Pasta with caprese:
mix together in a large bowl:
cut up good mozarella (buffalo is best, but any fresh one will do)
good in season red tomatoes, cut up
basil a few leaves
good olive oil
salt, pepper
Boil pasta - "short pasta" like penne, shells, etc, not spaghetti
When al dente, drain, put back into pot, and dump in the tomato mixture
mix up, let it sit a couple of minutes covered (NOT on the fire) to soften the mozzarella
variations
if your mozzarella is not the best, add a handful of grated parmigiano
If you want a real treat, smash the basil plus a garlic clove, salt and pepper in a mortar with a pestel, add the oil and mash some more. Use this on the tomato mixture.
any leafy vegetable (vegetables are big here, people buy tons of them, eat big dishes of them daily. Italian food as italians eat it is NOT fattening!)
the best is broccoli rabe, but spinach, swiss chard, and others can be used the same way.
clean and wash the vegetables. Boil a huge pot of salted water, add the veg and boil till just tender, still green.
Drain.
you can refrigerate now, and use later, or prepare now.
Put some olive oil in a pan, enough to cover the bottom maybe with about 1/16 of an inch of depth. Add several garlic cloves, sliced. Optional, a couple of hot peppers (small red peppers) or pinch of flakes. Cook over fairly low heat till the garlic starts to soften (don;t burn it!) and then add teh drained vegetables.
Lentil soup
fry some chopped garlic (4 or 5 cloves), onion, celery, carrot, chopped finely, in olive oil, slowly till tender, add lentils and water to cover abundantly. Salt and lots of black pepper. Boil till lentils are tender. Add about 1/2 pound of fresh spinach washed and cut up. Cook a couple of minutes.
Toast some heavy rustic bread slowly till hard, rub with a clove of garlic, put in bottom of soup bowls, drizzle with olive oil (extra virgin please) and ladle on the soup.
No need for meat with this complete protein.
i could go on,.,,.,