Extra-Virgin Olive Oil on 🍽️ Recipes & ⚗️ Analysis by Diego

Lentil Soup with Aubergine and Tomato

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Lentil Soup with Aubergine and Tomato

A rustic, complete lentil soup, 100% plant-based and made in one pot: a soffritto of onion, carrot and celery, grated aubergine that melts into the base, a double hit of tomato (paste and passata) and lentils cooked gently. Blending a small part at the end lets you decide how creamy to make it, while still leaving lentils and vegetables to chew on. It is a dish to make unhurried and then let rest: the longer it waits, the more the flavours come together. It goes well with a rustic focaccina or a vegetable schiacciata.

Mexican Black Bean, Corn and Paprika Soup

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mexican Black Bean, Corn and Paprika Soup

Black bean and corn soup is a classic Mexican soup, which calls for pre-cooking the black beans and a few ingredients that are hard to find outside Central America. This is a simplified version, 100% plant-based, made in a single pot, with only the recipe's core ingredients. The chilli is listed as optional, meaning you add more or less to taste, or leave it out. Leaving it out does change the final result noticeably: you get a more delicate soup, in which the creamy notes of the beans and the sweetness of the corn come through more. The avocado is added sliced or diced, raw, straight onto the plate: it brings creaminess without altering the flavour. In this Mediterranean version the avocado, too, can be left out. What I do recommend is eating the soup with a rustic focaccina or the multicolour cloud focaccine or, for an extra flavour boost, with a vegetable schiacciata.

Pumpkin Risotto: an in-depth guide

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pumpkin Risotto: an in-depth guide

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Carnaroli rice you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Carnaroli rice (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Risotto (saucepan, in order of addition)

Ingredient	Quantity
Delica or Mantovana pumpkin, trimmed raw	650 g
Extra-virgin olive oil (for the base)	25 g (about 2 tbsp)
Shallot, finely chopped (or 1 medium onion per 4 people)	2
Carnaroli rice	320 g
Dry white wine, optional, or see alternatives	120 ml
Hot vegetable stock	1400 ml

Halfway through cooking, fold in the cooked, mashed pumpkin (see method).

Soft Pumpkin Sformato (from the burger mix)

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Soft Pumpkin Sformato (from the burger mix)

This sformato comes from the same mix as the moulded pumpkin burgers/balls: up to the point where the mix is ready (roasted pumpkin, cannellini, onion, carrot, spices and oil, blended) the recipe is identical. From there, instead of pressing and slicing, you take part of it, set it in a pan with a little tomato and get a soft sformato, to eat with a spoon or as a mash. It is all done by eye, no weighing: add the tomato a little at a time, about half the weight of the pumpkin mix. It turns into a vegetarian dish by adding a tasty cheese like parmesan, mozzarella, scamorza.

Hand-Formed Veggie Burgers (Pan, Oven or Air Fryer)

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Hand-Formed Veggie Burgers (Pan, Oven or Air Fryer)

What is the difference between these burgers and the moulded ones? Well, if you want a finished burger with a precise shape (round, heart-shaped, bigger/smaller, ...) then the hand-formed burgers give a more defined result, but this takes more time because you actually have to shape the burgers one by one. If instead you prefer a quicker preparation, once the mixture is ready you can put it into a container, as shown in the moulded carrot burgers recipe, and refrigerate it; then when you need to cook the burgers, just take the mixture from the mould and cut the slices you need, where each slice will be a burger. Or, alternatively, you can also use it to make a vegetable bake (or vegetable and legume bake), as described in the vegetable bake recipe (link as soon as the recipe is published).

Moulded Pumpkin Balls

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Moulded Pumpkin Balls

This is a really quick and versatile recipe: it starts from the pumpkin burger mix, and from there you can make balls, as in this recipe, or the pumpkin burgers themselves, or the pumpkin flan. The base mix, quickly prepared with pumpkin, potatoes or legumes and spices, can be put in a fridge container and kept aside for the following days, or it can be frozen and used when needed.

Moulded Veggie Burgers (Carrot, Zucchini, Potato)

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Moulded Veggie Burgers (Carrot, Zucchini, Potato)

What is the difference between these burgers and the hand-formed ones? Well, if you want a finished burger with a precise shape (round, heart-shaped, bigger/smaller, ...) then the hand-formed burgers give a more defined result, but this takes more time because you actually have to shape the burgers one by one. If instead you prefer a quicker preparation, once the mixture is ready you can put it into a container, as shown below, and refrigerate it; then when you need to cook the burgers, just take the mixture from the mould and cut the slices you need, where each slice will be a burger. Or, alternatively, you can also use it to make a vegetable bake (or vegetable and legume bake), as described in the vegetable bake recipe (link as soon as the recipe is published).

Pumpkin Burgers

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pumpkin Burgers

What is the difference between these burgers and the moulded ones? Well, if you want a finished burger with a precise shape (round, heart-shaped, bigger/smaller, ...) then the hand-formed burgers give a more defined result, but this takes more time because you actually have to shape the burgers one by one. If instead you prefer a quicker preparation, once the mixture is ready you can put it into a container, as shown in the moulded pumpkin burgers recipe, and refrigerate it; then when you need to cook the burgers, just take the mixture from the mould and cut the slices you need, where each slice will be a burger.

Crispy Paprika Pasta Matta

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Crispy Paprika Pasta Matta

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Wholegrain durum wheat semolina (re-milled) you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Wholegrain durum wheat semolina (re-milled) (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Dough

Ingredient	Quantity
Wholegrain durum wheat semolina (re-milled)	150 g
Type 2 flour (semi-wholegrain, stone-milled)	150 g
Water (room temperature)	150 g
Olive oil	60 g
Smoked paprika	10 g
Fine salt	6 g

The ingredients: wholegrain semolina and type 2 flour, olive oil, water, smoked paprika and salt.

2. Method

Optional: Bloom the paprika.
Warm the 60 g olive oil over low heat until just lukewarm (it must not fry). Remove from heat, stir in the 10 g smoked paprika and stir for 30-60 seconds: the oil takes on colour and becomes fragrant. Let cool slightly. This step extracts the paprika's colour and aroma without burning it.
Make the dough.
In a bowl combine the 150 g wholegrain semolina and the 150 g type 2 flour with the 6 g fine salt (and the 10 g smoked paprika, if you skipped the blooming step). Add the 150 g water at room temperature and the 60 g olive oil (the paprika oil, if you bloomed it), a little at a time while kneading. The water amount is fixed (50% of the flour weight). Stop when the dough comes together into a firm, non-sticky ball. Pasta matta is a dry dough, it should not feel soft or wet. It's normal for it to stay rough, as in the photo; it relaxes after resting in the fridge.
Cover in an airtight container and rest at least 30 minutes at room temperature (the longer the better; you can even refrigerate it for the next day): resting hydrates the semolina fully and makes the dough more elastic and easier to roll thin without tearing. If you really want to do a proper job, cover with cling film in direct contact to limit evaporation and the forming of a surface skin as much as possible. I consider it an optional step, and a waste of plastic too, because we then have to knead it again to make the balls, so any surface skin gets fixed by that re-kneading.
Roll out.
Divide the dough into as many pieces as you like: the smaller the portion, the more small savoury tarts you get, rather than a single tray-sized tart. I'd suggest no less than 80 g per piece (unless you're after ravioli). Roll each piece on a surface lightly dusted with semolina, as thin as possible (1-2 mm for a cracker-like result). Rolling in two stages, a first pass, a short rest, then a second, helps the semolina keep the sheet from tearing.
The pasta matta is ready: you can now use it to make savoury parcels, such as the savoury parmesan and spinach parcels or the savoury sun-dried tomato and paprika parcels, or make crackers/schiacciata by carrying on with the recipe below. It is not an ideal use, though: if you want a schiacciata I recommend the vegetable schiacciata recipe.
Bake.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C static. Transfer the sheets to a lined baking tray, prick them all over with a fork (prevents bubbles and keeps them flat and crisp). A pinch of salt on top is optional.
Bake 15-18 minutes until evenly golden with crisp edges. Thicker sheets need a few minutes more. Watch the last few minutes: being thin and oil-rich, it goes from golden to too dark quickly.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack: pasta matta crisps up as it cools, not straight out of the oven.

3. Storage

Let cool completely on a wire rack before storing: if sealed while warm, steam softens it and it loses its crunch.

100% Plant-Based Fruit Crumble

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

100% Plant-Based Fruit Crumble

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Total fruit you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Total fruit (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Crumble topping

Granola Fruit Crumble

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Granola Fruit Crumble

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Total fruit you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Total fruit (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Granola topping

Vegetable Purée Flatbread with Rosemary and Garlic

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Vegetable Purée Flatbread with Rosemary and Garlic

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Type 2 flour (semi-wholegrain, stone-milled) you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Type 2 flour (semi-wholegrain, stone-milled) (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Vegetable purée (raw weight, before cooking)

Ingredient	Quantity
Golden onion (about 2 medium)	400 g
Red bell pepper (about 2 medium)	350 g
Peeled garlic cloves (~12-15 cloves)	30 g
Tomato passata (added raw at blending)	100 g
Olive oil (for the pan)	15 g
Fresh rosemary (roughly chopped needles)	5 g
Dried oregano	3 g
Freshly ground black pepper	1 g
(Optional) Paprika (smoked or not)	5 g

Dough

Ingredient	Quantity
Type 2 flour (semi-wholegrain, stone-milled)	750 g
Wholegrain durum wheat semolina (re-milled)	250 g
Water	340 g
Olive oil	60 g
Fresh yeast (or 3 g instant dry yeast)	8 g
Fine salt	13 g

2. Method

Prepare the purée.
Dice 400 g onion, 350 g red bell pepper (remove seeds and membranes) and 30 g garlic cloves, finely chopped.
Grease a pan with 15 g olive oil (indicative, adjust by eye) and heat the oil. Add the vegetables and sauté for about 10 minutes.

One of the first pans I made. I didn't have enough red pepper so I used a yellow one. In any case, I now cut the vegetables finer than this; as soon as I can I'll add a photo of the latest batches.

Put the cooked vegetables in a container (they are hot, I'd avoid plastic). Add 100 g tomato passata (raw), 5 g fresh rosemary, 3 g dried oregano, 1 g black pepper and, if desired, 5 g paprika. Blend until you have a purée. Let cool to room temperature.

Cooked vegetables, transferred to a glass container.

Adding tomato, spices and herbs.

Vegetable purée, blended with an immersion blender.

Make the dough.
Dissolve 8 g fresh yeast in 50 g water, lukewarm, and add it to the flours (750 g type 2 flour and 250 g wholegrain semolina), then add the vegetable purée. Start kneading, then add the remaining 290 g water in a stream as needed: you may need less, depending on how dry or watery the vegetables are.
As soon as there is no free water, add 13 g fine salt and 60 g olive oil. Knead a few minutes until you have a cohesive mass with no unabsorbed flour remaining. No need for a smooth ball; you will get that after the first round of folds. Then cover the bowl with a lid or plate.

This is what the dough looks like after briefly kneading flours, yeast, vegetable purée, oil and salt. In this case I added 200 ml total water per 1 kg total flour. The water is added afterwards, a little at a time, adjusted to how much the purée absorbs.

Folds.
After 30 minutes of covered rest, proceed with the first round of stretch and folds.
Perform two more rounds of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals.
Bulk fermentation.
Cover again and let rise 3-4 hours at room temperature. The dough should increase by 70-80% (do not wait for a full doubling).

After fermentation is complete, now it goes into the pan. In this case, however, I divided the dough into different pieces so I could experiment with different thicknesses.

Shape.
Generously oil a baking tray (~30×40 cm). Transfer the dough to the tray and stretch it gently with wet hands to fill the edges.
Cover the tray with a clean kitchen towel, or place in a turned-off oven with a cup of hot water, and let rise 50-60 minutes until the dough is puffy and springs back slowly when pressed with a finger.
Bake.
Preheat the oven to 220 °C static. Dimple the surface with oiled fingers. Drizzle with olive oil. For a thinner, crispier result, in addition to dimpling you can prick the dough with a fork or skewer.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until evenly golden and crisp.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack before cutting.

The holes made with the fork are mainly for aesthetic effect, but they help make the flatbread crunchier while still maintaining a bit of softness inside.

From here you can see the different versions better. The central one is the flatbread rolled out like a sheet (about 2 millimeters), it comes out like a cracker. The flavor, however, is identical in all versions.

This is another version I made with a different batch.

Closer view.

3. Storage

Let cool completely on a wire rack before storing (prevents condensation and mould).

Rainbow Cloud Focaccine

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Rainbow Cloud Focaccine

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Plain flour (type 0 or type 1) strong you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Plain flour (type 0 or type 1) strong (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Ingredient	%	Quantity
Plain flour (type 0 or type 1) strong	100%	1000 g
Water	78%	780 g
Fine salt	1%	10 g
Extra-virgin olive oil	2%	20 g
Diastatic barley malt	0.5%	5 g
Active dry yeast	0.4%	4 g
(Optional) Dried oregano		to taste

2. Water Roux (Tangzhong)

Ingredient	%	Quantity
Flour from total	7%	70 g
Water from total	35%	350 g

Mix the flour and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 65 °C: the mixture thickens into a dense, gelatinous custard-like paste. Remove from heat and cool completely to room temperature before use. The tangzhong gelatinises the starch, which retains more water during baking and gives the crumb superior softness and moisture.

Rustic Focaccine, Crispy Outside and Soft Inside

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Rustic Focaccine, Crispy Outside and Soft Inside

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Strong type 1 flour you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Strong type 1 flour (min g, max g): g

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity	%
Strong type 1 flour	400 g	40%
Type 2 flour	150 g	15%
Re-milled durum wheat semolina	200 g	20%
Wholemeal rye flour	170 g	17%
Legume flour (chickpea or pea)	80 g	8%
Water	780 g	78%
Fine salt	10 g	1%
Extra-virgin olive oil	20 g	2%
Diastatic barley malt	5 g	0.5%
Active dry yeast	4 g	0.4%

Method

Autolyse (optional but recommended): in a large bowl, combine all the flours with the water. Mix roughly until incorporated. Cover and rest 20-60 minutes. The autolyse allows the flours to fully hydrate and begins gluten development before kneading, making subsequent work shorter and the result more extensible.
Knead: add 5 g malt and 4 g yeast (dissolved in a little water from the total). Knead for a couple of minutes to incorporate, then add 10 g salt and 20 g extra-virgin olive oil. Continue kneading until the flour and oil are fully absorbed. There is no need to achieve a smooth, round ball at this point: that will come after the first fold. Cover the bowl with a lid or a plate.
Bulk rise: perform 3 stretch & folds every 30 minutes, then leave the dough covered at room temperature until doubled in volume.
Cold fermentation: lightly oil the bottom of the container (optional step, but helps with releasing the dough after fermentation). Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 h (up to 48 h possible).
Shaping: divide the dough into 50-100 g pieces. Gently flatten into discs no thicker than 1 cm. Rest covered for 45-60 minutes at room temperature.
Optional brine: emulsify water and oil in a 1:1 ratio by beating with a fork. Brush onto the surface of the focaccine, poke holes with a fork (optional), add dried oregano to taste.
Baking: bake at 250 °C for about 15 minutes (adjust by eye: 2-3 minutes more for a crispier crust, less for softer focaccine).

Technical Notes

Hydration. This recipe uses 78% hydration. It can be varied from 70% up to 80%. I advise against exceeding 80% because the dough becomes significantly harder to work without noticeable benefits to the final product.
Autolyse. This is an optional but recommended step. It consists of mixing flour and water and letting it rest for 20-60 minutes before adding salt and yeast. This time allows the flour to fully hydrate and the gluten to begin forming on its own, resulting in shorter kneading time and a more extensible, workable dough. Reserve a little water from the total to dissolve the yeast separately: it will be easier to incorporate after the autolyse.
Role of each flour. Type 1 flour (40%) provides the structural backbone of the dough thanks to its gluten content (13-14% protein): it is the flour that gives elasticity and holds the others together. Type 2 flour (15%), semi-wholemeal, contributes a more complex flavour and a slightly nutty note, adding fibre without compromising the structure too much; it absorbs slightly more water than type 1. Re-milled semolina (20%) gives the crust its crunch, a golden colour and a "shorter" texture (less elastic, more crumbly): it is the key ingredient that sets the rustic focaccine apart from the cloud-style ones. Rye flour (17%) brings an earthy and slightly tangy flavour, absorbs 10-12% more water than white flour and has very little gluten, so it is the type 1 flour that must compensate structurally. Legume flour (8%), a blend of chickpea, lentil and pea, adds protein, a delicately sweet flavour and a slightly warmer colour, without developing gluten.
Variations. For a smoother, less rustic dough, shift part of the type 2 towards type 1. For an even crunchier crust, shift part of the type 2 towards semolina. The balance between these three flours determines the final character of the focaccina.
Salt. The base dose is 10 g per kg of flour (1%). For a bolder flavour you can go up to 20 g/kg (2%), which is still within the norm for savoury baked goods. Salt should always be added after the autolyse, never in direct contact with the yeast.
Oil. The base dose is 20 g per kg of flour (2%). It can be increased up to 40 g/kg (4%) for better palatability, a softer crumb and longer shelf life. Oil should be incorporated at the end of kneading so it does not interfere with gluten formation.

Diastatic Malt vs Sugar/Honey

	Diastatic malt	Sugar / Honey
Type of nourishment	Active enzymes (alpha and beta-amylase) + simple sugars	Simple sugars only (sucrose/fructose)
Mechanism	Enzymes progressively break down flour starch into maltose, providing continuous nourishment to the yeast throughout fermentation (12-48 h)	Supplies immediately available sugars that yeast exhausts rapidly in the first hours
Osmotic effect	None	At high concentrations draws water from yeast cells by osmosis, slowing fermentation
Long fermentation	Ideal: steady nourishment for 24-48 h+	Unsuitable: after the initial boost there is no more nourishment
Maillard reaction	Produces reducing sugars → golden and aromatic crust	Surface caramelisation (darker colour but different flavour)
Effect on structure	No negative effect; improves crumb structure	Weakens gluten (liquefying effect)

For long fermentations (12-48 h) diastatic malt is clearly preferable. Alternatively, sugar or honey can be used at the same dose (5 g/kg) or omitted entirely: fermentation will still work, but will be less regular and the crust less golden.

Flavoured Bases for Couscous

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

🌾 Flavoured Bases for Couscous

A complete guide to preparing flavoured bases that turn couscous from a neutral side dish into the star of the plate.

1. The Base Liquid

The liquid chosen to hydrate the couscous plays a major role in the final flavour. Here are the main options.