Being Italian and having lived most of our life abroad means we are often asked about Italian recipes but at the same time can be a challenge to follow original recipes and to source some of the products.

My amazing doctor here in Hungary asked me recently some Italian recipes so I decided to regularly write on my blog some of the one we prepare. Obviously due to our background a “pure” Italian may find them a bit “fusion” in fact at home we tend to eat a mix of Italian, French, Russian, Hungarian, Slovenian, English, Scottish, Indian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani …to name a few!!

These spaghetti pasta recipes are simple Italian classics you'll find in trattorias all across Italy. “Pantry” meals that take less than 15 minutes to make, each makes enough for 4 people so half if it is just for 2.

For all recipes, follow the Base Steps then move onto the recipe specific steps.

Key step (especially for simple pasta like these) - tossing the sauce with the cooked pasta and a splash of pasta cooking water. The fat in the sauce reacts with the starch in the cooking water, thickening the sauce and making it stick to the pasta strands. This is the proper way to make pasta - no self respecting Italian or restaurant would ever skip this step!

Ingredients for four people

330 g dried spaghetti (or other long pasta we prefer Linguine)

PASTA AGLIO E OLIO (WITH OLIVE OIL & GARLIC):

• 2 or 3 spoons of extra virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, sliced

• 1/2 tbsp red chilli flakes

• some chopped parsley

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until golden - be careful not to burn it.

Toss with pasta and cooking water per Base Directions. Toss through parsley and chilli flakes, serve with parmesan.

PASTA ARRABIATA

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic cloves , crushed

• 400g crushed tinned tomatoes

• 1 tbsp chilli flakes

• some cup chopped parsley

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, stir until fragrant, then add the tinned tomatoes and chilli flakes, simmer on medium for 5 minutes.

Toss with pasta and cooking water per Base Directions. Toss through parsley and serve with parmesan.

SPAGHETTI CON LE ACCIUGHE (PASTA WITH ANCHOVIES)

• 1 or 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1-2 tbsp anchovies, finely chopped

• 1/2 tbsp red chilli flakes

• some chopped parsley

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and anchovies, stir until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovies have melted.

Toss with pasta and cooking water per Base Directions. Toss through parsley and chilli flakes, and serve with parmesan.

SPAGHETTI ALL’AMATRICIANA:

• 1 - 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1/2 brown onion, diced

• 250g crushed tinned tomatoes

• 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

• 120g thinly sliced guanciale, or diced pancetta or bacon

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion and guanciale (or pancetta or bacon) and cook until the onion has softened and the guanciale is golden.

Add the tinned tomatoes and chilli flakes and bring to rapid simmer. Toss with pasta and cooking water per Base Directions. Serve with parmesan.

PASTA POMAROLA (FRESH TOMATO & BASIL SAUCE ):

• 1 - 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 - 2 garlic cloves , crushed

• 500g fresh cherry tomatoes, halved. We tend to use 400-500g crushed tinned tomatoes

• fresh basil , lightly packed

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, add tomato and cook briefly, just to warm through.

Toss with pasta and cooking water per Base Directions. Toss through basil, serve with parmesan.

SPAGHETTI NAPOLITANA:

• 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves , crushed

• 1//2 brown onion , diced

• 500g crushed tinned tomatoes

• fresh basil , lightly packed

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, then add the onion and cook until softened. Then add tinned tomatoes and 1/2 cup water, simmer 5 minutes.

Toss with pasta and cooking water per Base Directions. Toss through basil and serve with parmesan.

SPAGHETTI ALLA PUTTANESCA (SPAGHETTI WITH OLIVES AND CAPERS ):

• 1 -2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

• 1 - 2 garlic cloves , crushed

• 250g crushed tinned tomatoes

• 0.33 tbsp red chilli flakes

• 70g black sliced olives

• 1.33 tbsp capers

• some chopped parsley

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, then add tinned tomatoes, chilli flakes, olives, capers and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 3 minutes.

Toss with pasta and cooking water per Base Directions. Toss through parsley and serve with parmesan.

SPAGHETTI AL TONNO:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic cloves , crushed

1/2 brown onion , diced

250g crushed tinned tomatoes

100g tinned tuna

some chopped parsley

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the onion and cook until softened, then add the tinned tomatoes and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 3 minutes, then add the tuna.

Toss with pasta and cooking water per Base Directions. Toss through parsley. Seafood pasta typically not served with parmesan but you can if you want!

+1 Extra Recipe

SPAGHETTI ALLA BOLOGNESE:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 knob of butter

1 onion, sliced

1 carrot

1 celery

300g minced beef

100ml white wine (or red)

100 g pancetta (bacon)

1 glass of whole milk

400 g of tomato “passata” (We use Mutti Tomato Puree/Passata)

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

Start the preparation of the sauce by chopping the celery, onion and carrot together in a blender and frying the bacon and vegetables in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil

Then add the minced meat, the wine and let it evaporate, then add the milk, continuing to mix add the sauce, broth, a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally!

Put the spaghetti back in the same pot where they cooked, add half of the sauce and stir the pasta, then serve it immediately on the table, seasoning it with the rest of the sauce.

Instructions

BASE DIRECTIONS (FOR ALL):

Cook spaghetti (or any other long dried pasta) in a large pot of salted boiling water per packet. Check 1 minute before suggested time to see if is ready for you, do not over cook

Meanwhile, prepare one of the sauces.

When pasta is ready, scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water, and drain pasta.

Add pasta into chosen sauce with 3/4 cup pasta cooking water. Toss pasta until sauce thickens and sticks to pasta (called "emulsifying" the sauce), 1 - 2 minutes. Use more pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish pasta per chosen recipe.

Notes and Tips

Pasta We prefer Linguine vs Spaghetti . If we use Spaghetti will be n5

Brands Depending of where we live abroad we tend to buy Barilla that is widely found, DeCecco, Lidl own brand (Italiamo) and Penny own brand (San Fabio) are also very good in our opinion!

Virgin Oil it must be a really good Virgin Oil!!!

Canned tomatoes - not all canned tomatoes are created equal. Good quality ones are naturally sweet with better tomato flavour, poor quality ones are sour and often unripe tomatoes. If needed, add sugar to sweeten tomatoes.

Salted boiling water - use a big pot of water and 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp salt. Stir pasta once or twice while cooking.

Time the pasta so it finishes cooking when the sauce is ready. If you leave cooked pasta sitting in a colander, it sticks together and goes hard as it cools. Ideal is to use tongs to transfer it straight out of the boiling water into the sauce - no colander needed!

Pasta sticks together - If your pasta DOES start to stick together and go hard, loosen it up with a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water (don't rinse it with tap water, this washes away the starch which stops the sauce from clinging to the pasta). Alternative is to use a drizzle of oil - drizzle and toss while hot.