Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Kawakawa meringues If you like to forage in the New Zealand bush you may be familiar with  kawakawa , and know that it was used in traditional  Māori  medicine. Also, the leaves make a great tea! But you can also use the leaves instead of vanilla to flavour desserts: they have a distinctive taste which is good for biscuits, meringues and custard puddings (like  Crème brûlée) . It has a peppery flavour and it works! For the meringues and biscuits I started with the Italian meringue, which is made by adding hot sugar syrup to the beaten egg white. Actually, the Italian meringue doesn't need to be cooked as the hot sugar syrup already 'cooks' the eggs, and it is often used as the base for many desserts. But yes, it can also be used for making hard meringues. The so called French meringue is mostly used in New Zealand (egg whites and sugar, rather than hot sugar syrup), and it is easier to make, but to get the kawakawa into the meringues you need a hot syrup! ...

Recipe first. I felt it coming when my husband asked me three times if I was going to the supermarket (no, no, and no) and then moved around the kitchen saying that there wasn't anything bad to eat. Our American wwoofer lifted his eyes in surprise, but I knew exactly what it all meant, and replied that the cookie jar is empty on purpose. Yes, that he worked it out too, I am not the type that simply forgets to fill the tins, I simply try to 'regulate' the weekly intake of sugar in this family. But then I felt guilty, with the wwoofer we had an extra mouth to feed, and another thought crossed my mind: I never made peanut butter cookies! When I told the American he couldn't believe it, they are such a classic US thing, but to be honest I am not really fond of them and I rarely eat peanut butter, which is also the only food that my kids don't like. But my husband loves it, so I decided to go for peanut butter and chocolate and invent something that would f...

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini© Recently I have visited Prato, in Tuscany. In the city centre there is the old Biscottificio Antonio Mattei , the original creator of the Cantucci, or Biscotti di Prato (simply known as Biscotti in many countries outside Italy). Mattei makes biscotti but also many other traditional sweet treats, and the recipes are patented, and secret!!!! Still, there are many versions of the famous biscuits, and here is mine, from my book Sweet As... Biscotti 150 g sugar 2 eggs 250 g flour 1 tsp baking powder 100 g unbleached almonds 1 tsp lemon or orange essence (optional) Beat the sugar and eggs together, then add the remaining ingredients. Work the mixture with a wooden spoon. When the mixture thickens, use your hands to make one or two long rolls, about 7.5 cm wide x 3 cm high, and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 20-30 minutes. Turn the oven off, then cut the roll or rolls into small biscuits with a bread knife and return them to the warm oven for a further...