Frittata con le primule - Frittata with cowslip

Pick as many cowslip flowers as you can from a field and clean them gently, removing the green parts. Keep the best for topping and chop the remaining, adding them to eggs whisked with grated Parmigiano and a little water. Pan fry the frittata (I make several thin 'frittatine' if I have time) with a little olive oil. Cut the frittata into pieces and lay over a base of mixed salad. Top with the remaining flowers. You can add some Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena on top if you like.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Carciofi alla romana

These type of artichokes are called mammole,  the 'petals' are rounded and not as spiky like for carciofi. But they are excellent cooked alla romana. Cut the outer petals off until you get to the tender heart, leave a bit of the stalks, but peel them, and then immediately put them in water and lemon (so that they don't become black) to wash them. Finely chop plenty of Italian parsley with garlic and a pinch of salt, and use this to fill the centre of each artichoke. Place the artichokes in a pot, drizzle some olive oil in the centre of each artichoke and add a little water at the bottom of the pan (about 2 fingers). Cover with a lid and simmer on low for a long time (1-2 hours) adding water from time to time. Sorry I didn't take a photo of the final product, but you can find one here.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Strawberries with ricotta - snow on spring flowers

I was back in the Italian Apennines recently and in the market I bought some fresh strawberries and some local ricotta which was so creamy it was almost like mascarpone, so I thought of 'marrying' the two. I marinated the strawberries with lemon juice and a little sugar for a few hours, long enough to make a nice sweet smelling strawberry joyce and enhance their flavour. Then all I had to do was to put a slice of ricotta in a dessert bowl and top it with the strawberries and their juice. Mmmhhh! It was so good I am still thinking about it!

I also loved the colour combination, the red of the fruit with the snow white of the ricotta… which made me think of both spring and winter! In fact when I arrived in the mountains the fields and woods where full with flowers...

…and after a few days I woke up in the morning to find everything covered with Spring snow!

Well, it did last only one day, but it was quite beautiful! 

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Milan in Spring and Salone del Mobile 2016

Paris may be beautiful in Spring, but so is Milan! In recent years the city has become greener, cleaner and more livable, mixing the old and the new with style and gusto. Every time I visit I discover a new gem, and this year it was San Maurizio, a recently restored sconsacrated church in the centre of the city, free entry and beautiful art! Another novelty: Ape trucks dot the city as food trucks, selling everything from gelato to strawberries, from beer to hot food. What a cool city!

Tip: if you are seeking serious coffee, New Zealand style, (and perhaps Eggs Benedict) go to Taglio, in the Navigli area.

Salone del Mobile 2016

This year the Salone del Mobile was great, and I really enjoyed all the new designs, and the very popular exhibition event Before Design: Classic (classic decor revisited). 

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Risotto with hop shoots step by step

Hops grow wild at my Aunt Alice's in the North of Veneto

Pick the new shoots and wash well, then chop.

Add a small chopped onion and then sauté with butter or olive oil (if making a vegan risotto).

Add carnaroli or another risotto rice and then, when the rice is hot, vegetable stock, ladle by ladle.

Keep stirring and adding stock (we made this over a wood fired kitchen, it didn't take long!)

Serve, by itself or with Parmigiano Reggiano

Flowers for Pinterest

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©