Spices on 🍽️ Recipes & ⚗️ Analysis by Diego

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.

Egg-Free Spiced Dunking Biscuits with Toasted Hazelnuts

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Egg-Free Spiced Dunking Biscuits with Toasted Hazelnuts

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 Semi-wholemeal flour (type 2) you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Semi-wholemeal flour (type 2) (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Egg-free version, specifically calibrated to compensate for the missing protein binder. For all detailed technical considerations (ingredient choices, sugar reduction, milk comparison, muscovado vs white sugar+molasses), see the version with eggs. The resulting biscuit is more crumbly and sandy: it breaks apart when dunking after 3–4 seconds (vs. 5–6 with eggs), less golden, more neutral flavour.

Spiced Dunking Biscuits with Toasted Hazelnuts

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Spiced Dunking Biscuits with Toasted Hazelnuts

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 Semi-wholemeal flour (type 2) you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Semi-wholemeal flour (type 2) (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Scalable quantities (select your desired multiplier). An egg-free version of this recipe is also available, with adjusted ingredients and proportions.