Claudia&Julia's blog

When summer arrives, salads become the stars of our table. They're refreshing, light, healthy, and you can make them as tasty as you like. What happens to me, though, is that I get very tired of repeating the same ingredients or dressings, and I'm very familiar with the most classic salads. That's why I'm always on the lookout for different things.

The fig season is officially open, and we won’t be the ones left without ideas when it comes to enjoying them! At home we love them, especially my husband and my eldest son, and although at this time they enjoy them fresh, served with a good cheese they make a delicious dinner!

Despite the poor reputation of British cuisine, it is undeniable that the pastry is incredibly delicious and varied. Years ago, during my time as an English student, I discovered it and fell head over heels for it ipso facto, but it wasn’t until I adopted a British family as a policy that my eyes were opened to homemade sweets. They’re a whole other world.

Tofu is the most commonly used food to replace meat. So if you’ve decided to reduce animal protein in your diet, a good option is to use this ingredient. Although when you try it for the first time, you’ll probably find it a bit bland… But I have the solution! If we marinate tofu, its flavor changes radically and we can use it in many dishes while adding an extra boost of taste.

Who doesn’t love a good rice dish as the finishing touch to a morning at the pool or the beach! This black rice recipe is one of my favorite takes on what we colloquially call "paella", whatever it turns out to be.

Chilean "empanadas de pino" have a curious name, don't you think? Pino is the name of the very traditional filling of onion, beef, olives, egg, and raisins, which apparently derives from the Mapuche word pirru and has nothing to do with the tree.

Enjoying making popsicles with the little ones on summer afternoons is not only fun for them, but it also lets us adults indulge. We choose to make fruit popsicles, yogurt ones, single-color, multi-colored…. But since nobody at home has any intolerances, I hadn’t thought until now about making them vegan and lactose-free!

Do you like mussels? We love them at home, so I make them very often and, although we like them prepared any way, I'm always on the lookout for new recipes. The one I bring you today for mussels in an oriental style is one of our latest discoveries. What a discovery!

Summer brings us one of the most wonderful fruits there is, cherries. Before their season ends I wanted to bring you this recipe that is a hit wherever it goes, an easy cherry tart recipe, though with a twist you'll love.

If there is a salad that defines Italian cuisine, it is without a doubt the Caprese salad. The base of this salad is mozzarella and fresh tomato dressed with fresh basil. From there the variations are endless. I have served it as a regular salad, stacked as if it were a millefeuille, on a board with the ingredients separated, and in a stuffed tomato.

Without a doubt I can say that pizza is one of the recipes we make regularly — there isn’t a Friday without it at home! It’s very popular, and the more traditional recipes like the ones I’ve shared before (such as pancetta and arugula or the classic carbonara) are a guaranteed success. But I treated myself to making a pizza with an alternative base: today’s proposal is a pizza with a cauliflower and flaxseed base.

In summer we don't feel like cooking as much or spending hours in front of the stove, but we can't live on salads alone. Savory tarts are a good solution to serve at a summer dinner. It's true that we tend to turn to wheat flours as the base for our tarts, but there are actually other good, healthy options a little different from the usual.