Spaghetti with spider crab, what a delicacy!

I have always thought that brown crab was delicious.. until I tried spider crab! Almost weekly now, I get a spider crab delivered to my front door, already cooked by my local fishmonger. Spider crab is cheap and very sustainable as there are plenty of them. Their meat is sweeter than brown crab but for…

Pasta with mussels in tomato sauce – Simple recipe

I just love the flavour of the sea. Pasta with mussels is usually a dish I make at weekends simply because the mussels need to be really fresh and therefore bought on the same day but, as this is an easy dish and of quick preparation, you could certainly make it during the week if…

Pasta with cherry tomatoes, olives and burrata – quick & easy

Ah summertime! Don’t you feel amazing when the sun is out? Right now all over Europe temperatures are exceptionally high whereas here in England the weather has been a bit mixed so far but it is getting hotter now. When the sun is shining it is particularly beautiful over here because it is never too…

Working week meals: Easy & healthy spinach pesto

Like many of you when I get home in the evenings all I need is to relax and take it easy for a little while; then there is dinner… and let’s be honest, I certainly don’t fancy spending too long on the stove but I also don’t want to eat something ready from the shops.…

Chef Aldo Zilli makes pasta alla chitarra

During the past 8 years as a blogger I have been fortunate enough to meet several well known British chefs and get cookery lessons from them as well. Most of them were Italians or somehow they had a link with Italy. Because of the power of the media, you see these people on television and…

Zucchini & carrots light and simple spaghetti

Happy new year everyone! How quiet is January compared to feasting December. I had a great Christmas break and my new year’s celebrations were particularly good: I spent it at home with friends celebrating in a long and slow gourmet dinner which lasted just before midnight..when we opened our Champagne! We all cooked something therefore…

Italian classic gnocchi recipe

This is a recipe you can never get bored of. I have always been using it to make my gnocchi and it came from my grandmother. I have never ever forgot her words back then: “Do not add too much flour and make sure you use the right type of potatoes”. She was absolutely right!…

Black ink spaghetti with crab – “The long and the short of pasta”

Pasta is a feeling as well as fuel” Most people love pasta and I certainly do so, that’s why I was pleased to review “The Long and Short of Pasta”, a book which has a collection of over 70 Italian pasta dishes. The authors, Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi cover the basics of fresh pasta and…

Carrot Gnocchi

Carrot gnocchi is something that has intrigued me for a while. Basically instead of potatoes, like for the classic gnocchi recipe, you use carrots instead.. and quite of few of them. The result is a gnocchi with a delicate flavour, a little sweet and actually something more like a pasta rather than gnocchi as the…

Pasta with carrot pesto – easy recipe

Pesto with carrots? Oh yes please! This is healthy, delicious and very tasty indeed. Spring is here and I am on the look for delicious and healthy meals for the family. All you do is whizzing the carrots with walnuts and basil in a blender. Add enough olive oil to get a nice and smooth…