Soups are something which is great for using left overs up including stocks made earlier in the weeks cooking for example. Once you start to expeiment making your own soups you will never return to tinned or brought soups again the taste is delicious and you can add your own twists on common soup recipes.

Also soups start to be ideal as we look for something a little warmer may be for lunch time at work. The beauty of homemade soup is you know exatcly what ingredients have gone into making it. So no added preservatives, colourants etc and with a few handy pots you can simply freeze you soup portions for later use which can be reheaten in the microwave for convenience.

Try to use foods which are in season as I had a abundance of tomatoes from the poly tunnel and also looking for some great vitamin C to boost our imune systems as viruses and bugs start there annual desent onto us I couldn’t think of a better soup than Tomato or which you can make different versions to suit your tastes.

So for a great Tomato Soup you are going to need: 25g butter, 1 medium chopped onion, 1 small chopped potato, 600g fresh tomatoes quartered, 1 garlic clove crushed, 1 bay leaf, 2 tbls tomato puree, 450ml vegetable or chicken stock, 450ml milk and salt and pepper to taste plys parsley to garnish.

Fry the onion in the melted butter until soft then add the potato, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, tomato puree and stock before bringing to the boil and shimmering gently for 20 to 25 minutes until the potato is soft. Remove your bay leaf, add the milk and liquidise the soup using a hand blender (or you could press through a sieve if you do not have a blender). Return your soup to the saucepan and reheat before seasoning to your taste with salt and pepper then garnish with parsley and serve.

As I have taught you all before try different variations on this recipe by for instance adding grated rind and juice of a orange or add 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp parsley and 1 tsp worcester sauce with some crispy diced pancetta and small congigli pasta for a Italian take on Tomato soup.

Check out my previous blog Your dessert island kitchen blender, or another great soup recipe in my previous blog fasta pasta and my previous blog microwave magic in stock for a great quick way to make homemade stock great to use in soups, casseroles and sauces.

Blenders are great kitchen gadgets which aid the cook tremendously, take a look at the selection available of hand blenders. One I like and have used is the Breville VHB014 Stainless Steel Hand Blender Set 

The Breville VHB014 Stainless Steel Hand Blender Set has everything you need in one, a hand blender, electric whisk and chopper. A great addition to any kitchen.

• Powerful 400 watt motor for professional results
• 2 Speeds
• Brushed stainless steel body & leg
• 700ml beaker
• Ergonomic handle

Why not tell us about the product you use to blend with in your recipes?

Sophia Loren once said that ‘Everything you see, I owe to Spaghetti!’. Italians view their food as central to their life full of colour & variety, much like Italys variety of land terraine. The key to their cusine is the importance they put on quality basic ingredients to bring out flavour.

Take tomatoes they bring flavour to a variety of Italian dishes and Italian tomato varieties are exported all over the world aswell as being a important basic ingredient to Italian cookery and the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil used in dressings, for shallow frying or drizzled on pasta or bread is another staple for Italian cookery along with its health claims packed full with antioxidants and monounsaturated fats for reducing cholesterol.

I remember some facts picked up while visiting Italy and while chatting being told about Parma Ham which is cured for a minimum of 13 months and the longer the cure the sweeter and milder the flavour for example. They have a passion for food and life in general.

Why not make some homemade Focaccia to get in the Italian mood?

Your going to need: a 500g white bread mix, 3 tblsp olive oil, 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary and 4 finely sliced gloves of garlic.

Start by chopping the leaves of 4 of the rosemary  sprigs (saving one sprig for decoration later) and emptying the bread mix into a bowl before stirring in the garlic and chopped rosemary. Then mix according to the bread packet mix directions and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Flatten your dough in to 2 oblongs each of about 1cm thickness and put these onto a lightly oiled baking sheet (oiled with olive oil). Don’t forget the great silicone baking sheets available now, if you haven’t tried them yet then what are you waiting for, they are great, easy to use, store and clean. Cover this loosely with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for the dough to prove for at least 30  minutes when the dough should of doubled in size. Preheat your oven 220 c/ 425 f/ gas 7 and make dimples in your focaccia dough with your fingers before brushing with 2 tblsp olive oil and decorating with the remaining sprig of rosemary leaves and sprinkle with sea salt then bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven abd brush with the remaining olive oil before serving warm.

Note you can freeze this superb bread by double wrapping in greaseproof paper and foil before freezing until needed.

Find other italian ideas (and yes Italian is one of my favourite cuisines), in my previous blog italian-style baked red pepper or try this recipe in my blog traditional soda bread recipe or you could try my peppered beef & mushroom tagliatelle recipe in my previous blog easy recipe for a italian supper.

Sweet juicy melons are the taste of summer. With plenty of varieties to choose from, melon can make a healthy treat that can be enjoyed as a instant low calorie snack or dessert. Whether you prefer the fresh flavour of a watermelon or the fragrant flesh of the canteloupe.

Melons are a refreshing way to help all of us to eat our five portions of fruit and vegetables per day as recommended for a healthy diet.

So pick your favourite Melon from super-sweet charentais, crisp watermelon, juicy canteloupe, galia or honeydew varieties.

A very simple appertiser and something to take on a picnic with you is Proscuitto (Italian dry cured ham) wrapped in melon balls. Really easy to make by making balls of honeydew melon with a melon baller and wrap these in prosciutto and fresh mint to make a great snack/ appertiser which is simple to make, low in cost, delicious and uses few ingredients. 

The melon baller is a simple kitchen gadget that you can use for a variety of fruits and you can also use your melon balls for desserts decorating trifles, cakes, adding to salads and don’t forget you can add them to your cocktails too. 

Find more dessert ideas in my blog berried treasure at pick your own farms and a mouthful of heaven with many more great recipe ideas for you in all of my blogs to try.

This recipe for Italian-style baked peppers is one of my family’s favourites from a old and dear family friend. “Oh dear!”, maybe I should of left the old off that?

Anyway, his fabulous Italian roots have taught me some fantastic Italian recipes to say the least over the years, and Italian food and wine are some of my personal favourites.

This recipe is lovely served as an accompaniment to white fish, grilled chicken, rich game sausages or just on their own!

For my Italian-style baked red peppers simply -

Halve and deseed 4 large red peppers and place them on your (silicone) baking sheet or dish (see my previous blog on 23rd July on Silicone bakewear), leave the stalks in place. Into each pepper half put cherry tomato, halved, 4 capers, 2 black oilives, pitted, 1 tblsp basil pesto and 25g camembert cut into chunky cubes. Drizzle the pepper halves with a little olive oil, some ground black pepper and a few torn basil leaves. The roast at 200 c/ 400 f / gas 6 for 30 minutes until the peppers are just starting to blacken around the edges. Simple serve them with sliced ciabatta bread cut thinly which you can use to soak up the lovely juices and a sharpe glass of Itailian Wine.  

Love Italian see my blog easy recipe for a quick Italian supper, Patriotic pizza started a food idea to stand the test of time, and a perfect start to the end of the day just to give a few tasters of my great recipes and love of Italian food and Wine!

Have you a favourite Italian Dish, share it with all of us, does it have some great memories attached to it!

Are you rushed off you feet? This quick and easy recipe is a must for a evening or weekend meal. You could even cook this for that someone special in your life, So set the mood and cook away and earn yourself some brownie points!!

For a easy recipe try my peppered beef & mushroom tagliatelle.  To serve 4 people you are going to need: 2 1/2 tbls olive oil, 600g sirloin steaks, 1 onion sliced, 250g tagliatelle, 300g mixed mushrooms with porcini sliced (you can use frozen if you wish or just chestnut mushrooms but the mix of mushrooms really adds to the flavour of the dish). 1 clove of garlic peeled & chopped, 2 tsp worcestershire sauce, 100ml beef stock, 142ml soured cream, 2 tblsp chopped fresh tarragon (plus have some springs to garnish your dish before serving) and a knob of butter (come on I was taught by a real farmhouse traditional cook!!).

Firstly bring a pan of salted water to boil and leat 1 1/2 tblsps of the oil a good frying pan. Season your steaks with black pepper and when the oil is hot add them to your pan. brown the steaks on each side for a minute and set a side. Heat the remaining pol in the pan and stir in the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Cook your tagliatelle in the boiling water according to instructions depending if fresh, homemade (see my previous blog  homemade pasta  ) or dried.

Add the mushrooms and garlic to you onions in the frying pan, add the worcestershire sauce, stock and soured cream. Stir then let the sauce bubble for 2 to 3 minutes before stirring in the tarragon. Drain your pasta and toss in the meat, sauce and the knob of butter. Serve garnished with the tarragon springs, a good italian wine of your choice.

A good frying pan is a must so think before you buy when obtaining this important kitchen essential. If like me you like to make recipes in your frying pan and then place the frying pan into the oven or under the grill, which I have to say is a terrific plus. You need to make sure your purchase a frying pan with a metal handle (but remember if you do this always wear oven gloves when handling). I love this range of pans made by ‘Le Pentole’ and the Le Pentole Stainless Steel frying pans or skillets range.  Designed in the late 70’s by Kiki Sala in a timeless design, with superb functionality and strength. They have reinforced rims providing an all round pouring rim and robust handle/ the close fitting lids make them ideal for cooking with minimum water and each lid is interchangable with other pans of the sames size within their range.  Also you can turn your frying pan into a simply pressure cooker by simply purchasing a pressure lid to use with your pan so there ideal and versatile, this Le Pentole frying pan  (as pictured above) features: 

• Manufactured in Italy from quality 18/10 stainless steel
• Classic style and design
• Exceptionally hygienic and easy to clean.
• Fully dishwasher, refrigerator and oven safe.
• Composite base of stainless steel, copper and silver alloy.
• Ultra flat base
• Equal distribution of heat
• Suitable for all cooker types including induction.
• Virtually indestructible handles
• Compression and torsion resistant up to 100kgs pressure.
• 25 year guarantee.

Check out some of other Pasta blogs like quick, easy asparagus recipe, and food for sport. Tell me about your favourite Italian supper, have you got a family favourite which you cook over and over again then please share it with all of us, or even tell me about a trip to Italy and the great food you ate!