21st Oct 2024
Reading Time: 4 minutes
October 25 is World Pasta Day, MoneyMagpie look at some classic dishes to celebrate.
Italian food really is a gift from above. When done properly.
Forget the student abominations with expensive (lacklustre) pesto and cheap sausages; or the branded sauces that charge way too much for very average flavours. Channel your inner Nonna: Your Nonna who survived poverty and fed her huge family delicious food on a shoestring.
Learn the Italian cooking essentials and channel Strictly Come Dancing’s Vito Coppola and his recent Masterchef win. Who reminded a nation that when you cook with love, you can taste in in the food. When you take your time and put the love and attention pasta deserves into the prep – you can feed a family delicious food.
We will take a look at how to cook some classic Italian recipes that can feed a family for under £1 each.
Mama Mia! Is it too good to be true?
Italian Storecupboard essentials.
The most challenging ingredient to get on any sort of budget is Olive Oil. The huge hike has been a real challenge to keep budgets low. However if you cook with other fats and use it more as a seasoning at the end of cooking then we don’t need the qualtities we had become so spoilt by.
Budget Italian Recipes
Cacio e pepe
Whip up a quick and easy cacio e pepe for a delicious lunch that won’t break the bank! This Italian classic takes just four simple ingredients – spaghetti, black pepper, parmesan, and butter – most of which you probably already have in your kitchen. Perfect for those days when you want something tasty without the fuss!
- 200g bucatini or spaghetti
- 25g butter
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns, ground, or 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 50g pecorino or parmesan, finely grated
Step 1:
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the packet suggests. While that’s cooking, melt the butter in a medium frying pan on low heat. Add the ground black pepper and toast it gently for a few minutes to bring out the flavor.
Step 2:
Drain the pasta, but keep 200ml of the pasta water aside. Add the pasta and 100ml of that water to the pan with the butter and pepper. Give it a quick toss, then sprinkle the parmesan evenly over the pasta. Don’t stir straight away – let the cheese melt for about 30 seconds. Once melted, toss everything together and stir well. This technique stops the cheese from clumping and creates a silky, smooth sauce. If needed, add a bit more pasta water to loosen up the sauce and coat the pasta perfectly. Serve immediately with an extra grind of black pepper on top.
Spaghetti aglio e olio
One of my all time favourite recipes when the cupboard is empty. If you follow the recipe to a tee and season well then it should soon become yours.
- 400g spaghetti
- 75ml extra virgin olive oil
- 6 large garlic cloves, finely grated
- 25g fresh parsley, finely chopped
Step 1:
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions.
Step 2:
A couple of minutes before the pasta is ready, add the rest of the oil to the pan and cook the garlic over a medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes. You want it fragrant and golden, but keep an eye on it – if it burns, it’ll turn bitter.
Step 3:
Drain the pasta, keeping a little bit of that pasta water. Add the spaghetti to the garlic oil, toss in some parsley, and mix it all together. If the pasta’s looking a bit dry, just add a splash of the pasta water to loosen it up. Serve it up. Enjoy!
Classic Marinara
After living with an Italian, I was told if you can perfect this most simple ofsauces you will never buy shop bought again. It is so simple, so delicious and can be served of Bruscheta, pasta, Gnocci, Pizza – the list goes on.
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 5 cloves fresh garlic
- small bunch of fresh parsley
- 1 tin of tomatoes
- about 1 1/2 level tsp sea salt (note: salts are not all equally salty)
- 3 or 4 large leaves of fresh basil
- Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
Step 1 :
Crush the garlic and add it to the oil. If you’re in the mood for a bit of heat, toss in some fresh chili or red pepper flakes at this stage. Sauté the garlic until it just starts to turn golden brown, then stir in the parsley. Don’t worry if you’ve added the thick parsley stems – they’ll infuse extra flavor into the sauce and you can always remove them later.
Step 2 :
Turn the heat up high and add the chopped tomatoes. Cover over with the lid for about 30 seconds to stop spitting.
Step 3 :
Stir with a wooden spoon and lower to a medium heat, or higher. Cook at a fast simmer. Season with salt and continue to simmer, leave without a lid and stir often but not constanly. Do this for apox 5 mins. It will thicken but isn’t meant to be a thick sauce.
Step 4 :
Try it and see if it needs extra salt then turn the heat off and tear in your basil.
