Spaghetti alle vongole (with clams)

Quick, tasty and full of summer flavours. The perfect dish to prepare when you find fresh clams at the market.

Spaghetti alle vongole (with clams)

Ingredients for 4:

360 gr spaghetti pasta

500 gr of fresh clams, washed

100 ml of white wine

2 garlic cloves, peeled

a bunch of parsley, chopped

a pinch chilli powder

4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

salt

How to prepare:

Put a large pot full of water on the stove at maximum heat.

Put a large pan with the extra virgin olive oil on the stove at medium/high heat. When the pan is hot add the garlic cloves. When they are golden add half of the parsley, the chilli powder and the clams. Stir fry for one minute, then pour in the wine and cover with a lid. Cook for a few minutes stirring from time to time until all the clams are open. Then take the lid and cook uncovered for 5 minutes more to allow the liquid to thick.

When the water in the pot is boiling add 3 tbsp of salt and the pasta. Cook the spaghetti for the recommended time, and then drain them.

Add the pasta into the same pan where the clams are cooking and stir well. Taste of salt and if needed add more.

Serve immediately topped with some fresh parsley.

Ragu Bolognese Sauce

Did you know that cooking Bolognese sauce is really easy? Believe me, you do not need to spend more than 15 minutes in the kitchen. Then, choose a good movie and enjoy it while your sauce is slowly cooking on the stove. Wait for the happy ending and, finally, have this fabulous home-made Bolognese sauce with your favorite pasta!

Ragu Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients:

500 gr of pork minced meat

3 tbsp of olive oil

2 carrots

2 celery sticks

1 white onion

1 garlic clove

1 glass of red wine (150 ml)

300 ml tomato puree

300 ml of chicken stock, or water

2 springs of rosemary

1/2 tsp salt

1 pinch of ground black pepper

How to prepare:

Pour the olive in a pot and heat it on the stove at medium/high heat. When the olive oil is hot add the pork meat. Brown the meat stirring all the time.

In a mixer put carrots, celery, onion and garlic and chop them. Stir the vegetables into the meat and cook for a couple of minutes. Then pour the wine in the pot and let it evaporate.

Finally, add tomato puree, stock, rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to boil. Then low the heat to very low, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours stirring from time to time. If during the cooking you see that the sauce is becoming too dry add some more stock or water.

When the sauce is ready, adjust it with salt and pepper and use it for seasoning your favorite pasta. Do not forget to sprinkle it with a generous handful of Parmigiano cheese. 

Pesto Lasagna

Baking a gorgeous lasagna is not difficult as it seems, and when you will cook for the first time your own lasagna you will not order it in a restaurant any more, honestly!

Today I will share with you my secrets about how to prepare an awesome Pesto Lasagna.  There are some advantages in it compared to the traditional one: it is quicker to prepare, the pesto sauce needs no cooking, and also the vegetarian guests will be able to enjoy it!

There are 4 main ingredients in my Pesto Lasagna: fresh pesto sauce, béchamel sauce (white sauce), boiled vegetables, and, of course lasagna noodles.

Pesto Lasagna

Ingredients for 8:

500 gr of lasagna noodles

200 gr of potatoes, boiled

200 gr of french beans, boiled

50 gr of butter

a handful of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Ingredients for pesto sauce:

150 gr of fresh basil leaves

100 gr of pine nuts

50 gr of Parmigiano Peggiano cheese

1/2 garlic clove

6 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

50 ml of boiling water

a pinch of salt

a pinch of black pepper

Ingredients for the béchamel sauce:

100 gr butter

1 l of whole milk

12 tbsp of flour

1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg

a pinch of salt

How to prepare:

First, blanch the lasagna noodles for a couple of minutes in salted boiling water. Then drain (keeping some hot water for the pesto sauce) and dry sheet by sheet on a cloth.

Put all the ingredients for the pesto sauce in a blender and blend until you will have a smooth sauce. If the sauce is too thick add some more water. The final result has to be rather fluid because the lasagna will need some moist for the baking.

Heat the milk in a pot. In a saucepan melt the butter and whisk in the flour. When the butter and the flour are well mixed, take the sauce pan from the stove and start to pour in little by little the hot milk whisking all the time with a whisk. You should obtain a thin sauce without lumps. Now, if you have a microwave, transfer the sauce in a microwave safe bowl and put it in the microwave at maximum power for 2 minutes. Then take it out, whisk it and put it back in the microwave for another 2 minutes. Whisk again and if the sauce is too thin repeat the process one last time. If you do not have a microwave, put the saucepan back on the stove at low/medium heat and bring the sauce to boil whisking all the time. When the sauce will be thick enough take it from the stove. Finally, season the béchamel sauce with salt and ground nutmeg, and let it cool.

Peel the boiled potatoes and cut them into slices of around 1 cm thickness.

Mix the pesto sauce with 2/3 of the béchamel sauce. Taste and add more salt if necessary. You will use the rest of the béchamel sauce for the topping.

Preheat the oven at 200° C.

Grease a backing tray (35x25x7 cm or similar) with 2-3 tbsp of butter. Put one first layer of sauce, followed by one layer of lasagna noodles, and finally one layer of boiled vegetables (french beans and potatoes). Go on like this until you finish your ingredients, the last layer has to be a layer of lasagna noodles. Top the lasagna with the béchamel sauce that you previously put aside. Lastly garnish with some butter flakes and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano cheese.

Put the lasagna in the oven on the middle rack and bake it for 40 minutes. The lasagna is ready when on the top there is a nice golden crust. Serve it hot.

You can prepare the lasagna even from the day before and bake it only at the last moment.

Lemon Linguine

Fresh, delicate and very perfumed, these Lemon Linguine are a perfect first course.

Lemon Linguine

Ingredients for 2:

250 gr of fresh egg linguine (or egg noodles)
zest of 1 lemon
150 ml of single cream
a bunch of chives
2 tbsp of butter
a handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
salt and pepper

How to prepare:

Put a large pot full of water on the stove at maximum heat.

Chop the lemon zest julienne.

Put the butter in a large pan and melt it on the stove at low heat.

Add the lemon zest (keep a small part of it aside for decoration), stir and cook for around 5 minutes.

Then add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the sauce at medium heat for a couple of minutes.

When the water in the pot is boiling add 2 tbsp of salt and the linguine.

Cook the pasta for the recommended time, and then drain it.

Add the pasta into the same pan where the sauce is reducing and stir well. Add a handful of grated Parmigiano, some finely chopped chives and stir again.

Arrange the Lemon Linguine in individual portions and garnish with some chives and lemon zest.

Serve immediately along with a bottle of aromatic white wine.

Pasta with Zucchini and Sausage

This quick and easy recipe will save you when you don’t know what to cook for dinner. You don’t need more than 15 mins and just 4 ingredients! And still you can count it in your 5 A Day!

Pasta with Zucchini and Sausage

Ingredients for 2:

200 gr of dry pasta (I used Pennette)
1 big courgette
250 gr of pork sausage
a handful of freshly grated Pecorino cheese (or another mature and tasty cheese)
1 tbsp of olive oil
salt and pepper

How to prepare:

Put a large pot full of water on the stove at maximum heat.

Cut the sausage in pieces and chop the courgette in thin slices.

Put a large pan with the olive oil on the stove at medium/high heat. When the pan is hot add the sausage. Brown it for a few minutes, until it is golden. Then add the courgette, a pinch of salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. Stir well and cover with a lid. Cook covered for 3-4 minutes, and then take the lid and cook uncovered until the water will evaporate and the zucchini will be well cooked (4-5 mins).

When the water in the pot is boiling add 2 tbsp of salt and the pasta. Cook the pasta for the recommended time, and then drain it.

Add the pasta into the same pan where the sausages and zucchini are cooking and stir well. Add a handful of grated Pecorino and stir again.

Serve immediately in individual portions or in a large bowl. Suggestion: if you would like to boost the flavour add a pinch of ground chilli pepper.

Rigatoni with Aubergines and Mozzarella

Yummy! This is the word that best describes this dish. Combine satisfying rigatoni, a smooth tomato sauce, succulent melted mozzarella, tasty fried aubergines and perfumed basil leaves and top with a crispy crust.

You can prepare this dish in advance and just put it in the oven for 15-20 mins before serving. Rigatoni are the perfect type of pasta for this preparation because they will keep their consistency even in double-cooking.

Serve along with a flavourful red wine.

Rigatoni with Aubergines and Mozzarella

Ingredients for 4:

400 gr of rigatoni pasta
2 medium aubergines
2 mozzarella cheese (2x125 gr)
1 can of tomato puree
150 ml of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
a bunch of fresh basil
salt
a pinch of ground black pepper

How to prepare:

Wash and slice the aubergines (1 cm thick). Sprinkle the slices with some salt, put them in a bowl and set them aside for 1 hour so that they will lose the water.

In a saucepan brown the peeled garlic cloves with 2 tbsp of olive oil at low heat. After a couple of minutes add the tomato puree, 50 ml of water and a few leaves of basil. Season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and cook it at low heat for 15 mins stirring form time to time.

Wash the slices of aubergine and dry them with a cloth. In a large pan heat half of the olive oil. Then start to fry the aubergines. Put a few slices in the pan and fry for around 2 mins on each side (until they will be golden). When the aubergines are fried take them from the pan and dry them on kitchen paper. Proceed like this until you fry all the aubergines. When needed add more olive oil in the pan.

Put a large pot full of water on the stove at maximum heat. When the water in boiling add 2 tbsp of salt and the pasta. Cook the pasta for the recommended time. Then drain and dress with the tomato sauce.

Slice the mozzarella (1 cm thick).

In a large oven dish put half of the pasta and cover with half of the mozzarella and aubergine slices. Then put the remaining pasta and top with the remaining mozzarella and aubergine slices, with the mozzarella on the top. Finally, put the rigatoni in the oven at 220 degrees for 15-20 mins.

Take out from the oven, decorate with some leaves of fresh basil and serve.

Perfect Pasta in 10 Steps

Cooking the perfect pasta is the easiest thing to do, but you have to follow 10 simple rules:

1) Always use Italian pasta. When you are cooking something very simple, as pasta, the ingredients play the most important role. So, always chose the best quality. If you want to prepare Spaghetti alla Carbonara or Linguine ai Frutti di Mare just remember that if you are looking for perfection you need Italian pasta.

2) Use the right amount of water: 1 litre of water each 100 grams of pasta. It could seems a lot of water, but pasta absorbs a large amount of water while cooking and if you use less water your pasta will be sticky.

3) The heat: at maximum.

4) Use the right amount of salt: 1 tablespoon each 2 litres of water. In Italy usually you would find coarse salt, but I know that is more difficult to find it in the other countries. You can replace it with table salt. You should add the salt when the water is boiling and before adding the pasta.

5) Always add pasta when the water is boiling and after you put the salt.

6) Stir from time to time. If you don’t do it pasta will stick to the bottom of the pot and eventually it will burn.

7) Always follow the recommended cooking time and check. One minute before the time’s up, check the pasta. If you think that you did not put enough salt you still have the time for adding some. When the time’s up, check again. Now pasta should be ready, but if you still fill it hard cook it one or two minutes more. But be careful, the perfect pasta is “al dente”, which means that you have to fill its texture when you chew it.

8) Drain it. Do not put cold water on it (I have seen some people doing so, crazy!).

9) Dress it with your favourite sauce. Just after you drain the pasta dress it with the sauce, if you wait the pasta will stick together.

10) Serve immediately! Pasta is not a dish that you can prepare in advance. The moment that it is ready the moment you have to serve it. If you leave it aside, pasta will start to absorb the liquid of the sauce and will lose its texture becoming too soft.

Salmon and Red Caviar Farfalle

This is a perfect dish for an elegant dinner. Super easy to prepare and gorgeous! Serve along with a bottle of rosé champagne.

Salmon and Red Caviar Farfalle

Ingredients for 4:

400 gr of farfalle pasta

200 gr of sliced smoked salmon (or sturgeon)

a small jar of red caviar (the better the quality the better the result)

½ small onion

150 ml of single cream (or double cream if you prefer)

a knob of butter

a spring of dill

a pinch of salt (+ one spoon of salt for the water for boiling the pasta)

How to prepare:

Put a large pot full of water on the stove at maximum heat. Finely chop the onion. Put it in a large pan with the butter. Brown the onion at low heat. Cut the salmon in small pieces and when the onion is golden add it in the same pan. Cook it at low heat for 3-4 mins stirring from time to time. Then add the cream (and if you use double cream also a couple of spoons of hot water. Season with salt and cook for 3-4 minutes more.

When the water in the pot is boiling add the salt and the farfalle and boil them for the recommended time. Then drain the pasta and turn it in the pan with the sauce. Stir well and add the chopped dill.

Divide the pasta into four plates and sprinkle with the red caviar. Serve immediately.

Pasta all'Amatriciana

For the coldest week of the winter (at least in Europe) I turn to the Italian tradition to give you a recipe that will keep you warm especially if it will come with a glass of full-bodied red wine.

Pasta all’Amatriciana is a savoury and rich dish and you can serve it as a main course preceded by an appetizer of cold cuts and fresh bread.

Pasta all’Amatriciana

Ingredients for 4:

400 gr of dry pasta (I chose pennette)
1 tin of canned tomatoes
200 gr of dry or smoked bacon
100 ml of red wine
4 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
a handful of Parmigiano Reggiano
1 small onion
1 dry chili pepper
a pinch of salt (+ one tbs of salt for the water for boiling the pasta)

How to prepare:

Put a large pot full of water on the stove at maximum heat.

Cut the bacon in small pieces (1 cm) and put it into a large pan together with the extra virgin olive oil. Fry it at minimum heat. Finely chop the onion and add it in the pan. Stir well. When the onion is golden pour the wine in the pan and raise the heat. Let the wine reduce, then add the canned tomatoes, the dry chili pepper, a pinch of salt and a few spoons of hot water. Lower the heat, cover the pan with a lid and let the sauce slowly cook for 10-15 mins stirring from time to time and adding hot water if necessary.

When the water in the pot is boiling add the salt and the pasta. Cook the pasta for the recommended time, and then drain it.

Turn the pasta in the same pan where the sauce is cooking and stir well. Add a handful of Parmigiano and stir again.

Serve immediately in individual portions or in a large bowl.

Buon appetito!

Vegetarian Ragú Tagliatelle

The recipe of the Vegetarian Ragú Tagliatelle comes from the kitchen of my good friend Sara. We shared the same flat when we were at university and we also shared a lot of gossipy dinners.

Since she did not like to eat meat, she taught me this recipe for cooking a delicious Ragú Tagliatelle without meat.

Vegetarian Ragú Tagliatelle

Ingredients for 4 portions:

500 gr of fresh pasta “tagliatelle all’uovo” type (or 400 gr of dry tagliatelle all’uovo)

2 medium carrots
2 medium zucchinis
1 small onion
5 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of salt (+ 1 tbs of salt for the water for boiling the pasta)
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
a pinch of vegetable stock powder
a handful of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

How to prepare:

Put a large pot full of water on the stove at maximum heat.

Finely chop the onion and put it into a large pan together with the extra virgin olive oil. Fry the onion at minimum heat.

Peel the carrots. Wash the zucchinis and cut their extremities. With a large-hole shredder grate the carrots and the zucchinis.

When the onion is light golden add the grated vegetables and a generous pinch of salt (carrots and zucchinis are usually quite sweet) and stir well. Then put the fire on medium heat and cover the pan with a lid. Let the vegetables cook covered for 2-3 minutes or until they do not start to let out their water. Then take the lid and add the pepper and the vegetable stock powder. Now cook the vegetables for around 10 mins stirring from time to time and adding some spoon of hot water if they become too dry.

When the vegetables are almost ready, put a spoon of salt in the pot with the boiling water and add the tagliatelle. Let them cook for the time recommended, then drain.

Turn the pasta in the same pan where the vegetables are cooking and stir well. Add a handful of Parmigiano and stir again.

Serve the tagliatelle in individual portions or in a large bowl along with a fresh dry but fruity white wine.