I’ve lived in Melbourne and Sydney, which are two major cities here in Australia. Melbourne is very elegant, classy, groovy, and has a large Greek and Italian population. There is a lot of rivalry between these cities, but hands down, they are both winners for me in the food stakes. I can remember it getting so hot in Melbourne, one summer day, that the local council left the swimming pool open all night, so people could cool down for free. Here is a summer pasta recipe I first tried in one of the cafes in Melbourne.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 rashers of bacon, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

6 spring onions, chopped (not sure what these are called elsewhere. They are like tiny leeks)

1 cup of artichoke hearts (I use tinned), chopped in half

1/2 cup of seeded black olives, halved

1/2 cup shredded fresh basil

1/2 cup of sliced sundried tomatoes

Handful of rocket, or baby spinach

2 cups cooked fettuccine

Method: Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the bacon and garlic, and cook until bacon is how you like it. Stir in the other ingredients, until warm, then add the pasta and rocket. Stir through. With this recipe, you can adjust it to how you like it. My husband puts cream, and tomato paste in the dish, before he adds in the pasta. We’ve used other pasta besides fettuccine, which are just as delicious. I like to garnish it with Parmesan cheese, and often will add a Spanish onion to it as well. It’s a very flexible, tasty recipe. Perfect for a warm summer’s night.