Pasta Vongole

Pasta Vongole

Serve this classic Italian seafood pasta in hot bowls and finish with a sprinkling of chopped herbs – a perfect midweek meal for any time of year Serves 4 Preparation time 15 mins Cooking time 10 mins Ingredients: 800g fresh clams (discard any open ones) 12 whole shallots, finely chopped 75g butter 2 cloves of […]

Italian Shallot, Gorgonzola and Rocket Risotto

shallot, gorgonzola and rocket risotto

In this flavoursome Italian dish the sweetness of the shallots is beautifully complemented by the robust taste of the blue cheese. It’s a great recipe for dinner parties, or makes a hearty but simple weekend dinner   Serves 4 Ingredients 12 shallots, peeled and roughly diced 320g risotto rice 40g butter 2 tbsp olive oil […]

Past Italia: Pasta in Italy

antique picture Italy: Naples, Pasta Factory

This image of a 19th-century factory in Naples illustrates just how fundamental pasta is to Italian cuisine Where or when pasta originated is something we will never know. A lot of the problem lies in what we mean by “pasta”, but the modern Italian pasta we know and love today (ie, that which is made […]

Drink Italia: Six favourite reds for 2018

We asked our wine buyers to recommend good-value Italian red wines to enjoy this spring and beyond. Here are six we think will become favourites for 2018… Even if you have your ‘go-to’ wines, one of the joys of wine appreciation is finding a new bottle that surprises you and goes on to become a favourite. […]

Specialities of Genoa

Seafood Genoa

The northern coastal city of Genoa offers so much to delight prospective visitors – not least the selection of renowned (and lesser-known) food and drinks that hail from this area. Here are a few local specialities to try… Photos by Jon Palmer                           […]

Seducing my husband without salt: part 2

Rachael Martin continues her story of what living in Italy has taught her about food, moving on from pasta and risotto to polenta… The days get colder, wild mushrooms are picked and chestnuts roasted. Pumpkins have made their way into shops and risottos. Then autumn is about to give way to winter and Christmas is […]

Mussels with chickpeas

Mussels

These cozze e ceci make a delicious starter dish to share with the whole family. Serve with crusty bread to get every bit of flavour from the juices! Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 small red onion, peeled, finely sliced 1 garlic clove, peeled, crushed 150ml dry white wine 1kg mussels in their shells 450g cooked chickpeas 1 tbsp chopped […]

Semolina cake with orange syrup 

Semolina Cake

This torta di semolino all’arancia is a delicious, moist cake just waiting to be eaten!  Make this as a sweet treat over the weekend – perfect with a cup of tea. Semolina cake with orange syrup Ingredients: 2 large free-range eggs 220g caster sugar 80ml light olive oil zest of 1 orange 250ml orange juice […]

Seducing my husband without salt: Part 1

Rachael Martin on what living in Italy has taught her about food: from pasta to risotto and beyond… The first time I made my Italian boyfriend a dish of pasta, he took one mouthful and looked at me. Horrified. Pasta without salt, way up the list of the seven deadly culinary sins as any Italian […]