This Sicilian pesto is really quick to make in the blender, while your pasta cooks, you can whizz it up and it’s done. It’s got the delicious fresh flavours of tomatoes, basil and garlic with the nutty almonds and it makes change from spaghetti al pesto (which I love too) it takes minutes to make and tastes divine.
Continue readinggluten free
italian breakfast cake
Italians love a small sweet biscuit or a small piece of cake with their coffee in the morning. This cake is light and lemony and is made with olive oil and lots of eggs. You could eat it anytime of day and it would be delicious with berries and a dollop of crème fraîche too. I reduced the sugar a bit as I don’t like my cakes too sweet but you can add more if you prefer. I think it’s sweet enough.
Continue readingpistachio and vanilla biscuits
For the pistachio lovers, these biscuits are Middle Eastern in their inspiration and really easy to make. They are chewy, nutty and macaron like and perfect served with an espresso. They are also dairy and gluten free.
Continue readingBusaba thai calamari
This recipe is more of a review, I found it on Epicurious and it’s a recipe for the Busaba Eat Thai squid which is one of their best dishes and everyone loves it so I wanted to try and make it myself. It’s really delicious and what really makes it is the sauce. It’s brilliant with Thai sticky rice and some stir fried pak-choi. The pickled peppercorns are optional if you can’t be arsed, but I love them and made a big batch to use on other recipes, like my curries.
Continue readingroasted pears with date molasses
This easy Middle Eastern inspired recipe is made with the delicious flavours of cinnamon, lemon, vanilla and the sauce it creates is dark and syrupy. It is delicious hot or cold with a dollop of ice cream, cream or yogurt.
Continue readingchocolate amaretti biscuit cakes
These chocolatey Italian biscuits are traditionally very crunchy on the outside and chewy and a bit marzipany in the middle. They are really easy to make and are gluten and dairy free. I serve them with coffee at the end of a meal instead of making a dessert, or after dessert. They are dense dark and rich and you only need a couple.
overnight gravadlax
Gravadlax is really easy to make and much much cheaper than buying it ready made. This recipe is adapted from a recipe in Esquire Magazine that I found online.
It’s brilliant if you want the gravadlax that or the next day. Instead of putting the salmon into dry ingredients, you make a sweet brine first and place it in that and it does its job much faster, and more efficiently. I have included my favourite recipe for the dill sauce too if you fancy making that too, or it’s fine with a squeeze of lemon and it’s great on canapés with pink pickled onions, capers or on rye bread with sliced boiled eggs and any of my pickled vegetables on the blog.
pistachio amaretti
These Italian amaretti biscuits are traditionally very crunchy on the outside and chewy and a bit marzipany in the middle. They are really easy to make and are gluten and dairy free. I love adore pistachios and I serve them with coffee at the end of a meal instead of making a dessert, or after dessert. They are dense and rich and you only need a couple. Perfect at Christmas and you can give them as gifts in little bags tied with a ribbon.
clementine amaretti
These clementine amaretti biscuits are traditionally very crunchy on the outside and chewy and a bit marzipany in the middle. They are really easy to make and are gluten and dairy free. They are perfect at Christmas for your guests or as gifts in little bags tied with a ribbon. I serve them with coffee at the end of a meal instead of making a dessert, or after dessert.
caramelised pumpkin salad with beetroot and goats cheese
I love warm salads and this one is particularly autumny but I could eat it all year round. It’s got the creamy goats cheese with the beetroot and pumpkin which are a marriage made in heaven, then you have the crunchy almonds with pea shoots. It’s perfect as a light supper with some crusty bread to mop up the vinaigrette, with my Manoushe or any of my Middle Eastern recipes on here. If you press on the word vinaigrette in the ingredients bit it takes you to the recipe.