The first time I had Pannekoeken I was 18 and was on a ‘leisure’ trip to Asmterdam (yeah, of course!). I had them on the beach in Zandvoort on the Atlantic coast. At that time I was still thinking I would be a chef.  J

Thicker than a French crepe but thinner than a pancake they are a balance compromise. The thing that impressed me the most was that they are served mostly for lunch or dinner (not for brakfast) and very often associated with bacon and cheese (even though syrup and chocolate are also possible).

Serves 6/7

Ready in 45 minutes

250 grams all purpose flour

500 ml milk

2 eggs

a pinch of salt

200 grams speck, bacon or whatever cured meat you prefer

150 grams sliced cheese (Cheddar or Gouda)

(the base is the same both for sweet and salted versions)

Sieve the flour and put i tinto a container, add the egg, a pinch of salt, and whisk adding gradually the milk. You will have a semi-dens batter. Set aside and rest for 20 minutes at least (ideally for 1 hour).

On medium-high heat, melt a teaspoon of butter into a low pan, add a spoonful of batter and spread it evenly on the whole surface by moving the pan.

Add the slices of ham or bacon on the batter when it is still liquid. Cook on a side for one minute, then flip it and cook the ham side for 1 further minute.

Flip it back again, add the sliced cheese and let it melt down on a medium-low heat for a further minute or until brown. Close the pancake (roll it or just fold it).

Serve immediately.

Another american bakery wonder. If you like them richer, add more chocolate or pair the chocolate with nuts (macadamia nuts pair well with the white chocolate; walnuts or hazelnuts with dark chocolate). Make sure you heat them briefly (20-30 sec) into the microwave before serving – warmed up they become again soft and moist.

600 grams all-purpose flour

220 grams unsalted butter

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

180 grams granulated sugar

150 grams dark chocolate in square chunks (circa 1 cm each)

150 grams white chocolate in square chunks (circa 1 cm each)

a pinch of salt

240 ml milk

Pre-heat oven to 200° C.

Beat the butter with the sugar and vanilla, until pale and fluffy.

Unire metà della farina, un pizzico di sale, il lievito e poco a poco il latte sempre miscelando bene.

Add half of the flour, the pinch of salt, the baking powder and beat in the milk.

Add then the remaining flour kneading well with your hands. Divide the dough into two halves and add respectively dark and white chocolate chunks (retain a few pieces of chalet chunks to decorate the top right before baking – they will look better). Divide again each dough into 2 halves and roll them to 1 cm thick. Divide each round into 4 quarters.

Lay each quarter on the dripping pan (lined with parchment paper), and bake for 12 minutes.

Ok, not really a diet solution but hey, this is incredibily awesome. Easy to make and so tasteful that you can organize an entire dinner with rivers of beers and fried sfincitelli. You can also substitute the cooked ham with anchovies, or salame or any other filling yo might like (cheese too).

500 grams ready pizza dough (Recipe here)

150 grams cooked ham (or 10 anchovies fillets)

500 ml frying oil

After the first proofing, punch the dough and divide it into 10 balls 50 grams each. Divide the ham into 10 portions of 15 grams each. Take each dough ball in your hand palm and press at the center one portion of ham (or one anchovie fillet). Close the dough and seal well.

Let it proof again for further 20 minutes before cooking.

Meanwhile heat the frying oil to 180° C, plunge gently the balls onto the hot oil. Deep-fry them for 3 minutes all in all (always keep the ball in movement by turning the oil into the pan with a spoon).

60 pcs circa

ready in 1H30 mins

350 gr mostarda

1,5 kilo pumpkin

180 gr parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper

a pinch of nutmeg powder

10 crunchy amaretti biscuits

1 or 2 eggs (dpeending on final consistency)

Fresh Pasta

600 grams all purpose flour

6 eggs + 1 egg yolk

half tbs of salt

In a container mix all ingredients for the fresh pasta and knead for 10 minute. Set aside well covered for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile peel the pumpkin and cook it until the meati s tender in one of these 2 ways:

• microwave oven: 25 minutes circa max power
• normal oven at 160° C for 40 minutes circa

Let it cool then mash it in a mixer. Set aside.

In a mixer, mix mostarda (well drained), crushed amarettis, one egg (you might add the 2nd one at a later stage depending on the consistency of the filling), salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, nutmeg.

Add the pumpkin and mix well. Consistency should be like a little softer than a potato pure. If too firm, add the remaining egg.

Using a pasta machine, roll the pasta to 1 mm thick.

Put it on a floured surface, on the below half put a tbs of pumpkin filling every 15 cm, flip the other half of the pasta above it and seal well (as shown in pictures).

Cut with a knife or a rolled cutter at the desired shape (it can be square or half-circled), final tortelli should be 7×5 cm circa.

Cook in hot and salted boiling water for 6 minutes.

Season with fried butter (fry it with a few fresh sage leaves), and grated parmesan.

If you have been in Venice and you haven’t experienced a dinner at Restaurant ‘La Marisa’ on Cannaregio, you missed one of the biggest higlights and you have to go back as soon as possible. Dalla Marisa, they serve a serie of home-made delicacies, and amongst them, this wonder of a plate. A plate that might look and feel like a mountain dish, as most of the Venetian cuisine has to offer.

The Marisa version, as it is secret, remains unreachable. But in all modesty, I can state I found a balanced way to reproduce this same emotions you might have or will experience there.

Even though butter usually doesn’t match with fish (or at least this is what most Italians would say), don’t be tempted to take it out. The mouth watering taste is mostly – yet not only – due to it!

2 medium-sized carrots

1 big onion

2 celery stalks

half tsp ground cinnamon

1 cinnamon stick

400 grams small OCTOPUS

half glass white wine

400 gram tomato puree

half tsp ground red hot chilli peppers

the tip of a tsp of ground chives

3 tpb extra virgin olive oil

150 grams unsalted butter

salt and pepper

Chop the vegetables finely and separately.

Heat the oil and butter together, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes.
Add the cinnamon stick, the chopped carrots and the chopped celery stalks. Fry for further 7 minutes.

Add the baby octopus and fry for 10 minutes – medium high heat stirring continuously – unitl the juices have evaporate.

Add the white wine and let evaporate completely.

Add then the tomato puree, the ground cinnamon, the ground chives, the red hot chilli peppers powder, 1 tsp of salt and one glass of water, mix well and bring to a boil – simmer at low heat for 45 minutes.

Until the meat of the octopus is soft and tender. On medium heat let the sauce thicken, season with salt and pepper and serve with polenta.

A cold soup is a traditional recipe from the Mediterranean area. The Romans were making it with wine, the Greeks with yogurt. The cold soup we call Gazpacho, is no doubt of Spanish derivation (from the region of Andalusia). Ripe tomatoes, green bell peppers, onions and cucumbers are mashed into a cream with stale bread and diluted with vinegar, cold water and olive oil. A perfect recipe to freshen up your hot summers. It is a great start of a dinner too.

Here you go with my recipe!

Serves 4

Ready in 20 mins + 2h in refrigerator

500 grams ripe red tomatoes

200 grams cucumbers (peeled)

150 gr green bell peppers (better the small italian quality)

1 small red onion

1 garlic clove

1 jalapeno (or more according to taste)

half glass white vinegar

half glass extra-virgin olive oil

1 slice of stale bread

salt

Cut all vegetables into big chunks and put them into a mixer with the bread (drenched with half of the vinegar).

Add the vinegar (if it is too dry also add some water if necessary), until they are all creamy.

When the vegetables creamy, add slowly the olive oil, the colour will turn from red to light red or orange. Season with salt (and more vinegar according to taste).

Sieve through a sieve mixing it with a spoon and make sure that the most of it is sieved.

Put the gazpacho into the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

Ok, the mackerel is not the definition of beauty. But this recipe is good, so goodness will compensate. Easy and quickly ready, this mackerels are served with a salad of marinated onions and mint. Make sure you let the mackerel rest with a bit of vinegar (it helps smoothening the fishy taste). Deviled outside, once cleaned, the meat will be perfectly balanced.

2 mackerels 400/450 grams each (gutted and cleaned)

2 tbs vinegar

50 grams butter

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbs vinegar

1 white onion

2 tbs white vinegar

1 tbs pitted olives

3 mint leaves minced

2 tbs Olive oil

a pinch of salt

Slice finely the onions and toss them with the vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside for 10 minutes. Then drain the onions from the marinade, add the olives, the minced mint and the olive oil and toss.

Put the mackerel in a plate with the white vinegar and let it sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the butter.

In a pan put all ingredients for the sauce (butter, vinegar and the spices). Simmer for 7 minute and medium low heat. Let it cool down.

Dyr the mackerels with a towel. Rub the spiced butter on the mackerels (and inside), cut the mackerel at 3 cm intervals on the top side. Let it sit for 15 minutes, meanwhile pre-heat oven to 180° C.

Cook the mackerel into the oven for 12 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve the mackerels with the onion salad.

The best Ossobuco of my life is Luisa’s (my mom). I don’t know how but she just makes perfect Milanese food. And she never fails.

Below her personal recipe (a perfect balanced recipe with no use of vegetables and tomato sauce). I translated that onto monkfish (the fish that behaves like meat! lol). The gremolata is the ingredient that reminds me the most of my childhood and I personally think is one of the simplest yet amazing food creations.

Fish:

4 slices of monkfish (200 grams each)

2 shallots

1 garlic clove

60 grams of butter + 20 grams

3 tbs olive oil

half glass of white wine (dry)

500 ml vegetable or meat stock

1 tbs tomato paste

salt and pepper

Gremolada:

30 gr parsley

lemon zest of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove

Melt the butter with the oil in a pan. Add the shallots (halved). Fry for a couple of minutes.

Dust with flour the monkfish and place them into the pan.

Cook 2 minutes per side and high heat. Retain from the pan and place them on a rack and place in oven at 180° C for further 10 minutes.

Meanwhile place the pan (with the shallots, etc), on the fire back again. Add the wine and let simmer until it is reduced of 2/3. Add the stock and the tomato paste. Let simmer until it is half reduced.

Meanwhile chop and mix all the ingredients for the gremolada.

With your fingers, knead 20 grams of butter with 1 tsp of flour (until a soft dough is formed), place this dough into the sauce and mix well, bring to a boil and let it boil for a couple of minutes (this will thicken the sauce).

Retain from fire, sieve the sauce.

Place the monkfish onto a plate, top it with the sauce and with the gremolada.

Makes 20

Ready in 45 mins

Scones, still warm (or warmed up in microwave oven for 20 seconds), are one of the best things you can have for breakfast or for a sweet break. Here an all-vanilla version, very easy to make and I am sure will bring at the table even the most difficult people. Always warm them up before having them: scones give their best when warm!

300 grams all-purpose flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

110 grams unsalted butter (room-temperature)

a pinch salt

80 gram granulated sugar

scraped seeds of half vanilla pod

1 tsp vanilla extract

120 ml milk

Glaze:

250 gr confectioners sugar

1 tbs condensed milk

3 or 4 tbs milk

scraped seeds of half vanilla pod

Pre-heat oven at 200° C.

Beat the butter with the sugar, the vanilla beans, and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy.

Add half of the flour, the baking powder, the salt and the milk beating.

Add then the remaining flour: knead quickly with your hands until a soft dough is made.

Divide the ball into 5 parts, roll each part at 1 cm thick. Cut each circl in quarters and place them on a dripping pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake 12 minutes. Take out and let cool.

Prepare the glaze by beating all ingredients (add the milk slowly and add more or less according to needs), until sugar is dissolved and the glaze is compact and consistent.

Pour over the top of each scone, let the glaze dry.

Again, many sweet things are inspired by Starbucks. Always loved oat bars but the one they call ‘Michigan Cherry Oat Bar’ is particularly good.

Not easy to make at the very start – unfortunately Starbucks has not published any books yet! So i had to try and try (starting with the simple Streusel recipe), it took me 4 tests to reach this result. And honestly you would probably think it came from the same oven! And it is soooo easy to make!

Makes 12 bars

Ready in 45 minutes

200 grams unsalted butter (room temperature)

200 grams all-purpose flour

160 grams rolled oats

100 grams brown sugar

half teaspoon cinnamon

300 grams cherry jam

Line a baking pan (square 21x21cm or round 23 cm) with parchment paper.

Pre-heat oven at 180° C.

Make the streusel: in a bowl mix together all dry ingredients (flour, oats, sugar and cinnamon). Add the butter (room temperature) and work it with your fingertips until the mixtures becomes soft and crumbly.

Put 2/3 of the mixture into the baking pan, and pat it down with your hands (or with a bottom of a tablespoon).

Top evenly with the cherry jam. Then top the cherry jam with the remaining streusel, make sure the crumbles are not bigger than the size of a chickpea.

Bake 30 mins (you will see it bubbling around the edges).

Cool down completely before cutting into bars.