A tale of two classics

Basil and tomato are a match made in culinary heaven: slight sweetness perfectly complementing peppery freshness. These recipes are all about this winning combo.

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Creamy Bloody Mary pasta

Serves 4

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 20 minutes

You need

• 100 g diced bacon

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 8 chicken thigh fillets, each cut into 3 pieces

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• 1 cup passata

• 1 shot of vodka (optional)

• ½ cup cream

• a few drops of hot sauce (like Tabasco)

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or to taste

• 300 g pasta (we used bucatini)

• 12 basil leaves, shredded

• ⅓ cup grated parmesan

Here's how

1 Fry the bacon in oil until crispy. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and add them to the bacon in the pan. Fry until the chicken starts to brown.

2 Add the onion, celery and garlic and fry until soft. Make sure the celery is cooked through.

3 Add the passata, vodka and cream, then add the hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce to taste. At the same time, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. When the pasta has been cooking for 5 minutes, add the basil and most of the cheese to the sauce.

4 Drain the pasta and add it to the tomato sauce. Serve with the extra cheese and more basil if you prefer.

Caprese schnitzel

Serves 4

Preparation time 45 minutes

Cooking time about 10 minutes per batch

You need

• 4 chicken breast fillets

• about ½ cup flour

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons cold water

• about 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs

• fresh thyme

• 300 g mixed tomatoes

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• handful of soft herbs (we used fennel leaves, thyme and parsley)