Ingredients (four servings)

• 16 oz. (about 500g) bag of hard semolina pennette (or any other pasta in a pinch)
• 2 medium onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 8 oz. (about 200-250g) hard feta cheese (both cream cheese and farmer’s cheese will work more or less, though you’ll have to add additional salt)
• 4 plum or similar tomatoes

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add the pasta and let it cook until it is al dente – cooked but still quite firm. While it is cooking, slice the onions thinly and glaze them in a large skillet over a medium-low flame. Slice or press the garlic and add it to the onion once it begins to caramelize, then turn off the flame, being careful not to overcook the garlic. When the pasta is done, drain and place it in the pan with the onion, and crumble in the feta. If your skillet is not big enough, use a separate bowl. Mix well, until the cheese becomes creamy and coats the pasta. Serve with plum tomato wedges for color and extra zing.

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I was never big on the Sunday lunch thing. Never really warmed toward Sunday, so if I’m going to cook big and enjoy it has to be Saturday. And if it’s a snowy, windy Chicago Saturday and I’m not dragging the kids to museums, movies or other assorted activities – roasted chicken it is. Since I discovered how easy it is to roast a whole chicken a few years ago, I haven’t stopped. I’ve marinated chickens with spices, honey, Coke, homemade barbecue sauce, molasses, mustard – you name it, I’ve done it. I’ve done it Greek style with lemons, Thai with coriander and ginger, Italian with olive oil and oregano, Bulgarian stuffed with sauerkraut (yes, it’s not only a German patent) and more. The last thing you can say about roasted chicken is that it’s boring! If I had to give up meat, I think roasted chicken would be the thing I’d truly miss.

There are a few requirements for a flavorful, juicy bird. First, it better be fresh, not deep frozen. Second, buy the best you can afford – organic, free range – it really makes a difference. It has less fat, is smaller and much tastier than the monstrous mass-farmed pterodactyls stuffed with more hormones and drugs than a Tour de France cyclist. Third – stuffing soft butter mixed with salt and fresh herbs like sage or thyme under the breast skin will help to eliminate white meat dryness. I don’t use butter on top of the skin as I don’t trust my oven (I suspect the temperature inside is higher than it is supposed to be) and want to avoid burned butter solids on my perfect roasted chicken. I sprinkle it with salt and baste it with olive oil. Lemon or orange juice, honey or red paprika make the skin beautifully golden and crunchy. Sea salt flakes are best for roasting as they dissolve slower and penetrate the meat deeper than regular salt.

I always stuff something in the cavity – lemon halves, apples, quartered onion, garlic, fresh herbs – whatever I have or all of the above. They are for flavor, so I don’t bother peeling or coring them.

Last Saturday it was time to try a Georgian recipe (the country, not the state) from Nigella Lawson’s “Feast”. Georgia’s cuisine is one of my favorites – the grilled meats, pungent spices, fresh herbs and amazing red wines always fascinated me – not to mention the people’s temperament. Some dream about visiting India or Japan – I dream about Georgia.

The chicken is stuffed with rice cooked similar to pilaf – with sauteed onions and dry fruits. I didn’t have sour cherries so I used cranberries instead and added chopped fresh mint to the required parsley. I did alter the recipe a little. I doubled the amount of rice as it sounded so good and the chicken was only 2 ½ pounds (around 2 kg), able to hold only about two cups of the cooked stuffing. I also took the liberty of chopping the liver and heart in to the rice – I don’t believe that any Georgian cook would throw those out. A simple cabbage and carrot salad and chocolate cake rounded out the Saturday lunch. There were five of us and I still had chicken leftovers for school lunch.

Here’s how it’s done:

• 1 4-5½ lb chicken (2-2½ kg), preferably organic or free range
• 2 tbsp soft butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt, red paprika (optional)

For the stuffing

• 2 tbsp butter
• the fat cut from the chicken cavity (optional, but highly recommended)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ¼ cup roughly chopped dry sour cherries or cranberries
• 1 ½ cups jasmine rice (or any other white long grain rice)
• 3 cups water
• ½ cup (one handful) chopped flat leaf parsley or mix of it and fresh garden mint
• salt, black pepper

Wash and pat dry the chicken and place it in the fridge without cover until the rice is ready.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C)

For the stuffing, melt the butter and chicken fat in a pot, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until soft, 10-15  minutes. Add the dry fruit and rice (and chopped liver and heart if using) and mix well until the grains are glisten from the fat. Pour the water, add salt and cover the pot. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Try for seasoning, add salt if needed. Add freshly ground black pepper and the chopped herbs and mix with a fork.

Stuff as much rice as possible in the cavity and secure the opening with cocktail sticks. Mix the soft butter with ¼ tsp salt and massage between the breasts and the skin. To do that place the chicken with the cavity opening towards you, push your fingers lightly between the skin and the breast, being careful not to tear the skin. When you separate those, take some of the butter and slide it under the skin. Repeat until all the butter is gone. Salt the chicken generously, baste it with the olive oil all over and, if you wish, sprinkle with red paprika. Place breasts up in a roasting pan just big enough to hold the chicken. The oven rack should be positioned in the middle. Roast for 1½ hour. Check by piercing the space between the leg and the body. If the juices run clear the bird is done. The skin is crispy and golden, the stuffing is absolutely delicious and nobody will ever tell you that roasted chicken is boring.

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I mostly use a mix of beef and pork minced meat, but if you are porkophobe go just for the cow. I’ve made them with chicken breast, but that never really worked for me – too dry, too flat. The meat choice is important. I use lean beef without antibiotics and hormones from Trader Joe’s and fresh rosy pork mince from the corner Polish deli (Poles really know their pork). If you have a butcher nearby where you can have the meat minced to order that’s the best deal. I would go for a pork shoulder and beef roast. The shoulder has just the right amount of marbled fat to make the stuffing tasty and juicy and you don’t need to use a lot of oil.

The tomatoes add an extra acidity to the whole mix and the carrot – sweetness. You can play with the spices – for a more Middle Eastern experience you can add ¼ tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp powdered cumin seeds. You can substitute cilantro (coriander) for the flat Italian parsley or fresh thyme for the dried sage. As for the rice – don’t worry that there is no extra water added to the stuffing – it will cook just fine soaking up the meat and tomato juices.

The stuffing will also work for stuffing tomatoes, zucchini or eggplants. Sometimes I mix my vegetables for a more dramatic effect.

The stuffed peppers I made today were supposed to last until tomorrow. They didn’t. Next time I should plan better and make more than 12!

Stuffed sweet peppers

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 carrot, grated
• ½ cup jasmine rice (or any white long grain rice)
• 1 pound minced lean beef
• 1 pound minced pork
• 2 big plum tomatoes, cut in half and the flesh grated (or 4-6 Roma tomatoes)
• 1 tsp dry sage
• ½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika (or regular sweet paprika)
• salt, black pepper
• 1 handful flat Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 cup water
• 1 big plum tomato, flesh grated (optional)
• 8 bell peppers or 12 long sweet banana or Mediterranean peppers, the tops cut and deseeded

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a big frying pan and saute the onion, garlic and carrot for 4-5 minutes. Add rice and stir for a minute. Add the minced meat, season with salt and pepper, the sage and smoked paprika, and cook for a few minutes mixing well and breaking up the meat lumps that will form. When the meat starts to brown, add the grated tomatoes and cook until juices reduce by half, another 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat, check the seasoning and add the parsley.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), with the rack positioned in the middle. Sprinkle the insides of the cleaned peppers with some salt and spoon in the stuffing, carefully forcing it in if using the long variety (I use the spoon handle to push the meat mix to the end). Place them tightly in a broad baking pan, big enough to hold the peppers. They don’t need extra space in between as they’ll shrink a little during the cooking. Pour the water on the bottom, sprinkle with salt and the second tbsp olive oil, cover loosely with heavy duty aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 30 minutes or until the peppers are soft and slightly browned. Turn off the oven, cover with the foil again and leave in for 15-20 minutes before serving. You can spoon some thick Greek style yogurt on the plate and dig in.

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At this time of the year I stay away from root vegetables, which I associate with cold, gray weather, and try to use the seasonal ones in simple dishes. I limit the seasoning to salt and pepper, with fresh thyme, rosemary and a lot of garden mint, parsley and cilantro (coriander). With fresh-from-the-field produce I don’t want to overdo it.

The dish I’ve made is not really a stew, as I didn’t cook it for a long time. Actually the shorter you cook it the better. It resembles Provençal ratatouille, but all is cooked in one pot and I use whatever is in my fridge, including some leftover beer (could be wine or nothing at all). If I had I would throw in some green tomatoes, too. This colorful fuss-free dish can be served as main, or as side to roasted chicken, fish or chops. Needless to say, for a vegetarian version leave the sausage out.

Vegetable casserole with sausage

• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
• 4-6 small fresh Polish or Italian sausages – cut into 3 inch (7 cm) pieces
• 3 sweet banana peppers, cut in rounds
• 2 handfuls of yellow or green string beens – trimmed and cut 2 inches long (4 cm)
• 3 small zucchini – green and yellow mixed – quartered lengthwise and cut to bite size
• 1 medium eggplant, quartered lengthwise and cut into bite size pieces (if it has brown seeds, salt it and wait 30 minutes to get rid of bitterness)
• 1 pound (500 gr) firm Roma tomatoes – quartered lengthwise
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• leaves from 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• salt, freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup beer or wine (optional)
• ½ cup chopped parsley or cilantro (coriander)

Sweat the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add sausage and cook 3 minutes. Add the peppers, beens and eggplant, the rosemary and thyme, season it with salt and pepper and cook on medium low heat for 5-7 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes stirring carefully not to mash the vegetables too much. Here you can add the last 1 tbsp of olive oil if too dry. The tomatoes come last with the beer or wine if you are using it. Increase heat to medium and cook another 10 minutes until the juices in the pot are reduced by half. Serve sprinkled with parsley and country style bread to soak the juices. It tastes even better the next day.

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By now I’ve learned how to navigate my sorry excuse for a kitchen and on that sunny March morning even the temperamental gas oven wasn’t a match for me. Tart crust is easy if you don’t panic, and is ready in a breeze. This tart calls for a pre-baked shell so you can make it ahead of time.

I used small Sicilian eggplants, which are extremely beautiful with their light purple and white stripes. I don’t salt the eggplants and don’t wait for 20 minutes when they don’t have many brown seeds – it’s a waste of time. The bitterness is in the seeds. The tomato sauce I use for pizza and spaghetti with meatballs, which I usually make in batches and freeze afterwards, made the whole operation faster. I wish I could have served it all with a crisp and fruity Portuguese Vinho Verde, but didn’t have time to get any that day.

Tomato tart with eggplants and goat’s cheese

For the tart crust see my cranberry tart recipe. Keep the remaining part of the dough in the freezer for future use. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Pierce the shell with a fork to keep the crust from rising. Place aluminum foil on top of the tart shell, weigh it down with dry beans or tart weights if you have some and bake for 15 minutes on racks positioned in the middle. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the shell is golden brown. Take out and leave to cool.

Filling

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ¾ cups tomato sauce
• 3 small Sicilian eggplants, cut in half lengthwise and then quartered – you should have eight strips (or 1 medium size Italian eggplant – cut in ¼ inch rounds)
• 1/8 pound fresh goat’s cheese (or feta)
• salt, freshly ground black pepper
• chopped parsley (or dill) for garnish
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat, add the eggplants in batches if they don’t fit in single layer and saute until soft and slightly brown. Transfer to a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up the extra oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.

Spread the Dijon mustard over the bottom of the tart – it gives a nice sharp bite to the sweet tomato-and-eggplant filling. Spoon in the tomato sauce and spread it evenly. Arrange the eggplant strips in a fan (or if using rounds – starting from the outside lay them in overlapping circles). Crumble the cheese on top, sprinkle with more black pepper and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese starts melting and the eggplants are warmed through. Serve warm with a salad and a nice crisp white wine. It will really make a difference to your mid week or light weekend lunch.

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Thicker than the Italian frittata and usually containing my other favorites – potatoes – this Spanish omelet has as striking a flavor as its looks. It’s easier to make too, as you don’t have to fight to flip it over, but simply bake it in the oven. It can stoically take on whatever you throw at it, and no fridge push-around need be wasted again. The classic one with potatoes is great, but I’ve done it with zucchini, parsnip, feta cheese, Parmesan, bacon, various types of dried and fresh herbs, and combinations of the above. It’s a successes every time, and the only person who refuses to eat it is my daughter – the new egg-phobe in the family.

I finally have a cast-iron paella pan, perfect for tortillas too, which I put to heavy use. The recipe is enough for four as a weekday supper, or for eight as part of a weekend brunch with friends. If there are leftovers, they are very good the next day and make a great lunchbox item. I often wrap them in whole-wheat tortillas with Tabasco’s Chipotle sauce and fresh cilantro (coriander). I love to answer the what’s-for-lunch question – tortilla in tortilla.

For a vegetarian version skip the sausage.

Spanish tortilla with potatoes, sausage, ricotta and fresh herbs

serves 4

• 6 – 8 large eggs – free range or organic
• ½ cup fresh ricotta (or thick sour cream)
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed or sliced into thin rounds
• ½ pound good quality sausage (I use Polish sausage with thyme and garlic and no preservatives added) – cubed the same size as the potatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped (optional)
• 1 cup mixed chopped dill, mint and parsley (or cilantro)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• salt, freshly ground black pepper, Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°F (200°C) – with racks positioned in the middle. In a heavy-bottomed oven-proofed frying pan (cast iron is best), melt the butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the potatoes until slightly brown and tender – about 10 minutes. In the meantime beat eggs in a bowl to break the egg yolks. Add the ricotta and beat well – though some cheese lumps are OK. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, add the herbs and green onions and mix.

When the potatoes are ready, take them out of the pan with slotted spoon and stir into the egg-cheese mixture. Add sausage to the pan and fry for 5 minutes, until sightly brown. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Pour over the egg-cheese-and-potatoes mixture, stir well, and let cook on medium low for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and transfer the pan to the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top of the tortilla is set and slightly brown.

Serve warm with the pan (makes a great impression) with rustic bread and simple green salad. My son loves it with a few drops of Tabasco Chipotle sauce. I have it with extra Bulgarian cheese, feta style.

Goes great with a light, bubbly Portuguese Vinho Verde or Italian Prosseco for a more elegant experience.

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For years I was deprived of Asian dumplings and had to do with Polish pierogi (not that I don’t like them) and the occasional tired won ton or pot sticker in some mediocre eatery in Warsaw. I would have loved to make them myself, but the ingredients were hard to get, and it looked a bit too complicated. Well, not any more. The Asian stores in Chicago are amazing and once I found them my won ton obsession blossomed once more. With frozen pastry for all kinds of wraps and rolls, exotic herbs, vegetables and fresh shrimp cheaper than a pound of nuts, I was indeed in dumpling heaven. And it all was in my own kitchen.

The best won ton wrappers I have found so far are Dynasty brand – 3.5X3.5 inch (8X8 cm) in about 12 oz (340 g) packs. As for spring rolls – I use  Spring Home brand Tyj spring roll pastry – also frozen 5.5X5.5 inch (14X14 cm), 50 sheets. Those come with very helpful picture instructions on how to proceed. As for the filling – the sky is the limit. The best meat is fresh minced pork that is well marbled (lean is no good – it will be too dry once cooked). Napa cabbage, been sprouts, cilantro (coriander), Asian mint and basil can add a brighter flavor.

My kids love rolling spring rolls and fight over the limited counter space. I’m always amazed by the quantities they can eat in one sitting, and all that without complaining about the weird greens. Won tons are also on their favorite list, though they yet have to master the wrapping technique. It took me almost an hour the first time I made them, but now I’m pretty good, though not yet as good as an Asian chef. As with any other dumplings, once you get to it it’s better to make at least a double batch and freeze the extras, as you’ll probably have your fill of stuffing, folding and shaping for some time.

Won ton with minced pork

makes about 48 dumplings

• 1 lb (500 g) minced pork
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• ½ cup shredded Napa cabbage
• ½ cup been sprouts, chopped
• ½ cup fresh mint, cilantro or Asian basil, chopped, loosely packed
• 2 green onions, chopped
• ¼ tsp sesame oil
• 1 pack 12 oz (340 g) 3.5X3.5 inch (8X8 cm) won ton wrappers – about 50, defrosted for about an hour
• cup with water and a brush

In a bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. On a clean surface place one wrapper. Spoon 1 teaspoonful of the mixture in the middle. Brush all the edges with water. Fold in half to form a triangle. Starting from the filling, squeeze the air out gently by brushing with your fingers towards the edges, then press to seal the won ton.

Now wrap one end around your finger, brush with a little water and press the other end to seal:

There, your won ton is ready. Place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper to prevent the dumplings form sticking to each other. Repeat with the rest.

The first few will be hard, but once you get it, it’ll be easier. Don’t overlap the won tons on the sheet and be careful to dry your hands and work surface – the wrappers get sticky when wet and they are hard to take back apart. You can make this few hours before cooking. Cover with foil and let stand at room temperature. Count the amount you will need and freeze the rest on a metal sheet, then transfer to freezer bags or containers. When needed take them out and lay on flat surface for at least an hour. Use in aromatic clear Thai soup or fry and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

We love them the pot sticker way:

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with ½ cup (125 ml) water and 2 tbsp vegetable oil for each 16 dumplings. Cover and cook for 6-8 min. They should be cooked through and have brown crispy bottoms. This is the side you should be serving them on. The taste explosion when you bite one is tremendous. They are great dipped in Chinese black vinegar or soy sauce, but I like to complicate things. My favorite is Vietnamese soy sauce recipe given by Trieu Thi Choi and Marcel Isaak in their Authentic Recipes from Vietnam.

Vietnamese soy sauce:

makes ½ cup

• ¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp sugar (palm sugar preferable, but any will do)
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 small red chili, deseeded and minced (or ½ tsp chili garlic sauce)
• 2 tbsp lime juice

Combine everything in a bowl and mix well.

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Ingredients:

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 bunch fresh basil (or flat leaf parsley), torn or chopped
• leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 big can – 1 pound 12 oz (about 800 g) – of the best tomatoes you can find or an equivalent amount of ripe fresh tomatoes
• salt, freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Place a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium low heat. Add the olive oil, garlic and onion. Saute until onion is translucent, add the tomatoes, basil and thyme. If the tomatoes are whole – smash them with the back of a spoon or fork. Season with salt and pepper, add the vinegar and some sugar if too sour. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until it begins to concentrate. Strain the sauce through a sieve, pushing with a wooden spoon or using a whisk. Put the strained sauce back into the pan and simmer for few more minutes until it is thick enough to spread on a pizza, or add a bit of water if it’s for pasta. Freeze any leftovers.

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I love making dough. Kneading is a fantastic stress reliever. You can knead out a weeks’ load of sorrows, arguments, the kids’ D’s and F’s, your melting paycheck, the crazy landlady… I love to do it by hand – a bread machine or mixer will never give you the same satisfaction.

Then comes the raising of the dough, which is kind of zen – you have to wait, be patient, keep yourself from peeking under the cloth so as not to disturb the yeast at work. At least this is one part I don’t have to be worried about any more since a friend showed me a trick he learned form a TV show – to place the dough on a wooden board and cover it with a big glass salad bowl. What enlightenment! Now I can watch it bubbling, rising and sweating under the bowl. This method works for every yeast dough and is great entertainment for kids – big and small. Especially the part when ours actually lifted the gigantic bowl to the cheers of six people – if you count the baby’s screams. I hadn’t had such fun since we moved to the City of Big Shoulders.

The bowl also solves the old problem of finding a draft-free place in your home. As I’ve learned during the last six months, there’s no such place in a Chicago house – old or new, brick or frame. The temperature released during fermentation provides an ideal moist environment under the bowl that keeps the dough’s surface from drying.

Making pizza with friends is the ultimate party-pleaser. Everybody loves it (well, except my daughter) and everybody can choose exactly what to put on it. We placed bowls filled with olives, pepperoncini, thinly sliced baby portobello mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan, salami, preservative-free pork sausage from my neighborhood Polish deli, sauteed onion, fresh ricotta, roasted bell peppers, baby arugula. Once the dough had risen, everybody had a chance the roll his/her own pizza, and to spread and toss it with whatever they fancied. Even the teenager got involved, to her mother’s astonishment. The grownups washed it down with Zlatý Bažant beer – one of Slovakia’s finest gifts to the world – while the kids were happy with sparkling cranberry juice.

After years of trying various pizza dough recipes, I’ve come to prefer the one given by Jamie Oliver in his best cookbook yet – Jamie at Home. It makes enough for a party, and produces the kind of thin, crunchy pizza I love. The new food lexicon would place that under “rustic” or even “boutique”, a term that drives me nuts every time I see it printed (but that’s for another post, when I get really fed up with nonsense high-profile food magazines). I never aim to get a round base. Pizza making should be fun, not a perfectionist nightmare. I strongly suggest going for the whole recipe – the leftover dough can be frozen. To use it – defrost and let rise once.

Pizza dough

Enough for 6 to 8 medium pizza bases

• 8 cups (1 kg) unbleached all purpose flour or 6 cups (800 g) unbleached all purpose flour and 2 cups (200 g) finely ground semolina flour – this yellow wheat flour gives some color and extra flavor to the dough (available in Middle Eastern delis)
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 7g packets of dried yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 ¾ cups (about 650 ml) lukewarm water

Sift the flour and the salt into a big mixing bowl or clean surface and make a well in the middle. Mix the water with the sugar, yeast and olive oil. Leave for a few minutes to activate the yeast, than pour into the flour well. Using a fork start incorporating the flour into the liquid with a rotating movement. When it starts to come together start kneading until you have a smooth, elastic dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. Don’t worry if some of the flour is not incorporated – there are many factors that influence a dough – the type of flour, the humidity in the room, the temperature. The golden rule is “you can easily add more flour to a sticky dough, but not more moisture to a hard one”.

Place the dough shaped into a ball on a large chopping board sprinkled with flour, dust it with some more flour and cover with a glass bowl at least twice as big as the dough. It should take it up to an hour to double its size. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead carefully, pushing from the middle away from you. Turn the dough in a clockwise direction and push again; keep repeating from all sides. This is needed to knock out some of the air bubbles created while the dough was rising. Fold the dough into a ball again and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Now is the moment to turn your oven on and heat it to the highest temperature it lets you. Mine goes up to 450°F (230°C). If there are no kids around you can preheat the baking tray also, but as part of the fun of the party was that everybody got to play with their pizza, this was not an option for us. Pull a piece of the dough (the size of a softball) and roll it thin on a floured surface – the shape doesn’t matter. With the tips of your fingers make little indents all the way around the base about ½ inch (1 cm) from the edge – this is a trick I learned from a recipe for Turkish pizza. This makes the edges puff when baked – looks great.

Now spread the pizza with about 2 tbsp of tomato sauce, leaving the edges free – don’t overdo it or the center will get soggy. Sprinkle with whatever you like and bake until the dough is golden brown. Cut into irregular pieces and dig in. Continue till everybody is stuffed and happy.

My personal favorite is white pizza. Spread the rolled dough with a few spoons of fresh ricotta, sprinkle with sauteed onion and grated Parmesan and some sea salt. You can add olives and sliced rounds of cherry tomatoes for more dramatic effect. When out of the oven add baby arugula – makes a stunning presentation and adds great flavor.

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This week I’m into comfort food mode, trying to lift my spirits and struggling to stop the shivering. I always believed in simple, fuss-free dishes that uplift your mood with their smell and taste. Hour-long glaze and sauce reductions are not for me. I’d rather spend a few hours in the kitchen preparing several different dishes, than laboring over some complicated haute-cuisine extravaganza. So yesterday’s dinner was spaghetti with homemade pesto, garlic and cherry tomatoes, and today’s lunch – crab sticks, orange and mayo salad served with parsnip, green pea and Parmesan paste over toasted bagels.

If I hadn’t left my pasta machine behind, I would make the spaghetti myself. Nothing can beat homemade pasta – it has a different, more springy bite and the eggs add extra flavor. Once you learn how to make it and have a machine, it’s really easy. I love dealing with dough – getting it together and kneading it is one of the best stress relievers I know. Homemade pesto is also easy and way better than the stuff from a jar. As always with simple recipes you get the best results when using good quality products and even better when you make most of them yourself. I did cheat this time – the pesto was from my mother-in-law, but made from the basil she grows in her backyard, so I don’t feel guilty. It’s not easy to find fresh basil in winter, but you can play with the ingredients. I’ve made parsley pesto and mint pesto, as well as combinations of both. I would also use walnuts instead of the expensive pine nuts with very good results. Make more than you need and store in a jar in the fridge or freeze in small containers – it’s a great fast fix for vinaigrettes, roasted vegetables or even soups. I prefer handfuls to cups for measuring leafy greens and herbs – it’s a more helpful estimate when you are shopping for them, as bunches vary in size. It also saves time – no last-minute dashes to the store – and you end up with no wasted rotten greens in the fridge.

Spaghetti with pesto, garlic and cherry tomatoes (serves 4)

Ingredients for the pesto:

• 3 handfuls fresh basil, tough stems removed (or the same amount flat leaf parsley)
• ½ cup olive oil – not too strong, as it’ll overpower the taste of basil
• ¼ cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Dry roast the pine nuts (or walnuts) in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium high heat, stirring constantly, as nuts tend to burn fast, until slightly brown and the aromatic oils begin to be released – about 1-1 ½ minutes. Place all the ingredients, except the cheese, in a food processor and process until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor (I don’t), use a standing or hand blender. Add the cheese and taste. Add some salt if you want, though the cheese should be enough. If you like it more sour – add extra lemon juice. No need to be slavish about this recipe – you can adjust it to your own taste. I’m sure there are as many pesto variations in Italy as people are making it.

Ingredients for the dish:

• 1 pound spaghetti (best you can afford)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed to a paste
• 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes, about ½ pound – cut in half
• extra Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Set the table, with the extra cheese, a salad, if you’ve made one, and plates, as you have to serve the pasta the minute it’s ready. Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water (it should be really salty – try it and you should taste the salt) over high heat. Start trying the pasta after 4-5 minutes if using store bought – it’s hard to guess the time it needs to get to that al dente stage with different brands. When it’s tender but still firm, whatever that means to you, drain, but don’t run under cold water. Pour the pasta into a big bowl, add at least 4 tbsp pesto, the mashed garlic and tomatoes, and mix well. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan and more pesto if you wish.

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