Ragu Bolognese (Bolognese sauce)

This is one of te key recipes of classic Italian cuisine - every Italian mother and grandmother has a slightly different version, and of course swears by it! Here is mine;)

Ingredients:
- 200 gr minced beef (or 100gr of beef and 100 of pork, for a tastier, if less light, version)
- 1 clove of garlic, still covered in skin
- extravirgin olive oil
- four tablespoons plain tomato sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- half teaspoon of concentrated tomato paste
- a pinch of salt
- 2-3 dried juniper berries (you can find them in the spices section in any large supermarket)
- a few cloves

Cover the bottom of a deep pan with a one-centimeter layer of olive oil, add the garlic clove, and heat gently. Before it becomes too hot, add in the minced meat, and let brown slightly. Before the meat starts drying, stir in your tomato sauce, cloves, berries and tomato paste, mix well, and cover with a lid. Let the sauce cook slowly on low heat for about 30-40 minutes. E' pronto!

This sauce can be used on its own on pasta (possibly fresh egg pasta like tagliatelle) or as the key ingredient for yummy lasagne - this recipe for another post. Enjoy!

Linguine with prawns and cherry tomatoes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

200 grams egg pasta (tagliatelle or linguine)
100 gr king prawns, peeled
200 gr cherry tomatoes (organic if possible!)
crushed dried chili peppers, a big pinch
extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled but whole
fresh basil (5 leaves)

1. Heat half a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan with the 2 cloves of garlic and chili until the garlic starts gently frying (not burning!). Add in the prawns and let them become golden.
2. Cut the tomatoes in half and add them in. Cover with a lid and lower the heat. At the last moment, stir in the basil leaves (they shouldn't cook too much).
3. Boil your pasta according to the package instructions and drain when al dente.
4. Add the pasta to the sauce in the pan, and increase the heat, mixing constantly until all the extra liquid is absorbed and the pasta is well mixed with the condiment.

Enjoy!

Aubergine and goat's cheese Pasta Gratin

This is a main dish that is super easy to make and that everyone loves. It's vegetarian but absolutely full of flavour! A surefire success for a potluck dinner;)

Image credits: thecomfortabledish.com

Ingredients

500 gr orecchiette or penne pasta
2 large aubergines
300 gr cherry tomatoes
150 gr goat's cheese
fresh basil
50 gr grated parmesan cheese
50 gr pitted black kalamata olives (ok, these are greek, but they're so tasty!)
extra virgin olive oil

1. Cut the aubergines in 2 length-wise, make a few longitudinal cuts in the pulp, and wrap them in tin foil.
2. Cook them for 40-50 minutes in the oven at 180°C, until the pulp is completely soft.
3. With a spoon, take out the pulp from the skin, and mix it with the goat's cheese, oil (to taste) and a pinch of salt with the help of a food processor.
4. Cook the pasta following instructions on the packaging, drain it, and mix it in a large bowl with the aubergine cream, the cherry tomatoes cut in quarters, 2 tablespoons of olives and the basil.
5. Pour everything in a large oven pot, and garnish with some more olives, basil, a generous drizzle of grated parmesan and some olive oil.
6. Place in the oven again at 180°C, until you see the surface becoming golden and crispy.

Enjoy!

Aubergine mini pizzas

Healthy, tasty starter or side dish which is a breeze to make and will bring all the flavors of Italian summer veggies also to a wintery menu. Plus points: it's vegetarian! Meat lovers: add parma ham or an anchovy fillet on top for added flavor.

Ingredients (4 people)

2 large purple aubergines
1 jar of tomato sauce (not marinara sauce, only tomato and basil! alternatively you can easily make your own by slow-cooking a can of peeled tomatoes in olive oil  with a garlic clove)
2-3 mozzarella balls, finely sliced
fresh basil or oregano (dried or fresh)
olive oil
salt

1. Slice the aubergines in 5mm thick slices.
2. Fill a large saucepan with water, bring it to a boil, and throw the slices into the water to quickly cook - take them out when they're tender, but still firm. Drain them on kitchen paper.
3. Arrange the slices, with a few cms between each other, on a baking tray covered in baking paper. drizzle them with olive oil and salt to taste, and put a teaspoon of tomato sauce on each one, then a slice of mozzarella, then finish with a small basil leaf or some dried oregano.
4. Cook for about 15 minutes in the oven, heated at 180°C.

Enjoy!

Fresh spelt salad with tuna and capers

Tasty, quick recipe, ideal for the summer but also perfect for a dinner party - it contains only a handful of ingredients, but the flavour is wholesome, and it's super healthy too!

Ingredients (4 people)

12 fistfuls of spelt (easy to find in most supermarkets)
100 gr of canned tuna (in olive oil, not water or brine!, for best results)
small capers and flat-leaf parsley to taste
1 clove of peeled garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt (for cooking the spelt)


Cook the spelt as you would cook pasta (but longer! usually 25 minutes), in boiling salted water - follow cooking instructions on the spelt's packaging for best results.
Drain the spelt and place it in a bowl; mix it with the tuna (drained from its oil), the capers and  a mix of finely chopped parsley and garlic. Mix well with 1 and a half table spoons of good quality extra-virgin olive oil, and serve lukewarm.

Caponata

Image credits: nytimes.com

Ingredients

2 small or 1 large purple aubergine
4 courgette
2 peppers (1 red and 1 yellow)
1 red leek
half can of peeled tomatoes
large green olives
1 tablespoon tomato paste
pinenuts
salted capers
sugar
white vinegar
extra-virgin olive oil

Dice the aubergines and place them in a colander to drain, sprinkled with coarse salt, for an hour covered with a plate.
Wash the courgettes, cut them in small dice and halve the olives. Grill the peppers, then peel them, clean them and cut them in squares.

In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, add in the peeled tomatoes and the tomato paste and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, without covering the pan.

Add a little salt and pepper, then the olives, pinenuts and the capers (after having washed off their salt).

Dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in one glass of white vinegar, then pour the mix into the pan. Stir well. Let it cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce is more dense.

On the side, stir fry the courgette, and the aubergines with only a little oil, adding in the onions at the end. As the vegetables cook, drain the excess oil by putting them on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Then add in the roasted pepper after cutting them in squares.

Cover the veggies with the hot sauce, let it cool, then serve. Tastes great also the day after:)

Gnocco Fritto (Fried bread ribbons)

Ingredients (calculate 100 gr of flour per person, if serving this as a main course)

500 gr wheat flour
30 gr unsalter butter
1/4 liters of a half-and-half mix of lukewarm sparkling water and milk
salt
frying oil (the traditional recipe commands frying in pig's lard:)

Mix all the ingredients together with your hands until you obtain a smooth, non-sticky but elastic bowl of dough. Place it in a bowl to rest for 30 minutes, then tear it in small pieces and roll it in very thin sheets (0.3 cm) with a rolling pin. Cut the sheets in triangles or squares, then deep fry them in the oil once it reached a very high temperature, in a deep frying pan - the hotter the oil, the deeper the pan, the shortest it takes for the gnocco to fry and thus the less oil it absorbs! It just needs about 10 seconds of cooking - as soon as it starts making bubbles on the surface, it's done. Lay your gnocco on a plate covered in kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil, then serve with a large plate of Italian cured meats (pancetta, prosciutto di Parma, coppa, salame, etc..). Since the dish is quite heavy, it's best to accompany it just with simple raw veggies cut in sticks and presented with a dipping vinaigrette of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Also serves as a great starter or accompaniment to a yummy dish of Italian antipasti (prosciutto, preserved vegetables, olives, etc..).