Author Archive for Lucina

Page 6 of 23

Spicy sweet potato hummus

Published by Lucina, on 12 giugno 2015 in English Recipes, starters and vegetarian. 0 Comments
spicy sweet potato hummus

spicy sweet potato hummus

This is a fresh, zingy variation on the traditional hummus. I have made it a couple of times and it has gone down a treat. It’s dead simple to make (you basiclly whizz everything in a food processor). What is particularly nice about it is the lovely orange colour from the sweet potatoes. Ideal to have as part of a buffet or as a starter with some nice pitta bread or raw vegetables. I found the recipe on line from a blog called Cookie and Kate, which looks really interesting. I will have to explore it. There are lots of appealing vegetarian recipes. By the way, don’t worry if you only see me blogging at the moment. The reason Candi has disappeared is that she is having some family problems. But she will be back, I am sure!! Continue reading ‘Spicy sweet potato hummus’

Chickpea, mushroom and spinach curry

Published by Lucina, on 1 giugno 2015 in English Recipes and vegetarian. 0 Comments
chick pea, mushroom and spinach curry

chick pea, mushroom and spinach curry

I made this the other night in no time at all and felt very wholesome and healthy as a result. :-)  I am sure you can add different spices, etc. but I was in a hurry (this is the  dreaded marking season!!) so I simply used curry powder. Much easier! The reason why I did this particular curry was that in my veggie box this week (yes, I started ordering organic veggies again but only once a fortnight!) there were mushrooms and spinach. What to do? I put the ingredients on google and got the idea for the curry. Voilà! Continue reading ‘Chickpea, mushroom and spinach curry’

Spaghetti with courgette, salmon and saffron

Published by Lucina, on 19 maggio 2015 in English Recipes and pasta. 0 Comments
spaghetti with courgette, salmon and saffron

spaghetti with courgette, salmon and saffron

 

If one wanted one could make a different pasta sauce every day of the year. Pasta is so versatile! And yet we invariably end up  making the same sauces, week in week out. Am I right? All we need is a bit of inspiration. So ta dah! Here’s a quick and easy recipe for you to try.  It was  Manuela, my step mother, who made this lovely pasta dish for me, originally using pancetta. I substituted it with salmon, as I am  semi vegetarian now, and I thought it worked very well too. Of course, you can use any kind of pasta you like. So what are you waiting for: it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s tasty! No excuses to make that boring bolognaise sauce or carbonara yet again! Continue reading ‘Spaghetti with courgette, salmon and saffron’

Chickpea, tomato and bread soup

Published by Lucina, on 5 maggio 2015 in English Recipes and Soup. 1 Comment
chickpea, tomato and bread soup

chickpea, tomato and bread soup

I haven’t blogged a soup for a while and, as you know, I LOVE soups. So the time has come to experiment again.  Yes, I know, in Italy probably this is not the right time of the year to make soups (31 degrees in Sicily, apparently! GRRRRR!) HOWEVER this is England and, as you know, you can go from winter to summer and back again to winter in the space of a few hours. Lately the weather hasn’t been so great. In fact the other day the thermometer in my car registered 5 degrees, to my utter dismay!!! INSANE, considering it’s blooming May! So, to cut a long story short, a good soup is never out of place in this country. So  here is an amazingly good one for you, courtesy of the mighty Ottolenghi.  It has been recommended to me by my sister in law Stefania (thank you!). It’s ideal to make if you have any stale bread (better if sourdough) knocking about. I hate throwing food away , particularly if I have made it (read bread) with my own fair hands. In the last year or so I have made canederli quite a number of times in order to use bread which has gone past its sell by date (see recipe here). But this is an equally good alternative. It’s a cross between a stew and a soup and very filling it is too! One bowl of it and you won’t need much else. Plus you will feel holier than thou as it is very healthy indeed! Continue reading ‘Chickpea, tomato and bread soup’

Milk bread rolls

Published by Lucina, on 26 aprile 2015 in bread and English Recipes. 2 Comments
milk bread rolls

milk bread rolls

Although I continue baking my own bread I haven’t blogged a new bread recipe for a while now. In fact I haven’t blogged ANY recipes lately, the reason being I went away during the Easter period (Amsterdam then Italy) and, as you know, it’s really hard to get back into the swing of cooking after you have had a break. I tend to go for the tried and tested after a period of inactivity (read: holiday). It takes me a little while to get back  into “experiment” mood again. Anyway, I made these rolls today which I had never made before and they were really nice. They are out of the Brilliant Bread book by James Morton (he won one of  the Bake Off competitions a few years back). By the way, speaking of bread. My sourdough is now TWO years old. And going strong….:-) Continue reading ‘Milk bread rolls’

White chocolate, almond and raisin clusters

Published by Lucina, on 5 aprile 2015 in biscuits, Dolci, English Recipes and teatime. 3 Comments

white chocolate clusters

Happy Easter everyone! Please note the three little bunnies keeping Tomik company. Aren’t they cute? I’ll blog something quickly. I went to a wedding today and everyone had to take something for the buffet. I kind of made these up taking inspiration from a Paul Hollywood recipe in which he used dark chocolate and peanuts. Anyway, they went down a treat so here they now are for your delight. Continue reading ‘White chocolate, almond and raisin clusters’

Baked mushrooms with ricotta and pesto

Published by Lucina, on 3 aprile 2015 in Antipasti, sfizi, finger food..., English Recipes, starters, vegetarian and Verdure. 0 Comments
baked mushrooms with ricotta and pesto

baked mushrooms with ricotta and pesto

Here’s a nice, easy starter  or indeed a light lunch, for you to try. And very simple too. I used 4 large field mushrooms but it works really well with small chestnut mushrooms.  I really like mushrooms and this is an incredibly easy recipe to do. The reason why I decided to try it was that I had a bit of home made pesto left over. All you have to do is mix it with ricotta a bit of extra garlic, if you wish, some grated parmesan and presto! It’s done! The recipe comes, once again, from the BBC good food magazine. Don’t be put off by the not so very appealing picture. The taste is what you have to focus on, which is lovely. Ok, I know you can’t taste the photo but you have to trust me on this one. :-) Continue reading ‘Baked mushrooms with ricotta and pesto’

Lemon drizzle cake

Published by Lucina, on 21 marzo 2015 in cakes and English Recipes. 0 Comments
lemon drizzle cake

lemon drizzle cake

Yes, sorry folks! Here’s another “naughty” cake for the delight of your taste buds. Not only that: another lemon based one, to continue with Candida’s theme. I confess I have been too busy at work to experiment in the savoury department but today a friend of mine came to visit to pick up her birthday present so I decided to make an effort and treat her to a slice of home made cake and a cup of tea. Well….you can’t beat that, can you, as a welcome gift. Lemon drizzle cake is very popular here in England and one of my favourites. I love anything lemony, in truth. This one has a lovely, crisp topping which you make by mixing lemon juice with sugar and then pour on top of the warm cake. Delicious! I found it on the BBC Good food website, which is a mine of good recipes. One of the readers said she substituted half of the butter for yoghurt to cut down on the amount of fat. Worth experimenting, I’d say. Continue reading ‘Lemon drizzle cake’

A misdemeanour: pear and raspberry yoghurt cake

Published by Lucina, on 28 febbraio 2015 in Chiacchiere/Chatting. 4 Comments
a midemeanour: a raw cake

a midemeanour: a raw cake

What on EARTH is this, you will be rightly asking! Well…..it’s a disaster, that’s what! Even Tomik turned the other way, totally disgusted at the utter mess. I can see I have aroused your curiosity so let me tell you what happened. Basically when I cut the cake which I lovingly made today, I discovered to my horror it was raw in the middle. Badly so! ARGH!!! Cue in howling and gnashing of teeth. So upsetting! Such a waste!  :-( Actually I am partly blaming Candida for this failure as the cake I tried to bake was a variation on her apple and rhubarb one, which she blogged not so  long ago (see here) . Only when I went to the supermarket to buy the rhubarb, there was none to be had. “Not in season!”, the shop attendant said. REALLY??? As if THAT has ever stopped supermarkets before! Come on! Strawberries and blueberries in winter? Tangerines in the summer? I rest my case. Continue reading ‘A misdemeanour: pear and raspberry yoghurt cake’

Coffee and walnut cake

Published by Lucina, on 22 febbraio 2015 in cakes and English Recipes. 2 Comments
coffee and walnut cake

coffee and walnut cake

If you are afraid of butter look away now. If on the other hand you don’t think the occasional dairy treat is going to kill you, read on. I made this cake on a bit of a guilt trip on Valentine’s day.  I confess I completely forgot about it and failed to buy my poor husband a card, never mind a present. Yes, I know, it’s all commercial exploitation, bla bla bla. But tell that to aforementioned husband who not only bought me a nice card but also sent me a lovely bunch of flowers. So, in an attempt to ask for his forgiveness I decided to make him his favourite cake of all times. The one he always buys when we go to cafes , in other words. Also the one I had never made for him. Partly because of the high amount of butter needed to make this cake ( and sorry, I have done my research on line and all recipes seem to contain vast quantities ) and partly because  you have to make two layers and sandwich them together which in my book spells faff. But I had to make the effort on this particular occasion so I pulled out all the stops. Well, he certainly enjoyed it and was very thankful. So if you want to treat someone do consider this cake. The recipe comes from the BBC Good food website, slightly adapted. Continue reading ‘Coffee and walnut cake’