This recipe is often served on the coast in northern Sardinia and it’s one of my favourites. In fact, I’ve started to make this dish at home at least once a week as I love the flavours so much. Try to get hold of bottarga if you can – it really will enhance the dish – and please don’t be tempted to sprinkle cheese on top, as it will fight with the flavours of the seafood.

I have to admit that my mother is not the best cook in the world unless cooking traditional Neapolitan dishes she has grown up with. However, this has to be one of her best creations that she prepares for me every time I go to visit her. It is very important for this recipe to use tinned cherry tomatoes because if you use the fresh ones, the sauce will be too watery. Do not overcook the prawns or langoustines...

Chicken is the most common source of meat in the world. Some would say it is a tasteless meat, but they haven’t tried this dish yet! This recipe was one of my favourites as a child – perhaps it’s the simplicity that appealed to me. Mascarpone cheese is a speciality of Lombardy and is used a lot in northern Italian cooking, but if you can’t find it you can replace it with a thick double...

This is such an impressive-looking dessert and makes a great end to any kind of meal. You can be as creative as you like in flavouring the cream. In previous experiments I have mixed it with fruit, chocolate bits and pieces of marshmallow, but frankly I prefer this simpler version.