TOMATO & BASIL LASSI Here’s a quick blast of Italy – so refreshing you can almost taste the sun! For 1 small glass: 1 large tomato – or 100g fresh tomatoes 100ml plain yoghurt 2 leaves fresh basil Pinch salt Blitz in a blender until smooth and frothy.
ORANGE CREPES WITH ASPARAGUS, BITTER HERBS & HORSERADISH
Forget cats and dogs…or even men…it was ‘raining’ oranges the day we joined the famous “Battaglia delle Arance” or “Battle of Oranges” that marks the end of carnival time in Ivrea, Piemonte. Along the lines of Siena’s “Palio” or the “Sagra del Torde” of Montalcino every ‘quartiere’ of the city competes to be crowned the…… Continue reading ORANGE CREPES WITH ASPARAGUS, BITTER HERBS & HORSERADISH
CABBAGE SUSHI-STYLE with HAZLENUT SPRINKLE for ST. VALENTINE’S DAY
“Cavolo!……..cavolo?!” could roughly be translated as “crikey!..…..cabbage??!” Cavolo being not only Italian for cabbage – but also a ‘cripes’, ‘good grief’, ‘holy cow’ type of expression! And indeed “crikey” what could possibly make cabbage a choice dish for a St Valentine’s Day intimate supper – even with this view of Lake Como. As far…… Continue reading CABBAGE SUSHI-STYLE with HAZLENUT SPRINKLE for ST. VALENTINE’S DAY
PRESERVED LEMON, BASIL & POMEGRANATE SEED LINGUINE
“Do you know the land where lemons bloom and grow…..” asked Goethe…..and sadly I would have to reply “not yet”…or only through enthusiastic hearsay and ‘Inspector Montalbano’ TV episodes. Sicily, Goethe’s land of lemons, still remains shrouded in expectancy for me so that now – in lemon-blossom time – I can only dream of the…… Continue reading PRESERVED LEMON, BASIL & POMEGRANATE SEED LINGUINE
EATING CLOUDS IN ITALY: Food, Health and Living in Italy 