Fetuccine con zucchini e pomodirini

 
In Italy a starter is usually followed by primo piatto (first dish) which might be pasta (secondo piatto is usually a meat dish). Today I propose fettuccine (a type of long, flat pasta) with zucchini and pomodorini (cherry tomatoes). A simple recipe ideal for people in a hurry.

For this recipe you'll need:

fettuccine
1 medium zucchini
100g of  cherry tomatoes
3 or 4 spoons of basil pesto
around 5 cashew nuts, crushed or finely chopped
some freshly grated pecorino or parmigiano cheese
olive oil


1. Start by cutting the cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters. Put them on the den of a baking dish, sprinkle with a bit of olive oil and put in the hot oven set for 180 degrees for around 10-15 minutes.

2. In the meantime boil some water for the fettuccine and cut the zucchini into thin slices along the length of the zucchini and fry them on a hot pan until they become soft.

3. Once your fettuccine is al dente, transfer it to the frying pan with the zucchini, add pesto and cashew nuts and stir. I know that some ready-made basil pestos already contain nuts, but I added some cashew nuts separately on purpose to add to the structure of the dish.
4. Transfer the mix from the pan into the baking dish on top of the tomatoes and allow another 5-10 minutes in the oven.
5. Transfer into a plate, sprinkle with cheese, et voila!

 

Bon appétit!

Bruschette al pomodoro

I decided to start my Italian adventure with a a very simple antipasti (starter), which to my mind has at its heart the essence of Italy. Bruschetta in its simplest form is just a piece of grilled white bread rubbed with garlic sprinkled with some prime quality olive oil. The most popular form is served with a salad of chopped tomatoes and basil:

Veramente fantastico!!

(truly fantastic)

My Italian dream

It's been a while since I last posted here... certainly not because I lost interest in cooking, but rather because I changed my location to the land of pomodori and prosciutto - Italy. Now that I have settled there I shall start posting again :)

Italy, or to be more exact Tuscany, is a land of many culinary delights. My new challenge is to discover the secrets of Tuscan cuisine. Below are some pictures of a delicacies market on Piazza Republicca, Firenze held around once a month, selling all sorts of superb products (including the best mature pecorino I ever ate coming from Pienza):

and some shops in Bologna: