It’s probably not quite the same everywhere, but here in Italy we’re literally experiencing Summer at its fullest potential, which is not extremely positive if you don’t have a pool or the sea a couple of steps out of reach. But what better excuse to have a few too many glasses of iced coffee if not the heat? … And the fact I need to find some extra energies somewhere or there’s no way I’ll get through these extremely busy working days?
But really, I don’t even need excuses anymore! Nor do you, even if you live somewhere where Mother Nature hasn’t got the memo just yet! It’s Summer after all, right?
Plus I’ve been making the most delicious, sweet, vanilla-ry iced coffee you’ve ever dreamt of, and, yes, a couple of times a day doesn’t even feel enough anymore. Keep reading if you’re after something addictive…
And that’s, in a nutshell, what I’ve been basically feeding myself with for the last few weeks (not literally, but quite similarly!). It’s so simple, quick but amazingly delicious that you really *HAVE* to give it a go yourself!
Last time I wrote a post about pasta, I was almost uncertain readers were going to like it at all, and then it became my most popular post of all times within a couple of days! Add the fact I basically rediscovered my passion for pasta and for my roots while writing that post, and you’ll get why this whole thing is becoming now a blog series in the first place!
Since many of you liked my tips and recipes on how to cook pasta like an Italian, I thought I’d bring it back with some more traditional pasta recipes for you to try out and cook at home the real Italian way. This time we’re talking two classics but some you can’t really go wrong with! And they taste very Italian indeed!
Tuna Pasta
Truth is there are so many ways to implement tuna in your pasta and all of them are legit, but to me there’s no such a thing like good quality pasta with tuna in tomato sauce. To me tuna pasta is all about that, the perfect balance of flavours, leaving the cheese out of the games for once! And if you ask me, here in Italy we don’t really do tuna pasta differently (without tomato sauce) all too often at all! This is one of my favourite ways to cook pasta for myself, so quick and easy but extremely tasty!
This sauce works well with any type of pasta really, but I usually avoid spaghetti and instead prefer any shapes that can hold the sauce nicely like penne or fusilli or maccheroni.
Ingredients (serves 2):
– 160g pasta (any pasta shape is good, but I’d suggest penne, fusilli or maccheroni)
– A drizzle of olive oil
– 2 small tins of tuna in brine (around 160g)
– 1 tablespoon tomato concentrate
– 5/6 tablespoons of tomato sauce
– Cherry tomatoes to serve
Method:
01 :: In the meanwhile pasta is cooking, place a drizzle of olive oil in a small pan and add in the tuna. Place on a medium heat and leave it for a couple of minutes to allow the tuna to infuse its flavour in the oil.
02 :: Add in the tomato concentrate and give it a nice stir with a wooden spoon, lastly add the tomato sauce and stir well again. Allow the sauce to cook for around 5/7 minutes, stirring occasionally in the meanwhile. As soon as you notice your sauce is getting thicker, add a splash or two of pasta water and allow it to absorbe completely before serving.
03 :: Drain your pasta and pop it into the saucepan you’re using for your sauce. Stir the pasta in its sauce a couple of times while still on the heat. Then remove and serve into plates.
04 :: Cut a couple of cherry tomatoes in halves and place them in a small saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil, then cover with the pan lid. Allow them to soften and then top your tuna pasta with them!
Trofie al pesto
Pesto is not something I was used to do homemade, but it’s quite surprising, when you give it a try, how easy and quick it is to put it together and how good your pasta tastes with it! With pesto you should always pair trofie if you plan to stick to traditions, but we love pesto with any pasta really, especially with shapes that, again, can hold the sauce nicely! Try using your own basil for this, it’ll taste so much better!
Ingredients (serves 2): – 160g trofie
– 1/4 clove of garlic
– 30 leaves of basil
– 10g pine nuts
– 2-3 tablespoons grated parmesan
– 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
– A pinch of cooking salt
Method:
01 :: Meanwhile your pasta is cooking, go hand-pick your basil from your kitchen garden. It’s always better to pick it up right before you eat it! Place the basil, garlic, cooking salt, pine nuts and a tablespoon of olive oil in an electric mixer (or, better, use an immersion blender, it’s easier!) and blend until you get a thick cream.
02 :: Start adding the parmesan and the rest of the olive oil a tablespoon per time and blend in the meanwhile. When you’re done, taste your pesto and, if needed, add more oil (if it’s too thick) or parmesan (to enhance flavours). If some of the pine nuts are still big, it’s fine, they’ll add a nice texture to your pesto.
03 :: Drain your pasta and serve with your homemade pesto! Enjoy!
***
That’s it, two more pasta recipes, the traditional Italian way! What’s your favourite way to cook pasta? x
Oh, picnics. There’s anything nicer and more summery than spending the morning in the kitchen putting together your favourite portable recipes, filling up a basket and heading outside to eat on the grass? It has been three years that I have had the perfect picnic all planned in my mind (recipes, decor and even what I wanted to wear!) and this Spring I promised myself this year was going to be *the year*!
We have waited for the perfect weather, the perfect peaceful hours and the perfect shadow in the grass to finally put together our very own grown up picnic. I bought sunflowers to make things more summery, prepared lemon infused water the night before, and together we found an old wooden board that served us well to lay out our food on something solid. I tied up some jars with cute ribbons and hanged them to the tree branches and popped in some fresh flowers hand-picked from the garden, and then spent my morning in the kitchen putting together picnic-approved foods from scratch!
Truth is this picnic was planned in every detail since a couple of months (by this crazy lady that’s typing!), but the best thing about it all was putting it together! – so if you’re curious on how to prep a perfect grown up picnic, then read on because I have a full guide for you with three fresh, fancy and vegetarian recipes to try the next time you’re eating on the grass!…
Hello, I'm Giada, an Italy based life and personal style blogger and freelance web designer, coffee, loafers, satchels and tea lover. Welcome to my little cosy space!
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