The Italian Job

After the surprising richness of the Glazed Swedes (see my last post for more on this) I wanted something a little lighter and quick to make due to being a little tired after a wonderful long walk that morning in the late Autumn sun.

My thoughts turned to the many Italian dishes I have enjoyed over the years and I decided to make a pasta rigatoni with a number of different ingredients.

By now the playlist had moved on from Zappa and the Mothers' eclectic and intriguing "Absolutely Free" to take in Jefferson Airplane's politically radical (for the time) 1969 offering "Volunteers". The album features an excellent rock version of the traditional song "Good Shepherd", an eerie version of "Wooden Ships" (better known through its recording by Crosby Stills and Nash) and the punchy title track, which like the album it is from was written in a more idealistic time when people thought that music could really change the world.

The first step with the pasta was simply to take eight ounces of pasta rigatoni and boil them for around fifteen minutes. While the pasta was boiling away I halved eight baby tomatoes and cut up a medium sized block of feta cheese into cubes.

Feta is something that tends to polarise people; like marmite you either like it or you don't. I find it a delicious accompaniment to many pasta dishes and also risottos. It does make your throat dry but then that gives you the excuse to have a refreshing glass of red wine or a pint of continental lager with it.

I then sliced up two slices of prosciutto ham on the chopping board. When the pasta was ready I drained it and added it to a glass serving dish covered with olive oil. I also added two teaspoons of dried basil, five sundried tomatoes, the prosciutto I'd sliced up and the halved cherry tomatoes. After all these items were mixed together I had a quick main meal on my hands that was ready to serve.

The taste was first class with the pasta providing plenty of substance and protein while the sundried tomatoes and feta provided a rich and mature taste that was offset by the basil a the fresh taste of the prosciutto. This meal is certainly one for someone wanting a filling meal that does not take too long to make nor is it too demanding to prepare either.

Above an easy to prepare and very filling meal with the full spectrum of flavours that Italian Food offers.