Italian Night: Bruschetta & Pasta

Hubby and I are both big fans of Italian food, more so since our trip to Venice, Italy a few years ago. My favorite pasta dish was actually something I ate in a trattoria in Venice, Spaghetti with Zucchini and King Prawns. It was such a simple dish, but yet I was hooked. Since then, I have been recreating this dish in my own kitchen in UK. Unfortunately, zucchini or courgettes are quite difficult to source in KL, so I have adapted the recipe slightly.

Spaghetti with Peppers and King Prawn

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

300g spaghetti pasta

4-5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (good quality olive oil is essential)

2-3 cloves garlic, diced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

400g king prawns, shelled

Freshly ground salt and pepper

1. Firstly, boil the spaghetti in plenty of water with a little salt and oil according to the instructions on the pack. When the spaghetti is cooked 'al dente', drain.

2. Heat oil in a separate large frying pan and fry the garlic until golden. Add peppers and stir fry for 2 minutes.

3. Add the king prawns and cook for another 2 minutes.

4. Finally, add the cooked spaghetti and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Serve immediately.

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Bruschetta is a popular appetizer in Italy, made of grilled bread topped with fresh tomatoes. Hubby made a batch of this for our Italian dinner. The bread is very crispy, and the tomatoes with balsamic vinegar makes it a very appetizing start to our dinner.

Bruschetta

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: less than 5 minutes

Makes 8 slices

Ingredients

4 large tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, diced

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground salt and pepper

1/2 baguette French bread, cut into 2cm thickness

Grated Mozzarella cheese

1. Prepare the tomatoes by cutting it into half and removing the seeds from the centre using a spoon. Then, chop the tomatoes finely.

2. Turn oven to Grill setting, grill power level 3.

3. Put tomatoes, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Line a baking tray with some foil and place the sliced baguette on the tray. Using a brush, coat one side of each slice with the remaining olive oil.

5. Put under hot grill for 1-2 minutes, or until the bread just turns golden brown. (The cooking time depends on your grill, so keep a watchful eye)

6. Sprinkle some cheese on top of each slice and place some tomato topping on each slice. Serve immediately to avoid bread from getting soggy.

Our Italian dinner :-)