Italy

Bolognese Italian food is probably one of my favourites as I can never grow tired of the Pasta’s from the different regions and the variety of ingredients that go with these.

Did you know that there are 20 different regions in Italy and nearly all of the regions are then divided into provinces. This makes this page of recipes quite difficult as the regions of Italy all have their own specialities. These regions also usually make their own pasta and they are shaped accordingly to what they are eaten with. Mostly!

Did you also know that we have been duped over the years with what we have been eating as our favourite comfort Italian food, spaghetti bolognese, or if you go to an Italian restaurant spaghetti alla bolognese! Well, this dish was actually invented outside of Italy and although popular throughout ther world it is not eaten in Bologna it’s home nor in any other part of Italy. The bolognese sauce is known as a ragù and in the city where it was created Bologna is not served with spaghetti (nor elsewhere in Italy), as the pieces of meat do not adhere well to this kind of pasta.

More of this later, but this is exactly what I love about food and cooking.

Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e Pepe is another old Roman Classic and basically means Cheese and Pepper! I had actually never heard of it before as it is not something you will find in your run of the mill Italian restaurants. My enlightenment came with an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Layover series …

Lasagne alla Bolognese

Growing up lasagne wasn’t as popular as it is today, in fact I think I had my first lasgane in the 70’s and my Mum made a version using tagliatelle instead of the lasagne pasta sheets. I remember how delicious it was and I believe it was the only “Foreign food” her step kids and hubby ate…

Pappardelle al Ragu Di Cinghiale

Pappardelle al Ragu Di Cinghiale or Pappardelle pasta with a wild boar ragu, has to be one of my favourite winter dishes…

Pasta al Pomodoro

A you all know I love to cook. Sometimes though I don’t always have time for big dishes with lots of ingredients and preparation and to me the quickest and most satisfying dishes to knock up quickly, involve pasta and a few simple ingredients….

Pumpkin Ravioli

This is a version of a Christmas Eve speciality from the Italian region of Lombardy in the north of the country. Traditionally the pumpkin filling is mixed with mostarda di frutta which is a sweet fruit pickle, crushed amaretti biscuits and sugar…

Ragù alla Bolognese

Bolognese sauce, is known in Italy as ragù alla Bolognese and the reason for the name is that it originates from the city of Bologna in the Reggio of Emilia Romagna…

Risotto alla Milanese

In italy rice has evolved into a culinary tradition mainly in the form of risottos, and one of the most famous risotto dishes is no doubt Risotto Alla Milanese…

Sicilian Prawn Linguine

Many years ago we used to have a small family owned Italian restaurant in our neighbourhood and the boss was Sicilian and one of my favourite dishes was…

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Spaghetti alla Carbonara is said to be a Roman dish, not as in ancient Rome, but from 20th century Rome and the name is derived from carbonaro meaning charcoal burner and the dish was first made for the charcoal workers and was brought to the region of Lazio…

Spaghetti alla Norma

I’m not a huge fan of aubergine, but this Sicilian dish with aubergine being the main ingredient is delicious!…

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

As the name suggests in Italian it lititerally means “Spaghetti a la Whore”! Was this dish then created to allow ladies of the night to have a quick meal in between jobs? There are a lot of stories as to how it got its name, but one…

Spaghetti alla Vongole

The first time I had heard of this dish, I thought, that sounds a bit boring clams and spaghetti. But once you’ve tried this yourself you will be coming back for more! This dish is popular throughout Italy and in the south in Campania it is part of traditional Neapolitan cuisine. The Italians prepare this dish two ways…

Trofie al Pesto

For many years I had scoffed at the idea of cooking spaghetti with pesto and then one day friends invited us over to dinner and the main course was spaghetti with pesto…