Pasta/Risotto
Green Vegetable Pasta with Sheep’s Milk Feta
Sometimes I crave a vegetable meal like this. Lightly cooked fresh vegetables tossed with pasta and dressed with herbs and a spicy vinaigrette make an easy-to-prepare meal that will impress. The delicious, crumbly sheep’s milk feta adds the finishing touch.
Hearty Minestrone Soup
This filling soup is made with lots of fresh vegetables and filling potatoes, pasta and beans, and finished with olive oil, Parmesan cheese and basil, or even a dollop of pesto. In Genoa, where the inspiration for the soup has come from, no meat or chicken stock would be used, so this is a very pure vegetarian soup, cooked slowly until thick and nourishing. Serve with crusty wholemeal bread, good olive oil and a bottle of hearty red wine for satisfying meal.
Lasagne
Everybody loves lasagne! This full-flavoured version has lots of vegetables in it so it’s a balanced and filling meal on its own. The vegetables are well hidden so that even picky vegetable eaters will love it.
Linguine with Chicken, Artichokes and Cherry Tomatoes
This simple dish is easy enough for a midweek dinner, but impressive enough for a dinner party.
Linguine with Sardines and Snow Peas
I think everyone should stock their pantries with ingredients for ‘emergency’ entertaining. This dish is dependent on seeking out the very best ingredients from the store cupboard. The sardines, preserved in olive oil and bought at fine food stores and delicatessens, are sweet and tasty and not too fishy or oily. If you prefer anchovies you could use them in place of the sardines. Although there is really no substitute for the salty, vinegary tang of the preserved lemon, you could always try the dish with...
