Buon Appetito! Family Secrets and Traditional Italian Recipes

Pane fresco. Fresh bread. It’s impossible to have a meal in Italy without fresh bread on the table. Baking, or so-called white art, is a passion for me. It’s amazing how the combination of a few ingredients can generate so many types of bread. Preparing bread is like a ritual, preparing the dough, waiting for it to rise, shaping it, cooking it, and finally tasting it; warm and so fragrant. Ciabatta, michetta, biove, siciliano are only some of the breads we have in Italy. I want our diners to experience this amazing product straight from my oven.

One of my most favourite desserts is bavarese with vanilla and berries. There is a story behind this dessert, it made me win the cooking competition at the chef school and the judging chef was so impressed by the perfect texture and flavour of it! Although only a few ingredients are required, the key to success was the choice of fresh, high-quality ingredients.

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This traditional dish originates from Milan; the north of Italy. The rice is sautéed in butter, beef bone marrow and onions, and then moistened with hot broth in which saffron is dissolved. In 1929, the Milanese chef Felice Luraschi gave the dish its name, ‘risotto alla Milanese giallo’; his recipe calls for rice, fat, beef marrow, saffron and beef stock, flavoured at the end with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and butter. Traditionally served with Ossobuco, cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth.

My favourite childhood dish! This dish has been prepared in numerous ways across the boot, but the original is from Milan. A thinly pounded veal cutlet, flour, egg and bread crumble are pan-fried in butter. In Milan we used to call it elephant ear because of the shape it formed after pounding it. It is delicious and best served with mashed or baked potatoes. An extra lemon slice will refresh your mouth after eating it.

Pesto is a sauce originating in Genoa, which is in the northern region of Italy. It originated around the 16th century and traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil and pine nuts blended with Parmesan cheese and olive oil. The name Pesto originates from the Genoese word pestâ, which means ‘to pound’ or ‘to crush’. This refers to the way in which the authentic sauce is prepared, with a mortar and pestle. However, the translation may be a bit misleading because the preparation does not consist of pounding, rather it is of grounding. The reason the preparation method is important is in order to release the full aroma of the basil leaf. A traditional way to serve this dish consists of mixing the “pasta al pesto” with boiled potato cubes and green beans.

A creative version of a traditional Venetian dish. Soaked dry, the salted cod is mashed with extra virgin olive oil until smooth, light and wonderfully fluffy. In this version, the dish is served with a crunchy squid ink polenta and yellow bell pepper sauce. An explosion for the senses, from the smooth creamy texture of the cod to the crunchy polenta, from the salty fluffy fish to the sweet yellow bell pepper. A simple dish that will satisfy your senses.