Category Archives: Recipes – All About – Tried and Tested

Cooking for Family and Friends

Riso Venere (Black Rice) con Gamberi alla Liguria

Liguria-Style Venere Black Rice with Prawns

As Lombardia (my region) does not have any sea access, we always look up to Luguria when it comes to seafood recipes. In Liguria, seafood is treated with great respect : simple preparation, excellent olive oil, fresh herbs, and bright citrus. This version reflects the coastal cooking of the Italian Riviera — clean, aromatic, and elegant, with no heavy sauces.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 300 g Riso Venere (black rice)
  • 400 g raw prawns (preferably whole, shell-on for best flavour)
  • 3 tbsp high-quality Ligurian extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, lightly crushed
  • ½ glass dry white wine
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • A few thin strips of lemon peel (no white pith)
  • Small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • Small sprig fresh thyme or marjoram (optional but traditional)
  • Sea salt, to taste

Method

  1. Cook the rice
    Boil the Venere rice in abundant salted water according to package instructions (20–40 minutes). Drain well and spread on a tray briefly to steam off excess moisture.
  2. Prepare the prawns
    Peel and devein the prawns, keeping tails if desired. If using whole prawns, reserve shells to briefly flavour the oil.
  3. Infuse the oil
    Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat with the crushed garlic and (optionally) the prawn shells. Cook gently for 1–2 minutes to release flavour, then remove shells and garlic before they brown.
  4. Cook the prawns
    Increase heat to high, add the prawns, and sauté briefly — about 1–2 minutes per side.
  5. Deglaze
    Add the white wine and allow it to evaporate quickly, concentrating the flavour.
  6. Combine with rice
    Add the drained rice to the pan and toss gently so it absorbs the seafood juices and oil.
  7. Finish in the Ligurian style
    Remove from heat and add:
    • Lemon zest
    • Lemon peel strips
    • Chopped parsley
    • Thyme or marjoram (if using)
      Adjust salt and drizzle with a final thread of excellent olive oil.

To Serve

Serve warm — not hot — as is typical of Ligurian seafood rice dishes. The aroma of citrus, herbs, and the natural perfume of Venere rice should remain delicate and fresh.

La Stagione delle Ciliegie – The Cherry Season

Just when the cherry harvest was at its peak – and my friend and I arrived from Cromwell with around 200 kg of Cherries – soon our trusted Cherry Pitter decided to take a break. A little rebellion in the kitchen for more pay and variety!

Still, the bounty of the season did not go to waste. In the warm, fragrant kitchen, we quickly transformed the cherries into Cherry Wine, Cherry Cordial, Cherry Jam, Cherry Preserve and Cherry Grappa – treasures to carry the taste of summer through the year

🍷 Vino di Ciliegie — Cherry Wine, La Fattoria Style

In true Italian farmhouse fashion, our cherry wine is simple, hands-on, and made with love:

  1. Prepare the Fruit: Place pitted cherries in a clean fermentation vessel and cover them with boiling water
  2. Sweeten & Balance: Once cooled to room temperature, add sugar to taste and adjust the acidity as needed
  3. Add Life: Stir in wine yeast (Mangrove Jack’s MA33 and AW4) and yeast nutrients
  4. Ferment on the Must: Let it sit for about a week, stirring daily, allowing the fruit and yeast to mingle and awaken

If the yeast seems hungry, a little more sugar or nutrients keeps it happily working

🍶 Secondary Fermentation

  1. Strain and siphon the liquid into a clean demijohn (damigiana) with an airlock
  2. Watch as it gently bubbles away, slowly transforming into wine over several weeks
  3. When the fermenting slows, rack into a clean vessel and leave for about four weeks to ensure the wine is fully at rest

🍾 Bottiglia e Godimento — Bottling and Enjoying

Once the wine is clear and quiet, it is ready to:

Bottle – Seal – Label – Store

A simple, rustic cherry wine, carrying the warmth and charm of the Italian countryside – perfect for sharing with family, friends !!

THE BYF NO-WASTE QUAIL FEEDER

Feed is the single most expensive item when keeping quails. It is therefore essential to prevent birds from contaminating or wasting feed. Back Yard Farmer has developed a simple, effective, and low-cost solution using a standard 3-litre plastic milk bottle.

This DIY feeder is easy to make, costs nothing, and outperforms many commercial feeders.

How to Make the Feeder

  1. Drill a 35 mm hole approximately 70 mm from the bottom of the bottle
  2. Drill a 40 mm hole roughly halfway up the bottle
  3. Cut along the straight lines between the holes as shown in the images
  4. Now do the same onthe other side

You will end up with a durable, efficient feeder that allows easy access for the quails while minimizing waste.

Why This Feeder Works Better

Compared to commercial feeders, the BYF feeder offers several important advantages:

  • Quails cannot defecate in the feed
  • Quails cannot climb into the feeder and scratch feed out
  • The slot design allows quails to insert their heads comfortably and withdraw easily
  • Quails naturally flick feed sideways with their beaks, causing losses—this design prevents feed from being flicked out
  • The handle remains intact, making the feeder easy to carry and reposition
  • The feeder is easy to wash and keep hygienic
  • It can be moved around the cage to reduce trampling and ground damage

Feeding Capacity and Use

  • Fill the feeder to a depth of approximately 60 mm, which is about 10 mm below the bottom of the 35 mm hole
  • This holds roughly 650 g of feed
  • Quails cannot reach the extreme corners, so a small amount of feed remains, but one feeder easily supplies up to 6 birds for a full day

Daily feeding is simple:
Empty any remaining feed into a feed bucket, then refill the feeder using a scoop sized to deliver the correct amount (650 g). This also helps remix older feed with fresh feed, reducing waste even further

Daily feed consumption for mature Coturnix quails is about 30 – 35 grams (depending on many factors) and if you use more than this, there are either something sharing the feed with your quails, or wasteage is happening

Cost

Nothing.
Made from recycled materials, this feeder delivers excellent performance at zero cost

FORMAGGIO di CONTADINI – Italian Farmhouse Cheese

Traditional Peasant Cheese

Formaggio di Contadini is a rustic farmhouse cheese inspired by traditional Italian country dairies. Made with rich Jersey milk, it develops a smooth, supple texture and a gently savoury flavour that improves with natural ageing.

Ingredients

  • Fresh Full-cream Jersey cow’s milk (Not pasteurised) – 6 Liters
  • Thermophilic starter culture – ¼ teaspoon
  • Goat lipase – 2 g
  • Liquid rennet (RENCO) – 7 ml
  • Non-iodised salt

Method

1. Warm and Culture the Milk

Gently heat the milk to 32 °C.
Sprinkle the starter culture over the surface, allow it to rehydrate for 2 minutes, then stir well

Cover and keep at 32 °C for 60 – 90 minutes to allow the milk to ripen and develop flavour

2. Add Lipase

Dissolve 2g goat lipase in a small amount of milk and let it stand for 10 – 15 minutes
Stir thoroughly into the milk

3. Add Rennet

Add 7 ml liquid rennet, stirring gently in an up-and-down motion for 1 minute.
Cover and hold at 32 °C for 45 – 60 minutes, or until a clean break is achieved

4. Cut the Curd

Cut the curd into 6 mm cubes

When cutting to 6mm, use a long knife or harp for uniform cubes. Stir very gently during cooking to avoid matting too early — this preserves moisture for a more supple final texture.


Allow the curds to rest for 5 minutes to release whey

5. Cook the Curds

Slowly heat the curds and whey in a double boiler from 32 °C to 38 °C over about 30 minutes, stirring gently to prevent the curds from sticking together

Once the target temperature is reached, cover and hold at 38 °C for a further 10 – 15 minutes

6. Drain the Curds

Pour the curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander.
Gather the cloth and hang to drain for 1 – 2 hours, keeping the curds warm and out of drafts.

7. Mould and Press

Pack the drained curds firmly into a cheesecloth-lined mould

Press in stages :

  • 5 kg pressure for 10 minutes
  • Remove, turn, rewrap, then press at 10 kg for 10 hours
  • Remove, turn again, rewrap, then press at 20 kg for 4 – 6 hours

8. Brining

Prepare an 18% brine (180 g salt per litre of water)

Submerge the cheese in the brine for 40 – 60 minutes per kilogram of cheese, turning halfway through. Ensure brine is chilled (10°C) and cheese is fully submerged

Remove and allow the surface to dry

9. Natural Rind Drying

Place the cheese on a wooden board at room temperature
Air-dry for 2–3 days, turning several times daily, until the rind feels dry and firm to the touch

10. Natural Ageing

Move the cheese to an ageing space at 10–12 °C with 85–90% humidity

  • Turn the cheese daily for the first week, then 2 – 3x weekly
  • If surface mould develops, wipe lightly with brine. Ensure brine is chilled (10°C) and cheese is fully submerged

Age for at least 4 weeks. Longer ageing will produce a deeper, more complex flavour. Try 8–12 weeks for noticeably deeper, nuttier, more “gently savory” flavor as proteins/lipids break down.

For a smoother rind, rub with olive oil after drying and once the rind is fully set (5–7 days), or brush with lard / herbs for traditional rustic look. If waxing, do so after 2–3 weeks when rind is set

QUAGLIE AL FORNO (Oven Roasted Quails)

Oven-roasted quail is one of our favourite ways to prepare quail. It is simple, quick, and exceptionally delicious.

Use as many deboned quails as required. Season them generously all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a sage leaf, some coarsely chopped rosemary, and a few thin slices of pancetta inside the cavity of each quail. Secure the birds by stitching the sides together with skewers or tying them neatly with kitchen string.

Arrange the quails in a well-oiled roasting pan and place them in a hot oven. Start by browning them on both sides under a high grill setting. Once nicely coloured, reduce the oven temperature to 140 °C and allow the meat to cook gently and evenly.

The entire cooking process should take 5–6 minutes. If in doubt, check the internal temperature: when it reaches 80 °C, the quail is perfectly cooked.

To finish, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and a little more ground black pepper. Drizzle generously with high-quality extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately on creamy polenta.

Enjoy — and remember to finish it off with a glass of good homemade red wine.