Post written by jules from stonesoup | minimalist home cooking. Follow her on Twitter.
If I was forced to choose the cuisine of only one country to eat for the rest of my life it would be an incredibly difficult task.
But thinking about it now, I’d have to pick Italy.
I mean the home of pizza, pasta and risotto – how could you turn your back on such versatile comforting dishes?
And the bonus is that there is so much more. I love the Italian sensiblity to vegetables and that when they cook meat, they treat is simply and with respect.
Ooh and did I mention olives and olive oil? or my mildly concerning gelato addiction?
Yep, definitely Italian.
fresh pasta with avocado & toasted almonds
serves 4
If you are a fan of avocado you’re going to love this unusual pasta dish that is vegan friendly.
Dried long pasta would also work – it just might take a little longer than 10 minutes to cook.
This is a dish that needs to be served fresh and hot.
1lb (400g) fresh taglitelle or fettuccini or other long pasta
1 1/2 C flaked almonds (5oz or 150g), toasted
1 large ripe avocado, halved lengthwise
1-2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1/2 bunch flat leaf parlsey, leaves chopped
Cook pasta according to the packet directions.
Meanwhile cut avocado flesh into long thin ribbons.
Scoop out a cup of pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain and return cooked pasta to the pot with the remaining ingredients and 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
Toss until well combined. Taste and season. It will probably need quite a bit of salt. if it looks too dry toss though a little of the reserved cooking water. Serve immediately.
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white bean & proscuitto frittata
serves 2 – 3
The filling options are endless for frittata. Cooked vegetables, tomato & leftover cooked pasta, prawns, peas and fresh mint – all good.
If you would prefer to keep it vegetarian you could easily ditch the proscuitto and up the parmesan a little or even replace it with a few generous dollups of ricotta. Like I said, endless options.
It’s also versatile to serve. Hot, warm or room temperature are all great. On it’s own or with a side salad. For breakfast or lunch or as part of an antipasto platter. Or even as a sandwich between two slices of bread.
I think it’s best to flip the frittata to get both sides cooked but if this makes you nervous you could cook the tip under the broiler (grill).
6 eggs
2 handfuls grated parmesan cheese
1 x 400g (14oz) can cannellini beans, drained
6 slices proscuitto or parma ham
small handful salad leaves, to serve
Heat a small skillet over a medium heat with 4 tablespoons olive oil.
Mix eggs and parmesan lightly in a bowl. Season.
Add beans to the skillet and stir fry for a minute or so. Scatter proscuitto over the beans and pour over the egg mixture.
Cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the raw egg to run under the cooked bottom layer.
When the frittata is almost cooked through and the top is only a little runny, remove from the heat. Place a large plate over the top and turn the skillet over so the frittata comes out onto the plate. Slide the frittata with the uncooked side down back into the skillet and cook for another few minutes until the frittata is cooked through.
mixed berry sorbetto
serves 3-4
Any berry would work well for this sorbet. If you’d prefer something more decadent and gelato -like you could use heavy cream or even marscapone. But it’s lovely on its own. And so, so easy.
10oz (300g) frozen mixed berries
1/3 cup sugar (2 1/2 oz or 70g)
Place frozen berries and sugar in a food processor and add 3 tablespoons water. Whizz until you have a smooth sorbet – it will take a little while but have patience.
Serve immediately.
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of a frittata before, but the white bean & proscuitto frittata looks delicious. I will definitely have to give that one a try. Thanks!
The frittata looks wonderful! Yum, thanks for the recipes.
We fell in love with the Italian Ice Cream in, of all places, Manual Antonio. I was amazed at the flavors and the richness. Love the stuff. Thanks for the recipe, will surely add the cream.
Thanks for the great looking recipes! Can’t beat ice cream in Italy!!
Frittata al prosciutto (that’s the real name) is probably one of the simplest & best meal I’ve ever eaten. Try it, you won’t regret it.
I have a ripe avocado and bunch of sliced almonds sitting on my counter right now… We may be having the pasta dish for dinner tonight. Yum.
I’m the host for an” Italian night” dinner tomorrow in honor of a trip a friend is taking soon. With a very busy day tomorrow I had decided to do take-out UNTIL I saw the fettucini dish at the top – YUM! All my favorite ingredients in a quick, easy dish. THANKS, Leo – You’re the best!
… tagliatelle … fettucine … pizza … pasta … tutti buoni …
Lovely gelato. For those who prefer less sugar, we made this last night:
2 mangoes & a bunch of frozen raspberries blended
It was so good and the color was vibrant.
For raw vegans, try zucchini as pasta.
I would love to have a bit of that sorbet now! yum!
I am an Spaniard living in Italy and I agree Mediterranean Diet is very healthy and nice.
Just an ortographic correction: prosciutto and not proscuitto.
I really want to try that frittata, yum! Thanks for posting!
The avocado and toasted almonds sound like a great combo with pasta. I’m looking forward to trying this one.
wow!
I’d never heard of the Stone Soup blog before, now I’m sitting here reading through every page trying to decide which to cook first!
Umm, so I made the avocado dish and it did not turn out well. All I could taste was the olive oil. Maybe I did something wrong?
Gorgeous recipes. Thank you Jules!
As an Italian I am happy to read one of my fave blog speak about it :-)
And if you think well, pasta and Minimalism are close friend!
in 10 minutes you can eat a delicious Pasta, Grana Olio & pepe with almost no other ingredients but spaghetti. The less you use the better it s!
ciao!
m