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The classic (peach) Bellini
A seasonal favourite, invented by Giuseppe Cipriani the founder of Harry’s Bar in the 1930’s - this a two-ingredients cocktail requiring only white peach puree and Prosecco (Italian sparkling white wine).
Puree 3 white peaches, peeled and cored. You can pass the puree through a fine sieve if you like a smoother texture. Pour into 6 champagne glasses (fill to 1/3). Top with Prosecco (you will need 1 bottle Prosecco or other sparkling white wine).
Serves 6.
Yellow tomato risotto
Peel and deseed 450g ripe yellow tomatoes. Dice the tomatoes, sprinkle with sea salt and place in a sieve over a small bowl. Set aside. Repeat as above with 250g ripe dark red tomatoes. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a deep pan, add 1 onion, finely chopped and stir over a medium heat till softened. Add 300g risotto rice (I used the delicate Aquerello variety) and stir for a couple of minutes till well-coated with the onions. Add 250ml white wine and let reduce down completely. Now start adding some vegetable stock, one ladle at a time, waiting till it gets absorbed before adding the next (you will need about 600ml in total). When the rice is nearly done (i.e. al dente - so with still a bite to the grains of rice), turn off the heat, add the chopped yellow tomatoes and strained juice, cover, and set aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add 2-3 tbs finely chopped basil leaves to the red tomatoes and a little glugg of olive oil. Stir and set aside. To serve: divide the risotto between four pasta bowls, garnish with the red tomatoes mixture and a sprig of basil, add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper. Pass around some grated parmesan at the table. Serves 4.
Italian grilled aubergine slices
I love the mauve varieties of aubergine which, with their creamy and dense interiors, lend themselves perfectly as a meat alternative. The less you do to these aubergines however, the better. The combo of herbs, olive oil and lemon juice is a Sicilian classic.
Slice a large mauve aubergine into rounds (5mm thick). Heat up a grill pan on the stove top and brush with a little oil. Brush the aubergine rounds in olive oil too. Grill the rounds on both sides till they are nicely marked by the grooves of the pan and transfer to a serving platter.
In the meantime, in a small bowl place 3 tbs olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped, 1 tbs chopped parsley, 1 tbs chopped basil, and some sea salt and pepper. Beat till well-combined and creamy and pour over the aubergine slices.
You can serve these straight away or leave overnight to marinate in the refrigerator.
I like to serve the aubergine as part of an antipasto platter (grilled peppers, shavings of parmigiano, marinated mushrooms, olives, etc.) alongside plenty of crusty bread to mop up the juices and oil.
Braised spinach shoots - testine di spinaci
This dish cheerfully sits under the category of “waste not, want not”.
Next time you buy long leaf spinach, the ones with the pink-tipped stems still attached, rather than throwing them in the bin, trim them to a thumb’s length, rinse thoroughly under cold water and slice in half length-wise. See photos above.
In Italy they call these shoots testine di spinaci and are a speciality of the Veneto region. Here’s my take on this recipe:
Take around 6 large, cleaned spinach shoots (as above) and place in a small pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil and throw in 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped. Place on a medium heat and cover. Toss occasionally. You shouldn’t need to add any water as the spinach shoots will extract quite a bit of water into the braising liquid. Once well-softened, but still retaining their vibrant colour transfer the shoots to a serving dish. Season with sea salt and pepper and add a final drizzle of olive oil.
Insalata Tre Colori - Tomato & Mozzarella
This colourful salad really benefits from using the best quality ingredients - sun-ripened tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, buffalo milk mozzarella.
Slice up 1lb of tomatoes quite thinly (a mix between yellow and red or other varieties) and fan out the slices on a serving platter in 2 rows. Take a large buffalo mozzarella ball (or replace with smaller bocconcino-sized balls), slice and place alongside the tomatoes. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle on sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Dot with a small handful of miniature basil leaves just before serving.
Mango Bellini
This is a lovely, early summer alternative to the traditional (white peach) Bellini - and what better way to celebrate the summer solstice than with such a sunny cocktail?
This recipe really works best with a super-fragrant mango, such as the Alphonso from India (in season right now for a short time only!).
Peel, core and chop 2 small Alphonso mangoes. Puree in a blender to a smooth consistency (add a dash of water if too thick).
Spoon 1 tbs mango puree into the bottom of champagne flutes (4-6) and top with a bottle of Prosecco (or other sparkling white wine).
Serves 4-6.
Tomato & Mozzarella tart
Here’s a nice summer dish to take advantage of the new season/summer tomatoes. Serve with a green salad for a light lunch. You can also make these into individual portions by cutting the dough into several, smaller circles.
Roll out a store-bought puff pastry dough to 3mm thickness and cut to the size of a large (pizza-sized) circle. Place on a baking tray. Press the tongs of a fork all along the edges and then brush with a beaten egg. Brush on 2 tbs dijon mustard, followed by 2 tbs pesto. Sprinkle on some grated mozzarella and then place slices of tomatoes in concentric circles to cover. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves, drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper.
Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for around 15-20 minutes (till golden and bubbly). You can drizzle on some more pesto once out of the oven. Serve while still warm.
5-minute pizza
This is a surprisingly decent way to emulate the quick-baked, thin crust pizza you normally get with a wood-burning oven. However, a word of warning to my Italian readers - you’ll probably consider the following recipe a travesty to Italian cuisine!
First, start by turning on your oven to the grill position and leave to heat up. In the meantime, on a baking sheet place a store-bought nan bread (the plain, pre-packaged, prebaked variety works well). Brush on 1 tbs thick, good-quality Italian tomato sauce, followed by 1tsp basil pesto. I also like to use a little flaked chilli. Spread on some grated cheese (mozzarella is best). Sprinkle with herbes de provence (dried parsley, oregano, thyme).
Place under the hot grill till the cheese bubbles and the bread starts to brown nicely (if your oven is hot this will take about 2 minutes). Drizzle with olive oil and scatter small basil leaves overtop. Cut into slices and eat straight away.
Tuscan sage fritters
These Tuscan savoury delicacies are oh-so-crisp and pretty, and are a treat to nibble on with a glass of Prosecco in hand.
In a shallow bowl whisk together 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup water till you get a thickish paste. Heat 1/3 cup rapeseed/canola oil in a non-stick pan. Dip 10-12 large sage leaves in the batter and then let the batter drip off before placing flat in the pan. Flip over once crisp and golden. Remove once the other side is also crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen towel and sprinkle with sea salt before serving.
Best served warm.
The Sicilian - a blood orange cocktail
In a jug place 250ml (1 cup) freshly squeezed and strained Sicilian blood orange juice, around 3 oranges. Stir in 50ml limoncello liqueur, 50ml strawberry liqueur, and 50ml vodka.
Add a few ice cubes to the jug and stir till well-chilled and then strain into two tall and thin glasses.
Serves 2 (or can be stretched to 3).
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Extra lemony pasta sauce
In a mortar and pestle or food processor pound together 2 garlic cloves, a large bunch of basil, and a little coarse sea salt. Blend in 5 tbs olive oil and the zest and juice of two lemons.
Stir some/all of the sauce into 200g pasta (Trofie is a favourite as it develops a creamy texture which matches really nicely with the lemon) which has been boiled to al dente. Now add a generous sprinkling of parmesan, a final grating of lemon (or lime) rind, and a garnish of small basil leaves.
For a seafood pasta add some cooked mussels and/or squid and a healthy portion (1 cup) of finely chopped parsley instead of the basil after stirring in the sauce. You can also stir in some parmesan if you like, but Italians would have a heart attack if they found out! In Italy it is the rule that one never mixes cheese and seafood in pastas and risottos.
Red curly kale crostini
This recipe only uses the stalks of the kale (which normally get discarded in recipes) and also works well substituted with either green kale or swiss chard.
Finely chop a few stalks of red kale (1 cup). Add to a small frying pan with a glug of olive oil. Bring to a medium heat and stir. Now add 2 large finely chopped garlic cloves and stir again. Cover briefly to steam the stalks.
Meanwhile take a couple of slices of coarse country bread and toast till golden. Rub with a cut clove of garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
Uncover the kale, season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper and distribute evenly between the bread slices.
Makes 2 crostini.
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Pasta bake with spicy Italian meatballs
Cook 500g tubular pasta (rigatoni, etc) in a large pot of boiling water for 2 minutes less than according to the package instructions. Drain and pour into a large and deep baking dish. Pour over a 700g jar of passata (pureed tomatoes). Rinse out the jar with 100ml water, and pour over the pasta. Stir around.
Evenly distribute over-top: 2 chopped, fresh red chillies, 125g shredded fresh mozzarella (one large ball), 250g grilled and peeled red peppers from a jar, 1/3 cup of chopped sundried peppers (or tomatoes), sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Now stir gently till combined.
Slit open 400g spicy Italian sausages (or I used the same amount of high-quality sausage meat combined with 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp chilli flakes and a sprinkling of dried thyme and sea salt). Form into 18 small balls and distribute evenly over the pasta, pushing them down slightly into the pasta. Finally, take 150g fresh ricotta cheese and dot around the pasta in small pieces, much like the sausage.
Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake in the oven at 200c for around 30 minutes (or until the pasta edges are nice and crisp).
Garnish with some Greek basil (i.e. the small-leafed variety) and serve with a crisp green salad and some garlic bread.
Note: You can assemble this pasta dish a few hours ahead of time and pop in the oven just before serving.
Serves 6.
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Ricotta all’Insalata - a herby ricotta dip served with crostini and crudites
This recipe is so yummy and fresh - and, despite being predominantly being made up of cheese (!), seems quite a healthy option.
In a bowl (or food processor) mix together 450g/1lb fresh ricotta, 1 garlic clove finely chopped, 4 spring onions finely chopped, 2 tbs chopped mint, 3tbs chopped parsley, 3tbs olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, some sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to develop the flavours. Bring to a room temperature before serving with a drizzle of olive oil and a garnish of chopped chives.
Here are some ideas of what to serve with the ricotta: 1) as an aperitivo - with some crostini (sliced, grilled baguette rubbed with a cut garlic clove and drizzled with olive oil), carrot sticks (I used the purple variety), and a few olives, 2) stirred into hot pasta or new potatoes, 3) as a sandwich filler
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Garlic bread baked in parchment
Here’s another easy recipe from Jamie Oliver’s 30-minute meals. This one is quick to assemble and quite forgiving in terms of timings (the ‘water on the wrapping’ technique ensures the bread does not dry out) - which means you can afford to be a little forgetful about it once in the oven.
Slice a large ciabatta lengthwise, making sure you do not go all the way through the bottom crust! Now cut crosswise at 3 cm intervals - again, making sure you don’t go all the way through. Scrunch up a large piece of greaseproof paper under the tap and then lay flat on your counter. Place your ciabatta on the paper. Sprinkle a small bunch of finely chopped parsley all over the ciabatta (including under). Drizzle olive oil over (and inside) the ciabatta. Scatter 3-4 finely chopped garlic cloves between the slices. Season with sea salt and pepper. Seal up the package quite well and place in a hot oven (180c).
The ciabatta should be ready in about 20 minutes. You can probably delay taking it out of the oven for another 20 minutes by reducing the temperature down to 100c -keeping the bread warm and toasty.
Serves 6.
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