If there ever was a comfort food for husbands, spaghetti and meatballs will be the one.

I prefer a vegetarian diet, with lots of juices and salads, but my husband craves for pasta and meat. When you are in love with the man, you only have one option: preparing his favorite food, but…..and there is a big BUT here, make it unforgettable.

First, stop using old tasteless boring recipes and take a leap into a more creative as well as healthy approach to this dish. When you try my recipe, let me know if it didn’t bring a smile to his face when you served it. Oh, I nearly forgot, watch out for the tomato saucy slurping kiss that will follow! You have been warned!

This dish is wheat and gluten free, I also chose lamb because they are fed on grass and the meat doesn’t contain as many antibiotics or any other kind of chemicals that as beef. To an healthier diet!

Corn Spaghetti with Lamb, Garlic and Parsley Meatballs

Ingredients for 2 serving:

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 1 small celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 30g unsalted butter, (1oz)
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp dry sherry
• 16 lamb garlic and parsley meatballs, defrosted (see following recipe)
• 250g corn spaghetti, (9oz)
• 1 tsp flat leaves parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

Instructions:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick frying pan.
• Add the chopped onion until translucent, then add carrot, celery and cook gently for 5 minutes.
• Add the chopped rosemary and the butter. When the butter is fully melted turn the heat to high then add the dry sherry.
• Cook it through for a few minutes then turn the heat to medium, add chopped tomato. Rinse the can of tomatoes with 2 tbsp water and add it to the pan.
• Add the tomato puree, salt and pepper then bring to a gentle simmer.
• Add the defrosted meatballs and leave to cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
• In the meantime cook the spaghetti. When cooked, drain well, stir in 1 tbsp oil and 2/3 of the chopped parsley. Keep warm.
• Carefully remove half of the meatballs from the pan and a couple of tbsp of sauce. Keep warm.
• Stir the remaining sauce and meatballs with the spaghetti. Serve in hot plates, topping with the reserved meatballs , sauce and the remaining chopped parsley.

Tips:

• To achieve best results, time carefully when to start cooking the pasta.
• Make sure you have a large enough saucepan full of water on the hob when you start to cook the sauce. Then add sea salt and bring to the boil.
• You should add the pasta to the boiling water when you add the meatballs to the sauce.
• If the pasta is taking longer to cook, turn down the meatballs, stiring well to make sure that you don’t dry them out.
• To get the right consistency for the sauce, add 1 or 2 tbsp of water and keep cooking gently until your pasta is ready.
• If you prefer your sauce with a richer flavour just add another generous tsp of butter.

Lamb, Garlic and Parsley Meatballs

Ingredients for 8/10 serving:

• 1 Kg lamb mince, ( 2lb 3oz)
• 1 free range or organic egg, slightly beaten
• 3 tbsp flat leaves parsley, finely chopped
• 2 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp nutmeg freshly grated
• pinch chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

• In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and with a fork mix them well.
• Press gently all the ingredients in one big ball then cover with cling film and leave to rest overnight in the fridge. This step will help the flavours to develop.
• Remove the meat from the fridge, then start to roll into even size meatballs, more or less like the size of a large cherry.
• Meat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook the meatballs in batches for 5 minutes or until cooked through.

Tips:

• These meatballs are perfect for home freezing. All you have to do after cooking them properly, is leave them to cool. Then place them in a freezer bag, trying to expel as much air as possible then seal.
• Freeze for up to 3 months. Before reheating, thaw the meatballs in the fridge overnight.

The mistletoe might not be hanging on top of the door yet, but surely we have all started to be more indulgent with our food and especially the cakes. Oops!

Around this time you would start the preparation of the Christmas pudding! Even thought I love its all British cute look and the flamboyant if not melodramatic entrance that it performs every year at the Christmas table I can’t put up with the long preparation. The soaking of the fruits in alcohol or juices for days and days….and then the steaming of the cake..sorry, not for me! I have shopping to do!

However, I promised myself a nice rich and aromatic fruit and nut cake. So, I am delighted to be able to give you the recipe of this super easy, super fast, super delicious , no gluten, no dairy and no sugar fruit and nut cake. If you are not familiar with xylitol and agave syrup this is your chance to catch up on natural sweetner that don’t change you blood sugar, don’t destroy your teeth and they don’t create the classic havoc in your digestive system. Let’s get baking!

Agave Syrup, Fruit and Nut Slice

Ingredients for 12/14 serving:

• 150g pecan nuts
• 100g peeled and roasted hazelnuts
• 100g whole blanched almonds
• 200g sultanas
• 300g dried apricots chopped
• 150g halved glace’ cherries
• 100g xylitol
• 100g gluten free flour
• 60ml agave syrup
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ½ tsp gluten free baking powder
• ¼ tsp xantham gum
• 2 tsp mixed spices
• 4 large free range or organic eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• grated zest of 1 small untreated lemon
• grated zest of 1 small orange
• pinch of salt
• icing sugar to dust

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 150°C, 300°F or gas mark2.
• Lightly butter and lined with baking paper a 9-by-5 inch loaf tin.
• In a bowl combine nuts and dried fruits thoroughly.
• Sift over the flour, spices, xantham gum and baking powder. Stir in the xylitol until fully combined.
• Whisks eggs with the vanilla, citrus zests, agave syrup and maple syrup. Add to the dry mixture and stir until well combined.
• Spoon the batter in the baking tin and smooth the surface with the spatula.
• Bake for 1½ hours or until a cake skewer insert into the center comes out clean.
• Cool the cake in the pan for 5/10 minutes.
• Turn the cake onto a cooling rack and gently peel of the baking paper to cool completely.
• To serve top thickly with icing sugar and cut into thin slices.
• Another way to finish this cake is to brush 125ml of nice quality rum on the top of the cake while is cooling. Then proceed as per above.
• This cake will keep wrapped tightly in foil for up to 2 weeks.

A warm slice of apple tart can make you forget about the cold weather! But when the apple tart has a crunchy almond topping just browned in the oven over layers of gently saute’ sweet apples, well… who cares about the weather. Just enjoy it!

Apple Nougatine Tart

Ingredients for 8/10 servings:

For the sweet pastry:

• 75g (½ cup) fine polenta
• 75g (½ cup) rice flour
• 75g (2/3 cup)corn flour
• 1 heaped tsp xanthan gum
• pinch of salt
• 150g (5 oz) butter
• 100g (½ cup) xylitol or sugar
• grated zest of 1 untreated lemon
• 1 large organic or free range egg lightly mixed with 1 tbsp runny honey and ½ tsp vanilla essence

For the filling:

• 1.4kg (3 pounds) thinly sliced organic apples with the skin still on, different variety if possible
• 100g (½ cup) xylitol or sugar
• 50g (2 oz)butter
• juice and the zest of 1 small lemon

For the topping:

• 2 large free range or organic eggwhite
• 100g (1 cup) sliced almond preferably with the skin still on
• 75g (1/3 cup) xylitol or sugar
• pinch salt
• ¼ tsp almond essence
• icing sugar
• Instructions:
  Start this recipe by preparing the pastry dough.
• Sift the rice flour, fine polenta, cornflour, xanthan gum, xylitol and salt into a bowl and mix well. Add the cubed butter and the lemon zest and rub into the flour mixture until it resemble small peas.
• Make a well in the center and carefully add the egg and honey mixture using a fork. The dough should start to come together, so discard the fork and bring into a ball with your hands. Don’t be tempted to add extra liquid at this stage. Although rather damp pastry is easier to handle and roll out, the resulting crust can be tough and may well shrink out of shape in the oven.
• On a lightly rice or cornflour floured board, gently knead the dough with the heel of your hand for a few minutes to form a disk. Then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for minimum 1 hour or for up to overnight.
• To line a the tart tin, place the chilled disk of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out 1/8 inch thick, rolling from the center toward the edge in all directions. Lift and rotate the dough a quarter turn every few strokes to discourage sticking, and work quickly to prevent the dough to become warm. Lightly dust the work surface and the dough with extra flour to prevent sticking.
• Carefully transfer the rolled out pastry in the tart tin 28 inch diameter lightly greased with butter and ease it into the bottom and sides by pressing gently into place. Trim the excess dough with a knife then place the tart in the freezer for 5/10 minutes.
• Remove the pastry from the freezer then line it with baking paper and fill with baking beans. To ensure better results fill the tart with baking beans up to the borders. Place in a preheated oven to 180°C, 350°F or gas mark4 for 20 minutes. To check how the pastry is cooking lift a corner of the paper.
• Remove the pastry shell from the oven, remove the beans and the paper and return to the oven for a few minutes more to dry the bottom.
• To prepare the apple filling start by using an heavy based saute’ pan, melt the butter on high heat, then add the xylitol and when it starts to caramelise add the apple to the pan. If you are using a smaller saute’ pan you might have to do this in batches.
• Saute’ the apple in a single layer until soft, turning them a few times with the spoon. The timing will depend on how thick you have cut the apple and from the kind of apple you are using.
• When they are softer pour them in a clean bowl then deglaze the pan by increasing the heat to high and by adding a few large tbsp of water. Scrape all the caramel and bits from the bottom, let the juice reduce and pour over the apples.
• Add the lemon juice and zest to the apples and pile them in the pre-baked pastry shell. Shake the tart to ensure an even filling and smooth the top with a spoon.
• To make the topping, combine the almond, xylitol, eggwhite, salt and almond essence in a small bowl. Spread the topping evenly over the apples, extending it to the edges of the tart.
• Bake the tart until the top is browned, about 20/25 minutes.
  Remove from the oven, let it cool completely before serving and sprinkle with a generous amount of icing sugar.

Once the temperature start to drop there is nothing better than warm up with a bowl of delicious home-made soup. Being Italian that has to be a minestrone!

This recipe is part of my Gorgeous Gluten Free blog and cookery classes. It has a wonderful hearty flavour that will shake off any chills. Cross my heart!

The pumpkin comes from the close by Organic Castle Farm run by a very unique gardner as well as eccentric lady, my friend Jo. She is also helping me with my allotment, that’s a story for another post!

In this recipe I use my favourite chicken stock, a slow cooking loving way to make stock that even the chicken get well! Well not quite, but you get the idea! If you are vegetarian, substitute with vegetable stock and for sure the chicken will be well!

Autumn Minestrone with Quinoa and Rocket Pesto

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 golden onion chopped
• 1 leek finely chopped
• 1 large carrot chopped
• 1 large courgettes chopped
• 2 patty pan chopped
• 75g chard chopped, preferably rainbow
• 75g cavolo nero chopped
• 400g pumpkin chopped
• 2.5litre hot chicken stock or vegetables stock if preferred
• 150g quinoa
• 1 tsp chopped rosemary
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 garlic cloves chopped finely
• 1 tsp chopped sage
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• nutmeg
• pepper

Ingredients for Rocket Pesto:

• 75g rocket
• 1 large garlic clove
• 10g pumpkin seeds
• 20g roasted hazelnuts
• 150ml extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp sea salt

Instructions:

• Heat 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in heavy base stock pot, this pot will be used to cook the minestrone so make sure that is big enough.
• Add the chopped onion and cook gently for 5 minutes. When the onion is translucent add the chopped rosemary,thyme, sage and leek. Keep cooking gently for a few minutes then stir in the garlic.
• Turn the heath on medium and add the chopped carrot, courgette, patty pan, cavolo nero and pumpkin. Keep stirring the vegetables for 5 minutes then cover with the chicken stock.
• Bring the pot to a gentle simmer then add the quinoa and the chard.
• Cover the pot and leave cooking on a low heath for 35/40 minutes.
• Stir the minestrone every 10 minutes.
• Toward the end adjust salt and pepper to taste.
• The quinoa will sink at the bottom so make sure that you stir you minestrone before serving.
• For the rocket pesto, place the rocket, garlic, pumpkin seeds and hazelnut in a food processor. Blitz briefly and with the help of a spatula scrape the sides and bring all the rocket mixture at the base of the bowl. Then with the motor running add the oil in a steady stream. Blend well scraping down the sides until all the pesto has a smooth consistency.
• Serve the minestrone in how bowls, drizzled with rocket pesto, extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.

I Love Pancakes!

I am not sure why, but that felt like somebody else was saying me too!

If you didn’t say me too, can you suggest any other kind of breakfast that can give you such tantelising flavours, diverse layers of texture, decadent dark and rich maple syrup and plenty of TLC? I don’t think so!

This little dish, if cooked properly, presented beautifully and with a smile can really turn a bad day around! And this is why I had to master it!

The first time I tasted it was in Manchester, nearly 14 years ago. It was a treat from James, then my sweetheart now my husband. I have had a challenging day, one of those where you turn off your alarm clock and lie to yourself saying the famous: …just 5 more minutes!

Then, you wake up abruptly and 20 minutes are gone. You look at the alarm clock trying to see if you are really late or you woke up even stupider and forgot how to read the time. Not such luck! From that moment on everything goes comically wrong, rushed through like in old silent comedy movies.

On that day what added insult to injury was a rip in my Moschino sexy pencil skirt and the fact that the bus driver didn’t give me the chance to recover from this shock and kept running after him. Don’t they just love it! It’s like they play a game with you, they wait and show you the bait: catch an early ride home!

Then, after you took the bait and you are running in a very unfeminine way, struggling to keep it together with heels, miniskirt and bags. When you are starting to smile and slow down because you made it, they go. Honestly!

Anyway, James decided to go to this quirky cafe’, full of sixties staff and run by smiling people with rasta blonde hair. I thought: if you cannot fight them, join them! Thank God they prepared the most delicious pancakes you can possibly taste and just like that I was hooked.

I had to learn how to cook them too! There had been many Sunday mornings with enough ingredients to prepare at least 3 batches of pancakes to achieve that perfect combination. I was on a mission: me, my ingredients, my faithful old pan, another twist of the recipe, my favorite stripy apron and the most wonderful balloon whisks that money can buy!

When I thought that I finally had it and I was almost in tears, I discovered my food intolerance and I had to start from scratch again. Don’t you just know it!

Anyway, I think I succeeded it and without wheat, gluten and low in sugar. They are simply heavenly, thick, soft, soaked in layers of maple syrup or agarve syrup, mixed berries and bananas. What else can you ask for?

Well, it’s my pleasure to enclose the recipe for my pancakes but if you don’t feel up to it, just come along to Del Sole. I would say catch the bus, or shall I say run for it!!

Delicious Pancakes

For the pancakes:

• 150g rice flour
• 1 tsp gluten free baking powder
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp runny honey
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large free range egg
• 185ml milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Sift all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
• In a separate bowl place the honey, oil, egg, 125ml of milk, lemon juice and vanilla and mix with a hand blender until frothy.
• Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ones, adding the rest of the milk to make a smooth batter easy to pour.
• Don’t over mix the batter or you will end up with Frisbees.
• Place a small ladle of batter on a preheated non sticky pan coated with melted butter and cook for a few minutes or until bubbles appear.
• Flip the pancake and cook the other side.
• Serve the pancakes with layers of fresh berries and chopped bananas and a topping of maple syrup or agave syrup gently warmed and a sprinkle of icing sugar.