Italian food is good for the soul! Despite great regional diversity, northern Italy and southern Italy are united by passion for fresh produce, pasta and the shared table. I love the simplicity and seasonality of la cucina Italiana. Here are some of my favourite Italian recipes.
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 […]
Potato & Fontina Tart with Smoked Eel Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Northern Italian cooking class inspired by Alessandro Pavoni! This deliciously versatile potato & fontina tart can be vegetarian, but potatoes and smoked fish are such natural partners that I like to add hot-smoked trout or eel. If Fontina’s not available, use […]
Bucatini all’Amatriciana Join my food & wine tour to Rome & Southern Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! I love tomato, cheese and all things quick and easy, so I’m not sure why it took me so long to try my hand at bucatini all’Amatriciana, one of Italy’s classic pasta dishes. Perhaps it’s because […]
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! […]
La Ribollita Join my food & wine tour to Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! The famous Tuscan soup, La Ribollita, is a classic example of delicious cucina povera (peasant cooking). The name literally means ‘the reboiled’ as it was created to use up leftover beans and vegetables cooked for Friday, the fast day […]
Gorgonzola & Walnut Sauce with Lumache Like this recipe?You’ll love my online Italian cooking class featuring the food of northern Italy! I first had this sauce many years ago in an Italian restaurant in Glebe. I remember writing a letter (no email back then) to the chef asking if he’d share the recipe, but he […]
Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells in Taleggio Sauce Join my food & wine tour to Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! My cooking’s often inspired by what happens to be on hand, like some delicious Vannella ricotta leftover from recipe testing and a huge bunch of chives from a herb patch gone berserk. That’s how […]
‘Nduja Strozzapreti Join my food & wine tour to Southern Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! This very versatile recipe is built around Calabria’s fiery, spreadable salami called ‘nduja (see FAQ below); it’s available from most delis and my favourite is from Salumi Australia. I’ve made this dish without the chicory (just eggs) and […]
Truffle & Cheese Toastie Like truffles? Join me for a hands-on truffle hunting food & wine weekend – see video below! This black truffle and cheese toastie is quite simply the most decadent toasted sandwich you’ll ever make. Australian black truffles are one of the joys of winter and, although they cost upwards of $2,500/kg, […]
