The world loves Italian Cuisine and it is no surprise!
From bread and cheese to pizza and pasta, Italian dishes have always been loved for generations. The Italian people have travelled the world since ancient times and where the Italians went so did their amazing cooking skills!
One of the many reasons you’ll find an Italian restaurant on almost every street in every city in the world is its variety. From pizza, pasta, and lasagna to Ceasar salad, and spaghetti carbonara, the list is probably endless! Along with its varieties, it’s not just the taste that lures people but the quality and freshness of the ingredients.
In this article, we are going to create two yummy but easy-to-follow Italian-style dishes.
Carbonara
We are going to start with a classic and one of my favourites. I actually think I'm one of those odd people who like both the Classic Italian and the British version.. (sorry Italy).
For those of you thinking what?
There's more than one carbonara?? I'm going to explain really quickly before giving you my Italian-style recipe.
Carbonara is an Italian pasta dish from Rome made with eggs, hard cheese, cured pork and black pepper. Adaptations of the classic spaghetti carbonara recipe left Italians outraged, particularly the British version which includes adding double cream and chicken.
" I nearly fainted at the sight of the cream. How can you call that carbonara?"
- Manuela Spinelli
Now due to the fact, not every ingredient that we need from Italy is available in Ireland, I have for many years now made the following Italian-style Carbonara and it's pretty yummy! The beauty of Italian food lies in its simplicity, generally very few ingredients that marry together and become a paradise of flavours.
I'm going to apologise right now to all of Italy for adding mushrooms to your classic recipe, but I just love the flavour they add to this dish!
One of my all-time favourites is the quick and easy dinner that is Carbonara!
Penne Carbonara (with Fresh Pasta) My Version
Serves 2 - 6 people
Cost €8 - €12
Shopping list (For 2):
1 pack of Smoked Pancetta
- 1Chicken Stock
- 1 pack of Fresh Penne Pasta
- 2 Eggs
- 1 pack of Button Mushrooms
- 1 pack Grated Parmigiano
- Garlic Salt
- Black Pepper
This is one pan dish which makes it super quick to cook and clean up after!
I like to start by rinsing and halving the button mushrooms before adding them to the frying pan with butter or oil, whichever you have. I then add the pancetta to the pan and finally the penne.
Fresh pasta cooks really quickly, so I add a pint of chicken stock before adding half a teaspoon of garlic salt and half a teaspoon of black pepper.
After4-5 minutes when the pasta has softened just a little crack one egg and whips it in before doing the same with the second. I like to give the eggs one minute to cook and you're done! Carbonara is ready to eat, if you're someone who likes a side with your pasta, a garlic baguette usually costs less than €1, cooks in about 15min and is perfect for sharing!
Now that you're ready to cook why not try pairing this meal with a nice pinot grigio? Don't forget to sprinkle generously with the grated Parmigiano!
NOTE: (if you prefer a thick, British-style carbonara you can pre-boil and slice some chicken fillets and also add a half carton of double cream instead of a pint of chicken stock only use a cup.)
"Very few Italian restaurants in Britain do a good job. They're too scared to show you what real Italian food is like because they think you can't handle it, so they dilute it."
- Gino D'Acampo
Tagliatelle alla Bolognese
My favourite Bolognese recipe is not actually Gino D'Acampo's but in fact his grandfather's. A while back Gino shared this recipe while filming one of his TV shows and then posted it online, ever since it's the only recipe I've used especially if we're having a crowd for dinner.
Below is the recipe I follow ( with the store-bought ingredients) I will also include the original link:
Ingredients (Serves 6)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, very finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, very finely diced
- 1 large carrot, very finely diced
- 500g minced pork
- 500g minced beef (I always buy 5% fat)
- 50ml red wine (as Gino himself says if you won't drink it don't cook with it)
- 50ml milk
- 4 tablespoons tomato purée (I like to use one small condensed tin instead of the tube)
- 300ml passata
- 400ml chicken or vegetable stock (always OXO)
- 500g fresh tagliatelle
- Parmesan shavings, to serve (NEVER optional)
Instructions for Tagliatelle alla Bolognese
- Heat half the oil in a large sauté pan and fry the onion, celery and carrot for 5 minutes until soft and starting to colour.
- While the vegetables are cooking, put all the meat in a large bowl, pour over the remaining olive oil and crumble the meat between your fingertips. Add the meat to the pan and fry until brown – around 5 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the red wine and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the milk. Simmer for 2 minutes before stirring in the tomato purée, passata and stock, and then simmer gently for 3 hours until reduced and thickened.
- Once cooked, remove from the hob, season with salt and pepper then cover with a lid and leave for 20 minutes – you do not want the sauce to be boiling hot when you serve it.
- When ready to serve, bring a large pan of water to the boil and season it generously with salt. Add the pasta to the pan and cook for 3 minutes.
- Drain the pasta, then return to the pan with the sauce and toss to combine, I use salad thongs to toss it together but two forks will do the same job.
- Serve in bowls with a few parmesan shavings scattered over and a glass of red wine.
- FINAL STEP: Enjoy Gino D’Acampo’s Grandfather’s Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese!
If you are a fan of these Italian-Style recipes, I highly recommend buying some of Gino's cookbooks or following his recipes from his TV shows online.
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