Mushroom risotto

This is a perfect dish for vegetarians and makes for hearty comfort food, especially on a cold winter’s night.   In Italy it would more often than not be made with freshly picked wild mushrooms from a family member’s prized secret spot in nearby woodland. Mushroom picking should only be undertaken by experts, but the

Fried zucchine (courgette) flowers and sage

Coating vegetables in a light batter and deep frying is a very popular form of antipasto in Italy in summer, and is very similar to Tempura, which was introduced to Japan by 17th century Portuguese missionaries. Plentiful in the summer in vegetable markets in France, Italy and Australia, fried zucchine flowers  make a terrific starter

Paella Valenciana

I first had this amazing dish in a small village just outside Toulouse in South Western France, cooked over an open fire by the Spanish origin parents of our friend Marie-Paule who spent her childhood in Morocco. It is essential to cook it over fire or on a barbecue for the best flavour. An authentic