Grilled fennel salad with apricots & goat cheese

For ➍ 

2 fennels

4 large apricots

2 tbs roasted hazelnuts*

1 handful of basil

200 g fresh goat cheese

lemon

salt

olive oil

Heat the barbecue.**

Slice half a fennel into thin slices using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Pour the juice of a lemon over it and add a generous pinch of salt. Mix briefly and let it marinate. Cut the rest of the fennel into slightly thicker slices. Rub with olive oil and salt, and grill on the barbecue**. Use a grill with small openings for this, so that the fennel does not fall through. When the fennel is slightly charred and a little soft, remove it from the barbecue. Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits, then rub with oil. Place them on the grill** with the cut side down for a moment, until they soften slightly and develop black stripes.

Assemble the salad by mixing the roasted and marinated fennel (and the lemon juice in which they marinated) with the grilled apricots. Place the goat cheese on top and finish with the basil leaves and hazelnuts*.

Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with some good olive oil.

*Replace with walnuts.

**Use a grill pan for small quantities if necessary.

Fregola Sarda alla vongele (fregola with clams)

For ➋

200 g fregola Sarda

500 g vongele clams

3 cloves of garlic, pressed or chopped

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

15 cl white wine

100 g Parmigiano

2 tbs mascarpone

zest of 1 lemon

handful of parsley, finely chopped

salt & pepper

olive oil

Fry the onion and garlic in a dash of olive oil over medium heat until they start to colour. Add the celery and let it stew a little. Rinse the clams well under cold water and let them drain. Add them to the pan and deglaze with the white wine. Let them cook for 3-4 m with the lid on until the clams open. Remove them with a slotted spoon, so that the cooking liquid remains in the pan. 

In the meantime, cook the fregola as indicated on the packaging (probably 10 m). 

Let the clam juice in the pan simmer for another 2-3 m for extra flavour. 

Add the cooked fregola to the pan with the reduced clam juice. Stir in the mascarpone, salt and pepper, chopped parsley and grated Parmigiano. Add the clams (either shelled or with shells). Finish with some extra pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and some more parsley.

♥︎Quiche without pastry

For ➍

2 sweet potatoes, finely mandoline sliced

bag baby spinach

4 eggs

2 tbs Greek yoghurt or whipped cottage cheese

1 clove garlic, crushed

100 g smoked salmon

100 g fresh goat cheese or 1 goat cheese slice

olive oil

salt & pepper

Spread thin slices of sweet potato in a pie dish to make a good base. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10-15 min until edges are lightly golden.

Whisk the yoghurt, garlic, salt and pepper

Pour over the sweet potato. Divide the spinach over the dish. Add pieces of smoked salmon and crumbled goat cheese. Place in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30 min.

Serve with green salad.

Oven baked asparagus

For ➋

500 g asparagus, thinly peeled

1 lemon, grated zest

50 g butter, soft & cut into cubes

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut a parchment paper large enough to close the papillote around the vegetables.

Place the asparagus on baking paper. Sprinkle the grated zest on top. Spread the cubes of butter over the asparagus.

Close the papillote.

Cook the asparagus for 25 to 30 m @ 180°C.

Serve with oven roasted potatoes.

Fennel & mascarpone risotto with scallops

For ➍
50 g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 fennel bulbs, heads finely sliced
300 g risotto rice, such as carnaroli
30 cl white wine
1.2 litres vegetable stock, hot
1 tbs olive oil
80 g prosciutto, cut into thin strips
12 fresh scallops ('diver caught', if possible), corals detached
3 tbs chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
4 tbs mascarpone

Melt the butter in a large, deep frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 8 m, until softened. Add the garlic and fennel and cook for a further 5 m. Add the rice and stir until coated in butter, then add the wine and bubble for 2-3 m.
Add the stock, a few ladlefuls at a time, stirring in each addition until absorbed. Keep ladling and stirring until the stock is used up and the rice is al dente but creamy – this will take about 20 minutes at a gentle simmer. Check the seasoning, cover and allow to rest for 2-3 m.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, then add the prosciutto and fry for 1 minute or until crisp. Remove with tongs and set aside. When the pan is hot, add the white parts of the scallops and season in the pan. Cook for 1 me each side or until lightly golden, then add the corals and cook for 30 s. Remove from the heat. Stir the parsley and mascarpone into the rice.
To serve, divide the risotto between 4 bowls, top with the crispy prosciutto, scallops and their corals, and season with black pepper.

Read tip on cooking scallops. Read tip on cooking rissoto.

Eryngii with wild garlic

For ➍ 
20 cl olive oil (+ some extra for frying)

3 tbs lemon juice

pinch of salt

pinch of black pepper

Portobello burgers

For ➋* 

4 tbs balsamic vinegar 

2 tbs virgin olive oil 

¼ ts Italian herbs 

salt & pepper 

2 large portobello mushrooms 

2 rolls 

a bunch of mesclun 

1 medium tomato, sliced 

1 scallion, diced 

2 slices cheddar cheese 

mayonnaise to taste 

Preheat the grill until very hot (180 ° C). **

Wash and gently scrub the mushrooms. Blot dry with paper towels. Snap off the stems and discard. In a small bowl, beat together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and Italian seasoning. Pour the mixture over the mushroom slices, turning to coat well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Grill the portobello mushrooms, for about 20 m. **

Top the mushrooms with a slice of cheese during the last m of cooking or until the cheese melts. 

Split the rolls in half and grill both slices until lightly toasted about 1 m per side. Assemble the sandwiches by brushing the bread with mayonnaise to taste, then top with mesclun, the grilled portobello slices with cheese, tomato slices and chopped scallions. Serve hot. 

Serve with a salad of lettuce and pine nuts.

* Double quantities for main course.

** Use the preheating to start cooking the mushrooms.

Scallops with lemon butter

For ➍

12 scallops

2 leek stems,

olive oil

pepper & salt

1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 lemon in wedges for finishing * 

lemon butter: 

250 g butter, soft, 1 small red pepper without seeds, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed

grated zest of 2 untreated lemons

Mix the ingredients for the lemon butter together. Make a rolled sausage in cellophane. Place in the refrigerator or freezer to stiffen.

Clean leek stems. Cut lengthwise. Cut into strips. Steam 6 m. Add salt and pepper. 

Pat the scallops dry with kitchen paper. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in the pan. Fry scallops 2 m on 1 side and 1 m on the other side. Add lemon butter slices. Spoon the melting butter over the scallops. 

Arrange the leek strips on plates, top with 3 scallops per plate, spoon lemon butter over it. Finish with parsley and lemon slices*.

*Optional