Recipes from Ingrid

Feel like cooking up a storm in the kitchen with some beautiful Italian food? Here’s some of Ingrid’s suggestions and also one of her favourite Instagram pages, so give it a look and a follow for some inspiration!

All three sauces can be used with any pasta and all are quick and great.

Sauce Numero Uno

• Works best with long thin pasta

Tuna, Onion, Capers

INGREDIENTS

• 100mls EVOO
• A little jar of capers (small & salted best but any will work)
• 2-3 Large brown onions – halved and then sliced 2-3mms
• Can of good tuna in oil (we use a large can of Sirena)
• Lemon – zest whole lemon & reserve the lemon
• Parsley large handful

METHOD

• While pasta is cooking…

• Saute onions in EVOO on low until translucent and soft – not brown, slow and low, 5 mins-ish
• Rinse salt off capers and add capers to EVOO & onions – cook for 2 mins
• Add can of tuna to EVOO, onion & capers- reserve can oil for if you need more
• Add lemon zest & parsley & Salt & Pepper
• Toss in drained cooked pasta – mix well. Add tuna can oil if you need more oil…Don’t be shy…
• Plate up, give a squeeze of lemon, more pepper, parsley – Parmigiano on top

Buon appetito!

Sauce Numero Due

• Works best with any pasta, especially gnocchi

Nona’s Pomodoro Pronto

INGREDIENTS

• 50mls EVOO (ish)
• 50gms butter (ish)
• 3 – 4 tomatoes (no need to peel)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon (ish) Oregano – fresh or dry or combo
• Pepper & Salt
• Parsley large handful
  (Note: you can add beans, peas, or speck, ham, bacon etc… to this one)

METHOD

• While pasta is cooking…

• Chop up tomatoes into cubes (half-inch ish)
• Crush/chop garlic
• Melt butter and oil on low heat, add tomatoes, oregano and lots of pepper (we like it peppery)
• After 2-3 mins add crushed/chopped garlic and cook until translucent, not brown
• Toss in drained cooked pasta/gnocchi – mix well and add salt and more pepper to taste – Add more butter if needed (it’s a northern Italian thing)
• Plate up – Parmigiano and torn parsley on top

Buon appetito!

Sauce Numero Tre

Stracci e Ceci

Noodles and Chick Peas

Chick-peas are among the few vegetables that are good even from the can, but the dried ones are better. Stracci are wide noodles about 2 in (5cm) long.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups (10oz / 300g) dried chick peas (garbanzo beans)
• 9 tablespoons (4fl oz/120ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 oz (60g) chopped pancetta or bacon
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 cups (64 fl oz/ 2l) light meat stock
• 1 1/4 cups (5oz / 150 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
• 1 extra-large egg and 1 yolk
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

METHOD

• Soak the chick-peas in cold water to cover for about 12 hours. Drain and place in a deep saucepan. Add water to cover by 11/4 in (3cm) and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cover and simmer over very low heat for about 3 hours. Remove the pan from the heat, but do not drain the chick-peas
• In a deep saucepan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the pancetta rosemary, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until the pancetta is translucent about 5 minutes. Add the stock and chick-peas with their liquid and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.
• Puree the chick peas with one quick pass of a hand blender so that at least half the chick-peas remain whole. Add the noodles and cook until they rise to the surface. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 6 individual soup bowls, add 1 tablespoon oil to each bowl, and serve

Buon appetito!

Instagram account to follow – Pasta Grannies