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.
Fettuccine Bolognese Join my Italian Small Group Food & Wine Tour Finishing in Bologna! https://youtu.be/MNEYP5H1Ia0 Slow-cooked meat sauces, called ragùs, are made all over Italy, though the best known comes from Bologna in Emilia-Romagna and is the ancestor of Australia’s beloved ‘spag bol’. Not that it would ever be served with dried spaghetti in Emilia-Romagna […]
Zucchini Carbonara Join my food & wine tour to Southern Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! Carbonara sauce traditionally contains guanciale (cured pork cheek), but I had a delicious vegetarian version with zucchini at Fratelli Paradiso in Potts Point, and couldn’t resist trying to recreate it at home. You need female zucchini flowers for […]
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 […]
Spaghetti Carbonara Join my food & wine tour to Rome & Southern Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! Spaghetti carbonara is one of the five classic Roman pastas. The sauce is made creamy by combining egg yolks and hard cheese – it doesn’t contain cream, despite the profusion of recipes using it. The origin […]
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 […]
Raw Artichoke Salad Like this raw artichoke salad? Try my easy stuffed artichokes recipe! Insalata de carciofi is one of my favourite ways to serve artichokes – simply thinly sliced with a tangy lemon dressing and a little salty cheese. Celery heart adds crunch to this raw artichoke salad and a few baby rocket leaves […]
Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe Join my food & wine tour to Rome & Southern Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! Cacio e pepe, cheese and pepper – one of the simplest pasta sauces, this classic Roman pasta can also be one of the trickiest to get just right. The idea is to emulsify the […]
Mushroom Pappardelle Join my food & wine tour to Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! I love mushrooms. ‘Meat for vegetarians’ one advertising campaign called them, and I’d suggest that this super quick mushroom pappardelle is so tasty that even die-hard carnivores won’t miss the meat. In autumn, when wild mushrooms appear in farmers’ […]
Pancetta-wrapped Grilled Mozzarella Join my food & wine tour to Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties! Pancetta-wrapped grilled mozzarella is one of those quick-to-assemble dishes that’s perfect for entertaining. Inspired by a dish I used to love years ago at Castelmola restaurant in Leichhardt, the addition of mustard fruit takes this snack from yum […]
