Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

 Please note that the chilies here are not mine except for the fat black one (I had two, a couple more still on the plant, not sure if I will ever harvest them though…).  My son Max loves  arrabbiata , one of his favourite sauces, as long as it is not toooo hot. So I just used one chili and put it in the pot with the cut up tomatoes. I cooked the lot until the tomatoes where mashy (most were cherry tomatoes so it didn't take long!), then I put the tomatoes through a sieve and collected the pulp minus seeds and peels. I cooked this until thick, added olive oil and salt, and the sauce was ready. Another way would have been to cook the tomatoes first and then add the chili to the tomato pulp, but this worked well.  Max fascination with chili led him to do a science project two years ago (NZ school year 8), and it was very interesting for me too. He bravely tried different chilies several times over a course of a few weeks, looking for the best antidot...

Preserving olives is a rewarding experience. If you don’t have an olive tree you may be able to forage olives from trees in community gardens and in parks.    Usually olives are ready around April-May (in New Zealand). Pick the olives from the tree (never from the ground) and wash well in cold water. If you prefer sweet-tasting olives you can put them in a bucket of water for up to 40 days, or 20-30 days for very small olives, changing the water every 24 hours; the olives will become brownish in colour, and lose a lot of bitterness. After this period make a brine (recipe follows) and bttle your olives. If you prefer crispy green olives with a peppery taste, just wash them and soak them for a day, then preserve them in brine. Brine for preserving olives Before making the brine, be sure to have plenty of glass jars with lids, sterilised and completely dry. Ingredients Water Salt Prepare 10% salt brine (100 g of salt for every litre of water) by placing...

There is a fig tree up the road from my house and every year I can forage a few figs. This year they abound and are small but sweet. The skin is a bit hard though, so they are perfect for baking rather than eating raw. Fig and yogurt tart For the base: - 200g plain flour - 100g  butter, soft - 100g sugar - 1 egg  - 1 drop vanilla essence For the filling - 12/15 figs (depends on size) - 3 eggs + 2 egg whites - 100 g raw sugar - 100 g yogurt - 1 drop vanilla essence - Icing sugar to sprinkle Prepare the base and spread over the base and borders of a 23cm tart dish lined with baking paper. Cut the figs into two and place over the pastry, cut sides up. Whip the eggs and egg whites with the sugar, add the yogurt and vanilla essence and then pour over the figs. Bake for about 45 minutes at 180 ° C or unit the centre is not wobbly anymore. Dust with icing sugar and let it cool down completely before cutting. I am...