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BACK TO SEASONAL RECIPES
Warm some olive oil in a deep saucepan and add the sliced leek with a pinch of rock salt. Sautee over a medium heat for around 5-7 minutes until it has softened. Next, add the celeriac, apples and thyme and cook for 2–3 minutes, then add the stock and cannellini beans and season well. Simmer over a low heat for 20–30 minutes, until the celeriac is tender, then remove from the heat and blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Toast the hazelnuts whole in a pan for a few minutes, then set to one side. Before serving you may like to crush a few into large pieces. At the last minute, fry the sage leaves in extra virgin olive oil and a little flaked salt until crispy. Serve immediately.
February 27, 2026

Celeriac Soup with crispy sage and hazelnuts

I first fell in love with celeriac in France, where we used to travel extensively as kids and here the remoulade was a firm lunchtime favourite. Since living in Italy, I tend to roast it most often with garlic and salt, it also loves thyme as a partner. During the colder days, it is also wonderful as a hearty soup combined with cannellini beans and a little apple for sharpness.READ MORE

August 30, 2025

Porcini and Thyme Toast

The rich, earthy flavours of autumn are vivid in this simple yet elegant porcini mushroom toast. Prized porcini bring a deep, woody taste that perfectly captures the season. Great as a light lunch or even for breakfast this toast embodies the cozy spirit of autumn’s forest bounty.READ MORE

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

March 6, 2025

Risotto con Porri

A simple, nutrient-rich, and flavorful first course, perfect for those who prefer plant-based dishes and wonderfully comforting. Leeks are typically at their best from September through to March. With their sweet aromatic taste they are a great alternative to onions and when combined with a brilliant pure extra virgin olive oil, they pack layers of flavour.READ MORE

Ribollita
February 2, 2025

In Search of the Perfect Ribollita

Ribollita remains to this day the cornerstone of Tuscan cuisine. It originates from a tradition of repurposing leftovers, driven by a necessity-based way of living. Made from leftover bread, it is a soup that is reheated the next day and brought back to the boil while frequently stirred and this process transforms it into something truly special: a new soup with a more intense flavour.READ MORE

January 15, 2025

Aubergine and Tahini Salad

This salad works well in the summer as a lunch if you are entertaining because you can prepare it ahead of time and the flavours seem to improve as it waits to be brought to the table. READ MORE

January 4, 2025

Frico Friulano

This traditional Friulano recipe is based on the three key ingredients of potatoes, onions and cheese, aimed to be a substantial meal for woodcutters and shepherds. It uses the local cheese Montasio, but if you can’t find this, a mature cow’s milk or vegan alternative would work well. It is true comfort food for a cold day.

 

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November 20, 2024

Broccoletti with Pulses – Cecamariti

This recipe comes from the amazing Anna del Conte. Cecamariti means ‘it blinds the husbands’, which probably refers to the peperoncino but in actual fact, it isn’t too spicy – and the pulses need a bit of a lift!

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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

October 5, 2023

Miso, Sumac Roasted Squash

Embrace the flavours of autumn with this roasted squash dish. Glazed with extra virgin olive oil, white miso, pink peppercorns, and sumac, each bite is a burst of vibrant flavours. 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

November 26, 2022

Winter Roots

The base notes of winter meet the peppery spice of new season olive oil in some sort of divine marriage.READ MORE

October 30, 2022

Caesar Mushroom and Tomino Salad

Should you eat raw mushrooms? No, never… except perhaps when they are Caesar’s Mushrooms (Ovuli in Italian) and your good friends, who are hugely experienced mushroom foragers, have picked them. It’s a gift fit for an emperor and one of the culinary delights of the autumn. If you are willing to risk your life in eating a raw mushroom… READ MORE

Making Sugo for the winter recipe Frantoi,org
October 29, 2022

Sugo di Pomodoro

Making tomato sugo at the end of the summer is a tradition in our family. Mostly, about half way through the morning, everyone asks me – why don’t we just go to the store and buy it! READ MORE

November 29, 2021

Chestnut pasta with mushroom and chesnuts

Chestnuts are a quintessential autumn ingredient yet very few people dare to cook with them.  Not the case over here in Italy where they are integrated in to a variety of different dishes at this time of the year.READ MORE

October 29, 2021

Risotto ai Funghi Porcini e Nepitella

Risotto ai Funghi Porcini is a heartwarming dish in the autumn.  It’s often made with dried porcini – but nothing beats the incredible flavour and texture you get with fresh mushrooms in this most seasonal dish.  Adding a little nepitella (calamint in English), lifts this dish brilliantly with its green aromatics (here is a bit more information about nepitella).  This dish should be crowned as the king of autumn. 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

Ajvar from Friuli
November 21, 2020

Ajvar Friuliano

Like almost everything in Friuli, its food is also a combination of influences from the different cultures that make up this stunning region. Here, Italian, Austrian and Slavic food mixes side by side. Ajvar, a typical dip from Friuli, feels strongly Slavic in character, but also deeply Italian.READ MORE

Cime di Rapa
October 28, 2020

Cime di Rapa

Rapini or broccoli rabe: bright green, decisive in flavour and intensely good for you.  Fresh from the orto as we head towards winter and favoured in the kitchens of southern Italy in particular, it’s an ingredient we always looked for when we were in London but that we only really started to use regularly when we moved to Italy.READ MORE

Autumn is the season for pumpkins
October 26, 2020

Pumpkins!

Pumpkins have a high antioxidant content, including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin as well as a high level of vitamin A (which strengthens your immune system) – perfect October food to guide you through the season change.READ MORE

September 28, 2020

Aubergines

This beautiful fruit is a member of the nightshade family Solanaceae.  For centuries, it was appreciated as a decorative plant because the fruit was thought to be too bitter, but we now know it’s a great source of dietary goodness including vitamins B1 and B6 as well as potassium and magnesium. READ MORE

Zucchini summer recipes
September 6, 2020

Zucchini. The never-ending summer story

This wonderful summer squash from the Cucurbitaceae plant family (which includes melons, marrows and cucumbers) is thought of as a vegetable, but is in fact a fruit. You find it in a range of tones, but we prefer the pale green romanesco variety with its firmer consistency and superior flavour both cooked and raw.READ MORE

Frantoi's vegetable saganaki recipe
September 3, 2020

Frantoi’s vegetable Saganaki

We really love visiting Greece, and over the extended lockdown months we often enjoyed bringing the flavours of this extraordinary country to our table – it was our version of lockdown travel. READ MORE

Pappa al Pomodoro
July 22, 2020

Pappa al Pomodoro

Pappa al Pomodoro is quintessential tuscan peasant food that you can find on every table during the warm summer months.  It makes a for a perfect fresh and flavoursome starter.READ MORE

May 8, 2020

Agretti: Spring Magic

Agretti is one of the most unique vegetables you can find in the spring time in Italy. Known as Barba di Frate (Friar’s beard), it’s a collection of beautiful thin emerald green strands, which feel fresh, slightly bitter (agro is Italian for sour), have a lovely mineral saltiness, and if cooked correctly (i.e. not for long) a perfect bite.READ 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 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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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

November 21, 2019

The Mighty Fennel

There is a time in July when we wander the shopping aisles slightly lost by the absence of our all time favourite food staple. Indeed for about 8 months of the year we always have fennel at home, eating it most days, but its season is early autumn to late spring, along side cavolo nero, trevisano and other winter vegetables. We often feel the freshness of fennel should be on our table in the summer, but we know there is a reason for this.  And this cousin of the carrot is therefore highly appreciated at this time of the year when it is at its new season best.READ MORE

October 27, 2019

Beetroot three ways

Red, orange and yellow feature highly in our autumn vegetable basket, from pumpkin to pomegranate, we feel blessed to have these rich, earthy, autumnal flavours at our table. Beetroot holds a special place in our heart so we wanted to dedicate a few words to it.READ MORE

July 30, 2019

The Tomato

We are thankfully in the heart of Tomato season.  A moment that should not be underestimated in terms of how wonderful it can be.  I feel as if many of us have become used to eating tomatoes all year round and there’s something fundamentally wrong about this.  Not least because of the flavour, but also importantly because of what a true seasonally ripe tomato can give you.READ MORE

July 29, 2019

Caponata

As you move to the deep south of Italy, the food changes becoming distinctly mediterranean as it combines sweet, savoury and nutty flavours. READ MORE

May 14, 2018

Melanzane alla Parmigiana

Frantoio De Carlo, Tenuta Torre di Mossa

We love this dish served with crusty bread and a green salad and accompanied by a chilled glass of Vermentino.  It seems perfect for those evenings when you begin eating outdoors as spring fades to summer.READ MORE

August 29, 2016

Frittata di Fiori di Zucchina

Zucchini flowers are a gem of an ingredient, with a lovely subtle taste and beautiful colour. This is a simple dish, delicate and looks beautiful on a summer table. 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