The Monday Menu: Inspired by Italy

I love all things Italian....the cities, the countryside, the shops, the passion, the culture, the wine but most of all the food.

From heavy Tuscan stews to light, summer salads, I think the Italian's do it best.

For this menu, I wanted to capture some of those clever flavour combinations in dishes that transitioned us from Summer to Autumn. With the change of temperature, I want more than a selection of antipasti but I'm not yet cocooned enough for dense casseroles. Hence, I've tried to reach a middle ground with this menu.

I also wanted something quite easy. I've got a busy week ahead and need dishes that can be ready in less than 30 minutes and these meet the requirement.

As ever with the Monday Menu, the recipes are designed to be served together but they certainly don't have to be. I'm making extra soup and freezing it, for late-night quick consumption.

Dishes will be posted with the step-by-step photo guides throughout the week and you'll find the shopping list for the whole menu below, to make it easy to get started.

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Inspired by Italy

Starter: Butter bean, sun-dried tomato and pesto soup

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Main: Scallop, fennel and bacon linguine

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Desserts: Baked ricotta cakes with berry sauce

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Shopping List: Inspired by Italy

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Happy cooking,

Helen x