Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Video by Alessandra Zecchini, featuring Arantxa Zecchini Dowling  ©

This is a super easy and super yummy sweet treat, gluten free and low in sugar too. Hull and cut the strawberries into halves (or quarters, if very big) then place in a bowl with a tbsp of sugar and 2 tbps of lemon juice. Stir and let them rest at room temperature for a few hours stirring from time to time to get more juice out, then refrigerate until serving time. To assemble place a few strawberries and their juice in tumblers, top with 1 tbsp or 2 of Greek Yogurt (I used  this one ) and finish with a  dried lychee.   Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

When I started these mushrooms were three times this size (I used the 'breakfast' Portobello type) but never mind, the flavour was all there and this is a great way to cook them! Clean the mushrooms and remove the stalks (set them aside) and top skin if you can (discard). Place the mushrooms on a baking tray lined with baking paper, cap side down, sprinkle with salt and a drop of olive oil and bake on medium for 15 minutes. Turn and bake for other 10 minutes. In the meantime clean the stalk, chop the very end bits off and discard, and them chop the rest with a couple of garlic cloves and plenty of Italian Parsley leaves. Add one egg to the mixture (vegans can omit egg and add a little more oil instead), a pinch of salt, a tbsp of olive oil and enough breadcrumbs to get a malleable consistency, like for croquettes. Remove the mushrooms form the oven and stuff with this mixture pressing down well at the top. Place back into the oven and bake until the tops look golden and...

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  ©

I could almost call these  mini parmigiana , but there is no Parmesan, so I am not quite sure. Still, same principle, but they are little individual portions, and they look quite good for a party, entree or fancy dinner. Slice the eggplants and 'sweat' with salt for at least an hour. Rinse and pat dry. At this stage you can either fry the eggplant slices (with olive oil) or grill/bake them. If you fry them they are tastier, but a bit greasy (remove excess oil with kitchen paper) and it does take time! If you decide to grill them or bake them just put them on a baking tray lined with kitchen paper, brush with olive oil and add a pinch of salt. Place under the grill or in fan oven at 180°C until they look cooked on one side, turn them over and cook them on the other side. The grill is quicker, the oven tends to dry them up, so when I turn them I also cover them with more baking paper so that they keep some 'steam'. I prefer the baking method but for special o...

Now I don't know which one tastes better: this one, or the  berry-banana ice cream ? Same principle again, but I used some  Indian canned mango puree  (this is sweetened, so I cannot say that this ice cream is actually 100% sugar free, but if you have fresh soft mangos they would be perfect too!). I sliced two bananas and froze them (keeping the slices separated by kitchen paper, so they didn't freeze together), I also froze about one cup of mango puree, directly inside the white container for my upright blender (this container has become my new instant ice cream machine, perfect dose for 4!). Then I added the frozen banana slices, blended everything, and this was the result! I think that you can guess how good it tasted just by looking at it! And once again, two ingredients, vegan, and very creamy! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  © This recipe is for Sweet New Zealand , this month of February hosted by Greedybread . If you are a Ki...