Tag: Basil

Tomato and Basil Risotto

Risotto is a dish unbound by season. As with minestrone (see me recipes for autumn and spring), the best seasonal produce can be used to great effect in this famous Italian rice dish. There is no ingredient on earth that can’t be put to bewilderingly good use in risotto, a fact that makes it very special and probably unique. Indeed, to celebrate the beginning of the British tomato season, this recipe for Tomato and Basil Risotto makes full use of the fruit’s flavour, texture and colour. Delicious is an understatement.

Tags Basil, Cooking, Food, Italian, Recipes, Risotto, summer, Tomatoes

Healthy Eating Italian Recipes Vegetarian

Insalata Caprese

Some of the best things to eat during the summer are simple pasta salads. They are so light, healthy and delicious in an almost subtle manner – as such Insalata Caprese epitomises the summer pasta salad. I realise this dish doesn’t usually include pasta, but I thought rather than having it as a starter it would be better to bulk it out and really enjoy its deliciousness as a lunch, or indeed as a light dinner. This was my exact thought process as over the past few days I’ve had rather meaty meals like cawl and fragrant chicken curry – a dish which I’m considering “re-mastering”. As such I wanted a meal that was light, tasty and vegetarian – this seemed the ideal candidate.

Healthy Eating Italian Recipes

Basil Pesto

In my last post I talked about doing more recipes for pasta dishes, as they are cheap and easy to make. So, I thought I’d begin with a recipe for basil pesto, something which is really easy to make and which goes quite a long way. Indeed, one need only add a teaspoon of this sauce to a bowl of pasta to make a quick, easy and fairly wholesome meal. When I was young I went through a phase of eating this simple, yet tasty, dish pretty much every day of the week, sometimes twice a day. It really is that nice, and if you’ve never tried it… do.

Tags Basil, Cooking, Food, Healthy Eating, Italian, Money saving, Parmesan, Pasta, Pesto, Pine Nuts, Recipes, vegetarian