Hello, here Diego. Some time ago, my friends and I spent a wonderful weekend in the Bosco House. The name of the place is no accident, as il bosco in Italian is forest. It is an ideal place for so-called dolce far niente, or sweet nothingness. And staying in the Italian mood, we prepared some tasty dishes, but the biggest hit was our Italian feast, to which I cordially invite you.

We will prepare 4 dishes together. You don't need any complicated utensils, because that's what Italian cuisine is - simple and everyday. But so delicious... But let's get down to business, here's what we're going to eat today:

  • For a starter, bruschetta with black tomatoes, chilli and basil,
  • Then a frisee salad with olives and truffle oil dressing,
  • As a main course, we have crinkle-cut pasta with tomato sauce, aubergine, parmesan and parsley and lemon oil,
  • And for dessert, the immortal tiramisù.

Enjoy!

Attachment

Bruschetta with black tomatoes, chilli and basil

Bruschetta is a traditional Italian snack that consists of grilled or toasted bread, rubbed with a clove of garlic, drizzled with olive oil and then seasoned with salt and pepper. The most classic version of bruschetta is topped with fresh tomatoes and basil, although there are many variations that can incorporate different ingredients such as cold cuts, cheese, vegetables or even fruit. We today will prepare Bruschetta with black tomatoes, chilli and basil.

Number of portions: 4
Preparation time: 15 min
Ingredients:

  • 4-6 slices of Italian-style baguette with olives or sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 large chocolate tomatoes
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/3 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • salt and pepper
  • 8 basil leaves plus a few for decoration 

Preparation

1 Finely dice the tomatoes. They can be scalded and peeled, although this is not necessary. Salt and pepper the tomatoes and place in a strainer over a bowl to drain off any excess juice (which we will use for the sauce in recipe 3).

2. peel and finely chop the garlic. Then gently salt it and crush it with a knife to make a smooth paste.

3. combine the tomatoes with the garlic, adding the finely chopped basil, olive oil, chilli and mix.

4. toast the croutons in a frying pan with a little olive oil. You can also add a clove of garlic or a sprig of rosemary for a more intense aroma.

5. spoon the previously prepared tomato and garlic sauce over the croutons and garnish with basil leaves.

Salad

Frisée salad with olives and truffle oil dressing

Number of portions: 4
Preparation time: 10 min
Ingredients:

  • 1 frisée lettuce
  • 150 g seedless olives, e.g. kalamata
  • 2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1-2 tbsp truffle oil
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. wash the lettuce thoroughly and tear into smaller pieces.

2. In a bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients: Greek yoghurt, mayonnaise, truffle oil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

3 Put the lettuce in a bowl, pour the dressing over it and add the olives.

4. stir gently so that the dressing ingredients evenly coat the lettuce and olives.

Main course

Crinkle pasta with tomato sauce, aubergine, parmesan and parsley and lemon oil

Number of portions: 4
Preparation time: 40 min
Ingredients:

  • 500 g fusilli or other spaghetti type pasta
  • 1 aubergine
  • 2 red onions
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tins of mini tomatoes, e.g. cilegini
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon roman cumin
  • 1/3 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar (optional)
  • Parmesan
  • 1-2 sprigs of rosemary
  • basil
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 bunch parsley
  • 2 tablespoons of roasted seeds, e.g. sunflower, pumpkin, pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

1 Peel the aubergine and cut into cubes about 1.5 cm thick. Salt and set aside for 10 minutes.

2. dice the onion and grate the garlic. In a deep pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and throw in the onions. Fry until golden for about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, Roman cumin and smoked paprika. Fry for a minute and then add the tomato paste. Stir and fry for 1-2 minutes. Then add the tinned tomatoes (and the tomato juice from recipe 1). Cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes.

3. in a second pan, heat the remaining olive oil and throw in the drained aubergine pieces. Fry until browned. Optionally, add rosemary sprigs or shelled garlic. When the aubergine is browned, transfer it to the pan with the tomato sauce and continue cooking.

4. cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Leave about 100 ml of the pasta cooking water.

5. mix the chopped parsley, roasted seeds, the rest of the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper in a bowl.

6. stir the pasta into the sauce. To make the sauce creamier we can add some of the water from cooking the pasta.

7 Serve the pasta in the pot, sprinkle with basil leaves and Parmesan cheese. Top each serving with crisp olive oil.

Dessert

Tiramisù

There are many myths about the origins of tiramisù and each region of Italy is credited with inventing this dessert. The facts, however, are that tiramisù was first prepared in 1970 in Treviso, based on another zabaione-based dessert, lo sbatudin. The name itself literally means 'Lift me up' (Italian. tira mi su) and is said to refer to the heavenly taste and lightness of the dessert.

Number of portions: 6-8
Preparation time: 30 min + time in the fridge approx. 2h
Ingredients:

  • 250 ml of coffee
  • 80 ml grappa or coffee liqueur
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 500 g mascarpone
  • 200 g sugar (preferably fine sugar)
  • 250-300 g Italian sponge cakes 
  • 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa

Preparation

1. prepare the coffee, combine it with the alcohol and cool.

2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. To make it easier, add 2-3 teaspoons of warm water and whisk for about 10 minutes until a creamy egg emulsion forms.

3. Gently mix the mascarpone and combine with the beaten egg yolks using a spoon or silicone spatula.

4. dip the biscuits briefly in the coffee and line a rectangular tin with them. Stack a layer, then spread generously with mascarpone and repeat this process, and finally sprinkle the whole thing with cocoa.

Enjoy!

Book your stay
at Bosco House

Prepare all the ingredients and book your stay at Bosco House. You'll have dinner accompanied by a bird concert, and in the morning you'll brew yourself an Italian espresso and your day will be instantly better. So we encourage you to enjoy the silence and solve the dilemma of whether the bird outside your window is a starling or a blackbird (be warned, the difference is very slight). We hope you enjoy your day here, both alone and as a duo!

For a divine feast

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