This is an easy vegetarian dish, very soothing and comforting. You can whip it up in 20 minutes, so it’s great for a quick dinner or lunch. All you need is a small courgette, a few mushrooms, green peas small onion, chicken or vegetable stock and the orzo. Orzo is small pasta shaped like a large grain of rice, usually made with semolina. It’s available in most supermarkets and very handy when you are out of ideas for a homemade meal. Top the orzo pasta with parmesan, fresh parsley, and serve warm.  Find the recipe here..

We were done with store-bought pasta some time ago, and now when are up for noodles with hearty meat sauce I prepare fresh home-made tagliatelle. The noodles are made with the rich pasta dough of flour and eggs, thinly rolled out and cut in long strips. Tagliatelle is extremely versatile because it goes well with most meat and creamy sauces; however, if you love classic combinations, Ragu alla Bolognese dressing should be your first choice. Tagliatelle is the classic egg noddles of Emilia-Romagna and easiest to make in a home kitchen. Previously thoroughly dried, it can be stored in a container for some time. Find the recipe here…

Pepper semi-confit is exceptionally versatile in the kitchen. It can be used as a topping for toast and as crostini spread, in sandwiches, omelettes, pasta sauces, tarts and quiche. It’s great over grilled fish and with roasted meat or potatoes. Pepper semi-confit is sweet and very aromatic because the olive oil used for this condiment is infused with thyme and garlic. Confit should be refrigerated before serving and can be kept in the frige for 2 weeks. Find the recipe here….

Nothing compares to fresh egg pasta made at home. Any dried and fresh noodles that come from a plastic bag does not have that flavour as homemade one does. Once you try it, you will love it. Making fresh pasta from scratch is neither difficult nor time-consuming but a good recipe is essential. There are plenty of them in cookbooks and on the internet. Some call for oil, egg yolks, others for adding of water or salt. However, genuine sfolia - the stretched-out dough we know and which is popular in most countries - is made with flour and eggs and comes from an Italian region Emilia-Romana. Find the recipe here...