Torta di mele in padella - Frying-pan Apple Cake

Softener than a pan cake, quicker than an apple cake, the frying- pan apple cake is easy to make at any time of the day. The children would enjoy both the making and the tasting.

Pollo in umido con spinaci, pinoli e uvetta - Chicken Stew with spinach, pine nuts and sultanas

Spinach is a popular ingredient in the Milanese cuisine. It is usually served as a side dish, either just boiled and dressed with oil and lemon, or sautéed, preferably in butter, and sometimes combined with sultanas and pine nuts.

Here in my recipe, I serve pine nut and sultana spinach with braised chicken as a main course, and I dress my dish with saffron and lemon. It is a new combination of traditional ingredients from my hometown kitchen.

Insalata fregola e ceci - Giant Couscous and Chickpea Salad

Our eating has changed in the last decade. Now grains and pulses combined with a variety of vegetables don't have to be 'sides' to meat or fish, but are regarded as a main course. 

Moreover, the range of uncommon ingredients we eat and we creatively combine - dried fruits, seeds and nuts in savoury dishes; pomegranate seeds and molasses in salads, specific varieties of chillies and spices in soups, risotto and pasta - has grown, making food more interesting and inventive.

Pollo marinato allo yogurt – Chicken Casserole in a Yogurt Dressing

I like yogurt, I make my own one at home to have it fresh in the morning, with any fruits, jam or honey. I use it in some cakes but I also like to add it to savoury dishes, such as pulse soups, pesto sauces or to replace mayonnaise in salad dressing. Here, I use it to marinate the chicken, getting closer to middle Eastern cooking rather than Italian. 

Insalata di fine inverno con bulgur e limone - End of Winter Salad with Bulgur and Lemon

Bulgur is a legacy from my dearest Lebanese friend Claude, who left for Boston last year.
9 years ago, when we started running Libaliano - Lebanese and Italian cooking courses - in London, I immediately introduced bulgur in my cuisine. Easy to cook and to combine with any pulses and vegetables, bulgur soon became an essential ingredient I always have in my pantry.

Petti di pollo alla senape con verdure d’inverno - Chicken Breasts with Winter Vegetables

Seasonal dishes are my daily treat and since I can find fennels in London, my life has changed in better. Fennel has a strong personality which would give a twist to any dish. Here I prepare a winter salad adding fennel to carrot and onion and topping it with chicken breasts dressed with mustard. 

Crostata integrale con marmellata di pere - Wholemeal Crostata with Pear Jam

Crostata is one of the post popular Italian tarts, made with shortcrust pastry and jam, usually homemade. It's a domestic tart we mainly serve either for breakfast or for tea, but it could also become a  perfect family dessert. Traditionally, we never pair it with any cream.

Minestra lenticchie, zucca e spinaci - Lentil Squash and Spinach Soup

Today I feel like having a soup, a good soup. I will make it with three main ingredients: lentils, butternut squash and spinach. 

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”.

Pollo Impanato al Forno - Breaded Chicken Baked

My 92 year-old father-in-law Giorgio, is a great chef. He invents new recipes every other day and always phones me to illustrate his new creations in detail. I like to promote his enthusiastic creativity. 

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.

Insalata Cavolo a Punta e Tonno - Pointed Cabbage and Tuna Salad

 

It has been 15 years since I started shopping at the same vegetable stall in Portobello Market. Here I discovered the pointed cabbage, sweeter and more tender than the round cabbage. It is the perfect ingredient for the winter salads you can invent with whatever you have in the pantry.

Spaghetti Tonno e Limone - Tuna and Lemon Spaghetti

This is a quick pasta sauce you can prepare while the pasta is cooking, without planning your shopping. The ingredients for this recipe come from the pantry.

The secret: cook your spaghetti al dente, drain and return them to the pan; dress them at first with their cooking water combined with a little olive oil, which keeps the pasta moist and light. Afterwards add the sauce.

Sorbetto alle Fragole - Strawberry Sorbet

I always add a tablespoon of whisked egg white to my sorbetto, no more than that. It is enough to make it smooth and creamy like an ice cream, without leaving any trace of egg flavour.