Pasta/Risotto
Chicken, Orzo and Roasted Red Capsicum Salad
Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that's quick and easy to cook and perfect for salads.
Classic Bolognese Ragu with Tagliatelle
If you go to Italy and order this classic, rich, meaty Bolognese sauce, you will find it is intended to complement pasta: in true style the pasta rather than the sauce is the primary component. The ragu contains tomato, an essential part of the complex flavours that develop. Serve the sauce on the tagliatelle and always accompany the dish with red wine.
Creamy Pesto Chicken with Pappardelle
This is the quickest and easiest dinner and the wide-ribboned pappardelle looks very impressive.
Creamy Polenta
Polenta is a staple of northern Italy. It is good as a side dish to a main, but can also be served as a first course.
Easy Paella
Paella is an ideal dish to cook when feeding a large number of people. Each region in Spain has its own variation depending on what ingredients are nearby. For me, the must-haves for paella are chicken, spicy chorizo, garlic, saffron, tomoato and the right kind of rice. The rest is optional! Unlike risotto, paella is cooked without stirring so that the rice grains remain separate - stirring creates a creamy texture as starch is released from the rice.
