How it is done:

Start by cutting the vegetables in small cubes, try to be as even as possible: if all the vegetables have the same size they will cook evenly and your minestrone will taste better; keep al the vegetables separated. Take the bay leaves, the rosemary and the basil branches and tie all together with some kitchen twine, this is called a “bouquet garni”: a simple method to enrich the flavour of a dish without having the leaves directly in your food. In a large pot heat some olive oil, then add diced carrot, celery, onions and your bouquet garni, cook for 30 to 40 seconds stirring continuously until the carrots change color. Add the cooked and dried chickpeas. Keep the heat at medium and cook continuously, add the zucchini, and then the tomatoes. Add a tablespoon of coarse salt, and let the tomatoes melt in the pot. At this point add the vegetable stock, lower the heat, regulate with salt and pepper, remove the bouquet garni and cover with a lid. Let it cook, stirring from time to time until it is reduced by 1/3.

How to serve:

In a bowl, serve the minestrone boiling hot, finish with a splash of extra virgin olive oil. You can complete the dish the traditional way with a generous grating of some pecorino cheese and a side of two slices of toasted bread.

How it is done:

Start by preparing the two different sauces. Put in two different pots 2 oz of whole cream (each). In the first pot add a pinch of salt and the saffron without heating. Mix it well with a whip until uniform and smooth. Put it on the fire and stirring continuously cook for around 1 minute. Set aside and let it cool down. Put the other pot on medium heat, cut the blue cheese in small pieces and add it, cook at slow heat until the cheese is completely melted. Set aside and let it melt. For the risotto, clean the shallot; then in a large saucepan let half of the butter melt, add the whole shallot, let it heat for around 20 seconds, add the rice. Stir continuously until the rice is hot, add the white wine and reduce the heat. Let the alcohol evaporate completely, now remove the shallot. Throw in the pan the stock boiling hot. Cover the rice with it and keep cooking stirring continuously. Regulate with salt and pepper, keep adding the stock until the rice is tender but not mushy. Let it rest for a minute, then add the parmesan cheese and the remaining butter, mix everything until smooth and creamy.

How to serve:

Set the risotto in a large dish, even it on the base of the dish. Take the two sauces and splash it casually on the risotto using the color contrast to create a random drawing on the risotto, serve it right away. Risotto con salse di zafferano e Gorgonzola.

How it is done:

Start with the cacciatora sauce: clean the vegetables; ground together the carrot, the onion and the celery; cut the tomatoes and bell peppers in large cubes, and cut half of the olives in small pieces. In a deep pot heat three tablespoon of olive oil, add then the grounded celery, onion and carrot mix. Add also the minced olives and the clove of garlic and the cubed bell pepper, stir continuously until the carrots changes color. Add the diced tomatoes, cook for around 1 minute, then add the tomato puree and 3/4 of chicken stock, season with salt and pepper. Remove the garlic clove and let it cook for approximately 2 minutes until it is reduced by 1/3. Now cut the chicken breast into large cubes (around 3 inches per side). Dry it using a paper towel, massage it with salt.

In a pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil, put the chicken breast in the pan and cook it for 1/2 minutes per side until it’s crispy. Remove the chicken and set it aside. In the hot pan add the remaining olives, the white wine and the remaining chicken stock. Let it reduce to the consistency of a sauce, then add the cacciatora sauce. Transfer the chicken breast into a deep oven tray, cover it with the cacciatora sauce and cook it in a pre-heated oven at 350° for 30 minutes.

How to serve:

Put in a deep dish the sauce, place the chicken breast on top, and complete with a generous scoop of sauce. Serve it with some freshly cut slices of bread to complete the scarpetta.

How it is done:

Clean the peaches, cut in half and remove the kernel. Cut the peaches in small cubes, place the cubes into a pot, add a pinch of salt, the honey and two tablespoon of fresh water. Cook it on low heat for around ten minutes. Save 1/4 of the mixture for decorations. In another pot, add the sugar, the whole cream and the seeds from the vanilla bean. With an immersion blender blend it all until smooth, then add the peaches and repeat the process. Transfer the pot on low heat, whisk it continuously and cook it for around two minutes, add the unflavoured jelly, mix it in. Transfer the mixture in the mould you have chosen and let it sit in the fridge for at least two hours.

How to serve:

Take a dish, place the panna cotta in the middle, add a spoon of the peaches coulis, complete with some slices of fresh peaches.