Do you ever find that you and your girlfriends don’t spend enough time with each other? I live with two other girls and we all have very busy lives. What we also have is an extremely small kitchen. This is not a problem in many households with the ever-increasing availability of microwave meals. However our kitchen become a disaster zone on Friday nights when we are all trying to cook different meals at the same time. I will not even try and describe the washing up as it still gives me nightmares.

This is how we came up with the concept of ‘Theme Night’. Each week we decide on a different country or style of food and each of us creates just one course of a three course meal. That way we can sit down and eat together, we all get to cook, but best of all we get to discover new tastes and recipes.

The first week was such a roaring success that I am unable to contain myself and feel I should share the experience with all of you. Our gastronomic experiments opened with Italian-themed evening and you can create the same experience using the recipes below. They all serve 3-4 hungry people. I won’t mention the washing-up afterwards, but if you have the funds to invest in a dishwasher, what are you waiting for?

Garlic Dough Balls

500g self raising flour
1tbsp olive oil
1/2tbsp sun-dried tomato oil
1/2tsp dried mixed herbs
1tsp chilli flakes
1/2tsp salt
2tbsp butter
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
water

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl along with the mixed herbs, chilli flakes, salt and both oils. Mix well.
Add tsps of water to the mixture, one at a time until all the mixture is stuck together and forms a good solid dough (do not add too much water or the dough will become sticky and difficult to roll)
In a separate smaller bowl, mix the butter with the crushed garlic.
Flour a work surface and a rolling pin and break off a walnut- sized amount of dough. Roll to about ½ cm thick and as circular as possible.
Put some of the garlic butter filling in the middle of the rolled dough. Fold the dough into a parcel and roll gently with the palm of your hand until the creases have almost disappeared.
Repeat until all the dough has been used.
Place sough balls on a greased baking tray and cook at 230 degrees Celsius for around 25 mins or until golden brown.

TIP: These are great garnished with some grated mature cheddar cheese or a touch of parmesan.

Pizza

1kg self raising flour
4tbsp olive oil
1 ¼ tsp salt
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
2tsp chilli flakes
handful chopped olives
½ jar Passata
Lots of cheese – mozzarella and cheddar are the most melt-friendly.
Whatever toppings you like -olives, salami, basil, ham – you name it!

Cook the toppings in a shallow frying pan and set aside.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl along with the mixed herbs, chilli flakes, salt and both oils. Add the chopped olives. Mix well.
Add tsps of water to the mixture, one at a time until all the mixture is stuck together and forms a good solid dough (do not add too much water or the dough will become sticky and difficult to roll)
Roll out the dough to about 1cm thick. If the pizza is too big for the over – make two!
Place on a greased baking tray and cook at 230°C for 5 minutes.
Apply a generous layer of passata to the base and then add pre-cooked toppings.
Grate cheese generously on top. Garnish with more chilli to taste.
Cook at 230°C for a further 15-20 mins.

TIP: If making both dough balls and pizza, you can mix the dough for both in the same bowl to save time and washing up. Just break apart and set aside.

Tiramisu

5 tbsp strong espresso coffee
75g dark muscovado sugar
4 tbsp coffee liqueur
75g sponge finger biscuits, broken into large pieces
400g ready made custard
250g mascarpone cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g plain chocolate, chopped finely
cocoa powder

Mix the coffee with 2tsp sugar and add to liqueur in a mixing bowl.
Add the sponge fingers to the mixture then place in serving glasses (the fancier the better)
Beat together custard, mascarpone and vanilla. Spoon a third over the biscuits. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar then half remaining custard. Scatter with chopped chocolate, then spread remaining custard on top.
Chill for an hour. Dust with cocoa powder to serve.
TIP: This recipe is all about layers, but to be honest it’s a bit fancy- nothing says Italia like good old fashioned Gelato (ice cream) so if after all the prep of the first two recipes you just can’t handle the pressure of a third course, sprinkle some cocoa over some vanilla ice cream and serve with strong, black coffee.

The next Theme Night is Jamaican night get ready for our sticky Jamaican ginger cake and yummy fried plantains!