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BACK TO SEASONAL RECIPES
May 13, 2025

SCARPAZZONE

Scarpazzone, also known as Erbazzone, is a seasonal savory tart from Emilia-Romagna. Like many classic Italian dishes, scarpazzone has humble roots, and is in its prime during chard season – from late spring to early autumn. It forms a part of many lunchtime menus but can also be enjoyed for breakfast.READ MORE

January 15, 2025

Carpaccio of Fish with Citrus and Spice

Carpaccio in general terms is a dish of raw meat or fish and is typically dressed simply with some fine extra virgin olive oil and perhaps a squeeze of citrus. It is one of the finest things to enjoy on a warm day or as a starter for a great meal, but it all comes down to the quality of the ingredients. There is nowhere to hide, thanks to its simplicity.

 

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May 8, 2024

Wild Nettle Pesto

May is the month for nettles, if you take them later, not only might you remove a nesting ground for ladybirds, but once they are flowering, they are less good for you.  If you haven’t tried it before, nettle pesto is great with pasta, over frittata, or an open sandwich and it takes no time to make.READ MORE

June 12, 2023

Carciofi alla Romana

Olive oil and artichokes are pretty much a match made in heaven. Perhaps it is the green flavour profile often found in both, or perhaps it is the bitterness, either way, they work brilliantly together. READ MORE

May 25, 2023

Grilled Beetroot with Labneh and Dill

This is a dish that works brilliantly with some grilled fish but can equally work on its own with a slice of sourdough toast. It is particularly good using new season small beetroots. READ MORE

March 22, 2023

Olive Oil Granola

This Granola is a little different and comes from the timeless Nigella Lawson. We absolutely love it because it’s not quite as sweet – it has no dried fruit and it’s a million miles away from the shop bought alternatives.READ MORE

April 10, 2021

A Spring Soup

There is a very short period in the spring where all the quintessential vegetables of the season can be found in full flavour: fresh peas, braodbeans and artichokes overlap for a very precious few weeks, usually in April.  This would call for vignarola (you can find the recipe here), the roman spring vegetable stew, but we found in Gill Meller’s wonderful cookbook Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower an even more uplifting alternative, READ MORE

May 8, 2020

Spaghetti con Agretti

Like any vegetable that appears in the market for only a few weeks a year, agretti feels like a rare treat. When the weather is such that we can sit comfortably outside for lunch, this makes a great mealREAD MORE

May 5, 2020

The Green Kings: Artichokes

Carciofo (artichoke) season in Italy runs throughout the winter until the late spring. So in April, we try to take full advantage before they disappear again for a few months.

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April 11, 2020

Penne ai sapori della Primavera

In this extraordinary moment of life, many of us have necessarily moved from shopping every couple of days to shopping or receiving delivery of a weekly order.  We find this abundant arrival of vegetables in our kitchen hugely uplifting and it drives us to create fresh, delicious dishes that the whole family can enjoy.

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April 8, 2020

Asparagus

Fine weather in early spring tends to bring on the wild asparagus in Italy, one of the most refined shoots of the season. With it’s distinctive flavour, wild asparagus is rich in iron, phosphorus and vitamins A, E, C and B. Not to be recommended for those with any sort of kidney complaints (it has diuretic properties) but other than that extremely good for you. Interestingly, from a number of sources, I read that Asparagus is easier to digest if prepared with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

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April 6, 2020

Gnudi di Ricotta e Spinaci

Gnudi are light dumplings, truly delicious and easy to make.  In Tuscany we use fresh ricotta during the spring, which is a sheep’s cheese but you could replace with either cow or buffalo ricotta depending on what you can find.READ MORE

February 8, 2020

Chicory

Cicoria in Italy is a wintery-spring staple. Packed full of vitamins and mineral salts (particularly in wild chicory) it is deliciously bitter and a fine side dish accompanying meat, fish or potato based dishes.READ MORE

April 26, 2019

Finally Spring

Finally spring! Frankly we’ve had enough of cavolo nero and cabbage, and long for the fresh flavours of the new season, like freshly podded peas and broad-beans, and the king of vegetables that is artichoke… READ MORE

May 24, 2018

Three Seasonal Recipes, One EVOO

One of the most under the radar oils we bring to you is Tenuta Torre di Mossa from Frantoio De Carlo in Puglia.

This Monocultivar Coratina ripens later than other cultivars giving it a fabulous viscosity which makes it an amazing alternative to butter.  And for this reason it works brilliantly over vegetables.  READ MORE

May 24, 2018

EVOO Pairing: Le Trebbiane

We are often asked to recommend a good, benchmark Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil and one of our favourites is Le Trebbiane from Frantoio Franci.  READ MORE

May 14, 2018

Dill Mayonnaise

An extremely simple but well made mayonnaise can make all the difference to your dish, especially if it’s made with incredibly good Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  It works well with many different fish dishes, including crab.READ MORE

Frantoi - Pasta alle Vongole
May 27, 2016

Spaghetti alle Vongole

This is maybe one of the easiest and most impressive plates of pasta you can make. As always you need the best ingredients for a true flavour – fresh clams from your fishmonger, one of our maritime olive oils, from Puglia, Sicily or Liguria. READ MORE

Chickpea Puree and Octopus
April 20, 2016

Chickpea Puree with Octopus

This is a delicious dish I had once at Drogeria Franci in Montalcino, in early spring, when you feel you should have freshness but still crave warmth. I used to be quite worried about cooking octopus – it was one of those creatures that looked complicated. But wanting to recreate this dish made me try it, and I was wrong: it’s very easy to cook. And very tasty. READ MORE

Frantoi - Vignarola
April 6, 2016

Vignarola

Vignarola is a traditional spring dish from Rome. It’s not very common, and is, in effect a vegetable stew, but it brings with it all the freshness and flavours of spring. From outside it’s a dish that is difficult to understand because it doesn’t really fit as an accompaniment to a main course of meat or fish (a secondo we’d call it in Italy), but by itself it would not be eaten as main course. READ MORE