“More than just a cookbook – it’s a love letter to Sardinia” – Jamie Oliver

An exciting debut cookbook from a rising star in the world of Italian cooking!

Sardinia captures the true spirit of Mediterranean cooking. Here, you find a way of life filled with simple, fresh, seasonal ingredients, healthy fats and plenty of time spent cooking, eating and spending time with loved ones. Sardinia is, after all, one of only five designated “blue zones” in the world – where people live longer than anywhere else.

In Eat Like a Sardinian, chef Francesco Mattana invites you to discover the rich and varied food culture of the island, bringing together his experiences learning to cook from the women around him and years of teaching at Jamie Oliver’s Cookery School  to create authentic, delicious home cooking recipes that everyone can master, with all the tips and tricks needed to get them right every time. Find the perfect small bite for your aperitivo hour, stock up your pantry with preserves, perfect your pasta and bread-making skills, learn how to entertain the Sardinian way with impressive fish, meat and vegetable dishes and finish it all off with a traditional dolci. Who knew healthy living could be so sweet?

Eat Like a Sardinian: Live to 100 by Francesco Mattina is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.   

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Tomato and Saffron Spaghetti

Spaghetti al Pomodoro e Zafferano

So many people over the years have asked me, “What’s your favourite pasta?” It might be surprising, but really it’s a simple spaghetti al pomodoro! This version of this simple dish also has a touch of saffron, which adds a subtle but beautiful aroma that marries perfectly with the rest of the sauce. The quality of the ingredients here is really important. They must be at their best if you are to get an incredible result. If you can, buy the best-quality extra virgin olive oil you can afford and bronze drawn dried pasta. As this is a summer dish, make the most of the tomatoes during or at the end of the season, when they are sweetest.

Serves 2

2-3 tablespoons olive oil. plus extra for drizzling

1 large garlic clove. lightly crushed

500g (1 lb 2 oz) sweet baby plum tomatoes, halved

10g (⅓ oz) basil, leaves picked, plus extra for garnish

100ml (scant ½ cup) water

200g (7 oz) spaghetti

½ teaspoon ground saffron

25g (1 oz) pecorino or Grana Padano cheese, grated, plus extra to serve

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, ready to cook the pasta.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Ensure the garlic infuses the oil but doesn’t burn.

Add the tomatoes and season with a good pinch of salt. Stir in the half of the torn basil leaves and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the water to help the tomatoes soften, then cover the pan and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down to create a chunky sauce.

While the sauce is simmering, salt the boiling water and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions, or until al dente.

When the pasta is almost ready, remove the garlic clove from the sauce, place it on a board and mash it into a purée, then place it back in the sauce. Add the saffron, stir well and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Use tongs to transfer the spaghetti to the pan with the sauce. Increase the heat to medium-high and toss the spaghetti in the sauce to coat it evenly. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the pasta water to loosen it. Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle over the cheese and the remaining basil, then drizzle with oil and stir well once more. Serve the spaghetti straight away with more cheese and basil, if desired.

TOP TIP

You can also blend the sauce until smooth after adding the saffron if you prefer a velvety tomato sauce.

Recipe published with permission from Murdoch Books.