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Category: Preserving

Foraged fig jam

It’s been a wonderful season for fruit and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to pick wild figs from a tree close to our house all summer long. Last year I tried my hand at foraged fig chutney which was delicious with cheese, but this year I decided to go down the sweet route,…

Plum and apricot jams

Life has been pretty difficult since catching COVID-19 after travelling to the UK for the first time in nearly a year. One of the worst things was completely losing my sense of taste and smell for nearly a month which meant I also lost my appetite and desire to cook. Fortunately the return of my…

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There are a lot of #pumpkins in our house following our visit to the Fiera della Zucca di #Piozzo last weekend so I’ve been hunting down new #pumpkin #recipes. This one for a rich creamy pumpkin #soup also makes great use of the sweet #chestnuts or #castagne that have started to fall in the #woods around our house and which I gather up and stuff into my pockets on our morning walks. I’ve made many pumpkin #soups over the years but this one, adapted from a recipe by @everyday.delicious.blog is by far my favourite. What makes it different is the addition of #ginger and a squeeze of #lemon at the end which adds layers of flavour and lightens the dish. I replaced the cream with grated creamed #coconut – you could use #coconutmilk – which means this recipe is also #vegan

It’s #pumpkin season here in Italy and this weekend we finally made it to the #fieradellazuccapiozzo just a short drive from our house. This regional pumpkin festival has been held for more than quarter of a century and this year more than 550 varieties were on display. The town has trademarked the #zuccapiozzo a small round #squash with a firm consistency and wonderful orange colour. And it’s famous brewery @birrabaladin even produces a pumpkin beer called Zucca which I can confirm is delicious! This recipe transforms one of the #Zucca #Piozzo #pumpkins into a creamy filling for my #homemade #ravioli. A little turmeric added to the #pasta dough brings out the colours of #Autumn whilst #sage gives the dish a rich earthy flavour perfect at this time of the year. Full recipe on my website, details in bio!

I found this #recipe by @fussfreeflavours a few weeks ago when I was looking for something to do with the piles of red #grapes picked from my vine and the block of #halloumi #cheese that I found in my local supermarket during ‘Greek week’. I adore halloumi, it’s squeaky texture and creamy taste, but it’s rare to come across it in this part of rural Italy. This dish is quick and simple – just ten minutes from start to finish – and it also makes great use of the bottle of #pomegranatemolasses that’s been sitting in my cupboard since my last trip to Turkey. The tartness of the #molasses and sweetness of the grape juice make a delicious dressing that works very well with the salty halloumi.

It’s been a wonderful season for #fruit here in #italy and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to pick wild #figs from a tree close to our house all summer long. Last year I tried my hand at #foraged fig #chutney which was delicious with cheese, but this year I decided to go down the sweet route, simmering my figs with a little #sugar and some #lemonjuice to make a thick fig #jam. The lemon juice acts like #pectin which means you can reduce how much sugar you need - I now use around a fifth of the amount of sugar relative to fruit in all my jam #recipes which makes for a much healthier and, in my view, tastier #preserve. Full #recipe on my website, details in bio!

As Summer slides into Autumn here in Italy, I’m busy picking the crops that I planted as seeds back in the Spring. Last month I harvested more than 30kg of tomatoes…of which more later! I’m now moving onto the #rootvegetables, #beans and leafy greens including iron-rich #cavalonero which I’m growing for the first time. This week I made a simple #garden #vegetable #soup which is delicious either served on its own as a #lunchtime #snack or with bread and a chunk of cheese for supper. You can substitute the #vegetables for whatever is available in your garden or local supermarket. This soup also great way of using up anything in your cupboard or fridge that’s a bit wilted and past its sell by date! Full #vegetarian #vegan #recipe on my website, details in bio

It’s been a long dry summer here in Italy but I’m very pleased with how my new #vegetablegarden has done in it’s second year. Alongside #tomatoes #peppers and #aubergine I’m also growing #carrots #leeks #chilli and #cavalonero Everything you see has been grown from #seed and is totally #organic. I have a few issues with #caterpillar eating my #cabbages but other than that my #garden is #pestfree Look out for simple delicious #vegetarian #vegetable #recipes coming very soon!

Fantastic online #cookinglesson last night with @cookingwithfiona making two different coloured #pasta … one with #tumeric and a little #paprika to give a deep #yellow colour, the other with #parsley to make #green. I don’t have a blender or a pasta machine so the parsley was a little large and the #tagliatelle a little thick but both tasted delicious! Not sure my Italian friends would approve of the added #garlic but it tasted great with just a little olive oil and a sprinkle of #parmesan cheese. I made my pasta with #organic 00 flour produced by @lacasarotta, an eco village based close to where I live in #piemonte #northitaly

Life has been pretty difficult since catching #covid_19 after travelling to the UK for the first time in nearly a year. One of the worst physical effects was completely losing my sense of #taste and #smell for nearly a month which meant I also lost my appetite and desire to cook. Fortunately the return of my taste has coincided with the #summer #fruit season here in #Italy and I’ve found great pleasure picking the fruit from the #fruittrees in my #garden and making #jam. Jam making is remarkably easy even with #softfruit like #plums and #apricots. Jam recipes typically require the addition of #pectin and ridiculous amounts of #sugar. This recipe has reduced sugar and lemon juice which lowers the PH of the jam and helps it to set. The final product is not only delicious but also much healthier than shop bought varieties. Full #recipe on my website, details in bio.

@yasminkhanstories is one of my absolute favourite #foodwriters. I’ve read her new #cookbook #ripefigs from start to finish and love how she brings together recipes and stories of #migration to illustrate the ways in which we are intricately and intimately connected by #food. Yesterday I cooked one of the #recipes from the book, stuffed #aubergines popular in #turkey but eaten across the #mediterranean region. I served mine with a piece of fish and a lemony #tabbouleh

I generally try to avoid eating #bread but sometimes I really need #toast and today was one of those days! I always bake my bread using #organic #flour produced by @lacasarotta Today I added some #freshherbs including #oregano #thyme #sage and #parsley from my #herbgarden. You can find the stall of @lacasarotta at the #farmersmarket in #mondovi on a Saturday morning, alternatively give them a follow and/or check out their website to learn more about the project which is an #ecovillage under construction in the hills of #lamorra #langhe #piemonte

As a child my parents grew a lot of #vegetables in our #garden including #broadbeans which are known in #italy as #favabeans. I found them bitter and never cooked them for myself but when I saw them in my local supermarket I decided to give them another try. It turns out that they delicious and sweet in this #warmsalad with #newpotatoes and #feta flavoured with #garlic and #lemon and fresh #mint. Full #recipe coming to my @ese_ne_tekrema webpage very soon! Details in bio

During the #spring period it is an ancient #tradition for the Piedmontese to collect #luvertine, which is the #Piedmontese name for wild #hop shoots. The luvertin shoots – also known as wild #asparagus due to their shape – are then cooked in a pan with butter or added to a risotto, soup or frittata (omelette). The wild hop is a perennial herbaceous plant typically found along riverbanks, at the edge of the forest and in hedges. Alternatively you can do what I did and buy it from the local #farmersmarket for a few euros and then get some #localknowledge about what it is and how to cook it! The luvertin can be substituted by asparagus spears sliced vertically and cooked in the same way. Either way it’s a simple and delicious #vegetarian spring #lunch #dish. Full #recipe on my website, details in bio

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