Categories
European Italian Recipes

Smoked Bacon and Ricotta Ravioli with Apple Sauce

As promised, little over a week ago, here is my post for homemade ravioli and what good ravioli it was too! As expected, it turned out to be a little trickier than my previous attempt at tagliatelle, but as you can see, the end result wasn’t entirely offensive. The only reason ravioli is made more difficult than average pasta is that one must roll one’s dough out to the pasta machine’s thinnest setting, which only serves to pique one’s chances of manhandling it. Still, after a couple of tribulations, we were each faced with a scrumptious plate of rather interesting pasta.

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Dairy-Free European Healthy Eating Italian Recipes Vegetarian

Homemade Tagliatelle with a Lemon and Thyme Dressing

A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend bought a pasta machine. It was really inexpensive – around £20 – and of surprisingly good quality. So, since the machine itself was rather economical and pasta making is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while, I decided to write an entry on the process. Firstly, it must be said that although the process can get a little fiddly, it is relatively easy. Strangely, it feels more like an activity than any other type of cooking in which I’ve ever partaken. As such, though it takes a little time and ample dedication, it never really feels like a chore. In fact, you almost forget that any end product will come of your efforts.

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European Healthy Eating Italian Recipes Vegetarian

Linguine con Uovo Sode (Pasta with Hard-Boiled Egg)

Pasta dishes always sound far better, and rather more enticing, when described in Italian. This clearly has something to do with the word ‘pasta’ being virtually synonymous with its country of origin. However, let us not kid ourselves; describing a dish in another language, especially a rather romantic one, does give one a sense of expertise and an air of authority. Having said that, I jolly well hope that my Italian is, at least on this occasion, correct.

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Italian Recipes Vegetarian

Pappardelle with Buttery Mushrooms

Pappardelle appears to be ‘pasta of the month’, the internet is awash with it and one can see why. Its appearance is so warm and comforting – perfect for pairing with a rich, buttery sauce. Indeed, the name Pappardelle is a derivation of the Italian verb ‘pappare’, which means to gobble. This is, in my opinion, incredibly apt considering winter pasta dishes of this variety are intended to be rather homely and comforting. Perhaps this yearning for comfort food is one of the reasons I’m very close to being addicted to mushrooms.

Categories
Italian Recipes

Italian Meatballs with Linguine and Ricotta

Beef MeatballsI had previously posted a recipe for meatballs, but after tasting these I had to replace the original recipe as this dish was incredible. These meatballs were astoundingly succulent, light and delicious – the perfect accompaniment to the tomato sauce I posted yesterday. Alas, they are not entirely my own invention as the recipe is an adaptation of a Jamie Oliver recipe, taken from his first book The Naked Chef. Jamie’s method of cooking his meatballs appealed to me, by doing them in the oven surrounded by sauce there is absolutely no way they are going to dry out.