Archive for the 'English Recipes' Category

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Pumpkin/ beetroot spätzle

Published by Lucina, on 30 novembre 2015 in English Recipes and vegetarian. 4 Comments
pumpkin spatzle

pumpkin spatzle

beetroot spatzle

beetroot spatzle

Yes I know, I blogged the spinach spätzle not so long ago. So what is this? I am cheating, right? Well…in truth, although technically they are the same thing , in practice they taste very differently because of the ingredients I used. Plus I was dead chuffed with my experimenting and wanted to share it.. Both my pumpkin and beetroot spätzle  were very successful and dead easy to make. Not to speak of their lovely colour: bright orange and bright purple. Ironically I never used the spätzle maker for God knows how long, and in the space of a few weeks I have used it several times. Just like London buses: nothing comes for ages and then three come all at once. Isn’t that what you say? I have got to confess this blog has become my online personal recipe book. Dead convenient to use and much better than the old flying bits of paper and torn up greasy recipe pages from various magazines I used to keep tucked in many notebooks.  Continue reading ‘Pumpkin/ beetroot spätzle’

Pumpkin, lentil and leek nut roast

Published by Lucina, on 14 novembre 2015 in English Recipes, vegetarian and Verdure. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .
pumpkin, lentil and leek nut loaf

pumpkin, lentil and leek nut roast

Hello everyone, and sorry for not blogging as often as I could but sadly, once the academic term starts, free time is at a premium! Still I must continue experimenting in the kitchen when I have the opportunity so here is this lovely recipe for you to try. I kind of half invented it. It’s a mix of several nut loaves recipe I found on line. Really tasty and not particularly difficult. Plus this is the pumpkin season so what better way of using them. I favour the pumpkins which have a more fleshy, dense texture, not the watery ones. I usually get these from markets and independent vegetable stalls. In supermarkets they tend to sell the watery variety.  Continue reading ‘Pumpkin, lentil and leek nut roast’

10 minutes chocolate chip cookies

Published by Lucina, on 25 ottobre 2015 in biscuits and English Recipes. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .
10 minutes chocolate chip cookies

10 minutes chocolate chip cookies

I thought I had already blogged these but I was clearly mistaken as I can’t find them anywhere. Oh well! I must have meant to do it then forgot. Here’s a recipe to use when you have friends descending on you but you haven’t got the time to faff about (the story of my busy life, basically..). As the name suggests they are really quick and really simple to make. Pretty much foolproof, in fact. They come from the River Cottage book Everyday by Hugh Fernely-Whittingstall. Lovely with a cup of tea or coffee! Mine, as you can see from the pic, came out a bit misshapen as I didn’t leave enough space between them. Still they tasted really good and that’s what matters at the end of the day. Right? Right! 😉 Continue reading ’10 minutes chocolate chip cookies’

Spinach spätzle

Published by Lucina, on 19 ottobre 2015 in English Recipes, pasta, Primi and vegetarian. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

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I FINALLY got round to using the spätzle maker that my German friend Beate had kindly given me (see picture below for what it looks like). After literally YEARS! HURRAH! Better late than never,eh? Good things come to those who wait, and all that! Anyway, I can see I will be using it again real soon as it was really a very straightforward and simple affair. What are spätzle? They are a German/Austrian speciality. Basically they are little gnocchi (dumplings) made with flour, eggs and water. Uneven, worm shaped pasta, basically. You make the mixture, then you put it in what looks like a potato press and squeeze it on top of a pan of boiling water. They cook instantaneously as they drop in the water. Traditionally they are eaten with a cheese and fried onion sauce.  I made the spinach version. I thought they were very tasty and easy. I simply dressed them with a sage and butter sauce and sprinkled them generously with grated parmesan. Delicious! The recipe comes from the Giallo Zafferano blog, slightly adapted. Continue reading ‘Spinach spätzle’

Blackberry and almond cake

Published by Lucina, on 25 settembre 2015 in cakes and English Recipes. 0 Comments Tags: , , .
blackberry and almond cake

blackberry and almond cake

September is the time to forage for blackberries, in my book, and this year is no exception.  I have previously confessed I have my secret places where I go and pick them not too far from my house ( and no, I will not reveal them to you, my dear friends, nor even under torture!). This is a very good year for blackberries in the UK (I don’t know in Italy) , albeit they are weeks behind compared to last year’s when I distinctly remember them being ripe in August. Hardly surprising considering the rubbish summer we have had! Anyway, every year I think of different ways in which I can use these free gifts from nature, apart from the obvious jam. This year the first thing I have made with them has been this deliciously moist cake which I have baked twice already as it’s simply divine!  I reckon you can use the mixture with other fruit such as apples, raspberries or blueberries. I thoroughly recommend it to you if you want to impress friends and family. My friend Carmelita said it’s one of the best I have ever made and she has tried a few! And if SHE says it, it must be right! 😉 Continue reading ‘Blackberry and almond cake’

La torta di Laura. Bavarese di pesche

Published by Candida, on 13 settembre 2015 in cakes, Chiacchiere/Chatting, Dolci, Ricette in Italiano and teatime. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

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A settembre non sono mai a casa e così, madre degenere, non faccio mai la torta di compleanno per la mia bimba. Quest’anno la vita ha disposto diversamente ed eccomi qui. Così ho potuto cucinare la stessa torta che 22 anni stavo facendo quando mi sono venute le doglie. Avevo tirato il fiato, finito il dolce ed ero andata in ospedale per qualcosa di molto, molto più dolce…

So che è imperdonabile non aver fatto il pan di spagna, ma ora come allora avevo un’autonomia limitata.

PS. Matteo, che aveva allora 8 anni, si ricorda che l’avevo rifinita diversamente, con le pesche fresche ben disposte a cerchio. Io invece non me lo ricordavo. Ci riprovererò tra 22 anni? Continue reading ‘La torta di Laura. Bavarese di pesche’

Cinnamon and cardamom buns

Published by Lucina, on 5 settembre 2015 in bread and English Recipes. 1 Comment
cinnamon and cardamom buns

cinnamon and cardamom buns

These are a version of what Candi has already blogged here . The recipe is slightly different, however, plus you end up with a big bun that you then divide into the various rolls, rather than with individual buns. The inspiration was my hit and run mini trip to Stockholm (lovely city!) where  cinnamon buns are sold in every café. And lovely they are too!  The recipe is by Felicity Cloake and comes from The Guardian. By the way I confess that they nearly turned into a misdemeanour when I failed to strain the cardamom pods and chucked them all in with the dough. ARGH! I had to pick them all out (well…nearly all!) individually by hand before proceeding any further or they would have been rather overpowering (there are 25 in this recipe!). It took me forever more! So please read the recipe carefully and don’t make the same mistake ! 😉 Continue reading ‘Cinnamon and cardamom buns’

Herby hummus

Published by Lucina, on 29 agosto 2015 in English Recipes, starters and vegetarian. 1 Comment
herby hummus

herby hummus

I promise you that the next thing I am going to blog will be of the sweet variety and calories laden but for now allow me to share yet another healthy recipe, namely this gorgeous herby hummus which I have already made twice in the near past. And this is a good sign, trust me. Once again it comes from the Cookie and Kate blog. In her latest newsletter she sent a link which contained 12 of her favourite salad recipes and this was one of them, albeit technically not a salad. Still: let’s not quibble and get hung up on semantics. I used to buy a lot of hummus until I saw the light and realised it was soooooo easy to make. Honestly. All you need is a food processor and the correct ingredients. Voilà! Delicious with raw vegetables, pitta bread, tortilla chips, etc. Continue reading ‘Herby hummus’

Chocolate oaties

Published by Lucina, on 2 agosto 2015 in biscuits and English Recipes. 0 Comments
chocolate oaties

chocolate oaties

After several healthy, savoury recipes the time has come to blog some naughty sweet treats, namely these oatey, chocolatey biscuits which I made last weekend in a desperate attempt to keep depression at bay. And by the way, don’t worry! The depression was caused by an absolutely atrocious day, weather wise. Nothing else! I kid you not: it could have been November! I know…I know…people in Italy are complaining about the excessive heat (in the high 30s. EEK!). It would seem God can’t get the world temperature quite right. If we could get ten degrees more and Italy ten less that would solve the weather woes, would it not?. 😉  ha ha. Anyway, I was stuck in the house feeling cold and miserable. What better way to keep the blues at bay than bake? I am not one for cookies  but I was due to have a meeting with a local group (tea/coffee and biscuits is de rigueur here in the UK whenever there is a meeting) so decided to give them a try. Well…people were very appreciative indeed. Mind you: if the choice is: bog standard bought biscuits (custard creams and the likes) or home made ones it ain’t hard to win the competition. Modesty apart I was pleased with my results: my oaties were nice and crunchy which is just what the doctor ordered in biscuitland, in my humble opinion. They come from the Good Housekeeping website. Apparently they are amongst the 15 best cookies. And I must say I agree. :-) Continue reading ‘Chocolate oaties’

Poppy and sesame seed crackers

Published by Lucina, on 20 luglio 2015 in Antipasti, sfizi, finger food..., biscuits, bread and English Recipes. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .
poppy and sesame seed crackers

poppy and sesame seed crackers

Hello everyone, just back from my holidays in Slovenia and Italy so I am not quite in the swing of cooking just yet. I am still in a state of thermal shock after diving from 35 plus degrees to 15! Yeek! But that’s England for you. Mind you: I must say it was far too hot on the continent, even for the likes of me! Anyway, yesterday, out of the blue, I decided that the moment had come to try to make some crackers. Eh? Why yesterday and why crackers….? I have never made them in my life. God knows! Still…why not, eh? I like crackers and , let’s be honest, they are better than biscuits, from the point of view of excessive calories. I need to shed some pounds after the strudel excesses I submitted my poor body to in the past few weeks. So no more sweets for a while, and bring in the healthy crackers. I scoured the internet and ended up with a recipe which is a mixture of many. The results were quite promising:  a nice , crunchy texture with loads of omega 3 seeds on the top.  Ideal to have with hummus or cheese. I will try some other recipes in the future, of course. I will keep you paged. Continue reading ‘Poppy and sesame seed crackers’