Sautéed Early Sweet Peas with fresh parsley and onion recipe

This is a great classic side dish, light and delicious, ideal for a rustic as well as a more formal lunch or dinner, it goes with just about any meat or fish dish, and it is quick and easy to make.

It can also be used as a base for pasta and risotto dishes and is very tasty used in frittatas and on top of bruschetta.

It is ideal to make this dish in spring using fresh peas as they are very sweet and tender. For this recipe, however, you can use fresh peas when in season but frozen petits pois are the ones I use most of the time as they are great alternative to the fresh peas when they are not in season and can be enjoyed all year round.

My mother made sautéed peas very frequently, they are nutritious, healthy and delicious, and they were served on a weekly basis, used fresh when in season but most of the time my mother used frozen petits pois as an alternative.

As a child I loved going to the allotment with my maternal grandparents and have vivid memories picking the pea pods from the plant. I also remember being always amazed walking home with big wicker baskets full of pea pods and ending up with half of what we picked after removing the peas from the pods.

I found picking the pea pods very entertaining, I liked very much opening the pods and finding this lovely vibrant green peas inside them.

As a child, I also soon spotted the opportunity to play and as the peas were all different sizes I would create a long line of peas starting with the smallest.

I thought that was great fun, it also provided fantastic healthy snack, I ate them as I went along creating this pea chain.

My most heart-warming memories around peas, whether they were picked at the allotment or bought at the farmers market, must have been me sitting at the table with my mother or paternal grandmother, and remove the peas from the pods. It provided the opportunity just to be together, have conversation or just stay in silence and smile at each other, I guess I felt reassured, loved...

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Ingredients

Serves 4 as part of meal

• 1kg fresh early sweet peas in pods (after removing the pods you should end up with roughly between 400- 500g of peas)

  You can use sugar snap peas, in this case you will need about 2kg to get roughly 400g of peas after removing the pods.

  In both cases do not worry if you end up with more or less peas. Just use what you end up with after taking them outside the pod and follow the recipe.

  You can also use frozen Petits Pois (about 500g) or canned peas.

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 onion, medium size (about 130g), finely chopped

• fresh flat leaf parsley, about a handful, finely chopped

• hot vegetable stock or Bouillon powder instant stock

• sea salt (only needed if using vegetable stock without the salt)

Method

If using fresh peas, clean and prepare them by removing the peas from inside the pods and discard the pods.

In a skillet add the olive oil and onions and sautéed them over gentle heat until lightly browned and softened (this should take 5-7 minutes).

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Add the peas, fresh or frozen, and sautéed them together with the onions for few minutes. If using frozen peas cover with the lid as it will help to defrost them quicker.

Add fresh parsley and hot vegetable stock just enough to completely cover the peas.

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Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is absorbed but the peas are still nice and moist and not dry (it should take around 15 minutes).

Taste and season with sea salt if needed and serve warm.

Just a thought

You can keep the cooked peas in the fridge, in a airtight container, for about two or three days.

They freeze very well, so good side dish to prepare ahead.

Frittata with dry sausage (salami) recipe

Frittata with dry sausage is a quick and easy midweek lunch or dinner and a great weekend breakfast or brunch option. Fantastic eaten hot but often served at room temperature and perfect to make ahead for picnics and larger groups. Serve it with rustic bread or polenta and a salad. Great also as a sandwich filling.

To me, however, this simple dish is more than just a quick meal solution.

Both my grandfathers loved frittatas, and not without a glass of red wine! They would normally have it upon the return back home late morning after working in the allotments or in the olive grove.

My paternal grandfather really liked dry sausage frittata while my maternal grandfather was really keen on wild fresh herbs frittata but both really liked wild asparagus and pancetta (or without) variation. All three typical in the region.

This simple dish, similar to an omelette, is Italian in origin (frittata is an Italian word and roughly translates to “fried”) but due to such a close geographical proximity to Italy, frittata found a huge popularity in a local cuisine and could be referred to as Fritaja s klobasami – Fritata or Frtalja s klobasami and Fritaia con le luganiche in Istrian dialect. All these names come from the Venetian word fritaia.

Amazingly, this simple frittata with dry sausage, is a speciality in Istria and also has a deep meaning in a local folklore. This type of frittata is typically made especially during Carnival period (festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent). In rural areas and particularly in small villages locals dressed up in different Carnival costumes. In groups they would walk from house to house singing traditional folk songs accompanied by sound and the melodies of the accordion, usually played by one member of the group.

As a sign of appreciation for entertaining and lifting the spirits, they received food gifts which consisted of fresh eggs, dry sausages, salami, crostoli, fritole (typical Carnival sweet things) and also wine.

When this simple Carnival procession was over, the participants would gather in somebody's home and frittata with dry sausage was made and other dishes were prepared with everything they received.

All the food was displayed on the table, shared and enjoyed, often ending up in excessive consumption of alcohol and other foods that will be forgone during upcoming Lent. There was a lot of singing and dancing, this is how local people came together and enjoyed each other company, the festive period and the the end of harsh winter.

My nona Nada also shared with me a lovely story, telling me that this festive season also provided the opportunity for young men and women to casually meet and possibly fall in love...

Ingredients

Serves 4

• Italian dry sausage/salami (about 150g), can use French sausage (saucisson), Spanish Chorizo (the important thing is that they are not too dry and hard, when buying should feel a bit soft when squeezing)

• 6 eggs, beaten or whisked

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• sea salt, to taste (bear in mind the sausages are dry cured and taste salty already)

• black pepper, freshly ground (to taste)

Method

Peel the dry sausage, place it on a chopping board, slice it, half it and then cut it into quarters.

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In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

Put the oil in a skillet, ideally non stick, and heat it.

Sauté and lightly sear the sausage on a medium high heat stirring frequently.

Pour the egg mixture in the skillet over the sausage, turn the heat to fairly low and cover with the lid (glass lid with steam hole works very well, if you have it). Also, using a slightly bigger lid than the skillet will help to keep the frittata “dry”. Lid that fits perfectly on top of the skillet could potentially trap quite a bit of steam and possibly making your frittata a bit wet.

The use of the lid will also help to cook the frittata evenly, avoiding the bottom of frittata being almost burnt and the egg mixture on the top being still raw, runny and unset.

Cook the frittata for about 20 min. The frittata is cooked when the underside is set and the egg mixture on the top no longer runny.

Just a thought

In this recipe, I have chosen to cook the frittata on the stove with a lid as my family has always used this method. I have also bear in mind that not everyone has a skillet that can go in the hot oven or under the grill.

However, if you are familiar cooking the frittata in the oven, and that is your preferred method, it is perfectly fine to do so.

Wine suggestion

Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso IGT 2017 by Vigna Petrussa, Venezia Giulia.

My mum's Creamed spinach (without cream) recipe

Creamed spinach is one of my absolute favourite side dishes and it is one of those recipes that you will go back to time and time again. Spinach is a beautiful leafy plant but it is sometimes an unsung hero of dinner greens. It is quick and easy to make, perfect to introduce as a vegetable dish during midweek or to serve along those special weekend meat roasts. It is very tasty, nutritious, healthy and accompanies really nicely just about any fish or meat dish.

Spinach cooked this way was the one I loved most as a child, and I could never get enough of it, I could literally eat it out of pan with a spoon, nothing much has changed. And of course, I was never told off for eating too much of it! Definitely worth giving it a go if you have children (and adults) that are not so kin on vegetables.

My mother made creamed spinach very often for me and my brother when we were little during the week as a quick meal together with mashed potatoes and fried egg. This vegetable side dish is very popular back home and still served as part of school meals just as it used to be. It is reassuring to know that some things just haven't changed...

Ingredients

Serves 2-4 as part of meal

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled

• 500g of baby spinach (washed and ready to use) You can use other varieties of spinach or Swiss chard in which case you remove the stalks

• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

• 250 ml milk (semi skimmed or full fat)

• sea salt

• nutmeg, freshly grated (optional)

Method

First of all you need to wash the spinach thoroughly if you bought it unwashed. If you are using the spinach that has been washed already and is ready to use just skip the following step.

The best way to wash the spinach is to put it in a sink or large container of cold water. Swish leaves around and than let them stand for a few minutes allowing the dirt to sink to the bottom.

Place washed spinach in a big pot and pour over boiling hot water. If you prefer you can bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and then add the spinach. In both cases you need to push the leaves down to completely submerge them in the water.

Blanch the spinach for about 40 seconds to a minute (blanching is most often used as an intermediary step for a dish and it means giving greens, in this case spinach, a quick cook in hot water to cook them through and soften them).

Place a large colander in a sink, drain the spinach and run it under cold water just for few seconds. This will stop the cooking immediately (and retain the nutrients) but it will also help to cool down the spinach.

Let the spinach cool completely for few minutes and drain as much as you can. You want to remove as much excess liquid as you can (spinach contains quite a lot of water). I do this in batches by taking small handfuls of spinach and squeeze it very well. I end up with few balls of very well drained spinach.

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Transfer drained spinach on a chopping board and chop quite finely.

Put the extra virgin olive oil and peeled clove of garlic in a saucepan. Infuse the oil with the garlic on a medium-low heat and when the garlic turns nice golden colour remove it from the saucepan and discard it. Be careful not to burn it, trust me this is easily done.

Add the flour and cook briefly, stirring constantly, until the flour turns golden colour.

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Add chopped spinach and stir well so the spinach is mixed well with the flour mixture. At this point the spinach mixture might stick to the bottom a bit, do not worry if this is the case.

Start pouring gradually the milk, stirring and mixing constantly, incorporating well. Season with salt and add some freshly grated nutmeg, if using, and cook further for about 5-7 minutes on a gentle heat, stirring constantly. By this time you should end up with a lovely thickened creamed spinach. If it does look a bit watery give it another minute or so.

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Just a thought

If you prepare this dish in advance it might get a bit thick. When heating up just pour in gradually a little bit more milk and stir constantly until you get the desired consistency.

My mum's home made elderflower syrup recipe

Making elderflower syrup could not be simpler, and it is very rewarding, especially when you want to cool down with a refreshing, non-alcoholic, low sugar drink during the hot summer months.

Just add to your Elderflower syrup cold tap or sparkling water, a few cubes of ice, a slice of lemon, and if you wish, a few leaves of fresh mint. This will really add extra flavour and freshness to any glass of water, and will for sure now make an ordinary glass of water a memorable part of any summer day.

Added to Prosecco or other fizzy wines will make a brilliant grown-up drink.

Elderflower syrup has many culinary uses and they are quite varied. You can add it to cake batter, biscuits and cookies mixture for extra flavour, drizzle over waffles, pancakes, ice cream or sorbet, (especially lemon sorbet), drizzle over fruit pavlova or over strawberries and cream. You can add elderflower syrup when making strawberry jam and put it into a yoghurt and fruit smoothies for an extra dimension of flavour.

It can be enjoyed all year round and makes a fantastic home made gift for your foodie family and friends.

My mother and my maternal grandparents were real nature lovers, and passed on to me their appreciation of the natural world. My long walks and hikes with them provided a wonderful opportunity to go foraging!

I learned how to simply stop, listen and observe what was all around me. They always pointed out to me different trees, plants, animals, birds... and even named them.

I got a real sense for the changing seasons, and what to go foraging for in different seasons, and so to eat what was in season and in this way live closer to nature.

I have very vivid memories of my grandad always carrying in his pocket a small, partially covered in rust foldable pocket knife. If I close my eyes, I have a very clear image of how the knife looked.

He was a very skillful and resourceful man, and if he found what seemed like an appropriate piece of wood, he would sit down on a rock, pulled out his knife, and make me, for example, a simple whistle ...

This will stay with me forever.

They also taught me to recognize the elderflower from other very similar looking plants, which would not make a very pleasant tasting drink.

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When I was small and elderflower was in season my mum made quite few bottles of elderflower syrup. I will share with you in this recipe how she did it. The recipe uses citric acid that adds the extra zing but most of all it acts as a preservative so you can keep your syrup for longer.

First of all, you really want to make sure that you pick the elderflowers in areas away from roads and away from any other form of pollution.

Pick healthy looking, fully opened blossoms, place them gently in a basket, keeping them upright so you minimize to lose the pollen, which is the major source of vitamins and minerals, and that unique fragrance and flavour.

You will find elderflowers from late April to almost the end of July, depending on where you live.

Also, it is extremely important that you do not pick too many elderflower heads from the same bush. This is because the birds feed on the elderflower berries in early autumn.

This recipe will give about 3 litres of elderflower syrup.

Ingredients

• about 30 big heads of elderflower (do not rinse them as you will loose a lot of flavour, remove bugs, insects, leaves etc.) remove the thick stems and trim off the smaller stems as much as you can

• 3kg of granulated sugar

• 3 lemons, preferably organic

• 3l water

• 70g citric acid (food-grade, looks a bit like caster sugar)

Method

In a large pot (containing about 5-6l) add water and bring to boil, then turn the heat off.

Add sugar and citric acid and stir continuously until all the sugar and citric acid have completely dissolved.

Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Add elderflower heads, sliced lemons and gently stir, making sure the elderflowers are completely submerged.

Put the lid on and leave for 3-4 days but give it a gentle stir once a day so the flavour of the elderflower can diffuse into the syrup.

Strain the syrup into a bowl through a fine-meshed sieve previously lined with muslin cloth (you can use cheesecloth or simply kitchen paper towel). Preferably, the bowl should have a spout since it will be very useful and helpful when pouring the syrup into a funnel, at the later stage when you are bottling the syrup.

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The syrup is now ready for bottling. Sterilize your bottles and lids or other closures for glass bottles with the method that you are most familiar with. I use the dishwasher method by placing the rinsed glass bottles upside down and set it to the highest setting (or the steam setting, if you have one) and put them through a cycle. Leave the bottles to cool slightly in the dishwasher and remove each one as you need it.

With the help of the funnel, pour the syrup into your sterilized bottles. Make sure you close the bottles tightly with lids or other closures for glass bottles.

No oxygen should enter the bottles, preventing the bacteria to feed and multiply on the oxygen.

It is the multiplying of the bacteria that will form CO2 which causes bottles to “burst, or explode” and the cordial to ferment, go fizzy, and become very slightly alcoholic.

It is a good idea to put the bottles in the fridge, where the syrup will last for months, at least until Christmas, when you will be ready for that Elderflower Prosecco cocktail.

Sautéed courgettes with onions and parsley recipe

I simply love cooking with courgettes, this humble vegetable is divine and incredibly versatile.

Courgettes are fantastic when grilled, fried, roasted, used raw in salads, but sautéed courgettes with onions and fresh parsley must be the method I most often return to when cooking with courgettes, as it is a classic side dish to accompany just about any main course.

This is a rustic dish and offers a great deal more than meets the eyes. My mother made this dish on a weekly basis, especially during late spring and summer when they are in season.

In this recipe, the courgettes are slow-cooked until they become creamy, golden in colour and silky in texture, with sweet and caramelized taste.

Courgettes cooked in this way originate from the Italian recipe Zucchine trifolate, where trifolare in Italian simply means a method of preparing vegetables with onions or garlic or both, olive oil, and fresh parsley until they are thoroughly cooked and soft.

And once again, the proximity to Italy of my homeland and the mild climate offering the courgettes in abundance when in season, would explain the popularity of this dish.

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Courgettes prepared this way, would most commonly be served as a hot side dish for grilled, barbecued or roasted meat or fish dishes or used as a base for risotto, frittata or omelette or simply stirred through pasta.

Fantastic used in savoury pies and served in a less traditional way, for example stirred through couscous or with jacket potatoes.

At room temperature or cold are a great addition to an antipasti selection and fantastic spooned onto bruschetta with fresh chopped basil or mint if it's summertime.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6 as part of meal

• 1 kg courgettes (4-6 courgettes roughly, depending on the size)

• 1 onion (about 150g), finely chopped (you can use garlic instead if prefer or use both)

• 4-5 Tbsp (about 15g) fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 100 ml vegetable stock (you can use good quality instant vegetable stock or water), optional if you prefer a less creamier consistency as an end result.

• sea salt

Method

Wash the courgettes under cold running water, dry them a bit, place them on a chopping board, cut off the tops and the bottoms. Cut the courgettes in half and then slice them in half lengthwise.

Slice the courgettes, you should get half moon shaped pieces.

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In a large, wide pan put the extra virgin olive oil, heat it a bit, add the onions and sauté them on a fairly low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly until the onions become soft and translucent.

Add the courgettes and parsley, sauté them on a medium-low heat for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. By now, almost all the water should evaporate, the courgettes should get softer and start breaking down a bit.

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Add vegetable stock or water and cook further for about 25-30 minute on a gentle heat, stirring occasionally now and again.

After this time, the water should be completely evaporated, courgettes broken down and soft, but most probably with not much colour.

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Season with sea salt to taste, increase the heat, and cook the courgettes for few more minutes, so they get a bit of a colour. At this stage, they might start to catch a bit and this is exactly what should happen. If they are still not getting the colour, increase the heat a bit and stir them a little more if needed.

The dish is ready when the courgette pieces are golden around the edges and oozy and creamy in the middle.

Just a thought

It is quite common to add a pinch of red chilli flakes for extra kick.

Sautéed courgettes freeze very well, so it might be a good idea to cook in bigger quantities when the courgettes are in season and freeze them.

Potato Gnocchi recipe

Gnocchi are incredibly popular dish from where I come from, and again this is of no surprise, as the region is so close to Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, regions in Northern Italy where gnocchi actually originated. This is due to a cooler climate that is very well suited for growing potatoes.

I will share here with you my nona Nada's recipe for a basic homemade potato gnocchi that can be served with endless variety of sauces but the most common are probably melted butter, sage and grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese, bolognese sauce, classic tomato sauce, four cheeses sauce and basil pesto. Gnocchi can also be prepared in advance to use for a gnocchi bake.

In Slovenia they are frequently found on the menus in family run restaurants served with different meat roasts and the gravy; the idea behind it is to squash the gnocchi with the fork so they absorb the sauce. When you eat it like that, it is like receiving a hug.

I grew up on them, my nona Nada made tuns of them in her lifetime. I learnt how to make them directly from her, under her strictest supervision of course, apparently I passed!

A lot of people are quite daunted by the idea of making gnocchi from scratch, but I promise you they are much less complicated that is seems and once you make them yourself and realize how easy it is to make them and how much tastier they are compared to ready made once from the store, you will think twice before buying them.

Before you start, it is crucial that you chose the right type of potato, they need to be starchy with floury texture and minimum content of water, giving you a light and airy dough with gnocchi being soft, delicate with a pillowy texture.

Gnocchi are perfect for both informal or more formal lunches or dinners.

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1kg floury, yellow-fleshed potatoes, e.g. King Edward, Maris Piper, (avoid new potatoes). I use red skin potatoes.

• 300g all purpose flour (plus extra for flouring the board and working surface)

• 1 egg, slightly beaten

• sea salt, a pinch

Method

Wash the potatoes, with the skin on, under cold running water.

Place the potatoes in a saucepan or a pot, cover with cold water and bring to boil. After the water has come to a boil, cook for about 20 minutes or until tender. Cooking time will obviously vary depending on the size of the potatoes you are using.

Don't pierce them during cooking and don't overcook them allowing the skin to burst as they will absorb too much water.

You might ask yourself why is it so important to use floury, low water content potato and why is it so important that the potatoes do not absorb too much water during the cooking.

It is crucial that the potatoes stay dry, in this way you will only add the necessary flour, having as a finished product a cooked gnocchi that will actually taste of potato, how they should. On the contrary, the wet potatoes will require more flour as the dough will be wetter and stickier resulting in potato gnocchi tasting floury.

There is a very simple way to avoid potatoes absorbing too much water, steam them, and this is my secret, success guaranteed.

Remove from the pot, drain them in a colander and let them cool enough to handle, then remove the skin. If the potatoes are still quite warm to handle, the best way to remove the skin is to stick the fork though the potato and peel it using a knife.

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Put the flour on a working surface, add salt and mix with the fork.

Make a well in the middle and pass the potatoes through a potato ricer while still warm as they become stickier when cooler. Allow riced potatoes to cool for few minutes and then add the egg.

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Cut a small piece of the dough; my nona Nada told me that the dough should cut like a loaf of bread, roll it out into a log about 2 cm thick and cut them into pieces.

It is very important that you sprinkle the gnocchi with a bit of flour and gently toss them so they don't stick together.

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Repeat the process until you finish all the dough.

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Cook them straight away or leave them uncooked for later use. They can stay uncooked for about a maximum of two hours providing you are covering the gnocchi with kitchen towel.

You can also freeze them, see my section Just a thought.

Gnocchi really do cook in a flash. Place them in a large pot of salted boiling water and when they float to the top you know they are cooked.

Drain them in a colander or scoop them out with slotted spoon, I prefer the latter method as less aggressive with soft and delicate gnocchi.

Add your favourite sauce and serve immediately.

Just a thought

The great thing about gnocchi is that they freeze very well. It is very important that you spread the uncooked gnocchi in a single layer, so they don't stick together, on a well floured wooden board, baking sheet, serving tray or similar laid with kitchen cloth and floured.

Put your tray with gnocchi into a freezer for at least 20- 30 minutes and once frozen put them into a freezing bag.

When you want to cook them just drop them frozen directly into a boiling salted water without defrosting them first.

Gratinated scallops Venetian style recipe

The scallop, which is also known as coquille St-Jacques in French, is probably one of the best known, appreciated and loved types of shellfish, even by those that are generally not so keen on fish or seafood.

I have always adored gratinated scallops, so simple and quick to make. Plum, juicy scallops are covered with enriched breadcrumb mixture and then quickly baked. Despite its simplicity, they feel so luxurious and festive and very impressive, especially when served in their shells.

The use of the scallop shell goes back to medieval times when it was used to pour holy water on the head of the baptized members of the congregation, and it had a very practical purpose and served as a replacement for a bowl so the pilgrims could use them to hold their food and drink on their long journey on the Camino de Santiago, or in English the Way of St. James, i.e. the pilgrim trail leading to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia in north-western Spain, and the shrine of St. James, one of the original apostles, and it is widely travelled today.

The scallop shell scoop would also serve as the measure for the food the pilgrims would receive, donated by local churches and other establishments.

This is a great and very tasty starter for special occasions and there are a lot of variations of this dish. The most familiar variation of it to me, which I grew up with, is eating it in the Venetian style (called Capesante a la Selvadega in Venetian dialect). This is another example of a dish that left significant footprints in the region due to strong presence in the territory of the Serenissima (i.e. ‘the Most Serene Republic of Venice’).

No matter how you prefer making them, scallops are a healthy eating option as they mainly consist of protein and healthy omega-3 fat, are rich in vitamin B12 and zinc, all of which are essential for a healthy brain.

Great to freeze and can be prepared in advance.

For this recipe, you can buy fresh scallops and clean them yourself or buy the ones that have been cleaned already by the fishmonger but still sold in their original shell. You can, however, buy already cleaned fresh or frozen scallops without the shell and use the ramekins to cook and serve them in.

If you buy the fresh scallops in their original shell, I would suggest you keep them for the future use. Brush them well, wash them in a hot soapy water or you can even put them in the dishwasher.

Whether you buy them fresh or frozen you really want to make sure they are caught using sustainable fishing methods.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 12 large fresh scallops (separated from their shell and cleaned)

• 12 clean concave scallop shell to be used as cooking and serving dishes (or ramekins)

• 120g breadcrumbs

• 1 clove of garlic (peeled and pressed)

• vegetable stock, 1-2 Tsp per scallop (using a good quality instant vegetable stock is perfectly fine)

• fresh flat leaf parsley, about a handful (7g), very finely chopped

• fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan cheese) (about 30g), finely grated

• extra virgin olive oil (about 4 Tbsp)

• sea salt, to taste

• butter, few knobs

• lemon wedges, for serving

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C static.

First of all, make the breadcrumb mixture. In a mixing bowl put the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil. With the fork stir and mix so that all the ingredients combine well. You should end up with a moist breadcrumb mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt.

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Place the deep, concave shells (or ramekins if using) with scallops on a baking tray. With a small spoon pour the vegetable stock over each scallop.

Spoon 1-2 Tbsp of the breadcrumb mixture over each scallop and press down the breadcrumb mixture slightly with the back of the spoon.

Add a knob of butter on the top of each scallop. At this stage you can freeze the prepared scallops if not used immediately.

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Bake in preheated oven for about 10 min until the breadcrumbs turn nice golden colour. Do not overbake the scallops as they will dry too much.

Serve hot with lemon wedges on the side.

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Just a thought

You can use the same breadcrumb topping but use mussels instead of scallops. Fantastic warm canapé served with drinks.

Wine suggestion

Friulano DOC "Toc Bas" 2018 by Ronco del Gelso, Friuli Isonzo Rive Alte.

Herb Salt recipe

I am a big fan of using fresh herbs in cooking but sometimes having a long shelf-life alternative is quite handy for adding flavour and aroma to the dishes.

Herbs are in abundance in spring and summer and this is the time to use them for making herb salt.Use the herbs from your herb garden, windowsill pot or simply buy the herbs at your greengrocer, market or supermarket. If buying the herbs you do not have to worry about their seasonality as they are available in stores all year round.

Herb salt is great to use for example on roasted potatoes, as a herb rub for meat, chicken, stake. Add to vegetables before roasting, put in soups, casseroles and many more. You can use it to season cooked food, maybe sprinkle it on chips or French fries, grilled cheese or grilled polenta, grilled vegetables, or just use it in place of regular salt.

Really easy to prepare and stored in pretty glass jars make a great little home made gift for Christmas or birthdays, thank you gift for your foodie friends and family, and it will be a fantastic addition to their collection of kitchen spices. Add a nice festive ribbon and a tag and you are ready to go. I love to store the herbs salt in quite small glass jars and used them in Christmas stockings.

For this recipe you will need a selection of fresh and dried herbs. Maybe you will want to avoid herbs with high water content like fresh basil, fresh parsley or fresh coriander, fresh dill and similar.

It is a great idea to customize your herb salts creating different blends and maybe even adding dried garlic, dried onions and other dried spices for example. The combinations are endless and you can vary the ratio of fresh herbs to sea salt depending on your own preference.

In this recipe, I use a mixture of herbs but you can make a single herb salt, using maybe just sage or rosemary for example.

Ingredients

• 100g in total of you preferred selection of herbs (I used 100g in total, more or less equal weight of fresh sage, fresh rosemary, fresh marjoram, fresh thyme and dried oregano)

• 200g coarse sea salt

• 100g fine sea salt (can use pink Himalayan salt, flake, fleur de sel, etc.)

These quantities will give you about 400g of herb salt.

Method

Start by selecting you favourite herbs and make sure they are really fresh; it is the very fresh herbs that contain high levels of essentials oils.

Wash the herbs (only if they are particularly dusty or have been sprayed) with cold water, dry thoroughly with kitchen paper or cotton kitchen towel (sandwich the herbs between the paper towel) and gently pat dry.

Remove the stalks, coarse stems and any discoloured leaves and damaged areas. Leave to dry for at least 1h.

Roughly chop the herbs and put them in the food processor/ spice grinder or a blender. Add coarse sea salt and pulse several times, then process until you obtain the consistency of the herbs roughly equivalent to the size of the coarse salt. You can use pestle and mortar or simply cutting board and a sharp knife.

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Stir and mix the herb mixture, add fine sea salt and pulse again and process until you obtain the consistency of sandy texture. You can stop pulsing and processing action sooner if you are not too keen on powdery consistency.

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Now the salt herb mixture needs to be dried.

Spread the herb mixture on a lined baking tray, baking sheet or baking dish in a shallow layer and leave to dry in an airy and warm place for about 3 hours at least or overnight (up to 24 hours) and give it a stir now and again. Once the salt is fully dry, break up any clumps with a fork or back of a spoon.

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Place the salt herb mixture in a clean, dry stoppered jars (glass jar with a tight fitting lid) and store in a cool, dry place.

Salt has always been used as a great natural preserver so you herb salt should last you for at least a year providing you really dried the herbs thoroughly. After this time the intensity of the flavour will gradually start to diminish and the green colour will darken further as herbs continue to dry, however it is still perfectly fine to use.

Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian style giant shredded pancake) recipe

My maternal grandma Iva would make this dish quite often for us children. And she would make it as a main meal for dinner with a big glass of fresh milk. Yes, having a sweet based dinner is perfectly acceptable now and again and we children just loved it.

It takes me back into my childhood as this dish would also often be freshly prepared and served in schools as a dessert. It was reassuring to learn from my two lovely nephews living in Slovenia, that this is still the case and they still “fight” in the queue for second helpings.

The name of this dish comes from the Austrian Emperor Kaiser Franz Joseph I (1830- 1916) who apparently had a bit of a sweet tooth and the dish was first prepared for him.

Kaiserscmarn is also known as emperor's mess, (Kaiser = German, meaning Emperor; Schmarrn = Austrian German, meaning mess or nonsense.

Austrian in origin, Kaiserscmarrn, is a fluffy and light giant pancake that is cooked and then shredded into bite size pieces. Raisins soaked in lukewarm water or dark rum can be added in which case you can make this dish into a dessert and serve it with seasonal fruit compote, fresh fruit or ice cream served on the side.

Quick and easy to make, and commonly dusted with icing sugar. Great option for breakfast, especially during dark and cold winter months. I regularly make it at this time. Needles to say, we all love it in the family.

Very popular in Austria, where it can be served as a main meal, especially in mountainside restaurants and taverns in the Austrian Alps, Bavaria and many parts of the former Austro- Hungarian Empire, e.g. Hungary, Slovenia and northern Croatia. In Slovenia it is simply called “šmorn” or “cesarski praženec”.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 eggs (separated)

• 2 Tbsp caster sugar

• pinch of sea salt

• 250ml milk

• 130g all purpose flour

• 30g raisins (optional) soaked in few Tbsp of dark rum or lukewarm water and drained

• ½ Tsp vanilla extract

• knob (1-2 Tbsp roughly) of unsalted butter or any neutral tasting oil for cooking

• icing sugar for dusting (vanilla icing sugar even better if you can get hold of it)

Method

If using raisins, start by soaking them in a lukewarm water or dark rum for at least 15min, then drain.

Put in one large bowl egg whites, a pinch of salt and half the sugar. With a hand blender whisk to soft-firm white peaks.

In another bowl, put egg yolks, add milk, other half of sugar, vanilla extract, and whisk a bit with a hand blender to combine the ingredients then start adding the flour gradually and whisk further until you obtain a nice smooth batter with no lumps.

With a spatula, very gently add half of egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and fold delicately. Then add the other half of egg whites again by folding gently. Keep the batter nice and airy.

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Take a fairly large (I used 29cm) non stick and quite deep skillet and melt a knob of butter or oil. Heat it up and pour the batter, spread it evenly with the spatula and sprinkle, if using, the raisins on top. Cover with the lid and cook for few minutes on a fairly low heat.

Uncover the lid occasionally and check that the sides are nice and golden in colour. With a spatula cut the pancake in quarters, even if the top is still a bit runny, and flip over each quarter. Most probably they will collapse a bit but this is quite normal and do not worry.

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At this stage you will take the spatula and start shredding the pancake into smaller bite size pieces and stirring them around cooking further until they are cooked.

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Transfer to the plate and dust with icing sugar.

Wine suggestion

Moscato Giallo Dolce DOC 2020 by Cantina Tramin, Alto Adige.

Octopus Salad recipe

This dish, with its simplicity, evokes those truly Mediterranean flavours, and has that real Mediterranean feel about it. It has always been incredibly popular and a real success every time it was served, be it at home or in the restaurant where it has been on the menus since I was a child, and has never gone out of fashion. Needles to say, it is one of my favourite dishes, and it is also a family favourite too!

My parents would prepare this dish over and over again and it does evoke some heart worming memories. My grandfather or my dad would go to the fish market and returned home with a full bag of octopus to clean and cook. They would display it on the kitchen table and I was really fascinated by the animal itself just admiring its long tentacles. Now to think back, it was a great biology lesson.

Octopus salad is a very simple but delicious and healthy way to eat octopus. You can eat it on its own just simply dressed or over the bed of fresh rocket salad. Traditionally you would have a nice fresh crunchy piece of bread to pick up the dressing and a glass of chilled wine to further elevate the dish, and this is exactly how my husband loves to eat it. Everyday troubles just somehow seem to disappear, at least for a while.

This tasty octopus salad can be eaten all year round, although having it as a cold salad on a hot summer's day is quite a refreshing treat.

There are a lot of stories of how you should cook the octopus to have it really nice and tender. I always cook it in the evening, then turn the heat off and leave it to cool overnight in its own liquid. The following day is wonderfully tender and surely cool enough to clean and dress.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• fresh octopus, cleaned (about 1kg in weight) Most fishmongers will be happy to clean it for you.

  1 stick of celery

  1 carrot washed and peeled

  1 small onion, peeled

  1 fresh or dry bay leaf

  5 whole black peppercorns

  1 clove of garlic, peeled

  4 Tbsp (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

  7g fresh parsley (plus some extra to be finely chopped and sprinkled over the salad)

  juice of 1 lemon (optional)

  sea salt, to taste

  freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  a splash of white vinegar (optional)

Method

To make a dressing, take a small bowl and add extra virgin olive oil, roughly chopped garlic and roughly chopped parsley, lemon juice (if using), a pinch of sea salt and a bit of freshly ground black pepper. Leave the dressing for at least 1 hour for all the flavours to develop.

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Wash the cleaned octopus under the cold running water and put it in a large pot together with celery stick, carrot, onion, bay leaf, peppercorns. Fill the pot with cold water enough to completely cover and bring to boil. Turn down the heat and simmer with the lid covered for about 1 hour or until the octopus is cooked and fork tender.

Remove the octopus from the pot and let it cool for a bit until you find the temperature of the octopus manageable. Out of habit and simplicity, I always cook the octopus in the evening and leave it to cool overnight in its own liquid.

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Clean the cooked octopus with your hands by sliding the darkish pink layer off the tentacles and the body of the octopus. This should feel very similar to when you roast the peppers and you take the skin off. You should be left with a nice pinkish white meat.

Cut the cleaned octopus head in cubes and tails in slices roughly about 1 square cm in size. Put the octopus in a bowl ready to be dressed.

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Sieve the dressing over the bowl with the octopus and adjust seasoning with sea salt and pepper. Add more extra virgin olive oil if you think the dish is a bit too dry and sprinkle with fresh finely chopped flat parsley. For freshness you can add a splash of white wine vinegar, a squeeze of lemon juice or a combination of both. Mix and serve.

Just a thought

You can serve dressed octopus over the bed of fresh rocket salad.

With a dressed octopus you can also create a more substantial salad and serve it as a main dish by adding for example chopped celery sticks, some sweet cherry vine tomatoes, cold boiled potato cut in smaller pieces, black olives and finely sliced red onion.

A lovely idea to serve octopus salad is to put it on a serving dish, together with smaller plates consisting of sun dried tomatoes, a mixture of olives, different types of Mediterranean vegetables in olive oil and for sure plenty of rustic crunchy bread.

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Wine suggestion

Malvasia ZGP 2016 by Hedele, Vipavska Dolina.

Pinca (Sweet Easter Bread) recipe

Pinca is a type of egg enriched bread that is not very sweet, but is flavourful, soft and fluffy. It is similar to a brioche, but contains less butter, and is therefore lighter. It is eaten especially during Lent and Easter, but is also prepared all year round.

It is widely available in bakeries, food stores and supermarkets, but nothing compares to the one baked at home. It is so easy to make; yes, it is a bit lengthy, perhaps because of the proving times, but give it a go. When you taste the real thing you will never want to buy it again.

Traditional Italian Pinza is very popular in the province of Trieste and Gorizia. It became an essential part of culinary tradition in Istria where is called Pinca and along the Adriatic coast and Dalmatia.

Pinza bread is often mistaken for Venetian Pinza, which is very different, as the dough has distinct consistency, and it is well seasoned and flavoured, for example, with walnut kernels, sultanas soaked in rum or Marsala, soft dried figs, pine nuts and apples.

My nona Nada always made pincas for Lent, and she baked quite a few, and then gave them to the family to be enjoyed. As soon as you entered the main entrance porch of her house, the aromas were unmistakable, I instantly knew what she had been making that day, and I also knew Easter was coming soon.

Sadly, her 93 years old hands have no longer the strength to knead the dough. I bake pinca today for my family, using her exact recipe, and when I cut a slice of it, close my eyes and smell the aroma of it, I get immediately transported to her kitchen, and the vision of a pile of pincas on a wooden table, covered with hand embroidered white linen tea towels appear in my mind.

She also told me that the tradition wanted the pinca to be blessed in the church. People would fill their wicker baskets with pinca, cooked ham and hard boiled eggs and take it to the mass on Holy Saturday or early on Easter Sunday to be blessed.

Only after being blessed, it was served either for breakfast on Easter day with coffee, a selection of cured meats, cooked ham, cheese and hard boiled eggs and different types of jams and preserves or as a dessert after Easter lunch where a slice of pinca would be very commonly dunked into a sweet wine or Muscat, locally known as muškat.

The tradition is very strong and this is how it is still served today.

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Pinca has a typical incision on the surface either in the shape of a 'cross' that symbolizes the suffering of Jesus Christ, or a the 'letter Y,' dividing the pinca into three sections, symbolizing the Holy Trinity in Christianity.

It is believed, that the incisions represent Jesus as a martyr, and that the Pinca itself represents a kind of Holy Sponge from which Jesus, according to the Gospels, was offered a drink during the Crucifixion (Matthew 27:48, Mark 15: 36, John 19:29).

Pinca is enriched with eggs, which also has symbolic significance, since it is a kind of constant reminder of Christianity, and the resurrection of Christ, and can also be linked to perhaps other old traditions that celebrate the arrival of spring after the bleak winter period.

Ingredients

• 500g regular plain flour

• 1 cube of fresh (brewer’s) yeast 42g or 14g of dry yeast

• 100g unsalted butter, melted

• 150g caster sugar

• 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

• 100 ml tepid, lukewarm milk (semi skimmed or full fat)

• 2 Tbsp dark rum or grappa (alcoholic, fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin)

• finely grated lemon zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

• pinch of sea salt

• 1 small egg, lightly beaten for glazing (you can use lighly beaten egg whites, it will result lighter in colour after baking)

Method

In a small bowl place fresh yeast and slightly brake it down into smaller pieces with your fingers. Add 100ml of tepid milk and ¼ Tsp of caster sugar. Gently stir and leave for about 20min or until gentle bubbles form on the surface.

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In a separate mixing bowl put the egg, egg yolks and beat them gently. Add melted butter, sugar, rum or grappa, grated lemon zest, 100ml of milk and a pinch of sea salt. With the fork mix well all the ingredients.

In a separate mixing bowl put the egg, egg yolks and beat them gently. Add melted butter, sugar, rum or grappa, grated lemon zest, 100ml of milk and a pinch of sea salt. With the fork mix well all the ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl put the flour, add egg mixture and the yeast mixture. Combine well all the ingredients with the wooden spoon or spatula to start with. When all the ingredients are well combined transfer the mixture onto a clean, very well floured surface.

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Work with your hands, adding a little flour at the time if the dough is too sticky, kneading the dough until you get a very smooth and soft dough with all the ingredients completely incorporated.

The dough will be at first quite wet and sticky, be very patient and do not be tempted to add too much flour too soon.

During the kneading, on the contrary, if you think the dough is too hard and dry add more tepid milk.

Knead the dough for about 10-15min, stretching it and folding it, until the dough is smooth in consistency and does not stick to the surface.

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Shape the dough in a ball, place it back into a previously oiled big mixing bowl. Cover with cling film, leave to rest and proof in a draft free space at a warm room temperature for a minimum of 2h. After this time your dough should be at least double in size.

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Take the dough out of the mixing bowl, place it on a floured surface and knead the dough once again. Divide the dough into two equal parts or three, if you wish a slightly smaller size bread and shape them into a sphere or other shapes if you prefer, maybe a plait.

Lay big baking tray with baking parchment or use a paper panettone mould if you prefer. Place the divided parts of the dough onto the baking tray. Cover with clean tea towel and put it in a warm place away from drafts and let them rest and proof for further 2h hours. I usually put the tray in the oven, by doing this I do not have to worry about the drafts or the room being too cold. Just make sure you take the tray out of the oven before turning it on in order to preheat it!

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Towards the end of proofing time, heat the oven to 180C.

With the very sharp knife decisively cut the cross on the surface or Y, making sure you do not drag the dough. The cut should be quite deep but not to the point of touching the bottom of the tray. Brush with the beaten egg and put in the preheated oven to bake for about 30-40 min or until nicely golden brown in colour on the surface.

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I suggest you check the colour of your pinca after about 20-25min, if it is browning too quickly, tent it with the aluminium foil and bake further.

You might want to double check if it is baked completely by pricking the centre with a clean wooden skewer (the skewer should come out clean) or use an instant food thermometer if you have one (it should register a temperature between 195 and 200C). If still wet, cover the pinca with the aluminium foil and bake for further few minutes.

It is a good idea to make sure that pinca is thoroughly baked as it browns quite quickly during the baking and therefore it is easy to undertake.

Remove from the tray and let cool completely on a cooling rack. Slice and serve.

Pinca can be stored for about 2-3 days or frozen for later use. You can also serve it sliced and slightly toasted.

Just a thought

Pinca dough can be also shaped into a plait.

Nowadays, a bit of a vanilla extract is often added to the pinca dough for extra flavour. However, it is important to remember that pinca is a humble bread, and originally only has lemon zest and dark rum or grappa added to the dough for the aroma. My nona Nada also told me that in her days vanilla was not very common to use, simply because it was a very difficult ingredient to get a hold of, and far too expensive.

Wine suggestion

Breganze Torcolato 2018 by Maculan.

Huzarski krapi (my auntie Irma best celebratory biscuits) recipe

My auntie Irma truly made the best biscuits ever, and this recipe is really special to me, as I have very fond memories of her. She had no children of her own and she simply adored me and my brother.

She would bake this biscuits in huge quantities and deliver them, especially for birthdays or other special occasions that were celebrated in the family and were very popular around festivities like Christmas and Easter. She is no longer around but through this recipe her legacy lives on in our family.

These biscuits are so pretty to look at and absolutely delicious, they just melt in your mouth and the walnut coating around them give you that luxurious crunch.

You can play around a bit with this recipe to suit your taste and make them a bit different every single time you bake them. You can change the type of fruit jam to fill the biscuits with, and for the coating, you can replace walnuts for hazelnuts, almonds or any other type of nuts on their own or any combination you like.

When beautifully arranged and wrapped, these biscuits make a wonderful present for special celebrations or simple and thoughtful pick me up little gift. They will put a smile back on anyone's face. I made them for my husband's birthday, needles to say, it did bring a big smile on his face and he was very happy indeed!

This recipe will make about 12 bigger biscuits.

Ingredients

• 140g butter (melted)

• 2 eggs (separated in egg yolks and whites both lightly beaten)

• 200g all purpose flour

• 70g caster sugar

• 150g walnuts (chopped or roughly ground) you can use hazelnuts or almonds (or mix any combination you like)

• finely grated lemon zest of ½ lemon (preferably unwaxed)

• smooth apricot jam (or other flavour of your preference)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C static and lay the baking tin with baking parchment.

In a large mixing bowl put the flour, sugar, egg yolks, butter and lemon zest. With the spatula or wooden spoon mix well to combine all the ingredients. Then use your hands to gather all the ingredients to get a dough. Shape it into a ball, wrap it in cling film and put in a fridge to chill for about 30min.

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After the dough has chilled, start making the biscuits by pinching a bit of a dough (the size of golf ball roughly) and shape it into a small ball. Repeat the process until you use all the dough.

Take a smaller bowl with slightly beaten egg whites and a deeper dish where you put your chopped or roughly ground walnuts.

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Dip one dough ball first into egg whites and then into the ground walnuts. Roll it round making sure the whole ball is coated. Repeat the process until all the dough balls are being coated.

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Place the coated biscuits into a baking tray and press them down slightly with your hands to get a more disc shape but do not flatten them too much.

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With the back of the handle of the wooden spoon make a hole in each biscuit almost reaching the bottom. Make the holes slightly bigger with gentle circular movement.

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Put in the oven and bake for about 10 min or until golden in colour.

Take them out of the oven and let them cool a bit in their tray. When hot, this biscuits are very fragile and will break easily.

When still warm take a tea spoon and fill the holes in the biscuits with apricot jam.

Cool the biscuits completely before removing them from the tray.

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Wine suggestion

Picolit 2017 Docg by Dario Coos.

Rustic Fig Jam Crostata (rustic Italian style jam tart) recipe

When I was a child, desserts after the main meal were more of a weekend treat, and it is when my mum would bake.

And there is one simple dish she always baked in our household, and that is a jam tart or simply crostata as we call it in Italian. It is made using Italian style sweet shortcrust pastry that is enriched with eggs, which help make the dough even flakier, lemon zest, sugar, and baking powder. It is still very popular to bake at home and easily available in bakery shop and supermarkets.

My mum would use different fruit jams that she made using a variety of fruits in the season from our orchard or fruit given by friends or neighbours. Most commonly used type of jam to fill the crostata with would be the apricot jam. Crostata can be also filled with ricotta, Nutella, pastry cream and fresh fruit.

This year we had a brilliant year for figs and they were in abundance in my grandma's back garden. Most were eaten just picked directly from the tree, how luxurious. But there were just so many figs and since nothing gets ever wasted, we made a lot of jam!

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There is something so comforting and homely about jam crostata, with a delicate flake crust, filled with your favourite choice of jam. Simply delicious, just melts into your mouth, and most importantly, it is easy to make, and the aroma during the baking is unmistakable.

Crostata is also great for colder days, as a dessert or snack, and is commonly served for breakfast too.

Nice accompanied with cream, vanilla ice-cream or natural Greek yogurt, just to tone down a bit the sweetness of the the fig jam.

Ingredients

• 250g all purpose flour

• 105g diced butter, room temperature

• 1 egg and 1 egg yolk (slightly beaten), keep the egg white for brushing the crostata just before putting it in the oven for baking

• 50g caster sugar (optional if you use fig jam as it is quite sweet already)

• lemon zest of one small unwaxed lemon, finely grated

• 1 Tsp of liquor like grappa or rum ( I used rum)

• ¼ Tsp baking powder

• jar of fig jam or any other jam of your choice, home made or a good quality one from the food store

Method

To make the pastry, measure the flour into a large bowl and add the butter.

Using just your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the centre of the flour, then add the sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, liquor, and baking powder. First stir gently with the fork to combine all the ingredients and for the mixture to come together.

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Gently gather the dough together with your hands and transfer it onto a floured work surface.

Gently press the dough, without kneading it, until it comes together to form a firm ball.

Press the dough into a flat disc, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for about 30min.

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Preheat the oven to 180C static or equivalent.

Lightly flour the surface and the rolling pin. Take about 2/3 of the pastry and with the rolling pin roll it out on a surface, then roll the pastry back over the rolling pin, so it is hanging, and ease it into the 23cm loose bottom non stick flan tin.

Press the pastry shell into the side of the tin.

Allow the excess to hang over the side and roll the rolling pin over the top of the flan tin, to cut off the excess pastry.

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Spoon the jam of your choice into the pastry case.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the remaining pastry, cut it in strips with pastry wheel cutter or with the knife and decorate your tart.

If you happen to have a bit of left pastry, just take your favourite cookie cutter and make few biscuits.

Brush the pastry with a slightly beaten egg white, put it in the oven and bake for 30-40min until nice and golden in colour.

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When baked, let it cool in a tin, dust with little icing sugar and serve warm or cold.

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Wine suggestion

Verduzzo Friulano Passito DOC 2019 by La Tunella, Colli Orientali del Friuli.

Liptauer (Austro-Hungarian paprika spiced cheese spread) recipe

Liptauer, pronounced “Lip-tower”, is a simple, flavourful, central European, or Mitteleuropean, well seasoned, paprika spiced cheese spread with a sharp, rich, and deep smoky taste.

Its origin has long been disputed but the name derived from the German name Liptau for the region of Liptov (Hungarian: 'Lipto') in northern Slovakia, a former county in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Nowadays, Liptauer spread appears in numerous variations throughout many other European countries, and is a part of Slovak, Hungarian, Slovenian, Italian (some north-east regions) and Austrian cuisine, where it is commonly served as a popular dish in wine taverns, and as a snack for kids during break time in schools.

Despite extensive variations on the recipe, as many families have their own unique version of Liptauer, they all have in common the main ingredient which is cheese that can vary from Quark, Bryndza (a sheep milk cheese) cream cheese, cottage or goat cheese and powdered sweet paprika giving a spread a beautiful colour.

It is great for vegetarians and you can change and play around with the quantities of some ingredients to suit your taste.

Here, I will share with you the recipe my maternal Grandma Iva used to make. This dish was a constant part of my childhood and it really does bring back some wonderful memories as it was made on numerous occasions, especially when the family got together to mark special festivals like Carnival (before Lent began), Easter, Christmas, and All Saint's Day, or family celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries.

My grandmother would put the spread in the middle of the table with freshly made home made bread, and everyone would help themselves before the big meal ahead. Along with the spread, there would be a selection of cold meats, different types of cheeses, and a variety of pickles. We children often got so stuffed with this delicacy we did not get to the first course! We just simply could not resist the fresh spread on a crunchy piece of bread. It is a great appetizer from Mitteleuropa to start the children on!

Liptauer has a very versatile use. Traditionally served as part of cheese and charcuterie board and hard boiled eggs.

It is typically eaten as an open sandwich, or on toast, crackers and bagels. It is a great alternative base for a variety of sandwiches, and can be used as canapè spread.

You can serve it with drinks, pretzels, and a selection of pickles, cheese sticks, and really whatever you fancy.

I also serve them as a canapè with drinks, and they do go down as a real treat. Just take a single round of thinly sliced piece of German or Hungarian style salami, spread a bit of Liptauer and roll it into a cigar shape. And there you have it, salami roll ups.

Ingredients

• 250g curd cheese (was difficult to find, now available in most supermarkets and Polish food stores)

• 50g butter (soft at room temperature)

• 1 Tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 Tsp powdered sweet Hungarian paprika

• 1 Tsp caraway seeds (crashed well with pestle and mortar)

• 2 Tbsp pickled gherkins, cornichons or pickled cucumber (very finely chopped)

• 2 Tbsp onions (very finely chopped)

• sea salt, a pinch or to taste

• freshly ground black pepper, a pinch or to taste

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Method

Put all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix and combine well all the ingredients. Serve as a cold starter.

You can keep the spread in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container.

Just a thought

This is a great cold starter. If you can, try to prepare it in advance, and ahead of a time to allow all the ingredients and flavours to absorb well.

Wine suggestion

Traminer Aromatico DOC 2019 by Sirch, Friuli Colli Orientali.

Nona Nada's pasta e fasoi Istrian style (pasta and beans soup Istrian style) recipe

This must be one of the most humble, hearty and comforting dishes ever. It originated as a peasant dish, it is flavoursome, makes a robust meal, and it is made with simple, inexpensive ingredients.

Pasta and beans is a traditional Italian soup but there are numerous variations of recipe and names according to the region where it originates from, Central and Northern Italy.

Some vegetables like onions, celery and carrots can be used as a base. Some recipes include the use of diced tomatoes or tomato purée, pancetta or lard and flavoured with rosemary and garlic.

However, no matter how you want to call it, or where it originates from, two ingredients would be in common to all the variations: beans (cannellini beans or borlotti most commonly) and a small variety of pasta like ditalini pasta.

Using mixed shape pasta or breaking spaghetti in small sticks is very common, or the use of fresh egg pasta, like home made tagliatelle works wonderful.

I will share with you my Nona Nada's recipe that she learnt as a young girl from her grandmother, so it really goes back generations. It is the soup that reminds me of home, and of my childhood, and is a variety of simple variations. In the Istrian local dialect, we just simply call it “Pasta e fasoi,” and is based on a Venetian variation (as the area was once under the Venetian empire) characteristic of which is the use of pancetta, lard or cotenna (thick and hard outer layer covering pancetta or prosciutto).

My grandma told me that they would prepare the soup in advance in the morning, put it on the stove on a low heat to cook for hours while they would be working on the fields. Upon return this hearty soup would be ready to be eaten.

This dish is so common that it also appeared in popular culture in the song “That’s Amore” by Warren and Brooks (popularized by Dean Martin) including the rhyme "When the stars make you drool, just like pasta fazool, that's amore".

No matter how simple and humble this dish is, it is a big hit every single time! My son and my husband love it and here is how to make it.

The quantities of the ingredients in the recipe is for a big pot of soup, feeding quite a lot of people, about eight (providing they do not go for seconds!).

This soup also freezes very well. Keep in mind that when you defrost it, or simply refrigerate it and then reheat, it will most probably thicken up quite a bit. You can keep it thick or just dilute it with a bit of water.

You can make half the quantity with 300g borlotti and 2 ½ l of water, smaller piece of pancetta and 100g of pasta

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 500g dried borlotti beans

• 4 ½ l water

• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dry

• few celery leaves

• 1 medium size potato, peeled (about 200g)

• extra virgin olive oil, generous drizzle

• 1 piece, about 130g of pancetta (cured pork belly) or similar like ham hock, pig's trotter, cotenna or bone of prosciutto

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• 200g ditalini shape pasta (or any small shaped pasta), or fresh egg pasta

Method

First of all, you need to soak the dry borlotti beans in plenty of cold water overnight. The following day drain them using a colander and run them through cold water.

Put the beans in a big pot, add cold water so the beans are completely covered. Add bay leaf, celery leaves, potato, piece of pancetta, drizzle of oil and season with sea salt and black pepper.

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Bring to boil then lower the heat to medium-low and with the lid partially uncovered cook for about 2 ½ h.

Remove bay leaf and pancetta. Cut the meaty bits off the pancetta, set aside and put it back in a soup after you pass it through a food mill.

Take a food mill and place it steadily over a bowl. With a soup spoon, spoon out about ¾ of the beans with the liquid and mill them so you get a bean purée. Transfer the bean purée back in the pot and mix well with the rest and cook for further 30 min.

Add the pasta of your choice and cook until al dente making sure you mix it now and again just to avoid sinking the pasta to the bottom and burn.

It is very common to cook pasta separately, drain it and then added to the soup.

If the potato did not end up through the mill, then take the wooden spoon and with the back of it just press the potato against the wall of the pot. By doing so the potato will just disintegrate giving pasta and fasoi a nice thick, velvety, consistency.

Serve hot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a nice rustic type of bread, slightly toasted even better. It is very common to grate fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan cheese) on top of it.

Just a thought

This is a great dish for vegetarians and vegans by opting out pancetta or similar and using non egg based pasta for the soup.

Wine suggestion

Friulano DOC “Valeris” 2019 by Muzic, Collio.

Beef goulash with fresh herbs Istrian style recipe

There is a wide variety of different goulash recipes and the one that I share here with you is more like the Austrian version than the Hungarian one since it has a nice thick gravy and a texture of a stew. It does derive, however, from the Hungarian version, which is more of a soupy consistency with bell peppers and potatoes.

Beef goulash, locally called “golaž” is one of those dishes that, yes, belong to the Austro-Hungarian Empire but it took a bit of a “southern turn” and changed to fit in better with Istrian's local flavours and ingredients.

And as I come from the coastal town Koper, held by Austrian Empire between 1813 -1918, with Mediterranean climate, a handful of fresh herbs would be added for flavour, developing into Istrian Style beef goulash instead of using caraway seeds and powdered sweet Hungarian paprika that can be added for more “imperial” taste.

In Central Europe and in other parts of Europe, goulash is a common meal. Very popular in Austria, Slovenia and Italy, especially in Friuli Venezia Giulia, the most eastern region of Italy, which borders with Slovenia and Austria. A dish that truly represents a gastronomic osmosis.

This must be comfort food at its best, and it is so popular that it appears almost weekly on tables as a family meal, and on menus in local “gostilnas” (informal family run restaurants in Slovenia) especially during colder months. I grew up with this dish and my husband and my son go mad for it, especially when accompanied with fluffy potato gnocchi, that are squashed with a fork to soak up that delicious gravy.

It is very easy to make but it does take time to cook so not the best option if you are in a rush and want a quick meal.

It is best made one day or two days in advance and then reheat it, as the beef tenderizes further, the gravy thickens and flavours enhance.

Traditionally is served with soft, just cooked polenta, fresh crunchy rustic bread, mashed or roasted potatoes, potato gnocchi, bread dumplings or pasta of any shape and form.

Great also with spinach or plain spaetzle (German style egg pasta) and moon crescent fried gnocchi. All good options as they will soak up the gravy.

Commonly beef goulash would be made with shin of beef, which is very tough piece of meat but after long and slow cooking process it melts into your mouth and becomes so tender you do not need the knife to cut it, so a trip to a local butcher is worth if you are having difficulty to find it in a local food store or supermarket.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 kg shin of beef, diced (can use stewing beef)

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 200 g onions or shallots, finely chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated or crashed

• 1 small carrot 20g-40g, finely grated

• 1 full handful of mixed fresh herbs, finely chopped (marjoram, thyme, sage, rosemary, basil, fresh or dry oregano)

• 1 bay leaf fresh or dry

• 1 ½ l water, vegetable or beef stock

• 2 Tbsp double concentrated tomato purée

• 1 Tbsp all purpose flour

  Method

In a large pot put the oil, finely chopped onions, crashed garlic, grated carrots a pinch of salt and cook on a low-medium heat stirring quite often until the onions are soft.

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Add diced beef, turn up the heat a bit and brown it stirring and turning occasionally. The meat should be sealed on all sides with almost no juices from the meat left in the pot.

Sprinkle flour over the beef, stir and add water, vegetable or beef stock, herbs, bay leaf, tomato purée and let it simmer for about 2 ½ -3 hours on a fairly low heat with a lid partially uncovered.

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Wine suggestion

Teroldego IGT "Foradori" 2019 by Elisabetta Foradori, Vigneti delle Dolomiti.

Sautéed Sauerkraut recipe

The word “sauerkraut” comes from German Sauerkraut, which literally means “sour cabbage”. From sauer “sour” and kraut “vegetable, cabbage.” The origin of the dish has been disputed but it took root mostly in Central and Eastern European cuisines.

Sauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage, that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria and it has a distinctive sour flavour due to the fact, that the lactic acid is formed when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage. It is the lactic acid that naturally preserves sauerkraut and gives it long shelf life.

It is incredibly popular dish back home, and would appear on tables as a part of a family meal on a weekly basis, especially during colder months. Its popularity is not surprising, if we consider the fact, that the area was under Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of First World War. Almost every household would have a slightly different version of how to prepare and cook sauerkraut.

In Slovenia, you can buy sauerkraut in all supermarkets in sealed plastic bags or glass jars, but I just love getting it from farmer's market, where it is sold on food stalls by local farmers directly from big wooden barrels.

I am sharing with you my grandma and my mum's version of how it is cooked on the coastal region, simply with extra virgin olive oil, a bit of garlic and bay leaf, however, adding a pinch of sweet Hungarian paprika and few crushed caraway seeds is quite common too, in order to achieve once again that “imperial” flavour. This is a great side dish, traditionally used to accompany almost any meat based dish like sausages, cooked ham, pork roast or other meat roasts, pork chops, black sausage...

As children, my brother and I would have it just simply with fried eggs and a bit of potato mash.

Sauerkraut is quite versatile, and it can be also used in a variety of other dishes, and just to mention a few, jota (Istrian sauerkraut and bean soup), Hungarian style sauerkraut, rice and mince pork casserole, and it is great in sandwiches, made for example, with rye bread and cooked ham.

My nona Nada has vivid memories from when she was a child, of every household in the village making a big barrel of sauerkraut; cabbage would be harvested in autumn and fermented during winter month.

Sauerkraut is also very healthy, and has numerous nutritional benefits. Contains live and active probiotics, helping your body to fight off harmful bacteria or toxins, it has high level of digestive enzymes, high in vitamin C and K2. Rich in fibre and minerals like potassium, iron and magnesium.

No wonder Captain James Cook always took a store of sauerkraut on his sea voyages!

It is really not surprising, that sauerkraut has been gaining increasing popularity in the past few years, especially in the countries where it has been less known.

Back home, it has always been there...just like family.

When shopping for sauerkraut, make sure you get a good quality one, just sea salt and nothing else should be added on the ingredient list.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1kg Sauerkraut (sauerkraut is normally sold in glass jars or sealed plastic bags and will have different net weights of sauerkraut, it does not matter if you end up with slightly less or more than 1kg of sauerkraut)

• 1 bay leaf (fresh or dry)

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 2-3 cloves of garlic (peeled and crashed)

• sea salt

• few black whole peppercorns

Method

Drain the saurekraut in a colander and give it a quick rinse with cold water if you think the sauerkraut is too acid for your taste, but do not over rinse it, as you will loose the characteristic sauerkraut taste.

Place the rinsed sauerkraut into a large, preferably non stick pan, add sea salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, garlic, extra virgin olive oil.

Add water, just enough to cover the sauerkraut, bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 1-1 1/2 hours.

Sauerkraut is cooked, when you have no excess liquid left in the pan, and the sauerkraut is nice and soft. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Wine suggestion

Cabernet Sauvignon IGT 2017 by Balter, Vallagarina.

Leek Risotto recipe

Leek is a humble vegetable of great potential but it is sadly often overlooked. It is a relative of the onion with long green leaves and a white bulbous root. As we know it today, leeks were first grown by the ancient Egyptians.

These alliums (the type of plants that belong to the group that includes onions, shallots, scallions, chives and garlic) are almost inedible when raw but when cooked slow and low they become mellow, sweet, creamy and taste delicious. Fantastically versatile, full of flavour, and it should be no surprise the humble leek is used in risotto where it takes central stage.

Leeks are omnipresent at the vegetable markets but at its best during the coldest months of the year from October through May.

They are packed with nutrients and anti-oxidants, and so make the best use out of them especially during autumn and winter months when less native vegetables are available. They will help fight colds and flu.

Back home we will use just about anything to make risotto, a very much liked and loved dish. This should be no surprise since my hometown is less than a two hours drive to Venice, and the region of Veneto (Northern Italy), especially the Po Valley, where growing rice is very popular, and is a major agricultural industry.

The valley offers a constant supply of water for the rice fields since there are many large non-seasonal rivers.

It is in this region of Italy, the Veneto region, with its colder climate compared to the warmer South of Italy, that the dishes had to be warming, hearty, and filling, and although risotto is found in the whole of Italy, it is in the Veneto that the greatest variety, and number of risotto recipes can be found.

My mum would go to the vegetable market and made risotto with the vegetables there were in season, and when the leeks were at their best, leek risotto would be on the table for lunch or dinner.

This very simple, comforting leek risotto is perfect solution for mid week quick nutritious lunch or dinner, but equally great for more formal entertaining since it is also presentable as a delicate and elegant dish.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500g leeks, cleaned and chopped (Do buy more than you think you will need to allow for losses caused by trimmings)

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 clove of garlic (peeled)

• 300g risotto rice (like Vialone Nano, Arborio, Carnaroli) In this recipe I used Vialone Nano.

• 1l vegetable or chicken stock (you can use good quality instant stock powder or boiling water)

• 40g Parmiggiano Reggiano (finely grated)

• knob of butter (1-2 Tbsp)

Method

Rinse your leeks under cold running water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Put your rinsed leeks on a chopping board and with a sharp knife cut off the dark green leaf ends of the leek and the muddy tips of the roots. Keep the green ends for the stock if you wish or discard.

Slice each leek in half from top to bottom and slice further the halves into thin stripes (julienne cut), then chop.

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Wash chopped leeks thoroughly under running cold water. Leeks need a good cleaning before using, as dirt often gets stuck between the layers of leaves as they grow.

Before starting making risotto, it is a good idea to have your boiling hot stock or water ready to hand for later.

Now, let's start making risotto by putting the oil in a pan and heat it with the garlic clove. When the garlic has turned golden in colour and infused the oil, remove it. Pay attention not to burn the garlic.

Add chopped leeks and cook them slowly on a gentle heat for about 20-30min until they reach a very soft consistency, almost disintegrating.

Season with sea salt, add risotto rice, mix well with the leeks and toast it together for few minutes stirring constantly to avoid sticking to the bottom of a pan.

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After toasting the rice, cover it completely with boiling stock or water and cook over medium heat.

Start adding gradually the ladles of stock or water, one at a time, to keep the risotto moist, allow liquid to be absorbed before adding more. Stir constantly and cook until the rice is cooked al dente (fully cooked but still firm when bitten) and the stock almost completely absorbed but make sure you do not dry the risotto too much.

If the risotto gets too dry just add a bit more stock. There should always be enough liquid just to cover the risotto, the Italians say that risotto should be smooth and runny enough to be described as all'onda (on the wave).

Generally it will take at least about 15 to 18 min for risotto to be cooked.

The risotto is now ready to be finished with a typical Italian mantecare phase which is quite essential when making risotto. Mantecare simply means that you remove the saucepan from the heat, add grated cheese and cold butter or cream to the risotto when is almost finished and stir with a wooden spoon quite vigorously in order to develop that delicious creamy texture.

Serve immediately garnished with extra grated or shaved Parmiggiano Reggiano if desired.

Wine suggestion

Pinot Grigio DOC 2019 by Le vigne di Zamò, Friuli Colli Orientali.

Pumpkin Soup recipe

I simply love autumn, the leaves falling gently from the trees and the crunch you hear when stepping on them, the conkers, the woody fragrance in the air, but there is nothing like the sight of a field full of pumpkins of different shapes and colours... Pumpkin to me is a queen of the autumn. Yes, it gets cold and dark, but equally the opportunity arises to cook some comforting dishes.

When you want to cosy up, pumpkin soup must be one of the easiest and fastest dishes to cook with that gives an almost instant reward. Pumpkins are widely available to buy, they are inexpensive and make a very nutritious meal. During the cold autumn and winter months this smooth and velvety pumpkin soup must be one of the most reassuring. It has a silky texture and is perfect to serve as a light supper or lunch or as a starter for a more formal dinner party. No wonder my mother would present it on the table quite often, usually on Sundays as a hot starter followed by a chicken roast and Apple strudel as a dessert.

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It is simply delicious serving the soup with toasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of toasted pumpkin seed oil, it really does compliment the soup well giving it extra dimension and completes the dish beautifully. You can also use croutons or just have it with a rustic type bread. If you never had pumpkin seed oil before this is a great opportunity to buy it and try it. It bursts with flavour, has a deeply nutty aroma and is full of valuable nutrients. Its use is very versatile, it is used cold and can be added to salad dressings, dips and sauces.

This little known speciality is gaining popularity very fast among the foodies but has been part of daily culinary use since... forever. It is widely used in central Europe but particularly known for high consumption and production of it are the countries like Austria (especially the region of Styria), Hungary and Slovenia (in particular the region of Prekmurje).

I am sharing here my mum's recipe and the success will be guaranteed.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 Tbsp (30ml) extra virgin olive oil

• 2 Tbsp (30g) butter

• 1kg butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped (you should end up with about 600g of butternut)

• 200g potatoes, washed, peeled, roughly chopped

• 1 onion (about 80g) peeled and roughly chopped

• 2-3 Tbsp fresh flat leave parsley, roughly chopped

• 1l vegetable stock (it is perfectly fine to use a good quality instant vegetable stock like Bouillon powder)

• sea salt

• black pepper

• handful of pumpkin seeds, optional (about 30-40g), lightly toasted (I used pumpkin seeds already cleaned and dried directly from a pack, widely available from the supermarkets and other food stores)

• pumpkin seed oil or extra virgin olive oil for drizzling, optional

Method

Clean, peel, deseed and roughly chop the butternut squash.

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Put extra virgin olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based pan or casserole dish set over low heat and allow butter to melt. Add the onions, pinch of salt and sauté gently for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently to make sure they don't catch.

Add the squash and the potatoes and sauté further for about 10-15min, stirring frequently. Squash and potatoes will become slightly softer and absorb the flavours from the oil, butter and the onions.

Add stock, parsley and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30min or until the squash and potatoes are completely soft.

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While the soup is simmering, if using, lightly toast pumpkin seeds in a non stick frying pan on a medium to low heat for few minutes giving a pan a shake now and again. They are ready when they turn darker in colour.

Remove the soup from the heat and blend it until completely smooth and velvety in consistency.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt if needed but bare in mind that your vegetable stock will already have salt in it.

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Ladle the soup into bowls , top with toasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of pumpkin oil or extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Just a thought

Butternut squash freezes really well, so if you end up with more than you need just cut the butternut squash into cubes, put them in the bags and freeze them. It really helps to weight cubed butternut squash before freezing. By doing so, you know that you have 600g of butternut squash in your bag ready to use.

Alternatively you can double the amount of the ingredients in the recipe and cook a big batch of pumpkin soup and freeze it.

Wine suggestion

Bianco IGT “Arteus” 2016 by La Viarte, Venezia Giulia.