I had this Venetian tapas served with drinks in Venice. It is unbelievably delicious and perfect as canapés and as an hors d’œuvre or just for lunch. It’s also been served on polenta in Harry’s Bar for decades. The salt cod is whipped to a smooth consistency with olive oil and slavered on crostini or polenta. You can now get salt cod in the international section in most supermarkets or in Caribbean, Spanish and Italian delis.
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This cake is a version of my apple cake only made with cherries and almonds. It’s a very moist puddingy cake and it goes marzipany in the centre and has a pie like crust on the outside. The cherries I use are hassle free frozen ones from the supermarket which have been stoned and are cheap and easy.
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This Italian recipe is a fantastic meatless version of meatballs, they are absolutely amazing and packed with flavour and perfect if you love aubergines, like me. Also they are great if you are having a dinner party or date night (just halve the quantities for two) I absolutely adore them.
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These smoked salmon tartines are loaded with flavour; they are made with tangy pink pickled eggs and capers with a big sprinkle of fresh chopped chives on crunchy toasted sourdough. I love them for brunch, lunch and they’re perfect on a picnic.
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These beetroot pickled eggs are a really pretty and really easy. I slice them and add them to salads, sandwiches or any recipe that has boiled eggs in.
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For the almond lovers… these biscuits are from a Moroccan cookbook called Orange Blossom and Honey by John Gregory Smith. He based them on the biscuits from the Medina and they are absolutely delicious. They are chewy, nutty and macaron like and perfect served with an espresso. They are also dairy and gluten free.
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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.
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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.
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I made these cocktails last night with my homemade rhubarb syrup which I served with gin (or vodka if you prefer) and sparkling water on ice… they were deliciously perfumed with the rhubarb which is the most gorgeous colour. If you prefer you can leave the alcohol out and have a delicious mocktail instead, pour it over ice cream or you can keep it in fridge as a cordial.
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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.
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