Steam 500 grams of chopped carrots in the microwave until al dente. Drain and add 1 can of drained chickpeas, 3 garlic cloves, 1 peperoncini, 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of dried basil. Blend, taste, add pepper and salt. If the mixture is too liquid you can add some breadcrumb. Oil your hands … More Vegetarian burgers without pickles 😉
Living in Castelnuovo Berardenga now where there are two little supermarkets, fresh fish will be a good reason to go to Siena. Ottolenghi’s last book, Simple, is amazing. The ovenbaked rice with caramalized tomatoes and mackerel filet with pistachio and cardamom seem a wonderful combination. Put 500 grams of cherry tomatoes, 6 chopped garlic cloves, … More Fish on the menu
The November magazine of ‘my’ supermarket Coop offers a lot for 1euro. The ‘crostata di polenta integrale con formaggio e broccoletti’ looks really attractive. No bacon and more vegetables and the recipe becomes a docV;-). Prepare 120 grams of whole wheat polenta in salted water (add some thyme for extra flavor), following the instructions. Pour … More Recipes and gastronomic culture
Last week our neighbours brought us a special welcome gift : extra vergine olive oil from the olive trees of our common olive trees. How wonderful to have our own olive oil, approx 15 liters!!! The local olive oil has a wonderful reputation in Tuscany. Soon we will try to follow a course to learn … More Special gift, special feeling
If people ask me what my favorite dish is, there is no way I could give you an immediate answer. Followers of my blog can probably notice that I love to serve everything on one large plate ( call it Ottolenghi style or docV’s ;-)). I prefer to combine lots of vegetables (min 300 grams … More Wintersalad
Cauliflower has it all : cheap, healthy, good looking and a creative protagonist in the world kitchen. Cut the cauliflower in smaller pieces. If the cauliflower is fresh, you can use it all. Blanch shortly. The brand new book of Ottolenghi, Simple, gives me even more inspiration. Chop and fry 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves … More Always a hit, cauliflower
We try to understand the italian system of rennovation works. Prepared with a long list, with our priorities, we meet our lovely geometra (also a real italian profession), Filippo, to discuss our plans. We try to understand each other in the best way and realize that it’s a good idea to send a weekly ‘reminder’. … More Late appointment, quick meal
For 2p, mix 300 grams of self raising flour with 210 ml of water, pepper, salt and 1 table spoon of dried basil. Cover and store at room temperature for at least 6h. Slice 2 medium sized eggplants. Oil the slices and bake at both sides. Chop 4 garlic cloves. Mix with a good drizzle … More Build a pizza
Prepare a white bechamel sauce with 250 ml of semi skimmed milk and 250 ml of home made fish stock. Season with a ½ of a cube of fish broth, nutmeg, pepper and salt. Add 300 grams of North Sea shrimps and a bit of lemon juice. Boil 4 chopped medium sized potatoes in salted … More North Sea shrimps in a ‘decomposed croquette version’ 😉
There are a lot of different tasty (every kind has its different flavor) pumpkins. The most common one in the supermarket here is the butternut. For 2p, a small one of approx 900 grams is ideal. Cut the pumpkin in large wedges. Remove the hard skin. Cut 4 medium sized potatoes and 1 red onion … More Healthy, tasty and creative pumpkin
Doc V's Healthy Kitchen 