Simple zucchini (courgette) pasta sauce
When the zucchini glut is upon us, we have this a couple of times a week. It’s light but fragrant and satisfying.
Panzanella ~ Tuscan bread and tomato salad
This is a great dish to make a couple of hours in advance in the summer, to have ready waiting for you in the fridge when you get back home. It is light yet satisfying.
Pasta and bean soup
Since Italian cuisine is so regional, there are dozens of versions of this delicious, hearty soup. In Tuscany, white cannellini beans are used.
Sugo finto – A meatless ragu
This is a poor man’s meat sauce: the vegetables are cut finely to simulate a ground beef texture and the result is very tasty indeed.
Stuffed artichokes
You can use the filling here to fill other vegetables, such as peppers, zucchini etc.
Torta salata di verdure – Italian vegetable quiche
Use what you have around! Italians love quiches and love using all sorts of leftovers in them. A classic is sautéd spinach with plenty of nutmeg.
Pollo ai semi di finocchio
Chicken with fennel seeds
An aromatic, original twist on a simple dish.
Cecina – Baked chickpea pancake
There are versions of this all the way up to the French Riviera. In Livorno (Leghorn) it is served as an energy-packed sandwich.
Polpettine di patate
Tuscan potato croquettes
The flavours of the nutmeg, garlic and parsley really stand out in this simple peasant side dish/appetizer.
Fennel gratin
A simple yet delicious way to prepare this nutritious and aromatic vegetable.
Creamy celery in tomato sauce
This is an original and tasty dish, ideal for using up leftover celery (those heads are always a little large to use up in one go…) It tends to come out creamier using spelt flour to coat, but wheat flour is fine too.
Aubergine (Eggplant) Caviar with lemon and yogurt
This eggplant caviar is fresh and lemony. A little cumin gives it a hint of the Middle East.
Cardoons in a tomato sauce
Cardoon grows everywhere and is from the same family as the artichoke and as well as being nutritious (plenty of potassium, calcium and iron) is incredibly tasty.
Vegan chocolate cake
A vegan delight!