What a joy it is to make your own tortellini from scratch. In this recipe we use tofu ricotta as the filling, but a meaty version would be just as satisfying. Serve with pomodoro sauce, melted butter or in a broth. Perfect for the festive season, celebrations or Sunday lunch at home. Handmade, delicate pasta is the kind of meal that is worth the effort, especially for those special celebrations or festive occasions. Clear your schedule, grab a helping hand and spend some quality time in the kitchen rolling, shaping and creating these beautiful tortellini. For extra wow-factor, make decorative ..read more

In a world of fast-paced living, technological reliance, dizzying screen time and Thermomixes - how do we stay connected to our human nature and the real world? It's time to get tactile and embrace what matters most. I think many of us feel disconnected to this modern world. It’s as if we're increasingly being funnelled towards disconnecting from our true human nature. We're being separated from this 3D tactile world - from real textures, shapes and sounds - from a fully realised earthly experience. I feel an existential rebellion growing inside of me. Rising up in resistance to the status qu ..read more

Homemade gnocchi is about as satisfying as it gets. It may be a little time consuming, but the ingredients are simple and so are the steps. You'll become a gnocchi-making pro before you know it. Grab a family member or a friend for a wonderful shared experience. Soft pillows of goodness proving once again that we don’t need eggs to create fresh pasta. In fact, many traditional gnocchi recipes don't use eggs anyway! The trick here is to feel your way with the dough rather than stick to the set amount of flour as a hard and fast rule. Too sticky and the gnocchi may disintegrate in the cooking p ..read more

Taking inspiration from the polenta dishes of Abruzzo, this recipe uses unconventional tempeh as a red meat substitute. Instead of separate servings, polenta is often served al tavolo on a large wooden board. A perfect hearty dish to be shared among friends or family. Of course tempeh isn’t an Italian ingredient, but it does replicate an intense rich meatiness. If you haven’t tried tempeh, maybe get to know it first. You don't want to be going on a blind date with this ingredient! It is nothing like tofu (though also made with soybeans) tempeh is a very different type of soy as it is fermente ..read more

No vegan needs to miss out on the indulgence that is a battered, fried, cheesy, crunchy Mozzarella in Carrozza toasted sandwich. This Italian street food is usually filled with dairy mozzarella, coated in egg wash and then fried until crunchy. We're using a few simple ingredients to make this a vegan version to remember. The origins of Mozzarella in Carrozza begin in southern Italy, in particular the Campania region. But like many recipes it has spread throughout the country (not to mention the world). Stringy melted mozzarella is a big feature in the traditional dairy version. Of course, veg ..read more

Carnevale is a time to whip up your most indulgent dishes and feast. I've chosen two of my favourite 'Fat Tuesday' vegan recipes: Zeppole and Walnut Ragu Lasagne. Perfect for your carnevale celebration. TO ZEPPOLE RECIPE TO LASAGNE RECIPE Carnevale is a curious time of year in Italy - where celebration occurs along with religious traditions. This occasion involves gorging on all the rich, fatty and indulgent food you can handle. So why does one do this? Well, as Lent approaches with its traditional forty days of fasting, it's also a tradition to ingest as much indulgent food as possible on th ..read more

Can you imagine a vegan-friendly hotel filled with Christmas cheer, snow falling gently outside, a restaurant serving multi-course regional dishes each night, a strudel cooking class, all set in a picturesque town in the Italian Dolomites? You too can have your very own northern Italian experience. Winter, summer or any time of the year. I share my 3 day experience at Cavalese's Eco Park Hotel Azalea. I arrive on a crisp blue-skied day, the sun enriching the alpine colours. High in the Dolomites of the Trentino-Alto Adige region is the quaint ski-town of Cavalese. This is the Italian-speaking ..read more

It’s no great surprise that I love pasta. But what I love the most about making pasta from scratch is what it can do for you physiologically, psychologically and energetically. Even philosophically. What we yearn for may be simpler than we realise. And carving out time to make your own pasta may be the answer. Hands submerge in flour, massaging soft dough. The rhythmic movement of your body as you knead. Fold, push, turn. Fold, push, turn. Fold, push, turn. Your breath falls into a rhythm. A space unfolds. Time stops still. Rolling your own pasta is the ultimate culinary act of presence. Each ..read more

I’d like to introduce to you the revamped 2nd edition of my first cookbook, ,Discovering Vegan Italian. It was originally published in 2019. My intention for the cookbook was to prove that classic Italian dishes could be veganised with just a little creativity. Over the years readers have shared their love of the Olive Oil Lemon Cake, Tiramisu, Walnut Ragu Lasagne, Polpette and Spaghetti Carbonara from the 1st Edition. I hear stories of food stained pages from well-worn use. My heart sings. Fast forward several years and many cooking adventures later - I have since developed more ideas, knowl ..read more

Looking for easy weeknight meals that are plant-based, satisfying and Italian? Enjoy this round up of 10 dinner dishes (or lunch) from my 2 cookbooks. And there's more than just pasta to feast on! Click on the recipe titles for the recipes. , 1 , ,Oven Baked Stuffed Capsicums These stuffed capsicums, their fleshy skins warm and oily, are the best of vegan Italian food. Pair with a side salad for a deceptively filling meal. , 2 , ,Vegetable Minestrone Minestrone often features pasta or grains, but this vegetable-based soup keeps things light. But for something heartier, throw in some small dr ..read more