Frugal filled peppers, are they too posh for the south?
Frugal filled peppers, are they too posh for the south? We are still currently in the depths of a chaotic winter. Will it ever end? I can’t believe how cold it has been recently, but to be fair I do feel the cold all the time. My brother-in-law always [...]
Grandmothers tart – Torta della Nonna
Grandmothers tart - Torta della Nonna Holding a strong similarity to the famous and very much loved cinnamon dusted custard tart, the ‘torta della nonna’ has the added joy of a baked pine-nut topping. My tummy rumbles at the very thought of a slice, a large slice of course! Lemon [...]
Fava bean flour farfalle with pan-fried tomatoes & pinenuts (Hodmedod’s flour)
Fava bean flour farfalle with pan-fried tomatoes & pinenuts (Hodmedod's flour) A beautiful shape with many names, Farfalle can also be known as butterflies, bows and angel wings. All delicious regardless of name. A great shape to make that is relatively easy to master if you are new to pasta [...]
Fresh egg yolk raviolo with browned butter & sage – Using ‘Hodmedod’ pea flour
Fresh egg yolk raviolo with browned butter & sage - Using 'Hodmedod' pea flour I could without fail eat a large, fresh egg yolk raviolo every day of the week, to be fair as long as I could enjoy a bowl of pasta dried or fresh daily then I'm [...]
Belly warming sausages and lentil stew…
Belly warming Umbrian lentils and sausage stew ‘New Year, New You’?! I keep hearing, reading and seeing that patronising heading everywhere! It’s exhausting to say the least. I’m happy with myself and my waistline, I simply suck it in, wear larger briefs and reduce my treats and portion amounts. I [...]
Biscotti per natale
PISTACHIO & DARK CHOCOLATE BISCUITS The Christmas tree is up and the battle of who has the best twinkly lights in the street is a go-go. As Christmas approaches we start to relax a little and allow our knicker elastic to take on board the extra slightly gluttonous calories. [...]
Chickpea balls….
I just had to share this recipe with you as I'm a little in love with the cost as well as the instant simplicity. Using tinned chickpeas echoes cucina povera cooking and I find tinned beans never fail. Stacked high in my larder the tinned beans and pulses are a [...]
Pumpkin and amaretti tortelli – Tortelli di zucca #APASSIONFORPASTA
The time of year is upon us when we are littered with the beauty that is the humble pumpkin. This autumnal delight does raise a somewhat childlike smile to my face. Small, medium and monster in size, to carve of course but to eat in pasta, most definitely has to [...]
Autumnal gingerbread cake….. one slice is never enough!
Around 7 years ago I was invited to an open evening locally in the village of Higham Ferries. The venue was a quaint and very beautiful shop called ‘The Cranberry House’. A shop full of everything pretty and generally the kind of store I would spend to much money in. [...]
Ciao Gusto – The new way to shop Italian!
Ciao Gusto – Making shopping on line that little bit easier Cheese, soft in texture or slightly firmer, mild in taste or with a slight kick, our options are vast and Italy houses some incredible and yet diverse varieties of cheese. From the more familiar of hard grating cheeses such [...]
Saffron risotto – The colour almost echoes the scent of autumn
The weather has most definitely turned and in all fairness we will soon be entering the full colour change season of autumn. I begin to clap excitedly like a little girl waiting patiently for Christmas morning to arrive: Carmela, forever the optimist I guess. I always say to my four [...]
Imagine a world without tomatoes? An unbearable thought for an Italian!
Tomatoes love salt and sun! How lucky are we all in the UK? We have 4 diverse seasons a year, albeit sometimes off the scale and incredibly crazy but nevertheless they are all very different. With each season (spring, summer, autumn, winter) we enter the great choice of seasonal offerings [...]