Don’t you find yourself needing an ultra quick meal sometimes? Something that is ready in minutes but still flavourful and comforting. Something that doesn’t require tonnes of chopping and slicing and prepping yet hints at complexity. And, preferably, something that only needs few staples. This is how these lazy pumpkin gnocchi with sage brown butter came to be. Obviously, if we had time and needed the effort then fresh pumpkin would be used, but canned pumpkin is great too. Hence all the previous mentions. The “lazy-ness” of these gnocchi is further underlined by skipping the traditional rolling and shaping, which neatly cuts total cook time. But I feel I must stress the difference that fresh sage and freshly grated nutmeg would make to your culinary adventures. Sage is very easy and quick to grow from seeds but if that seems too challenging then I recommend getting a potted plant for your window, they are quite hardy. As for nutmeg, a single seed doesn’t take up much space but can last a long while as it’s used sparingly. Did I mention you could be eating these in 20 minutes?

Given how much time I normally spend in the kitchen, there are, inevitably, multiple occasions when I simply need an ultra quick recipe. This one-pot pumpkin pasta has come to the rescue many times. It’s so fast put together and the end result is impressively silky. Honestly, it’s hard to believe that a meal cooked for barely longer than it takes to boil some pasta is even allowed to taste this good. If you ever happen to find yourself racing against time to have lunch or dinner ready, this ought to be your solution.

Having spent some time in England, I am afraid I was rather disappointed with the culinary fare. Granted it was after I have spent a year in Greece so it was a tough competition to follow. I am also hoping I was simply extremely unlucky and things have improved since then. But all these years later, only a few meals still stand out in my memory. Namely, the offerings of Chinatown (largely, I suspect, because a Chinese friend gave me a tour), an extravagant passion fruit dessert at Tate Modern and pork cider pot pies.

As I probably mentioned before, most of my memories are somehow associated with food. No wonder then that a year I spent in Greece long ago still feels more like a culinary journey than a personal one. Admittedly the region has it pretty easy thanks to amazing fresh produce. Great quality ingredients don’t need much manipulation to make a winning dish. Wedges of ripe tomatoes, chunks of feta, generously peppered with oregano and literally bathing in a bowl of olive oil. (As my local friends used to joke: “It’s not a salad unless you can baptize a baby in the abundance of oil”.) Certainly add a freshly baked crusty loaf that you must use to soak up every last drop. And there you have a it. A simple yet rich and rustic meal. But then realize that’s all only the appetizer and you will understand how hearty average meals are.

Unfortunately I never truly got into moussaka. At least not in the way a traditional dish demands. This pastitsio though, is a whole different story.

As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to visit Italy. When an opportunity finally presented itself, I started discovering from the south. Upon my arrival in Palermo, I quickly learned a few things. Firstly, the locals consider themselves independent from the mainland. Not only do they have their own dialect, they mostly prefer to be called Sicilian rather than Italian. And secondly, the food is even better than I imagined. I instantly fell in love with Sicilian cuisine. The street fare alone deserves odes dedicated to it. People’s ability to turn anything into a meal is fascinating. Hence, the mighty meatballs. As a nation that’s been oppressed for most of its existence, Sicilians were forced to be creative with limited provisions. Meatballs are all over Sicily and it’s a great way to turn a little meat into a satisfying meal. These lemon meatballs is just one example.