The beauty of the recipe is that with just milk and sugar required to complete my ingredient list I know I can actually make the dessert without having to rummage in the back of the cupboard or pop to the shops for that one missing, but no doubt essential, item. The second best thing is that in 2 minutes the dessert is pretty much made and you can put it in the oven and walk away. Now by adding rhubarb and mint I did I confess make the preparation slightly longer but it was worth it for that little burst of fruity sharpness to contrast with the eggy custard.

Preparation: 5 mins + 45 mins baking

Ingredients: 4 egg yolks, c. 500g milk, 25g sugar (brown or white), vanilla essence, cinnamon, 2 stalks rhubarb, sprig of fresh mint.

1. If using fruit then first prepare this accordingly and place a small amount in the bottom of each individual dish. I used rhubarb which needed a couple of minutes boiling in a pan with the freshly chopped mint a splash of water. Once boiled, drain off the excess water. Alternatively try with fresh berries; raspberries, bluberries, strawberries.
2. To prepare the custard simply combine the yolks with the milk, a couple of drops of vanilla essence and sugar and whisk briskly.
3. Pour the custard over the fruit into each individual pot and sprinkle with a little cinnamon.
4. Place the pots in a baking tray and fill the tray with boiling water until it comes to half way up the pots.
5. Place in the oven and bake for c. 45 mins or until set.
6. Serve with a sprig of mint on top and eat whilst still slightly warm.

But why confine ourselves to just Easter. It’s true that saving a few special treats for Christmas and Easter mean that you look forward to them all year but by switching in and out a few ingredients you can have the best of both worlds; tasty fruit loaf whenever you want and Hot Cross Bun Traditional mix for Easter. I often use cranberries, dates, half a fresh apple (cubed), and mixed seeds in this recipe to give different variations.

Ingredients: 500g plain flour, 25g fresh yeast, 125g warm water, 125g warm milk, 1 egg, 25g melted butter, 50g caster sugar, 50g sultanas or raisins, 50g mixed peel,  brown sugar (for sprinkling), pinch of salt

Preparation: 20 mins + 45 mins lievitation and 35 mins baking

1. In a jug mix the warm milk and water, take 1 tsp of the caster sugar and stir in the yeast.

2. Leave the yeast mix for 10 mins and it will begin to froth as the yeast becomes active.

3. Add in the egg and melted butter and beat together.

4. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl; flour, salt, remaining caster sugar, fruit and peel.

5. Stir in the yeast mix and combine into a wet dough.

6. Sprinkle extra flour onto a clean surface and knead the mix into a smooth dough.

7. Place in a large loaf tin and leave to rise for 45 mins.

8. Once risen, sprinkle with the brown sugar and bake at 190C for c. 35 mins.

9. Test if fully baked by inserting a metal skeewer in the centre and checking if it comes out clean. If not leave to bake for a further few minutes.

10. Eat warm with lashings of butter.

It was with this in mind that I gladly handed over my kitchen to my mother and her marmalade production on her recent visit to Italy. ( I say recent but we’re talking early Feb for the maramalade experts amongst you). Usually when my mum comes to visit me she spends most of her holiday getting down and dirty painting shutters or sorting out my garden so it was no doubt with a sigh of relief that this time around she got to play in the kitchen making mammoth amounts of three fruit marmalade to keep me stocked for the rest of the year.

Now marmalade is somewhat of a tradition in our family with mum making classic orange as well as her three fruit variety whilst on the other side of the family we famously auctioned off my nanna’s marmalade as part of a charity fundraiser when myself and 9 members of the family ran the London marathon. We simply love it. And no matter how many other great jams my mum has made over the years (and here I should mention her apricot jam complete with the nut kernel and her strawberry jam, both of which are delicious) we still come back to the comforting tang of marmalade on toast.

Here in Italy the focus is very much on “made in Italy” which I applaud but it makes it near on impossible to find a Seville orange. Instead we have some deliciously local oranges from Sicily which are smaller and sweeter then their Spanish counterparts but alas less compatible for marmalade making as they have lower levels of pectin to help the marmalade set. And so to plan B; three fruit marmalade made with oranges, grapefruit and lemons.

The beauty of this recipe is that with the addition of the grapefruit and lemon your marmalade is almost guaranteed to set and the importance of the pips is reduced. Seville oranges are traditionally full of pips which are used in the boiling process to help set the marmalade. Our three fruit marmalade mixes the sweetness of the smaller Sicilian oranges and the pectin from the grapefruit and lemon to gain the perfect consistency of spreadable but not so runny that it falls of your toast.

When it comes to soup I often inject a little extra heat with chilli, paprika, cumin or similar partly for my own enjoyment but if I’m honest partly to watch my husband sweat as his Italian digestive system is no friend to spice. That said, some combinations are just meant to be; carrot and coriander, roasted tomato and paprika, sweet potato and chilli soup to name but a few.

Green tomato and lentil soup came about as a means to use up my remaining tomatoes that as the name suggest stubbornly refused to ripen and turn red. I can happily eat fried green tomatoes on toast but with so many to use up a soup was by far the better option. I then froze my soup in readiness for winter and a nice cold day.

Green Tomato and Lentil Soup

Ingredients: c.500g tomatoes, 1 litre stock (I used chicken), bayleaf, Cupful of red lentils, 1 small onion, 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper, basil leaves to decorate, olive oil or butter

Preparation: 15 mins +25 mins cooking

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic and soften in a deep saucepan with either olive oil or butter.

2. Chop the tomatoes into small chunks and add into the onion. Fry for a further 5 minutes before adding in the stock and lentils.

3. Season with salt, pepper and a bayleaf and bring to the boil before simmering for c. 20 mins or until the lentils are cooked (follow instructions on pack).

4. Once cooked, blend and serve hot. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh basil leaves and a side of fresh bread.

Coconut boobies, or pyramids as they are more commonly known, are a childhood favourite and one of the easiest sweets to make. With just 3 ingredients and just 2 minutes for mixing there is none of the hard work that other cakes require. Affectionately know as coconut boobies in our house for their uncanny resemblance to, wait for it, ”boobs” they are a healthy-ish fat free cake that should fit in with most healthy eating plans.

After a mincemeat marathon over christmas I ressurected this recipe to have a change of taste and something quick and easy to hand for a mid morning or afternoon snack. My neighbour’s youngest daughter Matilda is a lover of coconut and was on hand as “chief taster”. As I attempted to explain (in Italian) our pet name for these cakes I realised that I’d bitten off more then I could chew so she now no doubt thinks I am some mad English woman talking about boobs but at least the coconut pyramids got the thumbs up!

Coconut Boobies

Ingredients:   225g dessicated Coconut, 2 eggs, 120g caster sugar

Preparation: 2 mins * 20 mins chilling and 25-30 mins baking

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and leave to chill in the fridge for c. 20 mins.

2. Prepare a baking tray with grease proof paper and heat oven to 180C.

3. Dip hands in cold water and shape mixture into mini pyramids / balls.

4. I put cranberries on the top of mine but you can leave plain or use other fruit such as glacee cherries.

5. Bake for c. 25-35 mins until golden in colour.

6. Once chilled, store in an airtight container.

I admit, not a question that one is faced with very often but when it arises I vote for the chicken breast any day. It’s not that I don’t love a big turkey with all the trimmings but I am a self confessed loather of carving birds and when you have a house full of guests and a million vege on the go I think one should be forgiven for taking an easier, but just as tasty, route.

My chicken breasts below were stuffed with a seasonal mix of sage, onion, apple, pancetta and lemon for a fresh and zesty stuffing that adds lashings of flavour to a classic roast dinner. I then wrapped my chicken with extra pancetta to mimic bacon rashers on top of the turkey and to top the dish off with that yummy, salty,  crunchy flavour.

Other twists to this stuffing is the addition of sausage meat, chestnuts or parmesan cheese, all of which work brilliantly with the core flavours. But if like me you think less is more then try this simpler recipe first before embellishing with other ingredients.

Ingredients: (For the stuffing) Butter, grated zest of 2 lemons plus some of the juice, big handful fresh chopped sage, 1 large peeled and grated apple, 80g cubed pancetta, 100g breadcrumbs, 1-2 eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, (For the meat) 2 large Chicken breasts and pancetta or bacon slices to wrap the chicken breasts.

Preparation: 10 mins

1. Melt a knob of butter and lightly sweat the onions before stirring in the lemon zest and sage for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

2. Once cooled add in the pancetta, grated apple and breadcrumbs.

3. Season the mix with the salt, pepper and nutmeg and then add in 1 or 2 eggs (depending on their size). The egss need to hold the mix together so if 1 egg isn’t enough then add in a second.

4. Taste the mix and if the lemon zest is lost then you can add in some of the lemon juice at this stage to boost the flavour.

5. Leave to rest for a few hours in the fridge before using.

6. Slice open the chicken breasts and stuff with a generous amount of stuffing. Close and wrap the chicken with the pancetta slices and place in an oiled baking dish.

7. You can bake any left over stuffing in a dish for c. 20-30 minutes.

8. The chicken breasts need to be cooked at c. 190C until the juices run clear. Timings will depend on the weight and size of the breasts but allow roughly 1 hour for 1 kg. The best tip is to check regularly as chicken dries out easily and you want to ensure you catch it whilst still lovely and moist.

9. I served mine with roast potatoes, roast pumpkin and sauted leeks.

The stuffing helps keep the chicken moist and the pancetta wrap gives the perfect crunch so you have the beauty of 3 different textures of stuffing, meat and pancetta. Delicious!

I’m off home for christmas to enjoy a couple of weeks of home cooked UK grub so I shall be taking a break from the blog but aspect to be hit with lots of new recipes and photos in the new year. Merry Christmas to one and all!

I am unashamably posting the recipe whilst I have a photo of one of Sabine’s creations as a) I’ve yet to try the recipe and b) mine may not come out looking as they should!! You’ll have to forgive the rather hazy photo but in the midst of us scoffing our christmas luncheon I only managed to grab a quick shot on the phone but nonetheless you get the idea. Needless to say it was tastier in reality!

Ingredients: (For the dough) 500g flour, 20g dried or freshyeast, 80g sugar, pinch of salt, juice of 1 lemon, 80g butter, 1/4 Litre of milk. (For the filling) 300g chopped hazelnuts (or any other nut of you choice), 150g sugar, 1 sachet vanilla icing sugar, single cream or similar

Preparation: 20 mins + lievitation + 20 mins baking

1. To make the dough mix all of the ingredients and knead into a smooth dough. If using fresh yeast, combine with the milk before adding to the dough mixing.
2. Roll out into a rectangular shape and place on a baking tray prepared with oven paper and leave to rise for c. 45 mins.
3. To make the mix combine all the ingredients until you have a nutty paste. You’ll need to guestimate how much cream to use on the basis that the mixture should be a paste that is easy to spread across the dough and not too liquidy.
4. Once your dough has risen, cover evenly with the nutty paste and then roll the dough as you would a swiss roll.
5. Cut the roll into equal sized slices and then place all of the circular slices together on the baking tray to bake.
6. Bake at the centre of a hot oven 200C for c. 20 mins until golden.

Best eaten warm!

Traditionally mincemeat pies are covered with a full pastry lid but as I love the mincemeat filling I find I can fit a little extra in if I opt for an open pie covered with pastry stars. Served warm and topped with a spoonful of brandy butter they are one of my all time favourite christmas treats.

As I mentioned in my earlier “Christmas dinner” post I was asked to explain why mincemeat pies are thus called when there is in fact no meat in them? Thank you Mr Internet for providing the answer. I discovered that in ancient times there was originally a mix of meat, beef suet and fruit contained in the filling and I presume the name has stuck even though modern day versions tend to favour just chopped fruit, distilled spirits, vegetable suet and mixed spices. As the ingredients fermented and became sweeter so mincemeat became used more as a dessert filling and less as a savoury one. Lucky for us! So here is my take on the traditional Christmas mincemeat pie.

Ingredients: (for the pastry) 250g plain flour, 200g butter, 100g icing sugar, pinch salt, 2 egg yolks and egg white to brush over the pies before baking and (for the filling)jar or home made mincemeat. makes approx. 24 mincemeat pies.

Preparation: 15 mins + 1 hour Chilling + 15 mins

1. Place the flour on a cool work surface and create a well in the centre.

2. Chop the slightly softened butter in the well with the icing sugar and salt and mix with your fingertips.

3. Add in the egg yolks and continue to work the mix with your fingertips, gradually drawing in the flour until you have a dough ball.

4. Using the palm of your hand, push the dough away from you a few times until it is completed combined and smooth then wrap immediately in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before use. It is important not to knead the dough like you would do bread as pastry needs to be manipulated as little as possible.

5. Once chilled, roll out using a rolling pin to approx. 3mm thick and cut your disks the size to suit your baking tray. Make sure you prepare the tray by buttering the pie cases so the pies will come out easily once baked.

6. Place the pastry disks in the tray and spoon in your mincemeat filling.

7. Cover with pastry disks or, like me, pastry stars and bake for 10-12 mins at 180C.

Eat warm with brandy butter. Delicious!

Last weekend we had our first Christmas lunch of the season with a mixed group of Anglo-Italian and German friends which inevitably led to an ecclectic array of dishes reflecting our various traditions. To say we ate well is an understatement as there was enough food to feed a small army but we gave it a damn good try!

So what was on our menu?

From the UK we adapted a classic roast turkey and instead served xmas stuffed chicken breasts with a stuffing of sage, onion, lemon and apple. Alongside this we introduced the Germans to Yorkshire Puddings which led to a heated discussion on why so many savoury dishes are called puddings or other confusing names in English… think steak & kidney pudding, and mincemeat that isn’t in fact meat! This leads on nicely to our dessert of mincemeat pies, christmas pudding and brandy butter.

Representing Italy was stuffed veal with garlic and spinach served with a light jus.

And in the german corner we were treated to hazelnut schneckennudelkuchen. Try saying that after a few wines!

Recipes for all with follow shortly but for now I shall leave  you with a few shots of our Gluttony.

When making lunch salads in this season it’s worthwhile moving away from summer ingredients of salad, tomatoes, cucumber etc (as most will be imported and flavourless) and create different dishes using ingredients that are either in season or in the case of this salad are easy to find as frozen or tinned varieties. I’m also adding in hotdogs (I’m not usually a fan as who knows what’s in them!!) as in this salad they combine well with the greenery and make it more substantial if you’re serving as a single dish.

As with all salads you can pretty much add in as much or as little as you like. I like to keep things simple by not overloading with too many ingredients so you can taste the individual flavours but the beauty of cooking is that there are no rules so peppers, spring onions, fennel etc are all great additions to this salad. You can also play with the rice and try using wholegrain or other varieties which all work well.

I’m pretty much living on these kind of dishes at the moment as I wrestle with these first months as a new mum as it is great for making a batch that can last for a few days and save the day when you’re too busy to get in the kitchen and prepare meals. Good job I like it!

Ingredients: (Serves 6) 250g long grain rice, 1 pack 3-4 hotdogs (wurstel), 140g peas (tinned/ frozen), 1 courgette, fresh mint, fresh chives, fresh parsley,1 small red onion, olive oil & red wine vinegar for the dressing, salt and pepper

Preparation: 20 minutes

1. Cook the rice following the instructions on pack. This should take c. 15-20 minutes leaving plenty of time to prepare the vegetables.

2. Chop the wurstel (hotdogs) in to chunks and put to one side ready to add into the rice water for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

3. Finely dice the red onion, courgette, mint, parsley and chives and put in a large salad bowl.

4. If using tinned peas, drain and rinse before adding into the salad bowl. If using frozen peas add to the rice water together with the wurstel and cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. Once the rice, wurstel and peas are cooked, drain and then rinse immediately in cold water to stop the cooking process. Make sure to drain thoroughly as you don’t want water in the final dish.

6. Mix with the other ingredients in the salad bowl and dress with olive oil, vinegar (c. 2-3 tbsp and 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar), salt and pepper. I often make a vinagarette (as above) with a touch of honey as the sweetness works nicely with the wurstel.

7. Serve immediately whilst still slightly warm or pop in the fridge for later.

And there you have rice and peas!