Italian quickie/Pasta all bottarga and mini trifle with pears and amaretti

Italian dessert, trifle with amaretti, pasta alla bottarga



Italian dessert, trifle with amaretti, pasta alla bottarga


Italian dessert, trifle with amaretti, pasta alla bottarga




Italian dessert, trifle with amaretti, pasta alla bottarga


Italian dessert, trifle with amaretti, pasta alla bottarga
Italian dessert, trifle with amaretti, pasta alla bottarga
There is this scene in Chef where Jon Favreau takes Scarlett Johansson home and prepares a mouthwatering pasta all'arrabiata for her. If you haven't seen the movie, and you love food, I highly recommend it. I spent 4 hours in the kitchen afterwards, inspired. 

This is my version of that late night dinner. We ate it during the day, and my guy was just waiting outside, enjoying the sunshine, but still this is a perfect, and super quick dinner with just enough seductive power.

Pasta alla bottarga is a classic, and not my recipe, but the dessert is. With a little help from my Italian grandmother, who used to soak her biscuits in wine before eating them.
Add a nice salad, just simple rocket with olives and capers, drizzled with balsamico, and fatto!

Pasta alla bottarga

-2 garlic pieces
-50 gram walnuts
-the zest of one lemon
-200 gram pasta, linguine if you want to be strict, but I like rigatoni
-as much bottarga as you like, if you are using a whole piece that has to be use 80 gram, otherwise about two tablespoons, but taste it and see if you want to add more

Cook the pasta al dente (usually 2 minutes less than it says on the package). Meanwhile heat olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and walnuts until fragrant, about two minutes. Remove from heat. Drain the pasta, add it to the oil, mix well. And then add the bottarga and lemon zest. Ready.

Now for the dessert, make it beforehand.

Mini trifle all' Italiana

-a bowl of amaretti (if you can find them, any cookies made with no fat, only sugar)
-A splash of red wine
-full fat yoghurt, without sugar added, if you can find organic yoghurt go for it.
-maple syrup
-an apple and a pear
-cinnamon

This is really easy: crush the amaretti, add a splash or red wine and mix. Add a tea spoon of maple syrup to the yoghurt. Cut the apple and pear, and cook it with some water till it is soft, but not entirely mushy. Add some maple syrup when it is cooked. Now just make the layers in a glass. First the cookies, then the yoghurt, then the fruit compote. Sprinkle with cinnamon. You can keep it in the fridge, while you make the rest.
So, so good, if I say so myself. Enjoy!