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.
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, […]
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 & Rome 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 […]
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’ […]