Summer is well and truly underway (apparently, although the weather may suggest otherwise) and it’s the season when we’re left craving Italian food the most. If you can’t eat it in Italy, at least you can bring a slice of Italy to your dining table.
Cacio e Pepe
Time to make: 15 minutes
This cheesy pasta dish that originates from Rome is like an elevated macaroni cheese. It’s hearty and tasty, but somehow manages not to be too heavy! What makes it even better is that you only need five ingredients to make it, and most of those are likely to be in your cupboard/fridge already.
Make it now
Spaghetti alle Vongole
Time to make: 15 minutes of cooking time
No dish transports us to the seaside quite like spaghetti alle vongole. The dish began its life in the Liguria region of Italy, an area which hugs the coastline. This coastline is abundant in the clams that steal the limelight in this simple-but-delicious pasta dish. It’s a meal that’ll make you look like a cooking pro, but it is actually incredibly easy to make.
Make it now
Panzanella
Time to make: 45 minutes
On a sunny day (when we get them), we’re left craving salads, but we still want them to have some substance. That’s where dishes like the panzanella from Tuscany’s rugged countryside step in. This salad is a great way to use up stale bread, while enjoying the acidity and freshness of tomatoes.
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Tomato and Burrata Salad
Time to make: 15 minutes
We couldn’t have done a round-up of Italian dishes without including a burrata-heavy recipe. This oozy, gooey cheese has hit the British restaurant scene hard in the last five years and for good reason—it’s delicious and mild enough to make a good companion to most zesty flavours! This salad lets the burrata take centre stage but the heat of the tomatoes are what makes it feel like a full meal.
Make it now
Tiramisu
Time to make: 30 minutes
If you make tiramisu for your friends, it’ll leave you looking like you have chef-level skills in the kitchen and yet as desserts go, this one is pretty simple. This coffee-laden dish has an intriguing story, it has been claimed that it was invented by the madam of a brothel in Treviso who believed that it would be a good aphrodisiac for men who needed to return from her establishment to the home they shared with their wives. We, however, find that the heaviness of the cream counteracts the coffee element, and so we still sleep like a dream!
