Basil pesto – Pesto al basilico – Pesto od bosiljka

I remember a sort of green condiment for pasta that my mother’s friend once brought to us from Italy as a very precious gift for us. She recommended how to use it and she was sure that we would like it as much as she did, but when we tasted it for the first time I was so disappointed, I didn’t liked it at all. My mother couldn’t convince me that it was tasty and she wanted to make me believe that she like it sooo much! I didn’t trust her, because she is not a good liar, so we kept the remaining pesto for a long time in the refrigerator before we threw it away definitively.
I grow to like basil pesto when I moved to Italy and I’ve spent my first Italian summer in Tuscany. We often had pasta with basil pesto for lunch, it is so quick and easy to prepare. Moreover during summer months you can find plenty of fresh basil on the market, you don’t have to grow your own basil plant in vase, if you don’t have garden or balcony. What is the secret to fall in love with basil pesto? Well, to do it homemade and fist enjoy the flavour and perfume the basil emits while you mash it, second you enjoy its beautiful taste!
After so many years, now I know the reason why we didn’t liked it the first time we ate it. It was not freshly prepared, but the one from the supermarket. Maybe it was the best one you can buy, but nothing can be compared with the basil pesto you prepare in your kitchen. Something was missing in the recipe we’ve got from our friend: potatoes and a squirt of quality olive oil. Our first pasta with basil pesto was not awful, it was edible, but the one we eat nowadays is divine.

Cocoa roll with strawberries and mascarpone cream - Rollata al cacao con fragole e crema di mascarpone - Kakao rolada s jagodama i kremom od mascarponea

This is the best combination ever: chocolate and strawberries! At least it is in this very moment, while we are enjoying eating this cake! It is soft, creamy and full of strawberry flavour and it's perfect for these late May days. When I buy fruits and vegetables I choose them "one by one" - can you imagine the situation?... patiently, because I like them to be beautiful and photogenic, of course! I swear, these strawberries were the most beautiful in the shop. My intention was to bake something, I did'n have clear idea what I wanted to bake initially, but this was absolutely not a problem. There is always something in my kitchen that can inspire me and the decision suddenly can be made.

Sometime I don't have time to take pictures, especially if I prepare something during the week when there is no good light in the evening and no time to do it the morning after. Or we are simply eager to eat and . . . damn it, I'm forced to do it again!

This recipe is simple (do I say this too often?), I've just added some cocoa to it, because the original recipe should always be changed a bit, right?! The only difficulty might be to roll the sponge-cake as quick as possible, without burning your hands!