spaghetti vongole

This classic Venetian dish is surprisingly easy to make, and the simple flavours are wonderfully delicious. While you can make this dish with any kind of clams, I prefer the small, carpet shell clams which can be bought in most fish markets year-round. Make sure you have your guests ready and waiting at the table, as it must be served straight away. Perfect with a glass of chilled wine and fresh crusty bread.

As always, my favourite go-to recipe is from Jamie Oliver.

Recipe:

1kg small clams, scrubbed clean

a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 cloves of garlic

10 cherry tomatoes

250ml white wine

400g dried spaghetti

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

1–2 dried chillies

• Add the pasta to the boiling water with a good pinch of salt and cook according to packet instructions until al dente. About 5 minutes before your pasta is ready, get ready to start cooking – you'll have to be quick about this, so no mucking about! 

• Put 4 generous lugs of extra virgin olive oil into the hot pan and add the garlic, parsley stalks and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Crumble in the dried chilli and add the chopped tomatoes. Stir everything around constantly and just as the garlic starts to colour, tip in the clams and pour in the wine. It will splutter and steam, so give everything a good shake and put the lid on the pan. 

• After about 3 or 4 minutes the clams will start to open, so keep shuffling the pan around until all of them have opened. Take the pan off the heat. Get rid of any clams that haven't opened.

• By now your pasta should be just about perfect. Drain and add to the pan of clams along with the parsley leaves and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Stir or toss for a further minute or two to let the beautiful seashore juices from the clams be absorbed into the pasta. 

• Serve right away. 

carrot + tomato soup

This sweet, tangy and healthy soup is a perfect dish for the end of Summer/beginning of Autumn. I can't remember where I discovered the recipe, I found it stashed amongst the thousands of recipes I have scribbled down. If someone knows it's origin please let me know. 

Recipe:

5 medium carrots, diced

6 medium tomatoes, peeled and sliced in half with stems removed

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

fresh sprigs of thyme, oregano or rosemary

1/3 cup of basil leaves, chopped

2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

• Place sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet. Cover with most of the olive oil (reserve 2 tbsp), and the salt and pepper. Place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes to roast

• Halfway through the roasting, add the remaining oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables begin to get soft (approx 15 mins). 

• When the tomatoes are done, add those to the pot, along with the stock. 

• Simmer on low until the vegetables are all tender (another 15 minutes).

• Puree the soup with an immersion blender.

• Add the chopped basil. 

• Enjoy!

lemon + thyme marinated legumes + barley salad

This is one yummy salad! Takes a bit of time to prepare, but it is so worth it.
I found the recipe on this blog.

Recipe:

100ml split peas, dried

100ml green soya beans, dried

100ml chickpeas, dried

100ml barley (couldn't find barley, so I used farro instead)

1/2 big lemon, zest and juice

fresh thyme

10 radishes

1 large handful of rucola (rocket)

parmesan flakes, optional

salt & pepper

extra virgin olive oil

• Soak the dried legumes overnight.

• Start cooking the chickpeas for about 20 minutes before adding the rest of the legumes and the barley (farro), and then let it cook for another 20 minutes or longer if needed. 

• Meanwhile, mix the lemon juice and zest with the fresh thyme and 2 - 4 tablespoons of olive oil. When the legumes are ready, pour the marinade over them while they are still warm, and leave them for about an hour to soak up the flavours. 

• Slice the radishes and add them to the salad, add the rucola and mix well. 

• Top with parmesan flakes before serving.

classic basil pesto

There is nothing like the taste of homemade pesto! It's fragrant, flavorful and so easy to make. It's pasta's perfect partner, but it can also be used as a marinade on meats, a dip, and a sandwich spread. Recipe via Jamie Oliver.

Recipe:

* Jamie uses a pestle and mortar, which of course is the best option. For my batch though, I used my talented food processor (present from PG) and it worked like a charm.

1/2 a clove of garlic, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 good handfuls of fresh basil, leaves picked and chopped

a handful of pine nuts, very lightly toasted

a good handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

extra virgin olive oil

optional 

* a small squeeze of lemon juice

• Pound the garlic with a little pinch of salt and the basil leaves in a pestle and mortar, or pulse in a food processor. Add a bit more garlic if you like, but I usually stick to 1/2 a clove.

• Add the pine nuts to the mixture and pound again. Turn out into a bowl and add half the Parmesan. Stir gently and add olive oil – you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency.

• Season to taste, then add most of the remaining cheese. Pour in some more oil and taste again. Keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency.

• You may like to add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to give it a little twang, but it’s not essential. Try it with and without and see which you prefer.

*Cover the pesto with a coating of olive oil before refrigerating, to preserve the green color.

roasted beetroot dip

I'm in love with this dip! It's a healthy, flavoursome dip, and it looks beautiful! There are endless ways you can use this dip; spread over fresh bread, tossed through pasta or a potato salad, as a salad dressing (thin it out with a bit of water), or simply with some warm pita bread.

Recipe: 

3 large beetroots peeled and cubed 

whole head of garlic, unpeeled but cloves separated 

½ tsp cumin seeds 

½ tsp sea salt 

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

2tbsp olive oil 

100g plain yoghurt 

juice 1 lemon  

• Preheat oven to 200˚ C 

• Place beetroot and garlic on a baking tray. Sprinkle the cumin seeds, oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt over the top. 

•  Wrap securely and roast in oven 25 min 

• Stir and roast another 25min, turning oven down to 160˚ C. 

• Once the beetroot and garlic have cooled down, squeeze garlic cloves out of skin into a bowl and add beetroot and remaining ingredients. 

• Combine all ingredients in food processor and whir until you achieve a smooth, creamy consistency. 

nectarine + fennel + quinoa salad with mustard chive vinaigrette

I found this lovely salad via Sprouted Kitchen and since I had a huge cravings for nectarines today (brought on by a photo from Country Living), and I am a huge fan of quinoa (yet never ever thought to combine the two together!), I had to give it a go.

It's rather difficult to find red quinoa in Pistoia so I used the white instead, and my version is also missing the avocado as I could not find a ripe one anywhere. Despite the missing ingredients, it still very tasty indeed! The nectarine, pistachio nuts, fennel, rocket and vinaigrette come together to form a refreshing flavor combo, absolutely delicious!  

Recipe:

1/2 - 3/4 cooked quinoa

1 nectarine

1 avocado

1/2 cup shelled, roasted pistachio nuts

1 cup thinly sliced fennel

2 cups of rocket leaves (or lettuce of your choice)

Mustard Chive Vinaigrette:

*these are estimates, give or take to your own taste

1 small garlic clove

1/4 cup roughly chopped chives

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/3 cup of lemon juice

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

• Mix all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a food processor or blender, pulse until everything is combined, and then put aside.

• In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked cool quinoa, and stir in about 3 tbsp of the vinaigrette to keep it moist.

• Halve the nectarine, remove the pit, and slice into thin pieces. Halve the avocado, remove the pit and cut into small chunks. Add the fennel slices, pistachios, half of the nectarine, and avocado pieces to the bowl. Save the other half for garnish.

• Toss everything gently. Add desired amount of dressing and give one more toss to coat.

• Garnish with the remaining slices of nectarine and avocado.