A gloriously butter puff pastry case filled with caramelised tomatoes and oregano. To this version I added a little homemade tomato sauce left over from last weekend’s pizza menu and served it with a vibrant salsa verde which keeps in a jar in the fridge for several weeks. So simple, so delicious and as light…
Tag: Red Wine Vinegar
Jaffa Fattoush Salad with a Zesty Sumac and Pomegranate Dressing
I love to explore new places and I love to get lost. To my mind, it’s only way to discover a place. My Israeli friends think I am absolutely insane to walk out into the summer sun with no destination in mind but I walk in the shade and find the sanctuary of a tiny…
Nephele’s Beetroot and Garlic Salad with Creamy Ricotta and Fresh Dill, Pantzaria Salata
Whilst holidaying in the harbour town of Symi in August, we were invited to lunch by my friend Nephele, the lucky custodian of one of those beautiful pastel-coloured neo-classical villas that slowly wind up the herb-covered hills that rise up from the sea. Hers is buttercup yellow. Inside, the huge middle floor is open plan…
Symi Roast Tomato Soup With a Wild Garlic and Walnut Pesto
I first tried this beautiful interpretation of the classic roasted tomato soup on the island of Symi, a glorious island that elegantly lies in the Southern Dodecanese, north of Rhodes and close to the coast of South West Turkey. Although it’s a relatively barren place, the island’s rich merchant founders made the most of its…
Cetara Marinated Plum Tomatoes with Cipolla Rossa di Tropea DOP
Positioned high above the glittering Tyrrhenian Sea along the staggeringly beautiful Amalfi coast, the small fishing village of Cetara is often missed as the hoards head out to the more popular towns of Ravello, Amalfi itself or Positano to the beaches lined with ice cream coloured umbrellas laid out in their perfectly judged rows. They’re all…
Picasso’s Omelette Niçoise with a Classic Salade Verte à la Française
For Pablo Picasso, food was a central part of life. From the age of 17, he auctioned his sketches for around one peseta (about the same price as a bottle of house wine) to raise money for his supper at Barcelona’s El Quatre Gats (The Four Cats) restaurant – for whom he designed their classic menu and…
Neapolitan Ragù of Cannellini Beans with Fragrant Rosemary and Amalfi Chillies
One of the most popular flavours of Neapolitan cooking is peperoncino, the local red chillies that you will see threaded along lines of string and hung across the windows of the teeny tiny domestic kitchens of Naples, and all along the Amalfi Coast, in order to dry in the sun. They are used throughout the year to…
Wild Garlic Chimichurri, a Vibrant Sauce for Spring
Here’s a simple little recipe for you that makes the most of wild garlic. Chimichurri, an essential part of Argentinean and Uruguayan cuisine is a simple herby garlicky sauce sauce/marinade that can be whipped up in minutes. It’s the perfect accompaniment to grilled vegetables, roast potatoes (as I’ve done here), steak, chicken and fish. Yesterday,…
Lucca Rigatoni with Roasted Tomatoes and Salsa Verde
This recipe is inspired by an al fresco dinner we recently enjoyed in the beautiful city of Lucca in Tuscany. We were sitting on the outside of the infamous Piazza Anfiteatro when I noticed a long snake of very young children each holding tiny posies of flowers with their very handsome teacher who was nervously whispering instructions to them….
Livorno Cannellini Bean, Tomato and Ricotta Salata Salad
On a recent trip to Tuscany, I was astonished to discover that the covered markets in both Lucca and Pisa had been closed down. It seems that even the Italians are succumbing to pre-prepared food that can be grabbed on the go. Indeed, one man I spoke to who reminisced fondly about the dishes his…
Cardamom and Dill 