My pesto, tomatoes and Gorgonzola cheese pasta

Happy Sunday! I have been cooking quiet a bit lately but didn’t post much as I was so focused on my new job that I love! I have been considering how change sometimes can be scary and not what we are used to but it can truly be a blessing and make your life better, that’s what happened to me with my new home office lifestyle, I love it so much and now I can be really present for my kiddos and live day by day without running all over the places chasing time. We even got a dog, her name is Dixie and she is a (not so) little ball of fun. So for this Sunday lunch I have made this pasta that my daughter loves, it’s creamy and has a very delicate taste, Gorgonzola cheese gives it a nice twist. I hope you will like it.

What you need:

Pasta for 4 (I have used penne)

12 cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons of pesto sauce

2 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons of EVO oil

Half cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 chunks of Gorgonzola cheese

Pinches of oregano

Salt

How to do it:

Boil the pasta in salty water, in the meanwhile cut the tomatoes in half and cook them in a pan with 3 tablespoons 3 , 2 cloves of garlic (that you will remove once these are cooked), oregano and salt. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water, place it in the pan with the tomatoes, add pesto, Parmesan and Gorgonzola cheese, stir on a very low flame until creamy and serve with some grounded black pepper and with a (large) glass of wine!

My sticky apple cake

I love lazy Sundays when we can really enjoy our family and our home, we had such a great day making pizza and enjoying lunch al fresco. I ended up baking this cake as dessert after dinner. It’s sticky , it’s creamy and super easy to make as I have used the yoghurt cup to dose sugar , flour and EVO oil. I really hope you will try it and love it as much as we did.

What you need

4 very ripe apples

2 eggs

2 (125 grams each) peach yoghurt cups (I have used low fat but you can use any)

1 yoghurt cup of sugar

1 yoghurt cup of flour

Half yoghurt cup of EVO oil

4 teaspoons of peach jam

1 pouch of raising powder

1 pinch of salt

How to make it:

Peal and finely slice the apples. In a large bowl beat the eggs, add the yoghurt, the EVO oil, add sugar , raising powder, pinch of salt and flour. Mix well and add the sliced apples. Now place the mixture in a cake mold covered with greaseproof paper, put 4 teaspoons of jam on the surface and mix coarsely with the spoon. Cook for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees C.

My Italian flag pastry

Today was a good day, a day of nice words from special people. I do miss contact with people just like everybody else , I wish we could go back travelling the world and hang out in person and meet friends. I am sure soon we will be able to do all this again, in the meantime I love when people tells me they cooked one of my recipes, it makes me feel like I was invited to their home and we shared a good time together, this recipe is for you to try and enjoy, I will be more then happy to know if you tried it and will make me feel closer to all the nice people out there. Eat, smile, repeat!….and drink wine 🍷

What you need:

Puffy pastry sheet (rectangular is what I have used)

Half cup of each of the following: blue cheese, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, mozzarella cheese you can use any cheese you have in your fridge really

10 Sun-dried tomatoes

Pesto sauce

Tomato sauce

How to do it:

In the middle of the puffy pastry sheet place all the cheeses, the sun-dried tomatoes chopped, some teaspoons of pesto sauce . Close and seal the puffy pastry , cover it with tomato sauce and some drops of pesto sauce. Cook for 25-30 minutes on a hot oven.

My spinach and ricotta pastry

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I was struggling trying to remember my password to enter my blog that’s how bad I am!! I wish I could post more often as I truly enjoy sharing my recipes. So we have a new house, lots of work to get it the way we want it, super busy life with kids, family, work and obviously we are hungry….very hungry all the times LOL . The other day , during a rare moment of peace in the house I have made this pastry , I love it and tastes so good that you will end up eating it for breakfast with your coffee too. I hope you will try it and enjoy it.

What you need:

1 puff pastry round sheet

Lots of spinach , either fresh or frozen , the more the better

2 cups of ricotta cheese

1 cup of fresh cream

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 or 2 beaten eggs

Grounded nutmeg

Grounded black pepper

Salt

2 cloves of garlic

EVO oil

How to do it:

Cook spinach on a large pan with 4 tablespoons of EVO oil , salt , 2 peeled and crushed cloves of garlic . Once cooked place the spinach in a large bowl , add ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, fresh cream , nutmeg, black pepper and the eggs , salt to taste . Stir well and place the mixture on a puff pastry sheet that you previously placed on a baking tray , raise the edges and cook on a hot oven (around 200 degrees C) for about 30-40 minutes.

My courgette patties

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Have you ever thought you could make something to eat that actually tastes good with something you found at the bottom of your handbag? I always end up having these crushed crackers that I bring with me when I am out with the kids in case they get hungry and forget it’s there and then get another one so when I finally find it nobody wants them. So this is what came out by using courgettes, my beloved Parmesan cheese and something found at the bottom of my bag, I hope you will like it.

What you need:

2 courgettes

1 egg

Half cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove

1 package of crushed crackers

2 table spoons of bread crumbs

Salt

Black pepper (optional)

How to do it:

Grate the courgettes in a large ball, add salt, grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs, garlic clove finely grated and one egg and the crushed crackers.

Make balls with the veggie mixture and cover them with more bread crumbs, place them in a baking tray and sprinkle with EVO oil. Cook in a hot over (200 degrees C) for 20 minutes , turn them upside down and cook for another 15 minutes.

My pesto and courgettes lasagna

If I was a photographer I could make the Victoria Secret Angels look ugly, with this photo I think I just won the prize for the ugliest lasagna ever (lol)!! But I can promise you this is simply amazing and it will look so much better in your plate, that’s how bad I am. Anyway I hope you will try it and love it just like Alessandra Anbrosio would!

What you need:

Fresh lasagna

5 large courgettes

Pesto sauce

2 cups of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 cups of homemade besciamella sauce

Evo oil

Salt

How to do it:

Slice the courgettes and cook with evo oil in a large pan, once ready put the veggies in a food processor and work it until it’s creamy. Now add one cup of pesto sauce to the courgettes and blend. In a baking tin make these layers on repeat 5/6 times: veggie mixture to the bottom, fresh lasagna sheets, veggie mixture, besciamella sauce, greated Parmesan cheese. The last layer must have an extra dose of cheesy cuz the cheesiest the better!

Bake for about 35 minutes, hot oven 180 degrees C. Let it set for a few minutes before serving.

My apricot buñuelos

Quarantine, we are all living this incredible moment together. I feel so connected with everybody just now as we are all on the same boat, what are you doing on your boat just now? On mine guess what? I am cooking and eating and drinking on repeat LOL! As I am missing my mum (and my dad of course) I went for this Spanish treat today and I hope you will like it. Stay safe everybody.

What you need:

2 and 1/2 cups of plain flour

1/2 cup of sugar

1 pouch of baking powder

1 pouch of vanillin

A pinch of salt

Water

Apricot jam

Frying oil

How to do it:

In a bowl add flour, sugar, baking powder, vanillin and salt. Mix well and add water until you get a soft dough.

Use a spoon to measure the buñuelos size and deep fry them in a deep pan.

Once they are cold use a sac a poche to fill them up with apricot jam.

My carrot and potatoes cheesy soup

When I was considering having kids nobody explained to me that when you are a mother you can’t be sick, your kids don’t care if you have a high temperature and you feel like crap or if your cough is not making you sleep and you feel like crap. Guys I do feel like crap in case it wasn’t clear LOL, flu and bronchities are giving me some hard days so I am on soup mode, I hope you will like this one.

What you need:

6 large carrots
4 medium potatoes
2 veggie stock cubes

1 cup of milk (I use semi skimmed)

1/2 cup of grated Gruvyere cheese

EVO oil

Croutons (I make my own ones)

Grounded black pepper

How to do It:

Peel the carrots and potatoes and boil them in enough water with 2 veggie stock cubes.

When these are ready blend the veggies, add milk and cheese and blend again.

Serve with croutons , a drop of EVO oil and grounded black pepper.

My tuna,onion and tomato pastry

I had this pastry on my mind for a bit but didn’t have much time, it’s so simple to make and taste amazing. My daughter Isabel when she tasted it gave me a thumb up and she said ”TOP”. She sometimes makes me feel like I am some kind of chef,I am glad I can make my family happy and feed them with things they like. I hope you will try this and love it.

What you need:

3 large onions

1 and a half cup of passata

1 cup and a half of canned tuna

1 sheet of puffy pastry

2 tablespoons of capers (optional)

Salt

Oregano

Black pepper

How to do it:

Peel and cut the onions in small chunks and cook it in 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil until soft.

Add the passata and let it cook for about 20 minutes,add salt, sprinkle of oregano, capers, tuna fish and black pepper. Stir well and place the mixture in the middle of your puffy pastry. Cook for about 25 minutes at 200°C in a hot oven.

My spicy burger sandwich

I just noticed that everytime I try to plan a table for two in my house after we put the kids to bed it just never happens,they either don’t want to fall asleep, go to bed but they are up one minute after, they have to poo or throw up!! I tried to make these sandwiches for me and my husband for the past two days without success so tonight for some unknown reason my kids were quiet and angelic (a real miracle LOL) and they gave me the time to make these, I hope you will try it and love it.

What you need:

(These quantities are for 1 sandwich)

1 large burger (a veggie burger would be amazing too)

2 slices of whole wheat bread

A handful of baby spinach

Red onion finely sliced

2 slices of smoked provola

2 tablespoons of Newmans own spicy cajun sauce

How to do it:

Cook your burger adding just a little bit of salt, add 1 tablespoon of spicy cajun sauce on one of the bread slices, add the provola, the burger, the other slice of smoked provola, baby spinach,onions and another tablespoon of spicy cajun sauce. Place the second slice of bread on top and cut your sandwich in half.

I served it with half avocado seasoned with salt and black pepper.