Pizza or pasta? Here are great Italian meals and great offers by Mrs Crunch

FOR a classic Italian feast most of us look to pizza – but the real key to a taste of the nation can begin with something as simple as a packet of pasta.

When it comes to what you put on top, the sky’s the limit. Check out the deals here on some of our favourite meal ingredients.

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Here are great Italian meals and great offers[/caption]

And, if you want to flex your Italian cooking muscles a little further than the traditional bolognese or lasagne, these recipes from Morrisons.com should hit the spot.

Great deals

Bellissimo

Bag a bellissimo deal on your pasta meal. Free From Fusilli, 500g, half price at Morrisons, now 60p. And buy a 500g pack of fresh pasta from Morrisons for £1.50 or two for £2.50.

For uno 

Save 50p on Sainsbury’s Prawn, Chilli and Tomato Spaghetti for one, now £3.

Saucy stuff

Snap up 75p off Loyd Grossman sauces at Morrisons, down from £2 to £1.25.

Dolmio sauces are also down from £1.75 to £1 at the same store.

Pasta perfection

Save 50p on Jamie Oliver fresh pasta at Tesco, including Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli, now £2.

Baked treat

Get three for £7 on selected pasta ready meals at Waitrose, saving £1.25, including Italian Tuna Pasta Bake, £2.75.

Pizza the action

FOR an Italian feast to please a family look no further than a tasty pizza. You can put dinner on the table – pronto! – with these delicious deals. Or, with more time on your hands, get stuck into recipes from Morrisons.com

Whopping topping

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Save on Morrisons in-store stone-baked thin pizzas[/caption]

SAVE 50p on Morrisons 10-inch in-store stone-baked thin pizzas, now £2.50, or get a 14-inch pizza for £3.50 – all with up to four tasty toppings. 

More dough for less dough

HOW about snapping up Tesco’s Finest tasty pizza deal? You get one pizza and one bread product for just £5.

The offer includes a Tesco Finest Buffalo Mozzarella & Tomato Pizza, 420g, and Garlic & Parsley Ciabatta, 255g, among a host of choices. 

Posh pizza

SAVE 25 per cent on Waitrose’s premium range of pizzas, including Spicy Calabrian Sour-dough Pizza, 505g, down to £4.31 from £5.75.

Deep savings

YOU can get more pizza for your pounds with Iceland’s £1 value range, which includes both deep pan and thin and crispy pizzas, such as Deep Pan Meat Feast, 385g.

Make a date

GET an Italian Meats pizza as part of Morrisons The Best Date Night deal, £12 for two mains, sides, wine and dessert.

Pizza quattro stagioni

(Serves four)

Preparation time: 25 minutes.

Cooking time: 45 minutes.

YOU NEED:

• 650g strong white flour
• 5g fast-acting yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 50ml milk
• 1 courgette
• 100g chestnut mushrooms
• 50g pepperoni
• 100g cherry tomatoes
• 50g black olives
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 mozzarella balls

METHOD:

For the pizza dough: Mix flour, yeast, salt and milk together and knead for 15 minutes to make a smooth, soft dough.

Place in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to double in size (it helps to leave this in a warm place).

When ready, divide into four ­pieces. Roll each out, on a floured surface, to a disc approximately 12in across and 3mm thick. Place on a baking tray over a sheet of parchment. 

For the ­topping:  Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic.

Cook the onion and garlic in oil (without browning) for five minutes until soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook on a low heat for 30 minutes. Add the oregano then season with salt and pepper and, if required, sweeten sauce with a ­little sugar. Set aside.

Slice the mushrooms and ­courgettes and lightly saute in oil for five minutes. Slice the olives and halve the cherry tomatoes.

Tear mozzarella into chunks and mix with a little oil and oregano.

For the pizza: Coat the pizza bases with your tomato sauce, then add toppings (mushrooms and courgettes, olives, tomatoes and pepperoni).

Sprinkle with mozzarella then season to taste and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 180C for ten minutes or until the cheese colours and melts. Serve hot.

Pork medallion puttanesca

(Serves four)

Preparation time: 5 minutes.

Cooking time: 15 minutes.

YOU NEED:

• 4 pork loin medallions
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 500g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp capers
• 8 black olives, pitted and sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A handful of fresh basil leaves, shredded
• 2 courgettes

METHOD: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat, then add the pork and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the pan. 

Add the onion, garlic and 1 tbsp cold water to the pan and cook over a low heat for 4-5 minutes, until the onion has softened.

Stir in the cherry tomatoes and vinegar. Cook for five to six minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened and start to collapse. Gently squash some of them with the back of a spoon.

Cut the courgettes lengthways into very fine strips or spiralise to make courgetti.

Return the pork to the pan then stir in the capers and the olives.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes to cook through and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the torn basil leaves and courgetti then remove the pan from the heat (otherwise the courgetti will become watery).

Divide between four bowls and serve immediately with more freshly ground black pepper.

Turkey polpette

(Serves four)

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 25 minutes.

YOU NEED:

• 400g turkey meatballs
• 10ml olive oil
• 1 brown onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp each of dried basil and dried oregano
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp fresh tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp Parmesan cheese, grated
• 500g linguine pasta

METHOD: Pre-heat your oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5. Place the turkey meatballs on a baking tray and cook for 10-12 minutes to seal the outside.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by heating the oil in a large pan, then add the onions and garlic and cook over a medium heat until soft and translucent. Add the tomato puree and the herbs, stirring through.

Then add the chopped tomatoes and water, taste and season with salt and pepper. Add the sugar then reduce to a simmer.

Remove the meatballs from the oven and add them to the sauce mixture.

Cook at a simmer for 10-15 minutes to absorb the flavour, stirring occasionally.

Next, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack, then drain.

To serve, place the cooked pasta in a large bowl and add the polpette and sauce.

Top with a little grated parmesan and torn fresh basil leaves, ideal with some fresh crusty bread or garlic bread on the side.

• Recipe by Faccenda Foods 

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