Guest Chef Takeover: Lunch like an Italian with Valentina Harris

As we slip easily into summer, with all the glorious produce and vibrant colours of this season to choose from, I am really looking forward to welcoming you to the wonderful cookery school at Divertimenti to enjoy a few simple and delicious Italian dishes from my repertoire that are perfect for celebrating the sunny days ahead.  Whether you are planning an al fresco lunch, a dinner party in the garden or a lovely picnic, these are carefully chosen summer recipes that I hope you will adopt as your own.

This is lunch “Like an Italian”, which means that we will follow the custom in Italy of eating less heavy meat based dishes when the weather turns hot, and instead make the most of lots of lovely fresh, seasonal vegetables, fish and fresh herbs. There will be a lovely, fragrant Pizzaiola, the classic sauce with all the best flavours of a pizza that is used to dress fillets of fresh fish or thin slices of beef, but can also be used as a delicious topping for Crostini; a gorgeous courgette tart made with crisp, light pastry, subtly flavoured with Parmesan and sage; a very fresh tasting dish of lightly chilled spaghetti dressed with chopped mint and olives; and a dish of sweet tomatoes, slow roasted in the oven with garlic and oregano. And not forgetting of course a wonderful frittata – the classic Italian omelette that is not a Spanish Tortilla - made with the last of the asparagus of this season.

Valentina