Think about it: have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like Italian food?  You might be as hard pressed as we are to find someone, and think our love affair with la cucina italiana is due to a brilliant mix of simple, fresh ingredients and recipes that suit any season. Not only is their Mediterranean diet healthy, how can you not trust a nation whose national pastime is eating? In lieu of jetting to Rome for dinner, we asked our neighbours and friends at Quanto Basta, an Italian bistro that never fails to impress, to share a few of their favourite recipes. Their top tip when cooking Italian food?  Season your food "q.b." (quanto basta), which loosely translates to "just enough" or "as much as you need." It's a philosophy that reflects countless Italian cookbooks that don't list quantities in their recipes, instead encouraging the use of judgment and preference when it comes to taste. Buon appetito.

• 1 branzino or other white fish
• Olive oil
• 2 vines or 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 lemon, halved

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.

•  Spread the fish with olive oil and grill or sautée 1 minute on each side. Place in an oven-safe dish and cook for an additional 12 minutes. 

• Roast tomatoes for 3-4 minutes. 

• Rub the cut lemons with olive oil and cook on a hot grill or in a frying pan until heated through and charred on the cut side, about 3 minutes.  

• Garnish fish with lemon.

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