Artichoke Sauce with Spaghetti – effortless sophistication

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Food, Italy, Recipes

Globe Artichoke ©Wikipedia

Artichoke Sauce with Spaghetti – effortless sophistication Globe Artichokes are tricky to pair with wine, and the usual culinary advice is don’t. Putting them together usually results in metallic or bitter flavours. That’s why the dressing for globe artichokes often employs the sharpness of lemon juice or vinaigrette. Wine-friendly, they’re most certainly not. However, marinating artichoke hearts changes their flavour …

Summer Pudding – a classic dessert

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Food, Organic, Recipes

Summer Pudding

Summer Pudding – a classic dessert Summer Pudding is a classic dessert for the British summer. Here’s a super-easy recipe that makes a Summer Pudding serving six, inspired by Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book – which is a great read. Redcurrants and Blackcurrants are the two essential soft fruits for Summer Pudding. If you have a handful of Whitecurrants, Loganberries, Raspberries, Tayberries …

Porchetta – An Italian Food Classic

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Food, Italy, Recipes

Porchetta slices

Porchetta – An Italian Food Classic One of the joys of cuisine in Italy is finding mobile food vans selling hot Porchetta, especially on weekends and national holidays. I recommend that you ask if there’s a van visiting nearby wherever you stay in Italy. It might be at a market or village celebration. Sometimes the regular vans are pitched on the …

Lockdown Linguine – A Recipe for Social Distancing

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Food, Recipes

Lockdown Linguine

Lockdown Linguine – A Recipe for Social Distancing Lockdown Linguine is a delicious, simple pasta recipe, which also happens to be brilliant with a bottle of white wine, and it only takes 10-15 minutes to make. It’s Italian-style, though I don’t know if there’s an Italian name for it.  Here it’s called Lockdown Linguine, as much for the alliteration as anything. …

Tuscan Salad: Insalata di Fegatini di Pollo

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Food, Recipes

San Gimignano Anteprima, Tuscan Vernaccia white wine

Tuscan Salad: Insalata di Fegatini di Pollo Here’s a simple Tuscan salad recipe that’s cheap, quick and easy. I first tried it in a restaurant in San Gimignano while attending their Anteprima, where the new Vernaccia wines are previewed and judged. However, it’s also available in many UK Italian restaurants. While the English translation is Warm Chicken Liver Salad, that simply …

Fancy a nibble?

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Food, Recipes

Fancy a Nibble?

Fancy a Nibble? While staying in Savoie in France, I discovered a genius cold hors-d’oeuvre that’s quick, cheap and easy. Here’s a colourful nibble that’s also brilliant with a wide range of wines, whether white, rosé, sparkling or sherry. What you only really need is a courgette, aka zucchini. My example of this is vegetarian, but it’s easy enough to create a …

Eat Amatriciana for Amatrice

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Food, Italy, Recipes, Travel

Amatriciana for Amatrice

Eat Amatriciana for Amatrice By now, many of us will have seen the devastation caused by the earthquake in Central Italy this week. The epicentre was close to the town of Amatrice. It’s famous for the Amatriciana pasta sauce central to Roman cuisine. To add insult to injury, Amatrice was preparing for its 50th annual festival celebrating their traditional dish this …