Alice Taylor shares recipes for two classic pasta dishes, inspired by her recent move to Italy.
I’m in Italy for a few weeks, living with my partner’s family. He grew up here after moving from Albania as a child, so this has been a full immersion into Italian life. The language (or my attempt at it), the routines, and even the food has been a totally new experience for me.
Italians have a way of celebrating the everyday. Good food, fresh air, and moving often are just part of life. They also tend to live longer than many other nationalities, and I can absolutely see why. In the past week, I’ve walked more than I normally would in a month. If I’m not walking, I’m cycling, usually trying to avoid bumping into someone on a narrow street.
But the biggest lesson has come from the food. Italian markets are bursting with a wide variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other produce. It’s much harder to find overly processed products, and it makes me think it’s simply easier to eat well here, and often more cheaply too. The food they cook is as simple as it is delicious.
It’s their approach food that has inspired this column: If you buy fewer ingredients, you spend less money at the till. And your food will be better.
Simple food is in (and it’s cheaper!)
Italian cooking uses very few ingredients and very little fuss. Most dishes are seasoned simply, often just salt, pepper and olive oil.
That might sound basic, but it works.
One of the most common criticisms I get is that my recipes are “too simple” or “need more flavour”. Being here reinforces the opposite. Adding more ingredients doesn’t guarantee better food. And often it just makes it more expensive.
You won’t find “Italian herb mix” in an Italian kitchen. Stock powder isn’t being thrown into everything either.
Instead, the focus is on: what’s in season, what’s affordable, using a handful of ingredients well.
From what I’ve seen, food, especially fruit and vegetables, is cheaper than in New Zealand, and there is more variety. In saying that, I have learnt that I can be using fewer ingredients, wasting less, and spending less on my food .
These are two dishes I’ve learned while being here. Both are affordable, straightforward, and far better than the overcomplicated versions we often see. I will absolutely continue making them when I am in New Zealand.
Recipe: Pasta alla Carbonara
A traditional carbonara is rich, creamy and satisfying without using cream. The sauce comes from eggs, cheese and pasta water, which makes it both cheaper and more authentic.
Serves Two
INGREDIENTS
200g pasta
100g bacon or guanciale
2 whole eggs or 3 egg yolks
50g finely grated pecorino or parmesan
Black pepper
Salt
METHOD
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta.
Meanwhile: Add the diced bacon or guanciale to a cold pan with no oil. Slowly heat until the fat renders and the meat turns golden. Remove from the heat.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, grated cheese and a generous amount of black pepper.
Drain the pasta, reserving about one cup of the cooking water.
Add the hot pasta to the pan with the bacon and toss to combine.
Quickly stir through the egg mixture, adding a splash of pasta water. Mix rapidly until the sauce becomes thick and glossy and coats the pasta.
Recipe: Pasta alle Vongole
This dish is light, fresh and full of flavour, using just a few ingredients. Clams aren't always cheap, but you can swap them out for another seafood, or cook this dish for a special occasion. Combined with olive oil, the clams create a simple sauce that tastes far more complex than it is.
Serves Two
INGREDIENTS
200g pasta
500g clams (vongole) or alternative seafood
1 clove garlic
Olive oil
Splash of white wine
Optional handful of cherry tomatoes
Salt
METHOD
Soak the clams in salted water for about an hour to remove any sand. Discard any that are broken or already open.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water.
Gently fry the garlic in a generous amount of olive oil.
Add the clams and a splash of white wine.
Cover with a lid and cook for one to two minutes, until the clams open.
Remove the clams and set aside.
Toss the cooked pasta through the remaining sauce in the pan.
Serve with the clams spooned over the top, along with cherry tomatoes if using.
Chef Alice Taylor posts cooking videos as @alicetayloreats on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
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