Recent Experiments with Di Simone Pastes by Soralina

I've been getting obsessed with Italy for a while now and at the BBC Good Food Show Summer this obsession was fed by a lovely company called Soralina. Not only do they stock incredible citrus flavoured olive oil and pasta from the Abruzzo region in Italy but also the most incredible pastes that are such versatile ingredients! They kindly gave me some of their amazing products to try and I've been experimenting ever since.

Mini Bruschetta with Black Olive Paste and Anchovy

I made these for my friends hen do, they were so easy and went done a treat, perfect to nibble with drinks.

Ingredients

• Baguette cut into 1 cm think rounds
• Black Olive Paste ( I used Soralina's)
• Cherry Tomatoes - halved 
• Anchovies
• basil 
• Parma Ham 
• Ricotta 
• Good Quality Olive oil ( Soralina) 

Method

• Drizzle with olive oil and Toast the slices of bread on both sides under the grill ( Careful they don't catch. )
• Spread each mini toast with black olive paste then add a cherry tomato half and a piece of torn basil 
• I like two versions one for fish lovers and one for meat lovers. for fish lovers top each Bruschetta with some anchovy fillet and a drizzle of olive oil. 
• For meat lovers roll up a tea spoon of ricotta in a piece of parma ham or any cured ham you may have and secure on top of your bruschetta with a cocktail stick. Drizzle with oil and you're ready to roll.

Spinach, Artichoke and Asparagus Pasta Bake 

An indulgent bake, perfect weekend fuel and great with a crisp green salad and freshly baked bread.

Ingredients:

• Large pasta shells or conchiglie
• Half a jar of asparagus paste ( Soralina!) 
• 1 large bag of spinach 
• 1 jar of artichoke hearts 
• 150g Pancetta cubes (or lardons)
• 2 heaped teaspoons lemon zest
• 100g grated Parmesan
• 1 ball of mozzarella 
• half a glass of white wine 
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed and chopped 

Method

• Preheat your oven to 220 degrees (200 fan). 
• Cook your pasta until it's al dente in salted water. 
• Fry your pancetta and garlic in a big pan for 5 minutes until cooked or crisped ( depeneding on how you like it!) 
• Pour in the wine and stir for 5 minutes to burn off the alcohol. 
• Tip in your spinach and wilt down then add your chopped artichokes squirt in some lemon juice and add your zest. Season with a good ol' twist of black pepper. 
• Drain your pasta and add to the pan. Stir in your Parmesan at this point with the half jar of asparagus paste. 
• Season to taste and tip into a large baking dish with a good surface area. Tear up your mozzarella ball and distribute evenly on top of the bake. 
• Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and serve when the cheese is golden and bubbling, with a crisp green salad and freshly baked bread, if you like.