Zuppa di spinacini selvatici - Wild Spinach soup

The beginning of September is gloriously fruitful in the mountains.  I like picking wild mushrooms and berries,  without forgetting the last wild herbs, which are still good to make delicius dishes. There are still plenty of wild spinach around, so today I prepare a soup  inspired by a local recipe.

Riso con spinaci e ceci - Spinach and Chickpea Rice

I am an early person and I enjoy breakfasts. No brunches but light lunches in my life. 

Here I prepare a spinach and chickpea rice with fried eggs. So simple and so good.

Clafoutis pere e mandorle - Pear and Almond Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a French pudding of fruits, traditionally black cherries, mixed with a sweet batter and baked in the oven. So simple and versatile, the clafoutis is the perfect last-minute dessert.

Torta polenta e arance - Polenta and Orange Cake

I like the polenta cake crunchy and moist and it took me a while to make the right one. I prepared it yesterday for few friends and nothing was left for today. What a pity, it is so good also on the next day!

Torta zucca e arancia - Pumpkin and Orange Cake

Orange and pumpkin combine very well together, not only in terms of colour. Few days ago, in a restaurant, I tasted a delicious soup made with these two bright and sweet ingredients. I enjoyed it so much that I thought: Why not making a cake?

Tortino di riso - Rice Tortino

Tortino is a vegetable pie, usually made without pastry. Here I combine vegetables with rice.

Clafoutis more e mirtilli – Blackberry and Blueberry Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a French dessert made of fruits, traditionally cherries, baked in a sweet batter. Easy and quick to prepare, the clafoutis is the ideal last-minute pudding.

Uova in Purgatorio - Eggs in Purgatory

The Eggs in Purgatory is a traditional recipe from Naples, where the eggs are poached in a tomato and onion sauce. I like to make the dish a bit more interesting by adding other ingredients, such as olive taggiasche, crumbled goat cheese and plenty of basil. If you make it in summer, you will enjoy the unique sweetness of ripe tomatoes and of fresh red onions.

Torta di riso al caramello - Rice and Caramel Pudding

This recipe is one of Maura's many legacies. Maura was a Tuscan lady who helped my grandmother and my aunt in the kitchen for almost 50 years.

She was a natural chef, who never wrote her recipes on paper, but just cooked them from memory: no measures, no cooking times and temperatures. When Maura died last year, we decided to keep her best dishes alive by writing them down. To do so, we could only rely on our memory, recalling her advices and the tastes and textures of her dishes. 

Torta di spaghetti – Spaghetti Pie

Here I propose a spaghetti cake to relief the hustle of last minute cooking. 
It's a delicious and beautiful dish, which could be easily prepared few hours in advance and just baked 45 minutes before eating. 
The plain tomato sauce will bring colour and would enhance the Mediterranean flavour.
It is a perfect one-course dish for a family meal or one of main courses for a bigger gathering. 

Crudité d’inverno con mimosa d'uovo – Winter Salad with Egg Mimosa

Winter  strikes me with its variety of vegetables. Surprisingly enough, in winter I take the chance of preparing crunchy and tasty salads every day. 

Polpette di piselli – Green Pea Boulettes

I love ball-shaped food. Any kinds of gnocchi and polpette is relaxing to mould for me, quick to cook and easy to eat. It is a convivial shape everybody loves. No need of knife.
Here I prepare vegetarian polpette with green pea and I serve them in a tomato sauce. 

Crespelle Funghi e Melanzane - Mushroom and Aubergine Crespelle

I love mushrooms. I love picking them in the wood, I love cooking and combining them with pasta, ravioli, risotto, polenta or simply scramble eggs. Mushrooms, especially the wild ones, bring an earthy flavour to the table. 

Torta di mele – Apple Cake

It is a family recipe we have been cooking over and over without remembering the author. Was it my aunt, my granny or my mother who made it up? It doesn’t really matter; it is a family legacy, or better a “family signature dish”.

Torta al cioccolato fondente – Chocolate cake

When you feel like having a chocolate cake, go for this one. Simple and quick to be made, it is rewarding. You only need to have good-quality chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) - which I suggest storing in the pantry - on top of the classic ingredients for a cake. If you don’t have ground almonds and don’t need to make a gluten-free pudding, replace the almonds with white flour. It will work as well.

Torta Prugne e Grano Saraceno - Plum and Buckwheat Flour Cake

Fruit puddings are my favourite ones as they inspire my creativity. I can play with different  ingredients and follow the seasonal produce to make a good variety of cakes.

Amor Polenta

Foto di Giulia Verdinelli

A polenta cake from Lombardy with a romantic name and a unique shape. The peculiarity of Amor polenta is the ridged cake tin, specially created for this cake. 

When I was a child, we used to get it from Marchesi, one of the best pastry shops of Milan,  and have it for tea on special occasions. Marchesi still make it and I still enjoy its intense flavour, the golden colour and  crumbling texture. 

Torta Cioccolato e Castagne - Chocolate and Chestnut Cake

This is an alternative to pure chocolate cake. The chestnut puree softens the chocolate, giving a sweet delicate aroma. 
I mainly make it in autumn and winter, when we need more energy to face the cold. It is also a true comfort food. I like to serve it with berries and whipped cream.

Polpettone Ripieno - Meatloaf Filled with Greens

Polpettone is a meatloaf I like to fill with vegetables, cheese and ham, and serve with roast potatoes.