This little recipe is quick, easy and very, very satisfying. I’ve used the wonderful, dark organic spaghettoni (thick spaghetti) by Bio Alberti made with Senatore Cappelli, an old type of wheat which after the 60’s was almost forgotten and has – luckily – seen a fierce come-back in the Southern regions of Italy. It was originally “created” by Italian genetist…
From January 7 to 9 I’ve been once again acting as Resident Chef at Bellavita Amsterdam, the expo where you can find the best Italian food & wine products every year (here some of the photos made by the amazing Bellavita photographers). One of the great chefs that I had the pleasure of working with is Peppe Zullo, a…
A French dish with an Italian twist: the Niçoise salad. There are different versions of this classic: with or without potatoes, often without green beans but with crunchy raw peppers, and then anchovies and black olives that are typical of the surroundings of the French city of Nice. I really like potatoes and green beans in my nizzarda, and…
This is the simplest brown rice salad for the warm Summer days, made with tuna, tomato, green olives and an unusual and unexpected ingredient, at least for Italian dishes: a dash of ketchup. My mum always adds a little bit of ketchup to her rice salad and I’ve learned to appreciate its pleasant sweet-and-sour taste in it. I buy a good organic one and…
This elegant salad with lovely bittersweet notes is perfect for a light Easter brunch. Beautiful radicchio rosso from Treviso, one of the many amazing chicory types from Northern Italy, has wonderful purple curled leaves and a distinct bitter crunch which is greatly compensated by the sweetness of the ripe pear and the full, nutty taste of the avocado. The high protein content of…
This salad is inspired by the Thai cuisine, maybe my favourite after the Italian one for the fresh, pure and tangy flavours. Give me a bowl of Tom Yam soup or a Thai curry (vegetarian or not) with rice and you’ll make me happy! Sweet potatoes are almost always eaten cooked and that makes them incredibly sweet. If you eat…
This Summer pasta is delicious, light and fresh, so it’s perfect for a warm day. It’s great also eaten cold, as a pasta salad, for example during a pick-nick. In this case make sure you cook the pasta REALLY al dente because it will keep on absorbing moisture from the sauce getting softer as it does. Raw cauliflower…