STUFFED COURGETTE FLOWERS

Wash the courgette flowers very carefully, detach the stems and green leaves, remove the inner stamens and place on a cloth to dry.

In a bowl stir the ricotta and egg together with a fork, season with salt, pepper and the chopped parsley and mix well. Carefully fill the courgette flowers with the mixture.

Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the diced tomatoes and a pinch of sugar, season with salt and pepper and fry lightly for about 10 minutes. Then add the stuffed courgette flowers to the sauce and fly lightly on a low flame for a further 10 minutes. Turn the stuffed flowers over gently with a spoon two or three times until they are thoroughly coated in the sauce. 

Courgette mousse for decoration: briefly boil 3 small courgettes in salted water, add a teaspoon of butter and purée in the food processor.

Serve the courgette flowers on well-warmed plates and garnish with a little of the courgette mousse.

BREAD SOUP

Soak the beans overnight and in plenty of cold water, strain. Place them in cold water, bring to the boil and cook until tender.

In a saucepan heat the oil together with the carrots, celery and onion and brown until tender. After about 10 minutes add the tomatoes, cook for a further 10 minutes, then add the beans with some cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper. Cook all the ingredients together on a low flame for a further half an hour. Add the Swiss chard and cabbage and cook for a further hour, adding some boiling water every now and again.

Lay a slice of toasted bred in each of the warm soup dishes and pour the hot soup over. Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving.

(If using tinned beans there is no need to soak and pre-cook them).

BEAN AND BARLEY SOUP

Soak the white beans overnight in plenty of cold water. Soak the barley for about 1 hour in cold water, drain and place in a saucepan of water and cook for about half an hour and drain again. Place the drained beans in cold water, bring to the boil, cook until tender and strain.

Lightly fry the carrots, celery and onion in the olive oil for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the beans, season with salt and pepper. Cook on a moderate flame for a further 20 minutes, add the tomatoes and continue to cook on a low flame for 10 minutes more. Take off the heat and pass through a sieve, adding some water if necessary. Then add the barley and heat through for about another 5 minutes.

Serve in warmed soup bowls with a dash of olive oil.

(If using tinned beans there is no need to soak and pre-cook them).

PAPPARDELLE "DANIA"

Roll out the dough on a floured pastry board as thinly as possible and cut into even strips about 3 cm wide.

Sauce: in a saucepan lightly fry the tomatoes for about 10 minutes on a low flame, season with salt and pepper, add the garlic and cook for a further 20 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, thin it down with a little boiling water.

Meanwhile in a mortar pound the basil, a pinch of salt and a few drops of oil into a paste.

Boil the pappardelle in plenty of water to the "al dente" stage, drain in a colander, add to the sauce in the pan and toss together for a few minutes. Then mix in the basil paste, the parsley and the grated cheeses.

Transfer to warmed plates. Garnish with the finely chopped parsley to your taste and serve at once.

CHICKEN "ALLA CONTADINA"

Wash the chicken and and season with salt and pepper inside and out. In a saucepan lightly fry the onion, garlic, celery and the carrot in the butter and oil for 10 minutes. Then add the pieces of chicken, turning them over several times until slightly browned and from time to time adding some boiling chicken stock. After 30 minutes pour the wine over, wait until this has reduced, then add the diced tomatoes. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.

After 10 minutes spoon the meat out onto warm plates, pour sauce over it, garnish with mixed sage and rosemary leaves and serve.