My grandfather Giuseppe invented the Bellini and the Montgomery — cocktails that became mainstays of the bar culture.

I remember him preparing the Bellini that at home we also called the “pink cocktail”.

He was squeezing white peach pulp into a juice and adding our Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine coming from a little town near Venice).

He named the drink for the Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini whose works were exhibited in Venice in 1948 thet year he made the first one.

• 2 avocados

• Grated parmigiano

• 4 slices of toasting bread 

(Enough for 4 people)

Remove the crusts from the toasting bread, butter it very lightly and put it to toast until it is crisp.

Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the stones.

Remove the flesh, pass it through the blender and flatten it well with a fork.

Spread the avocado paste on the slices of toast and sprinkle on a little parmesan.

Put the slices for a few minutes in a pre-heated oven.

• 6 small slices of toasting bread

• 1 teaspoon of Worcester sauce

• 250g of grated emmental cheese

• 2 teaspoons of cream

• 6 slices of cooked ham

• 1 glass of extravergine olive oil

• 1 egg yolk

(Enough for 4 people)

Put the cheese, the egg yolk and the Worcester sauce in a blender, using a steel blade and blend together. If the mixture comes out too thick, you can add a little of top of the milk or cream.

Cut the toasting bread into thin slices, removing the crusts. Spread it well with the mixture. Make little sandwiches, putting a slice of the cooked ham in each one.

Warm the oil in a wide, low-sided, non-stick pan without letting it burn and fry the sandwiches one by one for a few minutes, turning them over from time to time to toast both sides. Dry on absorbent paper. Serve very warm.