Need a quick and easy dish when your kids suddenly decide to have a sleepover? Everyone loves macaroni, and this recipe is perfect for an impromptu dinner party.
Look for dried green lentils in bulk and specialty food shops. They are smaller than the more common brown lentil and have exceptional flavour and texture. This thick tomato sauce is a great place to use up a Parmesan rind: add it when adding the tomatoes.
Mussels steam in about five minutes and are an excellent choice for a quick supper. You can often buy them (scrubbed clean with the beards mostly removed) in 2-lb (1 kg) bags in the fish section of the supermarket.
Tender, Italian-style eggplant is best served with crusty sliced bread, perfect for cleaning the rich tomato sauce from your plate. Finish the meal with Hearty Romaine Salad (see recipe link below).
Hearty ingredients make a simple and satisfying dish. Pancetta (Italian bacon) and Fontina cheese perk up the flavour.
