Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

I am trying to eat more wholemeal pasta, something that I am not really used to. But for some reason I like wholemeal spaghetti, as long as they have a rich creamy sauce, like this one! Toast a handful of pine nuts in a frying pan until they start to get brown and oily. Using a mortar and pestle mush half of them with a clove of garlic (peeled), a few leaves of basil (not too many, this is not a Genovese pesto) and then thin everything down with extra virgin olive oil. Add a few tbsp of ricotta and adjust with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the wholemeal spaghetti al dente, then thin the ricotta sauce with a little hot water from the spaghetti pot. Drain the spaghetti and mix in the sauce. Top with the remaining pine nuts, and with some parmesan cheese, if you like.  For a vegan version instead of ricotta you could add some soft tofu: the pine nuts, basil, olive oil and garlic should be able to flavor the tofu sufficiently (unless you are one of those crafty pe...

I peeled two medium floury potatoes (like agria) and sauteed them in a pan with a little olive oil, then I added a pinch of salt, a little water, and a lid! Simmer until the potatoes are soft, then add the content of a can of cannellini beans. Simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed and keep warm.  I made the pesto with a mortar and pestle: basil, garlic, salt and olive oil (no cheese, this is a vegan pesto). I cooked the spaghetti (would have been nice to have trofie pasta, but never mind...) and then drained them al dente and straight into the pan with the potatoes and beans. Finally I added the pesto and tossed everything together. To some it may be strange to see pasta and potatoes in the same dish, but this dish is not uncommon in Italy, and for me it is a great way to make a one pot dish when I have little time. Incredibly filling! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

The precious mushroom is this one . I don't remember when was the last time I ate one, and fresh! Possibly 20 years???? In NZ I can find some super expensive dried ones from the French deli shops, but I never buy them. I prefer dried porcini mushrooms. And then, last Saturday, our friend Martina invited us to her place in the mountains, in the Adamello Natural Park . I like the sea, the lakes, the countryside, the cities and the hills, but most of all I love the mountains. At heart I will always remain a mountain person, and for me no food beats the mountain food, especially if you forage it! Well, foraging with a little bit of cheating this time! These were in Martina's garden, growing naturally under some trees. She left them there for us to find.... Ohhhh, I love mushrooms, and the Spugnola (the Italian name for morchella) is one of the best!!! Martina just cleaned them and cut them and cooked them in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, a little salt, and a little pa...

You may know the Italian classic spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chilli), but now that it is spring why not try to substitute the chilli with tender rocket (rucola) leaves! Ingredients 500 g spaghetti Salt for the water 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 pinch of salt 2 garlic cloves, peeled 100 g young rocket leaves, washed and drained Serves 4–5 Cook the spaghetti al dente in plenty of salted boiling water. In the meantime in a large frying pan heat the olive oil with a pinch of salt and the garlic cloves. You should aim to ‘fl avour’ the oil with the garlic, not burn it, so keep the heat to a medium-low setting. When the garlic is just about golden add the rocket leaves and stir. Sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly, and then set aside. The spaghetti should be ready: drain and put into the frying pan with a little of their cooking water, stir well and serve immediately.