Turkish-style, pan-cooked flatbread, abundant with leopard spots and inspired by Italian cook Laura Lazzaroni, is suitable for every mood …

Shortbread biscotti with a big jammy ‘eye’ are found all across bars in Italy, and are a bit like giant jammy dodgers

A pleasingly retro salad with a tangy salad cream that you’ll possibly want to make on repeat … on repeat

A southern Italian summer stew of tomatoes and peppers like a ratatouille – serve with pasta, fried eggs or cheese

A clever, meat-free pasta sauce using soffritto, red wine, plus maybe a smidge of Marmite, to create a deceptively dense flavour

An adaptation of a traditional Neopolitan stuffed peppers recipe, juicy tomatoes overflow with a comforting aubergine, olive and anchovy filling

Little pouches of cheese, oregano and honey melted to stringy, gooey perfection

These small, soft balls make for a speedy supper – serve them with a generous grating of parmesan and a well-dressed green salad

The wobbly, creamy fridge favourite paired with freezer fruit – easy!

Sweet chestnuts make a savoury flour that’s just perfect for this cracking, herby mushroom pasta

A little sweet, a little sour, rather sticky – and irresistible!

A light springtime meal using the freshest spears you can find (which, ideally, means picking them at midnight)

A spring soup-stew known as scafata and typical of Lazio, featuring chard, potatoes, artichokes and new-season broad beans

Will your toasted hazelnuts hang around long enough to make these delightful Piemontese biscuits sandwiched together with chocolate?

A diced potato binds this cheesy leek and pasta dish into a delightful gluey mess

A cheesy, mushroomy five-layer lasagne that is both sumptuous and just plain satisfying

A thrifty yet irresistible Neapolitan dish of tomatoes, nuts, raisins, capers and olives, all sweated down in lots of olive oil and tossed through a tangle of spaghetti

A layered bake of potatoes, risotto rice, cheese and mussels that will leave your kitchen smelling like the sea

These sprightly, mint-infused fritters are great straight from the pan, but taste even funkier after a rest of 20 minutes or so

A hearty winter soup with an ancient punchy pesto called cuminatum – can you guess its magic ingredient?