Pasta
Recipe| Caponata pasta
Whip up our easy vegetarian caponata pasta in just 20 minutes. It’s simple to make, budget-friendly and packs three of your five-a-day into one delicious meal
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil (or use the oil from your chargrilled veg, see below)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 250g chargrilled Mediterranean veg (peppers and aubergines, if possible) from a jar, pot or deli counter, drained if in oil (you can use this oil in place of the olive oil) and roughly chopped
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp small capers
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 350g rigatoni, penne or another short pasta shape
- bunch basil leaves, picked
- parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), shaved, to serve
Method
- STEP 1
Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion for 8-10 mins until starting to caramelise (or for longer if you have time – the sweeter the better). Add the garlic for the final 2 mins of cooking time.
- STEP 2
Tip in the mixed veg, tomatoes, capers and raisins. Season well and simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins, or until you have a rich sauce.
- STEP 3
Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Pour the kettleful of water into a large pan with a little salt and bring back to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender with a little bite, then drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Tip the pasta into the sauce, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs loosening. Scatter with the basil leaves and parmesan, if you like, and serve straight from the pan
Italian-style salad with crisp pancetta
Throw a new spin on tricolore salad by adding artichokes to the traditional mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil
Ingredients
- 6 slices pancetta
- 2 balls mozzarella, torn into chunks
- 6-8 tomatoes, chopped into large pieces
- 285g jar artichoke in oil, drained
- large handful basil leaves
- crusty bread, to serve
For the dressing
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp sherry vinegar
Method
- STEP 1
Heat a non-stick frying pan and cook the pancetta on each side for 2-3 mins until crisp. Set aside to cool. Mix together the dressing ingredients and season.
- STEP 2
Arrange the mozzarella, tomatoes and artichokes on a serving plate. Tear the pancetta into bite-sized pieces and scatter over, followed by the basil leaves. Drizzle with the dressing and serve with crusty bread.
Ingredients
- 500g pack bread mix
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling
- 25g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated
- 75g dolcelatte cheese (or vegetarian alternative)
Method
- STEP 1
Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Make up a bread mix following packet instructions, stirring in olive oil and parmesan.
- STEP 2
Roughly roll out the dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Press all your fingers randomly into the dough, push dolcelatte into the holes, then drizzle over a little extra olive oil. Bake for 25 mins until golden and cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe| Caponata pasta