HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

Today I made some spaghetti marinara style. It is an adapted recipe from a very good Italian cookbook - all the recipes I have tried so far are fantastic - and this one was easy to make and also incredibly good. Last Saturday we found small fresh squid tubes in a store nearby, and I bought 2 kilos because we haven't been able to find any for quite a few years ... They were very tender and with the rich tomato sauce, they were scrumptious 😋😋 . I grilled the fish until it was almost cooked, and then I added it to the sauce just to reheat it and finish cooking. It's super easy to make and is confort food at its best  🥰 . Ingredients 300 ml dry white wine pinch of saffron threads 1/2 kg clams (pippies) 800 g small squid tubes 300 g  prawns  2 fillets white fish 400 ml tomato passata 400 g spaghetti 4 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, crushed 6 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 tsp chilli jam lemon wedges Method Clean the clams by scrubbing them thoroughly and scraping off...

I love Amaretti biscuits. They go really well with a short black coffee or a macchiato. I usually buy them at the shop, but today I couldn't find any and needed them to make a pear pie. I decided to make my own from a recipe from my favourite Italian cookbook. It turned out (the first time ever!) that the cooking time was totally wrong and I almost burnt them! Still, they were very nice and will make them again.  INGREDIENTS 125g almond meal 50g icing sugar 3 tsp plain flour 2 egg whites 75g caster sugar 1 tsp almond extract METHOD: Preheat oven to 160°C. Sift the almond meal and icing sugar in a bowl.  Whisk the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Add the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time and beat continuously until you have a stiff shiny mixture.     Add to the almond mixture together with the almond extract. Fold until just blended. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a 1cm plain noz...

This vegetarian dish is perfect for those people who are on a gluten-free diet. It is very simple and tasteful. The only thing to take into account it is that it needs to be put in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight before you can serve it. A mixed leaf  or rocket  salad dressed with just some salt, extra virgin olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar on the side will make it a complete and healthy meal. INGREDIENTS 150g asparagus 4 Tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 zucchini, halved lengthways and finely sliced 2 large garlic cloves, crushed 100g spinach, stalks removed if necessary ( or baby spinach leaves ) 1 Tbsp chopped basil 75g parmesan, grated 250g ricotta 250g mascarpone 4 eggs METHOD: Wash the asparagus and remove the woody ends. Remove the spear tips of the asparagus and slice the remaining stems. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the asparagus stems for about 2 minutes. Add the tips and cook for 1 minute. Drain the aspa...

Pappardelle Did you know that Italians would never dream of serving their traditional bolognese sauce on spaghetti? Tagliatelle or if you cannot find it, pappardelle or fettuccine, are also acceptable pasta to serve their ragù alla bolognese. This recipe is one of the best I have ever eaten and it is absolutely delightful. A couple of times we haven't had enough time to let it cook for 3 hours and have had to cut it short. Still delicious!! 😍 INGREDIENTS 1 onion, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 100g pancetta or bacon, finely chopped 250g minced pork 250g minced beef 2 oregano sprigs, leaves separated 120g chicken livers, trimmed and finely chopped ( I use paté instead) 125ml dry white wine 215ml milk 400g tin chopped tomatoes 250ml beef stock pinch of nutmeg olive oil salt & pepper 400g tagliatelle grated parmesan  METHOD: Prepare all ingredients. I use a food processor to chop...

This Italian recipe from the cookbook 'The Food of Italy' is simple to cook and it is just gorgeous. We had friends for dinner and was able to make it the previous night. Just make sure you serve it at room temperature. You will make it over and over again.  INGREDIENTS Pastry 150g plain flour 60g caster sugar 1 tsp grated lemon zest 60g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes 1 egg yolk Mascarpone cream 125g mascarpone 60g caster sugar 1 egg 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1 Tbsp plain flour 2-3 Tbsp milk, as necessary 4 ripe pears ( if possible I like to use the bosc pears, but couldn't find it this time! ) juice of 1/2 lemon 45g roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped 1 1/2 Tbsp caster sugar 1 Tbsp apricot jam 1 tsp pear liqueur or other fruit flavoured liqueur (Cointreau) METHOD: To make the pastry, mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter, then add the egg yolk and 2-3 teaspoons cold water and mix until t...