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Spaghetti with tuna, olives and tomatoes

There are many ways to prepare pasta with tuna, in tomato sauce or pasta con tonno in bianco which means no tomatoes or tomato sauce, just olive oil. This version is with fresh tomatoes. It’s ideal if you want a quick but satisfactory pasta meal without a heavy creamy condiment.

Prep time  5 min     Cook time  15 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 4
  • 320 g spaghetti
  • 240 g of tuna packed in oil or water
  • 10-12 cherry tomatoes or 8 plum tomatoes
  • 10-12 olives
  • 1-2 tablespoons of capers
  • 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • salt
  • parsley

1.  Cook the pasta according to the package instructtions. Save a glass of the pasta water.

2. Meanwhile warm the oil in a medium size skillet over medium high heat with the garlic cloves. Add the drained tuna, stir to coat and sprinkle with  1/4 teaspoon of salt. Let cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the halved tomatoes, olives (pitted if you prefer, I usually leave them whole) and capers. Let cook for another 5 minutes.

4. Drain the pasta 1 minute before it’s cooked al dente and pour it in the skillet, stir to coat and add a little bit of the pasta water that you have previously saved and finish cooking. Sprinkle with parsley. I added the parsley after I took the photo.

BUON APPETITO!

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Pasta e fagioli

Pasta e fagioli aka pasta and beans. One of our faves at the moment. And you don’t have to add pasta, it’s just as good as bean soup. I’ve tried both  borlotti beans and  cannellini beans and they are both good, but I prefer the latter.

Pep time  10 min + the soaking time    Cook time  1,5 – 2 hrs

INGREDIENTS FOR 8
  • 500g  dried beans soaked overnight *
  • 400g fatty pancetta finely chopped
  • 200-300g fresh pig skins
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1  garlic clove
  • can of peeled/diced tomatos
  • 1 potato
  • peperoncino (chili pepper)
  • salt, pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • grated Parmesan
  • fresh maltagliati pasta or any kind of short pasta

1. Flame the pork skins to remove bristles, rub them clean with a cloth, and cut them into strips. Or if you use the skin from pancetta, just cut that into strips. No need to clean.

3. Mince the onion, celery and carrot and combine them. Heat a bit of oil in a large pot and sauté the chopped pancetta until it begins to brown. Add the minced onion mixture, a crushed garlic clove and the spices and continue to sauté, stirring, for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes, the drained beans, the peeled potato, the skins and water to cover abundantly, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer until the beans are tender. Total cooking time about 1,5 – 2 hrs. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.

5. After an hour, add 1 cup or more of water and salt.

6. When done, take an abundant cup of the soup with the potato (if it’s still in one piece or in chunks) and use a blender to cream it. Add it back to the soup.

7. Cook the pasta directly in the soup checking the water and salt. You can use the amount of soup for your need and refrigerate or freeze the rest.

8. Add a little bit of olive oil and grated parmesan to the plate

FOR THE VEGETARIAN ALTERNATIVE: leave out the pork skins and pancetta

FOR THE GLUTEN FREE ALTERNATIVE: use as soup or use appropriate pasta

Tip: If you want to serve it as soup, add croutons or pieces of grilled bread.

*the soaking time depends on the quality of your beans. Sometimes 8 hrs is enough, sometimes even less.

BUON APPETITO!

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Pasta with pesto and tomatoes

One of the easiest pasta dishes and at the moment my favourite is pasta with homemade pesto and fresh tomatoes. If you don’t have homemade pesto I guess you could use store bought pesto, gasp! Just kidding, use whatever you have on hand.

Prep time  5 minutes     Cook time 10-12 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 2
  • 160 g pasta of your choice
  • 3 heaping tbls of pesto
  • 8-10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 3 tbls extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • salt

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Save a glass of the pasta water.

2. Meanwhile warm the oil in a medium size skillet over medium high heat with the garlic clove. Add the tomatoes, stir to coat and sprinkle with  1/4 teaspoon of salt. Let cook for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the pesto to the tomatoes – I used 3 cubes of my frozen pesto (I freeze my pesto in an ice cube tray) and warmed it in the micro wave before adding it to the skillet.

3. Drain the pasta 1 min before it’s cooked al dente and pour in the skillet, stir to coat and add a little bit of the pasta water that you have previously saved, and finish cooking.

4. You may want to sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on your plate.

BUON APPETITO!

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Spaghetti alla chitarra with lemon pesto

We love pasta and have it almost every day and I constantly need new pasta recipes. Lately I’ve tried different pesto recipes and this one was perfect for our evening pasta.

Prep time 10 min    Cook time 8-10 min depending on your pasta
INGREDIENTS FOR 4
  • 320g pasta alla chitarra (tonnarelli)
  • 1 lemon –  preferably organic
  • 30 g between fresh basil, thyme, marjoram, parsley, mint
  • 30 g peeled almonds
  • 30 g grated Parmesan
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of coarse salt

1. While cooking the pasta, prepare the lemon-herb pesto.

2. Grate the zest of 1/4 of a lemon (avoid the white part, it will make your pesto bitter), squeeze the juice of a half a lemon, add all the ingredients in a bowl and use a mixer or a hand blender until the pesto is quite smooth. Check for taste. I grated too much of the zest  therefore my pesto was too lemony at the end. I kind of liked it but will definitely use less zest the next time. Of course it depends on the size of your lemon. So start with less and add if needed.

3. Drain the pasta 1-2 minutes before it’s al dente and pour it into a pan. Mix the pesto with the pasta, add some pasta water and let simmer for 1 minute.

4. Sprinkle the Parmesan on your pasta.

Tip: keep always a glass of your pasta water to add into the pan if necessary while you mix your pasta with the sauce

Tip: no need to use all the above mentioned herbs or you could use others

BUON APPETITO!