Since launching Ostro - Pleasure That Comes From Slowing Down and Cooking With Simple Ingredients online in 2014, Julia Busuttil Nishimura has gained a strong and loyal following for her generous, uncomplicated, seasonal food.

Her interpretations of dishes from Italy and the Mediterranean feel both timelessly familiar and altogether fresh and new.

Julia guides us through the uniquely satisfying experience of making pasta or pizza dough from scratch, with recipes such as ricotta tortelloni with butter, sage and hazelnuts or taleggio and potato pizza.

She also shares plenty of flavourful salads and simple meals for days when time is scarce, such as roasted cauliflower and wheat salad and many more. Baking and desserts, too, needn't be overly complicated.

As Julia shows us, some of the best recipes are those that have been passed down the generations and streamlined to perfection along the way, such as the perfect lemon olive oil cake. But we also need the odd show-stopper like a chocolate layer cake with espresso frosting on standby for special occasions!

Slow down, take your time and enjoy it.

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