Porceddhuzzi: Christmas Honey Sweets From Salento
This is one of my favourite childhood sweets which my grandma used to make all the times during Christmas time 🎄
These citrus flavoured crunchy bites are first fried then covered in honey, sprinkles & pine nuts 😋 They are super addictive & you will be loving making them over and over again during the holidays and even offer them as gifts to family and friends!
We cannot wait to make them with you on Sunday 28th at 3pm UK time!🥰
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Ingredients for “I purceddhuzzi” cookalong:
For the dough
500gr plain flour
70gr sugar (I use cane sugar)
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 orange peel + 1 lemon or mandarin peel
the juice of 1 orange
1 orange zest + 1 lemon zest
100ml white wine
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 espresso cup (or 4 tablespoons) of herbal spirit like anice, strega, limoncello, brandy etc
Sunflower oil for frying
For the decoration
250gr honey
Multi coloured sugar sprinkles & strands
Pine nuts (optional but highly recommended!)
Red glace cherries (optional)
Aubergine, Peas & Pancetta Risotto
Today I propose you a light and delicious risotto idea which was approved by the whole family. The kids are not big fans of aubergines but they absolutely loved this risotto! I have to say mashing some aubergines helped. Also thanks to the addition of bacon and peas there was no complaint and they ate the whole plate!
For this recipe I’ve used the stripy purple aubergine in the picture below. Isn’t it just pretty?
I love the beautiful variety of colour of aubergines!
I really hope you enjoy this recipe and please share your remakes! I would love to know your thoughts if you will be making it.
Ingredients for 4 people
250gr risotto rice
70gr cubed pancetta
70gr frozen peas
1 aubergine
A few basil leaves
1/2 onion
1/2 vegetable stock cube
some chopped pistachios
Parmesan cheese
splash of white wine
soy cream (optional)
Preparation: 10 minutes - Cooking: 20/25 minutes
Start by chopping the onion and cut the aubergine in small cubes.
Pan fry the onion together with the pancetta with some extra virgin olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Such a pretty variety of aubergines’
In the same pan add the aubergine cubes and pan fry them with the rest until soft. Keep some on the side for the plating. I decided to mash some of the cooked aubergines so not to hear the kids complaining as they are not big eaters of aubergines.
Add the rice & mix with the rest for a few minutes. Add a splash of white wine and cook all together for an extra 5 minutes or until the wine gets absorbed.
A beautiful risotto which is great for summer!
Now add enough water to cover the rice, some salt, 1/2 vegetable stock cube and some chopped basil leaves. Cover with a lid and stir occasionally. You may need to add more water until the rice is tender. Towards the end add Parmesan cheese and mix. You can add some vegetable spread too to make it creamier. I often add some soy cream too.
Serve by adding the extra pancetta & aubergine cubes on top, some chopped pistachios, more Parmesan cheese & some fresh basil leaves.
Enjoy!
A closeup of this colourful risotto!
My Childhood Easter Biscuits
Today I come here with a very special recipe. It’s very special one because to me it brings lovely memories from childhood, the Easter time in Italy as a child.
These simple biscuits are popular in all bakeries in Puglia over Easter time and they are made in all sorts of shapes. They are called “cuddhura cu l’ou” because they are pastries decorated with a hard-boiled egg.
The recipe for cuddhura cu l'ou always includes an odd number of decorative hard-boiled eggs; you can prepare just one big one or, like I did, have fun creating different shapes.
The cuddhura in a basket shape is ready to be cooked
Some traditional shapes are the woven basket (the panarieddu) like the one above or the tower bell (campanaru).
The bunny is also ready to go in the oven!
I’ve also decided to create a more contemporary shape so to make it more appealing to my kids, and that’s why you see a bunny too!
Ingredients for about 6 cuddhure cu l’ou:
400gr plain flour/all purpose flour
130gr sugar
2 eggs
100gr butter or vegetable spread ( better softened)
30ml almond milk or milk of your choice
10gr baking powder
1 lemon zest
For decoration:
6 hard-boiled eggs
extra milk for brushing
sprinkles
scissors & baking paper
kitchen brush
Even though the boiled eggs are just decorative, you can definitely eat them! Here the kids love to eat them too, but it’s entirely your choice!
Cuddhura are also great to offer as gifts for Easter and they would make your Easter table look super festive!
The kids love them!
We will be showing you how to make these yummy biscuits tomorrow at 4pm (UK TIME) so don’t miss out!
Use this link below to join our zoom cook-along ! :-)
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Cuddhura have a very festive look 🥰
Vegan Sweet Potato Gnocchi
One of the things I find extremely satisfying is making pasta from scratch and enjoy the process even more when the kids are so willing to participate & learn.
I didn’t have that kind of involvement when I was a child. Even though my mum was, and still is, an amazing cook, she never thought of involving either my sisters or I in the cooking. In fact I started to really cook for myself and others only when I moved to England 13 years ago.
I wanted my kids to have a different experience than mine. In fact they started cooking ever since they could hold a spoon in their hand 🥰 and being very present in the kitchen, especially my daughter.
And that’s why we thought a cook-along would be a great idea to share their love for cooking with others. Even though we have had only a handful of sessions, these moments appear to be an extremely enjoyable activity for the kids to have during these unique times of lockdown & homeschooling.
A snap from Insta live!
Behind the scenes!
In the last session in particular we made these delicious vegan gnocchi, so healthy and incredibly versatile.
Ingredients for 2/3 adults:
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 400gr)
1 cup + 1/2 plain flour (about 200gr)
1 teaspoon salt
The gnocchi are ready!
Arianna was so proud to make her own gnocchi!
Preparation: 1 hour Cooking: 3 minutes
Start by peeling the sweet potatoes first. Keep the peels on the side in order to make sweet potato peel chips later.
Wrap the 2 peeled sweet potatoes in parchment paper and bake them at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Let them cool down, then mash in a bowl. Slowly add the flour and start mixing with the sweet potato. Keep on adding it until you make a nice elastic dough. You know that it’s right when it’s not sticky anymore. You may end up needing more than 200gr of flour, I noticed that it really depends on the moisture of the sweet potato so don’t panic if it’s still sticky, just keep on adding more flour a bit at a time until it’s the perfect consistency.
The beautiful sweet potato gnocchi
Delicious sweet potato gnocchi! Great with any sauce!
Now divide the dough in 4 parts. Take one part and roll it with your hand in order to make it into a rope shape. Cut little squares from it, all the same size.
Take a fork, put some flour on the back of it and gently roll each square applying a little pressure so as to create some lines in the dough. Those are meant to be needed later on to retain the sauce better.
Once you are done, cook your gnocchi in boiling water like any other pasta. They will be ready when you see them floating on top. Drain and add your favourite sauce to it. We love a simple butter sauce, pesto or tomato sauce.
Buon appetito!😋
Fried Pasta & Chickpea Soup
This is a very traditional meal in my family and one I deeply loved as a child. My mum used to make it a lot and it was always an incredible success with us kids.
Now it’s my kids who love it at the point that they often request it on the menu.
It’s easy, delicious and requires simple ingredients, the perfect quick and comforting winter meal.
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 rosemary branch
2 cherry tomatoes cut in 4
extra virgin olive oil
1 can of chickpeas
250gr gnocchetti sardi or any other small pasta
3 cups water
paprika
turmeric
1/2 vegetable stock cube
Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 15 minutes
Pan fry garlic, rosemary & tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes until garlic is golden & tomato is soft. Then add in the chickpeas with their water. Adjust with salt & black pepper (I love paprika & some turmeric too) Let it cook for 10 minutes.
In the meantime in another saucepan put extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom and add the pasta and pan fry the pasta at medium heat until it gets some colour. This will last about 5/10 minutes max, keep on turning with a wooden spoon to prevent burning. The pasta will take various shades!
Now take half of the chickpeas and mash with some water and some of the seasoning too. Add in the saucepan where the pasta is, add 3 cups of water, add the stock and cook until the pasta is cooked. Adjust with salt & water if necessary. Once the pasta is cooked you can add extra chickpeas on top and you are done!
Buon appetito!
Look at all those pasta shades!
Sweet Potato, Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup
This year we went pumpkin picking and we had lots of pumpkins to use not only for carving but for cooking too.
If you need to find ways to use those yummy pumpkins, soups are definitely a great choice. Also I love that pumpkin is so versatile and it’s great combined with other veggies too.
This is one of my favourite combos so far!
Ingredients for 4 persons:
1/2 pumpkin diced
1 sweet potato diced
200gr dried red lentils
1 onion chopped
200gr kale
100gr pumpkin seeds
rosemary
paprika
turmeric
fresh ginger
lemongrass
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 vegetable stock cube
200 ml water
Himalayan salt
Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes
Start by roasting in the oven at 180 degrees the pumpkin, sweet potato & onion with extra virgin olive oil, paprika, turmeric, salt & rosemary.
After 20 minutes transfer the roasted veggies in a pan, add dry red lentils, water and 1/2 vegetable stock cube and cook for further 20 minutes or until the red lentils are soft. Transfer everything in a blender, mix at high speed and you have your yummy soup.
In the meantime roast the pumpkin seeds with smoked paprika & extra virgin olive oil. On another tray place the kale cut into stripes. I’ve used a similar dressing as for the pumpkin seeds. Oven cook for about 20 minutes at 160 degrees or until both pumpkin seeds & kale are crunchy.
Once you transfer the soup in the plate, you can top it with some of the kale and the pumpkin seeds previously cooked, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a spoon of almond yogurt if you like.
Buon appetito!😋
Vegan Spinach Harissa Lasagna
First recipe post-partum!
It’s great to start cooking again although it can be very challenging at times as you know when you start but you don’t know when you finish! Baby is the boss right now and my time is all around him and his needs, but it felt great to get back into creative cooking mode again.
This recipe turned out a great success and it came from the desire to make an alternative version to the traditional lasagna and to broaden my kids’ taste, as well as exploring more vegan possibilities of the same food.
I can reassure you that this recipe is super tasty & you won’t feel missing out on any traditional ingredient! Kids and hubby loved it, they even went for double portion!
Ingredients for 6 portions
250gr lasagna sheets
1 handful sun-dried tomatoes
8 frozen spinach cubes
1 garlic clove
Himalayan salt
Extra virgin olive oil
3 spoons rose harissa pesto
1 can cannellini beans
Nutritional yeast (optional)
vegan bechamel
Click here for my bechamel recipe
Preparation:20 mins Cooking: 30 minutes
Start by cutting the sun-dried tomatoes in small pieces and pan fry them with extra virgin olive oil together with the frozen spinach and salt. Cover the pan with a lid and let the ingredients cook for about 10’ or until the spinach are defrosted and soft.
In the meantime mash the cannellini beans and mix with the spinach in the pan. Now prepare the bechamel and once the sauce is ready, mix it together with the other ingredients too.
Cooking the spinach cannellini sauce
Now take a rectangular oven tray and start layering the lasagna sheets and covering them with some of the mixture on each layer. I’ve managed to make 4 layers.
Cover the top layer with the remaining sauce mixed with 1/2 glass of water. Sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top for some extra crunch (optional) and add more water in the corners of your tray so that all the lasagna sheets are covered except for the top one.
Cook at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes.
The lasagna is out of the oven!
Enjoy straight out of the oven!
Buon appetito!😋
The vegan lasagna is ready to be eaten!
The kids loved it!
So creamy & delicious!
Fava Beans Purée With Bread Croutons & Sautéed Chicory Greens
When you feel nostalgic and have lots of pregnancy cravings, you cannot avoid eating your favourite comfort food. Plus if nonna is over from Italy, it’s even easier to get those cravings satisfied!:-)
This is my own version of a very typical South Italian meal. All you need are broad beans, bread & chicory greens combined with some basic ingredients.
In fact this meal is a great example of a basic & simple cooking, very representative of the Mediterranean cuisine from the older days which would incorporate only a handful of simple foods.
Ingredients for about 3/4 people:
Fava beans purée
400gr fresh or frozen broad beans
2 medium potatoes
1/2 onion
Extra virgin olive oil
Water
Salt
Sautéed chicory greens
1/2 kg chicory greens
Extra virgin olive oil
Water
Salt
Black pepper
Parmesan cheese
Bread croutons
2 slices bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Oregano
Preparation: 20 minutes - Cooking: 20 minutes
Start by cooking the fava beans and chopped potatoes in a pan at medium heat with extra virgin olive oil and some finely chopped onion for about 5 minutes. Then cover everything with water and cook for another 15 minutes or until everything is soft. Then transfer in a mixer at hight speed and make it into a purée.
In the meantime boil the chopped chicory leaves for 2 minutes then transfer them on a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, salt & grated Parmesan cheese. Cook for about 10 minutes or until soft.
At the same time make the croutons. Cut 2 slices of bread in small cubes and transfer them on a frying pan with some extra virgin olive oil, salt & oregano. Toast the bread pieces by occasionally turning them. After about 10 minutes they should turn golden & crunchy.
Assemble all the elements on a plate and scatter the croutons on top of the fava beans purée.
Buon appetito!😋
It’s such a simple meal yet a real delicacy!
Vegetarian White Lasagna
Sunday in Italy is traditionally the day where people have huge meals with various courses and pasta is a big part of it. Particularly lasagna which is often the Sunday first course of choice.
I make lasagna often but it’s normally the traditional version with tomato sauce as that’s what kids like.
However today I really fancied white lasagna. It’s my favourite! I knew that offering something pretty new to the kids could have ended up in disaster but was determined to go ahead!
I’m so glad I took the risk as not only did they eat it, they absolutely loved it! Happy kids, happy mum!
Ingredients for 6 portions
250gr lasagna sheets
1 courgette
1 handful mushrooms
1 handful asparagus
a few salvia leaves
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 garlic clove
Himalayan salt
Extra virgin olive oil
dry parsley
pistachios (optional)
mushroom cream (optional)
Parmesan cheese grated (optional)
You can make the traditional bechamel sauce by using cow milk or vegan by replacing it with soy milk . Both equally good and healthier as no butter or cheese in them.
the bechamel sauce is ready!
Preparation: 20 min Cooking: 40 min
Start by chopping the garlic and all the veggies and transfer them in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil, salt & dry parsley. Cook for about 10/15 minutes or until all veggies are soft.
All the veggies are ready!
In the meantime prepare the bechamel. Once ready you can add some of the veggies or simply some salvia leaves finely chopped.
Once both bechamel sauce & veggies are ready, start layering the lasagna sheets with the toppings on a rectangular baking tray. I’ve used a Pyrex glass rectangular oven dish.
A couple of spoons of bechamel at the bottom, followed by a first layer of lasagna sheets (I’ve used 3 sheets for each layer) enough to cover the tray, then used 1/3 of the veggies to cover the first lasagna layer and pour some bechamel on top, enough to cover the veggies. Repeat until you finish all ingredients. My lasagna had 4 layers.
For the top layer mix the remaining bechamel with 1/2 cup of water and the veggies left (about 1/3 cup) and pour it on top. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and chopped pistachios (both optional). Some salvia leaves and asparagus tips for decoration.
Finish by adding about 1 cup of water at the sides of your tray, enough to cover with water up to the layer before the top one.
Now you are done!
The vegetarian white lasagna is out of the oven!
Transfer the tray to a preheated oven and cook for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees.
Enjoy warm straight out of the oven!
Buon appetito!😋
This vegetarian lasagna is super creamy & yummy!
Delicious white lasagna!
This vegetarian lasagna is creamy & so comforting!
Sbriciolata With Cream Patissiere, Strawberry Jam & Amarene Cherries
This is definitely one of our favourite cakes! And it's so quick & delicious, it's always a hit with both big and small!
I normally use this pasty base as a quick cake with guests or whenever I visit friends and fill it simply with jam.
This time I went a step further and filled it with Italian style dairy-free cream patissiere, jam and cherries! Soo good!
Ingredients for a round cake tin (9 inch)
Pastry:
150gr self- raising brown flour
150gr self- raising white flour
100gr brown sugar
100ml vegetable oil
1 egg
1 spoon dry freeze strawberry pieces (optional)
Cream patissiere
500ml soy milk
2 eggs
50gr flour
50gr brown sugar
zest 1/2 lemon
1 spoon dry freeze strawberry pieces (optional)
Extra toppings
almond flakes
Puffed rice
Preparation:15 min - Cooking: 30 min
Start by gathering the ingredients for the cream. I use the thermomix as it's not only a food processor but a cooker too. I add all the ingredients inside, (except for the dry freeze strawberries which are added in the cream after its cooked) and cook for about 10’ or until the cream turns thick and then let it cool down for 5’.
While the cream is cooking, take a bowl and mix all the ingredients for the base. The result would be a crumbly dough.
Take a round cake tin lined with parchment paper and put half of the crumble at the bottom. Use your hands to flatten it and make it compact.
The base of the sbriciolata is ready!
Now add a layer of jam, pour the cream, top it with amarena cherries, almond flakes & puffed rice. Put the rest of the crumble on top and make it compact using your hands.
Add extra almond flakes and puffed rice if you like. Cook in pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for about 30’ or until it turns golden. The crust should be super crunchy in contrast with the softness of the filling.
Let it cool down so it becomes even crunchier.
I normally opt for the fastest version which is filling the crumble simply with jam. Adding cream patissiere inside is a slightly longer process but so worth it! Both versions are always a success!
The sbriciolona is out of the oven!
Buon appetito!😋
Top view of the sbriciolona!
The sbriciolona is so delicious!
Intorcinati Pugliesi: My Childhood Cookies
Today I’m so excited to share with you the recipe of one of my absolute favourite childhood biscuits.
They can be called trecce, intorcinati, intorchiate, all names refer to the braid like shape of these biscuits, and they are typically from Puglia, the beautiful region where I'm from in Italy.
The ingredients are incredibly simple and typical of a Mediterranean cuisine, yet these biscuits are incredibly addicting! Must be because of the wine in them? Possibly!🤪
Are you ready to get baking?
Ingredients for about 12 biscuits:
250 plain flour
75 gr brown sugar
75 gr extra virgin olive oil
75 ml dry white wine
pinch of salt
For the decoration:
3 almonds per biscuit
1/2 cup of granulated sugar/brown sugar
Preparation: 30 min Cooking: 20/25 min
Start by measuring all ingredients and place them in a mixing bowl all together: flour, sugar, oil, wine.
Mix with your hands until you get a dough soft and elastic but not sticky.
Let it rest in the bowl covered with a towel for about 20 minutes.
Then pick the dough and start making intorchiate by rolling a bit of dough into twisted shape.
Line a flat baking tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven at 180 degrees.
Divide the dough into 24 approximately equal pieces. Roll 2 pieces of dough with the palms of your hands against a flat surface to make them into a rope shape of about 12cm. Pinch one end of the rope together with one end of the other rope, then twist the two ropes around one another to form a twist, with the dough strands crossing twice and meeting at the bottom to form three spaces. Press the ends together at the bottom to seal them. Continue forming the twists until you have filled the baking tray with 12 cookies.
Press three almonds into each cookie and sprinkle some sugar.
The intorchiate are ready to go in the oven
Transfer the intorchiate into the oven and cook for about 20/25 minutes or until they turn golden in colour.
The intorchiate are out of the oven!
the intorchiate cookies are sooo comforting!
I love to have these biscuits for breakfast and they are great dipped in coffee, in perfect Italian style!
These yummy biscuits are perfect with coffee
They can last up to 2 week in a airtight container but in this household they don't last more than 2 days!😁 I wonder why!
Buon appetito!😋
You can store intorcinati in an airtight container and they can last up to 2 weeks
The intorchiate biscuits are kids friendly. My son loves them!
Vegan Pistachio Ice-cream
The warm and sunny weather calls for refreshing ice-cream, right? However Italian style icecream is the most comforting one to me!
I will miss being in Italy this summer and eat amazing ice-creams from the typical gelateria and that's why I've tried to recreate the original taste of pistachio ice-cream at home.
This is a dairy-free and sugar-free icecream full of pistachio flavour! Son absolutely loved it! In fact he loves pistachio so much! Exactly like his mujmu!😋
Ingredients for about 200ml ice-cream
1/2 can condensed coconut milk
50 gr cashew nuts
100 ml boiling water
1 avocado
2 table spoons sweet pistachio cream
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Preparation: 1 hour - Refrigerate: 4 hours
Start by putting the cashew nuts in a bowl with bolining water. Let it soak for about 1 hour.
Then transfer the cashew nuts with their water, the condensed coconut milk and the avocado in a food processor. Mix everything at high speed until you get a smooth cream.
My pistachio ice-cream is ready!
Now add the sweet pistachio cream and chopped pistachios.
Transfer the mixture in a container and refrigerate for a few hours.
The pistachio ice-cream is in the bowl!
When its time to serve your pistachio ice-cream, leave the container outside for about 15 minutes before scooping it into a bowl.
Sprinkle more chopped pistachios if you like.
Buon appetito!🍦😋
This pistachio ice-cream is creamy and full of flavour!
Top view of the pistachio ice-cream
This pistachio ice-cream is so yummy!
Son absolutely loved the pistachio ice-cream!
Vegan Strudel With Peperonata
Today it's savoury strudel time!
A delicious and super thin crumbly pastry base loaded with Italian style mixed peppers filling aka peperonata. What not to love about it!
Also it's great that it's yeast-free and it's so quick to make. It's incredibly versatile and can be filled with your favourite toppings or what you have available. The combinations are endless!
Ingredients for 2 savoury strudels dough:
200 gr plain flour
70 ml lukewarm water
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
Ingredients for the peperonata
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Handful of fresh mint
3 teaspoons capers
3 spoons nutritional yeast
3 spoons breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves
Preparation: 20 min - Cooking: 25 min
Start by mixing all ingredients for the strudel in a bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
In the meantime cut the peppers in thin stripes and pan fry them with some extra virgin olive oil, chopped garlic and salt.
Let it cook for 15/20 minutes or until the peppers are soft keeping the lid on and stirring occasionally.
Add capers, breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast, mix well and let it cool down.
Now you can fill your savoury strudel with it.
Take the strudel dough and divide it in 2 balls so to make 2 strudel. Start with the first dough ball. Roll it flat with the help of a rolling pin and make it into a very thin base. Sprinkle a bit of flour to help you with the process.
Half of the strudel base is filled with peperonata
Transfer the thin base on parchment paper and fill half of strudel base with half of the peperonata then close it. Brush some oil and sprinkle some salt.
Repeat this process with the second dough ball.
The strudel is out of the oven!
Move the 2 strudels on parchment paper on a rectangular oven tray and cook both in the oven at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Buon appetito!😋
Yummy savoury strudel is cut into squares ready to be eaten!
This strudel with peperonata is so crunchy outside and full of flavour inside!
Italian Potato & Rice Soup
This is a very quick and nutritious recipe made by using just a few simple ingredients.
It’s one of those meals my mum used to make many many times and it reminds me so much of my childhood in Italy.
So simple yet incredibly comforting!
I love to load soups with plenty of herbs and spices as they are so good for our health, plus this type of dish is a great way to disguise them, mainly if you have fussy eaters in the house!
Ingredients for 4 people:
4 potatoes
100gr asparagus
6 cherry tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove
ground or fresh ginger
turmeric
paprika
fresh or dry parsley
dry rosemary
fresh or dry basil
400ml water
1 vegetable stock cube
Hymalayan salt
5 spoons extra virgin olive oil
2 spoons tomato paste
350gr risotto rice
Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes
Start by cutting the potatoes in small pieces and transfer in a pan with some extra virgin olive oil, chopped cherry tomatoes, chopped garlic and onion.
Fry for about 5 minutes until the garlic, onion and chopped tomatoes get soft. Now add the water, chopped asparagus and all other herbs and spices. Cover with a lid and let cook for about 20 minutes. Then pour the rice in the same pan and add extra water if needed to properly cover the rice.
Keep on cooking by stirring often. It should be ready about 15/20 minutes later.
You can top it with extra fresh parsley or basil and some grated Parmesan cheese if you like!
Rice and potatoes soup is ready!
Make sure when possible to add as many herbs and/or spices as possible as they play a crucial role in strengthening our immune system.
Buon appetito!😋
A close-up of the yummy soup
The rice and potato soup is in the plate!
ItalianVegan Green Baked Pasta
This is a great family meal and it's so versatile and comforting. Kids and hubby love it! The crunchy pasta on top is a winner. Here kids call it pasta chips!:-)
Pasta al forno is baked pasta in Italian and there are many versions out there, mainly with tomato sauce.
However I wanted this time to make it white and vegan, loaded with lots of hidden greens for my son to eat without complaining too much.
Also as daughter doesn't like melted cheese which is normally a main ingredient in this dish, I left out mozzarella and made a vegan bechamel.
What don't we do for our kids, right?
Ingredients for a rectangular tray (6 portions)
400gr wholegrain penne
Sautéed veggies
150gr asparagus
1 courgette
4 big kale leaves
1 handful pistachios
1 leek
mint
parsley
extra virgin olive oil
Himalayan salt
paprika
Green Bechamel
1 kale leaf
1 handful pistachios
parsley
mint
Green Bread Crumble
2 slices brown bread
some pistachios
mint
parsley
Preparation:40 min - Cooking: 40 min
Start by cutting the greens for the sautéed veggies into small pieces. Pan fry them in a pan at medium heat with extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices until soft. About 10/15 min. Then leave on the side.
The sautés veggies are ready!
In the meantime boil the water to cook the pasta.
In the food processor prepare the bread crumble by mincing all the ingredients at high speed. Put aside.
Here is the green bread crumble
Then use the food processor to mash all the greens which are supposed to go in the bechamel. Once they are mashed, leave them in the food processor and add the ingredients for the vegan bechamel.
The greens of the bechamel are ready!
The green vegan bechamel is ready!
Now all the toppings for the pasta al forno are ready.
Mix the pasta with the sautés veggies and half of the bechamel and transfer in an oven rectangular tray. Pour the remaining bechamel sauce on top and sprinkle the bread crumble.
The green baked pasta is ready to go in the oven!
Add a little bit of water on the sides of the tray and cook in the oven at 180 degrees for about 30/40 minutes or until the top pasta is golden and crispy.
Buon appetito!😋
The pasta al forno is ready
Beautiful view of the inside layers!
This pasta is crunchy on top and moist inside!
Truffle, Chorizo & Potato Rice Bake
I love tray baked meals so much and this one is definitely one of my favourite.
What’s great about them is that you can prepare the meal in advance or even freeze portions which become a great meal prep solution too.
This is more the result of a creative mix of fridge leftovers and it was such a successful one!
Flavourful, rich & so comforting!
Ingredients for 1 rectangular oven tray (about 6 portions)
4 big potatoes
1 cup shiitake mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
200gr truffle risotto
125ml truffle cooking cream
6 chorizo sausages
dried basil
dried parsley
Himalayan salt
extra virgin olive oil
bread crumbs
grated Parmesan cheese
water
Preparation: 20 min - Cooking: 40 min
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees and start peeling the potatoes.
Take your tray and start layering your ingredients.
First some oil on the base with a couple of chopped tomatoes scattered.
Now start covering the bottom of your tray with slices of potatoes. Pour one handful of truffle risotto rice on top, chopped mushrooms, a few chopped tomatoes, salt, parmesan, dried herbs, 1 spoon of cooking cream, chopped chorizo. Make another layer of potatoes and repeat all ingredients on top. You should have 3 layers all the same.
Then finish with a last layer of potatoes and cover it with parmesan, chopped tomatoes, breadcrumbs & some oil.
The tray just before going into the oven
Fill the sides of your tray with water so to reach nearly the top. The water should just reach the last top layer of rice but not the last potato layer.
This will become extra crunchy while the inside layers will remain moisty.
Cook at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the top potato layer is golden and crispy and the water is well absorbed.
Buon appetito!😋
Those crunchy potatoes on top!
The meal is ready!
Crunchy Avocado, Basil & Sun-dried Tomatoes Pesto
There is nothing more satisfying than coming up with your own recipe and seeing the family happily enjoying the food you make, right?
That's exactly what happened with this pesto!
I gave a look at the fridge and immediately got inspired! In instants a new fresh recipe was born. And even better, it got the thumbs up from the whole family!
Ingredients for 4 people:
1 avocado
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 lemon zest
1/2 lemon juice
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
small piece of fresh ginger or ground ginger
sumac
oregano
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
3 teaspoons mixed seeds
Preparation:10 min - Cooking:10 min
Start by putting the water on a saucepan and bring it to boil.
In the meantime put all the ingredients of our pesto in a food processor, except for the bread crumbs & seeds.
Mince everything at high speed and put aside.
The pesto is done!
Make the crunchy crumble by putting bread crumbs and seeds on a pan and pan frying them for 5 minutes or until golden and crispy.
The seeds and bread crumbs are in the pan!
When the water is boiling, pour the pasta and cook it “al dente”.
Now that the pasta is ready take the pesto previously made and toss it in the pasta. Add the crunchy bread and seeds on top as a final step.
Your pesto pasta is ready!
The yummy tagliatelle are ready to be eaten!
Buon appetito!😋
Crunchy pesto pasta is in the plate!
Kids loved it too!
Bruschetta Tricolore
This is a great snack idea in the Italian flag theme 😊 perfect for parties or as a starter dish of a typical Italian lunch/dinner.
Every topping is made using only typical Italian ingredients to celebrate my beautiful country.
Ingredients for 6 bread flags
2 slices sourdough bread
Green fresh topping:
1/2 cup rocket salad
6 basil leaves
8 capers
lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
White tangy topping
1/2 buffalo mozzarella
1 garlic glove
lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Red spicy topping
4 dried tomatoes
1/2 chilly pepper
5 cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon tomato purée
lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation: 20 min
Start by toasting the sourdough bread slices.
In the meantime prepare the 3 toppings.
For all the toppings I have simply put all the ingredients of each dip in the food processor.
Once the bread is ready, cut 3 rectangular shapes out of each bread slice and spread the 3 toppings on each rectangle in order to alternate green, white and red to create the image of the Italian flag. Done!
Super easy, super healthy and super delicious!!!
Buon appetito!😋
My Minty Courgette Pie
Here is one amazing recipe for a quick courgette pie which is my easy fix for a lunch box, snack, or party food.
At my recent 10th wedding anniversary party it was a hit and I was asked to share the recipe so here I am to share it with you all!
Courgette is packed with beneficial nutrients including Vitamins C and A, potassium, folate, and fiber. All contribute to a healthy heart by decreasing the risk of stroke, reducing high blood pressure, and lowering cholesterol.
Ingredients:
300gr courgettes
200gr self-raising brown flour
50gr Parmesan cheese
100gr sunflower oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 handful fresh mint leaves finely chopped
4 eggs
2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation:15 min Cooking: 40 min
Start by washing the courgettes and slice them in thin round wheels shape then put on the side.
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees.
Take a bowl and mix all the other ingredients together and then add the courgette wheels.
Mix well then transfer the mixture into a cake pan lined with baking paper.
Cook in the oven for about 40’ at 180 degrees.
The courgette pie is ready!
Enjoy warm or cold!
This pie is moisty inside and crunchy outside. So delicious!
Buon appetito!😋
All those lovely courgette wheels inside!
Vegan Coffee Ice-Cream
This was my first vegan ice-cream and I'm so happy that it turned out a success!
I hadn't really planned to make it and decided to do it from scratch only after forgetting to include some in my online shopping.
It was easier than I thought! Now I know that no matter if I forget to buy some, I can always make it at home as long as I have the right ingredients!
This vegan coffee ice-cream is so good no one would ever guess it is vegan. Rich and creamy and deliciously coffee flavoured.
Ingredients
Homemade Cashew Milk
100 gr Raw Cashews (soaked in boiling water for 1 hour)
200 ml water
Cashew ready to blend with water to make homemade cashew milk!
For the Ice Cream:
homemade cashew milk
360 ml condensed coconut milk
60 ml water
100 gr cacao butter
80 gr coconut butter
25 gr instant coffee powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
50 gr coconut sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation: 60 minutes
Start by soaking the cashews in some boiling water. After about 1 hour, drain the cashews and add them to the food processor along with 200 ml of fresh water. Blend very well until the cashew milk is totally smooth. Use all of this milk in your ice-cream.
The cashew milk is ready!
Add the homemade cashew milk to a big bowl together with the condensed coconut milk and set aside.
In the meantime take all other ingredients and place them in a saucepan at low heat, turning often until all is well melted together.
Pour this mixture in the food processor together with the cashew milk and condensed coconut milk until it's all smooth and well combined.
All the ingredients have been blended together in the food processor!
Pour the cream in a loaf pan or an ice-cream tub and transfer it in the freezer.
For the first 2/3 hours take occasionally the ice-cream out of the freezer and stir the cream with a spoon. Then let it set. It will be ready to be eaten 3/4 hours later.
You can add some toppings like coffee beans, coconut flakes, chopped roasted cashews, dark chocolate chips.
Buon appetito!
The coffee ice-cream is ready to be eaten!
So smooth and rich, you would never tell it’s vegan!
Hubby loved it! He said it’s one of my best!