Antipasto is the first course of a traditional Italian meal. It can be cold or hot and in Italy is often just one dish, like an appetizer. Antipasti misti, an array of shared dishes (like tapas or mezze) can become a meal in itself, a wonderful way to graze, drink and enjoy the company of friends and family. Here are my favourite antipasto recipes.
Radishes with Cultured Butter Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class featuring the food of Provence! I heard about this way of serving radishes many years ago, but it made no sense. Then one day I was served the most beautiful baby radishes with cultured butter and salt flakes – and it […]
Bruschetta Caprese Join my food & wine tour to Southern Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! It’s good to eat with the seasons, but occasionally I want a touch of summer year-round – that’s when I call on a few of my favourite things and create this delicious bruschetta Caprese. Windy Hills Farm pots […]
Pan-fried Agrodolce Radicchio Join my food & wine tour to Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! Radicchio is a wonderfully versatile vegetable. In Italy it’s popular cooked as well as in salads; the cooking softens the bitterness and brings out a touch of sweetness. I often shred it and toss it through pasta with […]
Mushroom Bruschetta Join my food & wine tour to Italy to discover more seasonal Italian specialties! One of the things I loved most about Lucio’s Paddington restaurant was the seasonal bruschetta that always arrived with our aperitivi, a tradition I like to continue at home. In autumn, the crisp air of Italy’s hilly regions is […]
Gnocchi Fritti with Salumi Join my Small Group Food & Wine Tours to Emilia-Romagna, Home of Gnocchi Fritti Gnocchi fritti are crisp puffs of deep-fried dough served with salumi all over Emilia-Romagna, they’re also popular in neighbouring Lombardy where they’re called chisolini. If you (or your guests) don’t eat salumi, they’re excellent with smoked salmon […]
Deep-fried Zucchini Flowers Join my food & wine tour to Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! The best deep-fried zucchini flowers I’ve ever tasted were served at Buon Ricordo Restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Paddington. They weren’t filled, just coated in a very light yeasted batter, deep-fried in olive oil and well salted! […]
Tapenade Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class featuring the food of Provence! I love salt, so a dish made of black olives, capers and anchovies is right up my alley. Tapenade hails from Provence in the sunny south of France and is generally regarded as an olive paste, however the name […]
Funghi Trifolati Join my food & wine tour to Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! Trifolati is an Italian term for dishes cooked in olive oil with garlic and parsley; mushrooms, zucchini and kidneys are often prepared ‘trifolati’. Funghi trifolati was one of my favourite starters in Sydney’s 1980s suburban Italian restaurants, where exotic […]
Mozzarella Grilled in Lemon Leaves Join my food & wine tour to Southern Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! I discovered mozzarella grilled in lemon leaves on the Amalfi coast, where lemons are a way of life. It’s delicious and so very simple to make, especially if you (or a neighbour) have a lemon […]
Vitello Tonnato Join my food & wine tour to Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! This elegant Italian version of surf and turf hails from the north-western region of Piedmont. It is delicious, though when prepared correctly not particularly attractive, and its English description of ‘poached veal in tuna mayonnaise’ doesn’t do it justice […]
