right now, I am vouching for it as it is also truly delicious and a great core ingredients for tasty creations, such as these chickpea and millet falafels. They would be a fantastic addition to your a picnic basket or office lunchbox, do give them a try.

Salted Caramel Millionaire's Shortbread

My love affair with salted caramel, which I currently seem to be sharing with the whole world, continues. This time, the heavenly ingredient takes its proud place in the heart-attack provoking confection that is millionaire's shortbread. If you are not familiar with shortbread, know that it is a biscuit made with an obscene quantity of butter, originating from Scotland. At some point an evil mind, or perhaps a genius (depending on your point of view!), had the idea of covering this delicious but already very rich biscuit with a layer of caramel and another one of chocolate, hence creating the millionaire's shortbread: a deluxe version of the "humble" original!  It packs a zillion calories a bite, so I recommend you approach it with care :-), but its pure decadence makes it the epitome of a sweet treat!

Prawn & Lobster Ravioli in a Lobster Bisque Sauce

I have just invested in a new, top of the range pasta making machine, and I must say I am so happy with this purchase! Compared to the one I had before, it rolls the pasta to a silky,  almost transparent texture, which is perfect for making stuffed pasta such as ravioli (in case you are wondering, the make is Marcato). I have chosen to christen my new pasta making machine by making these luscious ravioli with a prawn and lobster stuffing, drizzled with a rich lobster bisque-like sauce. A real treat, if you are a seafood lover like me!

Fragrant Fish Curry

 I am calling this curry "fragrant" because it smells divine! The curry leaves, coconut milk and ginger scent makes me think of some sunny, southern India island. The sauce is both sweet and tangy, with a nice kick from the chillies, and does not overpower the fish. I recommend pollock or gurnard as sustainable options for this dish; I would not use mackerel, salmon or other oily fish though, as I find their flavour too strong to work with this sauce.

Warm Quinoa, Sorana Bean and Roasted Vegetable Salad

I am a big fan of warm salads; I like how, thanks to the heat, the ingredients beautifully soak up the dressing and really get to interact with each other. The beans I used in this salad are of the Sorana variety: you may have not heard of them, but they are some kind of celebrity in the pulse world :-) Their skin is wafer-thin and their flesh really buttery; they are only cultivated on the dry river bed of the Pescia stream in Tuscany, and as a result quite expensive and tricky to get hold of. If you are not as lucky as to have an aunt that lives near the Pescia stream and gives you these fine beans as a gift when she comes to visit, then feel free to substitute the latter with more widely available cannellini.

Venison Stew with Celeriac Mash

I have already posted a recipe with venison (venison fillet with mushroom & onion gravy); this time I am using a cheaper, but not less delicious, cut - stewing steak. The game season is not over yet and our local supermarket in the centre of Brussels currently offers a wide selection of gibier ("game" in French): wild boar, partridge, pheasant, wood pigeon and of course, venison. I chose the latter to make a warming winter stew, infused with juniper berries and bay leaves, and accompanied by fluffy celeriac mash.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies

A true American classic, that does not apologise for what it is. Why should it? These biscuits yeld the same addictive combination that made salted caramel so successful: i.e., the saltiness (of the peanut butter) that marries wonderfully with the sweetness (of the brown sugar and the milk chocolate). They are light and crispy on the surface, but chewy and fugdy in the middle. Make a big batch to to share with friends on a cold afternoon, while watching a DVD and sipping hot chocolate.

Mushroom & Spinach Spelt Risotto

Spelt, or farro in Italian, is a cereal widely employed in Tuscan cooking. In the summer it is boiled until tender, then tossed together with ruby red tomatoes, fragrant basil leaves and savoury Parmesan cheese shavings to form beautiful, fresh salads; in the winter, it bulks up thick, warming borlotti bean soups (minestra di farro e fagioli), which are served drizzled with peppery extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of black pepper. For our evening meal a couple of days ago, I decided to employ spelt for another comforting seasonal dish, i.e. risotto. As its name reveals, this dish is of course always made with rice but spelt grains are somewhat similar to it and represent a tasty, even healthier, alternative. The cooking process I adopted for making the spelt version is also different from the one used for traditional risotto, but the end result is very close. Meaty oyster mushrooms and wilted spinach leaves, together with a dash of cream and some Parmesan, are the ingredients I chose to infuse my spelt risotto with flavour.

Romanesco Broccoli & Taleggio Frittata

An example of what can be rustled up for one's lunch in less than 20 minutes, after a quick rummage in the fridge! Romanesco broccoli is a creamy, delicate-tasting variety of this versatile vegetable that looks like a work of art, both due to its geometrical shape and striking bright green colour. Broken into florets, then boiled in simmering water, it can be added to warm winter salads; or lightly fried in a pan together with some pancetta cubes and olive oil, it can become a tasty pasta sauce like it is done in Italy. Another match made in heaven, in my opinion, is with cheese: from there to a fluffy, oozing frittata, it is only a small step.

Parsnip, Chorizo & Chestnut Soup

Another recipe from the book "Soups" by Tonia George. It is more of a meal in itself, as the parsnip and chestnut whizzed together make a dense base, and the chorizo chunks you fish out with your spoon at every mouthful give you something to chew on.  It can of course be a starter, but in that case serve it in small ramekins or glasses, under the guise of amuse-bouche. Otherwise, I recommend you present it as the main course, together with some crusty bread and perhaps a crispy, bitter salad to follow. The perfect winter warmer!

Chicken & Leek Pie

Few things are as quintessentially British as a meat pie. I made this for my English boyfriend, who said: "Wow! It tastes just like a Gingsters slice, but better". In other words, the ultimate compliment. I cannot take credit for this recipe though, as it is a creation from the amazing Nigel Slater (yes, him again!), who really understands what comfort food is all about. He uses chicken thighs as opposed to breast meat as they are moister and more flavoursome, and adds some Dijon mustard to cut through the richness of the creamy sauce.

Courgette & Taleggio Bread

This bread is actually more like a savoury cake, as there is no kneading involved. The courgette keeps it really moist and the taleggio (an amazing cheese from the North of Italy, which is perfect for melting) makes it rich and gooey. The idea for this recipe comes from a book I strongly recommend, called "Soups" by Tonia George. Her loaf was made with feta, which I substituted it with taleggio as I find it more delicate and interesting. I made this bread to accompany roasted butternut squash soup, but it's so tasty that you can also eat it on its own.

Spaghettini with Caramelised Fennel

The inspiration for this dish came to me after watching an episode of Nigel Slater's "Dish of the Day" TV series. I love the man! I find that him and I share the same approach to cooking, as in by not really following a recipe but letting the ideas come from the ingredients sitting in the fridge or in the cupboard, or from what looks good on the market stalls or supermarket shelves when we go shopping. That's how Nige and I roll :-) I watched him making fennel and feta linguine and a few days later made my own version for a Saturday lunch, since all I had left in the fridge at that point of the week was a fennel bulb. It was delicious: through the cooking process, the fennel loses his distinctive aniseed taste and all you are left with is a moreish sweetness.

Sweet Potato Soup

A "hug in a mug", to use the catchphrase of a popular soup brand's advert. However, this soup does not come from a sachet and it is made with the freshest ingredients. True, it takes a bit more effort than just boiling the kettle and whisking in the powdered soup with some hot water, but it is ten million times more tasty and healthy. What I usually do is make a large batch of soup whenever I have time (mid-week or at the week-end) and then freeze it in single or double portions. Therefore, whenever I need it my hug in a mug is only a microwave's ping away!

Chickpea & Tomato Curry

Allow me introduce you to your next mid-week dinner! Quick, healthy and full of flavour, this curry sports a good balance between the heat of the red chilli and the sweetness of the coconut milk,  which together with the tomatoes form a thick sauce that envelopes the buttery chickpeas. I used fresh tomatoes as opposed to tinned ones because they are sweeter; however, you do need to ensure you use some deep-red, sun ripened ones. The pale, watery excuses for a tomato often sold cheaply in supermarket just won't do for this dish...or for anything else, for that matter ;-)

Pot Roast Guinea Fowl with Porcini Mushrooms

Another Autumn evening, another seasonal dinner inspiration. Guinea fowl is a bird that originates from North Africa; in Italian, it is called gallina faraona, which translates as "pharaoh queen hen".  Just  take a look at this animal and I am sure you'll agree it is a very appropriate name! Its meat is darker and has a more gamey flavour than chicken, however as it doesn't have as much fat, it tends to dry out if simply oven roasted. For this reason, pot roasting it tends to be the best way to ensure the meat stays moist. I have added flavour to my guinea fowl by using some chopped vegetables, white wine, thyme and a handful of dried porcini mushrooms - the gravy these ingredients make is to die for!

Pear & Chocolate Tart

Here comes the Autumn, bringing us brown leaves, chillier air and the longing for comfort food.  I am a fan of pears, although funnily enough (at least for me!) I do not know many people that share this passion. If you too are not that keen on this fruit, I especially encourage you to try my tart: the soft shortcrust pastry (previously described in this post) encases a smooth chocolate filling, and chunks of this juicy, sweet Autumnal produce. It's not without reason that la crostata al cioccolato e pere features on the menu of many Tuscan restaurants around this time of the year!