Nonna.

 

I visited my grandmother Maria for dinner last week. It was a rainy night and her house was toasty warm (we had to dry my clothes on her heater). Because I'm vegan, I think it's a challenge for my Nonna to resist making meat dishes, which are usually the special foods she prepares for the family. Instead she makes meals that are more everyday; peasant dishes like ceci and rice. This is a beautiful dish, the chickpeas are soft and melt in your mouth. Nonna said that she soaked them for one day and then slowly cooked them for 2 hours.

I also brought over some chestnuts and we roasted them in a special pan over the gas stove. They came out quite smokey. Like my mum, Nonna loves chestnuts.

 

One final tip for roasting chestnuts (courtesy of Holly Davis): after roasting, wrap your chestnuts in a thick tea-towel and let them steam. This helps greatly with peeling and also keeps them warm while you eat them.