Tuscan bread salad, where crisp bread soaks up tomato juices and a sharp dressing. Serves 4, in about 45 minutes.

1. Gather the ingredients
2. Toast the bread · 12 minutes
3. Salt the tomatoes · 20 minutes
4. Make the dressing
5. Toss and rest · 15 minutes

Coffee-soaked savoiardi layered with a light mascarpone cream. Serves 8, in 30 minutes plus at least 6 hours chilling. The eggs aren't cooked, so use pasteurised eggs if you're serving anyone pregnant, very young or elderly.

1. Gather the ingredients
2. Whisk the yolks · 4 minutes
3. Beat in the mascarpone
4. Fold in the whites
5. Dip and layer
6. Chill · 360 minutes
7. Dust and serve

Charred bread rubbed with garlic and piled with ripe tomatoes. Serves 4, in about 25 minutes. It's only as good as your tomatoes, so make it in summer.

1. Gather the ingredients
2. Season the tomatoes · 15 minutes
3. Char the bread · 4 minutes
4. Rub with garlic
5. Top and serve

A tall, airy focaccia with a crisp, olive-oil-fried base, and no kneading. Makes one 23 × 33cm tray, in about 3½ hours.

1. Gather the ingredients
2. Mix the dough
3. Rest · 30 minutes
4. First stretch and fold
5. Rest again · 30 minutes
6. Second stretch and fold
7. Rise in the tin · 60 minutes
8. Dimple
9. Bake · 22 minutes
10. Cool · 10 minutes

A slow Bolognese ragù of beef, pork, wine and milk. Serves 6, in about 3 hours, mostly simmering. It's even better the next day, and freezes well.

1. Gather the ragù
2. Gather to serve
3. Render the pancetta · 5 minutes
4. Soften the soffritto · 10 minutes
5. Brown the meat · 10 minutes
6. Reduce the wine · 3 minutes
7. Simmer in milk · 10 minutes
8. Slow simmer · 120 minutes
9. Cook the tagliatelle · 8 minutes
10. Toss and serve

A barely set vanilla cream with a quick berry compote. Serves 6, in 20 minutes plus 4 hours chilling.

1. Gather the panna cotta
2. Gather the compote
3. Soak the gelatine · 5 minutes
4. Infuse the cream · 5 minutes
5. Melt in the gelatine
6. Cool · 15 minutes
7. Set · 240 minutes
8. Make the compote · 5 minutes
9. Unmould and serve

Ligurian pesto tossed with pasta, potatoes and green beans, the way it's served in Genoa. Serves 4, in about 30 minutes. Never cook the pesto: heat turns basil dark and bitter.

1. Gather the pesto
2. Gather the pasta
3. Toast the pine nuts · 3 minutes
4. Make the pesto
5. Start the potatoes · 2 minutes
6. Add the pasta · 6 minutes
7. Add the green beans · 5 minutes
8. Toss with the pesto

The Roman way: guanciale, eggs, pecorino and pepper, with no cream. Serves 2, in about 25 minutes. Put a pot of salted water on to boil before you start.

1. Gather the ingredients
2. Whisk the eggs
3. Render the guanciale · 8 minutes
4. Boil the spaghetti · 9 minutes
5. Temper the eggs
6. Toss it together
7. Serve

Sicily's fried aubergine and tomato pasta, finished with salty ricotta salata. Serves 4, in about 1¼ hours.

1. Gather the ingredients
2. Salt the aubergine · 30 minutes
3. Fry the aubergine · 10 minutes
4. Start the sauce · 60 seconds
5. Simmer the tomatoes · 20 minutes
6. Cook the pasta · 11 minutes
7. Bring it together

Three ingredients, one glossy pecorino and black pepper sauce. Serves 2, in about 20 minutes. The trick is temperature: add the cheese off the heat, or it clumps instead of melting.

1. Gather the ingredients
2. Boil the pasta · 8 minutes
3. Toast the pepper · 60 seconds
4. Make the cheese paste
5. Finish the pasta in the pan · 2 minutes
6. Toss in the cheese