How to Make Your Own (vegan) Italian Food

Learning to cook your own food is empowering, as you no longer have to rely on expensive plastic-wrapped ready-meals and takeaways. Master your favourite cuisines at home. Then every night is restaurant night!

Cooking with Nonna is a fun and unique book to make the best Italian home cooking. Giuseppe is a second-generation British Italian where food and family have always been intertwined.

Read up on food safety for people and pets. Bin allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) and tomato/citrus/rhubarb scraps (acids may harm compost creatures).

Fully remove tinned lids (or pop ring-pulls back over holes) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.

So when Giuseppe went vegan, he needed to find a way to cook the flavours of his family. There was only one person who could help; his nonna! Together they learned how to make the authentic Italian and Sicilian dishes that Nonna grew up with, using all plants.

Recipes include:

Classic Lasagne with Homemade Mince
Arancini (croquettes) Della Nonna!
The Perfect Tomato Sauce
Pasta Aglio Olio & Peperconico
Homemade Focaccia
Tiramisu
Coffee Granita
Biscotti

Giuseppe Federici comes from a long line of passionate foodies, and only at 15 did he realise that a British roast dinner did not begin with a full plate of pasta!

He has a huge fanbase of 440K Instagram followers and 300K on TikTok, and has hosted supper clubs and been crowned Digital Creator of the Year at Fortnum & Mason food and drinks awards.

An Easy Recipe for Vegan Tiramisu

Try this Easy Vegan Tiramisu (Rainbow Nourishments). Unlike most recipes, there’s no faffing about buying or making sponge fingers, you just need 5 ingredients (no cashews, coconut oil or vegan cream cheese needed). And it’s ready in 20 minutes!

Avoid caffeine for pregnancy/nursing.

Tiramisu is Italian for ‘pick-me-up’, due to containing chocolate and coffee (lots of caffeine!) Unlike England (where tiramisu is sold in plastic pots), in Italy people make it themselves. A few tries and you’ll have this recipe down pat!