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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

Moroccan Chickpea & Roasted Carrot Salad

Here I present you with another lunch-box salad, this time of Moroccan inspiration. The key to this salad is the use of spices and chopped herbs, which turn a few simple ingredients - chickpeas, tomatoes, carrots and cous cous - into something that will make you say "wow!" after the first forkful. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

Courgette & Parmesan Soup

When cooking, my natural preference and inclination is always to use seasonal ingredients. A vegetable that's plentiful in the Summer is no doubt the courgette, which for this reason is lately making a regular appearance in my posts. This time, whizzed up to a creamy yet light soup flavoured with tasty Parmesan cheese. I used home-made chicken stock, which does make it all the more tasty; however, if you don't have time to make your own, do feel free to use a good organic chicken stock cube (or a vegetable one if you are vegetarian).

Pesto, Roasted Tomato & Mushroom Pasta Salad

This is an example of how to employ the freshly made pesto of my previous post. This summery pasta salad is best served at room temperature; a quality that makes it great lunch box filler, bursting with flavour and goodness. You'll make all your colleagues with their fridge cold, packaged ham and cheese sandwiches green with envy :-)

Pesto

Pesto is an Italian pasta sauce that comes from the lovely Liguria region, which is lapped by the gentle waves of the Mar Ligure (Ligurian Sea). It literally translates as "pounded", which is an apt description of what happens to the few ingredients it is made of: they are all pounded to an intoxicatingly beautiful smelling paste. Traditionally, pesto is paired with trenette, a kind of flat, narrow pasta shape; however, I find that its simple but intense flavour makes it a wonderfully versatile ingredient that can be drizzled on bruschetta, pizza, a roasted tomato salad, grilled seafood, roast chicken, baked fish, boiled new potatoes and so on. You can make it using a food processor, however the contact of the metal blades with the basil will cause the latter to lose its vibrant green colour in favour of a less attractive greyish one. If you can, use a pestle and mortar: it's much more fun and also a healthy way of releasing any suppressed stress or anger :-)

Fresh Tagliatelle with Prawns & Courgette

Fresh pasta requires a sauce that does it justice. A few selected ingredients that marry well together and go to envelope the silky strands of tagliatelle that you have rolled out with such care a few hours before. I do love the combination of prawns and courgette and use it regularly in my recipes (see king prawns in a prosecco and cream sauce): here, I have grated the courgette to give a creamy texture to the sauce and create a nice contrast with the juicy chunks of prawns. The pink/green/pale yellow colour scheme is a visual feast, too.

How to Make Fresh Pasta

I have recently conquered the skill of making fresh pasta. I have said conquered, and not acquired, for a specific reason: just like it happened before with shortcrust pastry, I had previously attempted to  make ravioli at home following a recipe from one of my cookbooks. To say that the results were disappointing, is to pay myself a compliment. The filling was good, but the pasta was too thick and rubbery, and I just could not figure out what had gone wrong in the process. This is not acceptable, I thought. I am Italian, for goodness' sake, pasta making is in my genes! However, given that I moved to the UK to go to Uni and lived abroad ever since, I never had the opportunity to learn this skill from the source, i.e. my grannies. Therefore, I decided to take the bull by the horn and signed up for a pasta-making class, taught nonetheless by the brilliant Valentina Harris (the course took place at the Bertinet Kitchen in Bath, and it was an amazing birthday gift from my boyfriend's parents and grandparents). Thanks to Valentina, I have learnt that pasta is a temperamental lady that will come to you if you follow a few simple steps with the utmost care, but will unceremoniously stand you up if you rush through the process and do not treat her with the respect she deserves. This said, please know that after a couple of attempts you will find that making pasta is surprisingly easy and oh so rewarding! The possibilities for shapes and flavour combinations are endless, and it is such a great dinner party trick to have up one's sleeve. One of my earliest memories is that of my grannies in the kitchen; one of them making ravioli, the other tagliatelle, to feed our immediate family of 25 :-). I am proud to be perpetuating this tradition - even though there's only two of us, for now!

Hummus

Hummus is a delicious, healthy dip that originates from the Middle East. It consists of a few simple ingredients: chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic. In the UK, hummus has grown to become incredibly popular and many flavoured versions are now available to purchase in delis and supermarkets - roasted tomato, black olive, even pomegranate! I believe its success is due to the fact that it is so versatile (it is great not only as a dip, but also as an addition to salad or as a bruschetta topping) and nutritious (chickpeas are a fantastic source of protein). However, not many people realise it has yet another quality: it is really easy to make at home! I encourage you to try and experience how in under five minutes you can have a tasty, guilt-free snack ready for you to enjoy at any time.

King Prawns in a Prosecco & Cream Sauce

Prosecco is a delicious, dry sparkling wine from the cooler, Northern regions of Italy (tipically Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia) that in my opinion has little to envy to his more popular cousin the champagne. Italians tend to drink it as an aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) or during a fish meal. A fish dinner accompanied by few glasses of prosecco definitely comes high on the list of my favourite things in life, and it inspired the idea for this dish: juicy king prawns in a creamy sauce delicately flavoured by the prosecco and fresh garlic, with crunchy zucchini slices sautéed in parsley and olive oil, on a bed of fragrant basmati and wild rice. If you are planning to make an impression on a special someone, I suggest you invite them for dinner and make this dish as one of the key elements of your plan of seduction :-)

Quiche Lorraine

My previous attempt at making a quiche, and specifically the pâte brisée (shortcrust pastry) had been a disaster! The pastry was dry, sandy and generally horrible. I couldn't understand what went wrong as I had followed the recipe religiously, and the poor results discouraged me from giving it another try any time soon. Until I moved to Belgium, and signed up for a cookery course run by Catherine, a wonderful French lady who taught me how to make proper pâte brisée at my first lesson. It's surprisingly easy, provided that you follow the few necessary steps carefully and do not try and take shortcuts. Now, making shortcrust pastry does not scare me any more, on the contrary I can't wait to experiment the endless sweet and savoury combinations it lends itself so well to. If you too want to find out the secret to great shortcrust pastry, keep on reading...