Discover a world of flavour

Ciao, my name is Simona (not to be confused with Suitcase Simon) and I am unearthed’s Italian guru.  I grew up near Bari in the South of Italy and my husband is from the North of the country so, as a household, we have all bases covered.

As I’m writing this, the Italian Grand Prix is just around the corner. When your attention is focused on an event like this, you don’t want to be spending all your time in the kitchen. Back home, we have some quick and easy favourites that can be put together in no time, are easy to snack on and taste fantastico. Perfect for an afternoon in front of the TV!

You can knock up any of these in the time it takes for a pit-stop:

• ‘Bruschetta Salad’ – more technically Panzanella, this is old dry bread, roughly chopped tomatoes finely diced onion, basil and lashings of olive oil. Mix it all up and your old bread will have been revitalised! Even better, leave it in the fridge overnight. We generally throw a few other odds and ends in there too, anything from capers to tuna.
•  ‘Bean Better’ – warm some olive oil, finely chopped garlic and fresh rosemary. Mix – still warm – with mashed Cannellini beans (use canned beans – just drain, rinse then mash) and the flesh of some tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and use to top toasted bread
•  ‘Sage Advice’ – briefly fry some fresh sage leaves in butter and add to cooked fresh pasta, stirring in a little extra butter for luck

Leave a comment and share your favourite Italian snack ideas – simple and tasty is what we’re after…!