Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

At the  Festival Italiano  I received a very special present from Naomi of  Aceto Downunder : a bottle of ABTM ( Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena ), the  extra vecchio  (25 years +). This  Balsamico  is the real thing, only sold in specially designed 100ml bottles, expensive but worth it, every drop of it. The first thing I made was this classic Italian salad: Rocket leaves (fresh from my veggie garden), shaved Parmesan, thin slices of crunchy pears, and a drizzle of ABTM. This salad is absolutely delicious, and perfect as an entree or a sophisticated yet easy and light summer main course. Thank you Naomi! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

Rocket, roasted cashews, lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt. The easiest dip ever! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Photo by Alessandra Zecchini © My 11 years old loves the mozzarella presentation of a TV ad that we have here in Italy, and as a surprise I made it for her. Basically you just have to cut a mozzarella into two, like if it was a bread roll, and put inside a big slice of beef tomato. I also added a few leaves of rocket salad. Then I put some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper on top, and served. One each. Decadent!!!!!!!

On Christmas morning I went foraging in the neighbor's property (he is cool about it) to pick some watercress. It is a bit late for watercress, the flowers are already out, but I could still pick some to mix to other greens to make a tasty dip. Green Dip Ingredients: A mixture of watercress, rocket (rucola), and Genovese basil, (or any greens and herbs you like) 3 handfuls of cashew nuts 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 slice of aged pecorino cheese (optional and not for vegans) a little water Salt to taste Extra virgin olive oil to finish Blend the first 5 ingredients, then add salt and olive oil to taste. Serve with homemade bread, as a dip or as a spread. Photo by Alessandra Zecchini © Of course I made other things for Christmas lunch, but I think that I will put the recipes on the blog very slowly ;-). This was the starter.

You may know the Italian classic spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chilli), but now that it is spring why not try to substitute the chilli with tender rocket (rucola) leaves! Ingredients 500 g spaghetti Salt for the water 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 pinch of salt 2 garlic cloves, peeled 100 g young rocket leaves, washed and drained Serves 4–5 Cook the spaghetti al dente in plenty of salted boiling water. In the meantime in a large frying pan heat the olive oil with a pinch of salt and the garlic cloves. You should aim to ‘fl avour’ the oil with the garlic, not burn it, so keep the heat to a medium-low setting. When the garlic is just about golden add the rocket leaves and stir. Sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly, and then set aside. The spaghetti should be ready: drain and put into the frying pan with a little of their cooking water, stir well and serve immediately.

Photo by Alessandra Zecchini © Summer salad from my garden: rocket, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, orange and yellow calendula petals and borage flowers. Dressed with extra virgin olive oil, salt and a drop of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena .