Tag Archive for 'pasta'

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Pasta alla Norma

pasta alla Norma

It’s about time to blog another pasta recipe, methinks. I have made this particular one several times before, therefore it’s well tried and tested. Its main ingredients are aubergines, tomatoes and salted ricotta. As I was in Italy at the end of September  on a quick visit (during which I met Candi! And what a great time we had, didn’t we?… Having lunch al fresco in a small trattoria by the river Adda, with 29 degrees and the sun shining…That’s the life!) I was able to buy this cheese – amongst MANY other things all of an edible nature!- and bring it back to the UK. But don’t worry English people. You don’t have to go on a trip to Italy to buy the ricotta just to produce this dish…..albeit it would be nice! You can substitute it with pecorino, which you can easily find in many supermarkets ! Anyway… the recipe is Italian (no idea who Norma is, though…) but ironically comes out of one of my many British cookery books,  Jamie Oliver’s to be precise  ( slightly amended). Everybody in England will be familiar with this “simpatico” chef! He toured Italy a few years back, did a TV programme about it and then proceeded to produce a book full of traditional recipes from the many Italian regions  (called, surprise surprise, Jamie’s Italy…). Off we go then… Continue reading ‘Pasta alla Norma’

Penne with asparagus and ricotta

penne with asparagus and ricotta

You asked for a recipe with asparagus and here’s another one straight after your lovely lasagne, dear Candi. After all they are in season so we must strike the iron while it’s hot, so to speak. By the way, apologies for the very amateurish photos.  They remind me of those terrible pics you see outside Greek tavernas to entice customers to go in. They achieve the EXACT result, in fact. :-( Still, I don’t possess any professional photographic equipment, only my mobile phone, I am afraid. So you are stuck with these unprofessional pictures. I put them to give you a rough idea of what the dishes look like (much better in reality. Trust me) and to prove I’ve actually made the stuff. The pasta dish I cooked last night is straight out of the Riverford recipe leaflet I get every week with my veggies. (Brilliant outfit! Great service! I advise you to check out the recipe section on their website. There are some really interesting vegetable dishes.) I thought it was very nice (and straightforward) so I decided to share it with you (slightly amended). Continue reading ‘Penne with asparagus and ricotta’

Spaghetti con le vongole e gli asparagi

Ah le vongole, mi piacciono un sacco. Forse la mia riserva di ferro preferita. Più delicate delle cozze (e anche più comode da pulire), non la fanno da padrone come le cugine arancioni e stanno bene con varie verdure. Il binomio con gli asparagi dunque è venuto da solo.  Adesso inizia il tempo degli asparagi (finora venivano dal Perù, massimo produttore di asparagi del mondo che non li consuma per niente!!!) e la nostra Terry delle fragole ha cominciato a raccoglierli. Così per il prossimo mese, asparagi in quantità. Preparatevi, o meglio, postatemi qualche ricettina a cui siete affezionati, se vi va. Continue reading ‘Spaghetti con le vongole e gli asparagi’