Mary Berry’s Quick Cooking episode 1 – Rome

Mary Berry’s Quick Cooking episode 1 : Starting her travels in Italy, Mary makes her first ever visit to Rome. With a cuisine and cooking culture she has always adored, Italy’s vibrant capital city offers some of the world’s best food and produce. After a moped tour of the sights, she tries a delicious new take on traditional pizza, uncovers a hidden gem in Rome’s old Jewish quarter and cooks a speedy Roman classic with Michelin-starred chef Cristina Bowerman.

Doing what she does best, Mary whips up a mouthwatering bruschetta on a beautiful central Rome rooftop, some super speedy pasta dishes and an irresistible tiramisu – all inspired by her Italian adventure.

Mary Berry’s Quick Cooking episode 1 recipes:

Tiramisu piccoli

Mary Berry makes her tiramisu as individual puddings because they set more quickly (piccolo means ‘small’ in Italian), but you could make this in a large 1.2 litre/2 pint dish if you prefer.

Parma ham and pimento penne

Mary Berry’s easy pasta combines crispy Parma ham, red peppers and fresh herbs. Parma ham usually comes in packets of six to seven slices – use the whole packet.

Method

• Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving some of the cooking water.
• Meanwhile, place a large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the Parma ham for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add the oil to the pan, along with the spring onions, peppers and garlic. Fry, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
• Add the crème fraîche and bring to the boil, then add the drained pasta with half of the crispy ham, most of the herbs and some salt and pepper. Stir over the heat for a few minutes, or until everything is hot.
• Add the cheese and a splash of the reserved cooking water if the sauce seems too thick, and sprinkle over the remaining crispy ham and herbs to serve.

Bruschetta with avocado and olive tapenade

Mary’s new favourite lunch – quick and easy to make and oh so tasty. If your ciabatta loaf is long and narrow, cut it on the diagonal to give a larger surface area to hold all the topping. For this recipe you need a mini food processor to make the tapenade.