Recipe – Garganelli Pasta

How To Make Garganelli Pasta Join my Small Group Food & Wine Tours to Emilia-Romagna, Home of Garganelli Pasta Emilia-Romagna is the home of rich egg pasta, with 1 egg used for every 100g of flour to create pasta sheets that are then cut into an endless variety of shapes. Garganelli are similar to penne […]

Recipe – Ocean Trout with Spicy Onion Sauce

Ocean Trout with Spicy Onion Sauce Cooking fish almost entirely on the skin protects the delicate flesh, keeping it moist and succulent. The skin usually ends up a bit charred and looking slightly the worse for wear, so I usually present the fish flesh side up. The skin still tastes great and, if you like […]

Recipe – Grilled Prawns with Pear & Walnut Salad

Grilled Prawns with Pear & Walnut Salad Grilled prawns with pear and walnut salad is the perfect dish for entertaining as most of the preparation can be done ahead of time, and cooking the prawns only on the shell side ensures they’ll be the juiciest you’ve ever tasted. Prawns oxidise quickly once they’re caught or […]

Recipe – Grilled Swordfish with Salmoriglio

Grilled Swordfish with Salmoriglio Swordfish (pesce spada) is one of the most popular fish in the Mediterranean and in southern Italy it’s often served with the classic olive oil and herb sauce, salmoriglio (see video below). It has a wonderful meaty texture but tends to dry out and soften if over cooked, so resist the […]

Recipe – Salmoriglio

Salmoriglio Salmoriglio is a simple southern Italian sauce based on olive oil, lemon, garlic and herbs, traditionally oregano. Parsley is often included and sometimes a little finely chopped rosemary or thyme, some recipes add a little anchovy too. Most cooks simply whisk all the ingredients together but, in The River Café Cookbook, Rose Gray and […]

Recipe – Melanzane Grigliate

Melanzane Grigliate Eggplant is like a sponge and soaks up an incredible amount of oil, so I prefer to brush it with oil and bake or grill it rather than fry it. If you have the barbecue fired up, you can cook the eggplant on it, otherwise bake it in the oven as I’m doing […]

Recipe – Peperoni in Padella

Peperoni in Padella I was taught to make this braised capsicum dish by a boyfriend’s Neapolitan mother many years ago, and it’s still one of my favourites. Peperoni in padella simply means ‘peppers in the pan’ and the result is quite different to roasting a capsicum in the oven. The capsicum juices blend with the […]

Recipe – Steamed Asparagus with Pecorino

Steamed Asparagus with Pecorino When I’m barbecuing, I’ll sometimes grill asparagus spears on the spot. But when I’m entertaining, and want to get as much done ahead of time as possible, I find it easier to steam them. I like really thin spears for this dish, but they aren’t always available so be flexible and […]

Recipe – Insalata Caprese

Insalata Caprese Insalata Caprese is a classic Italian mozzarella and tomato salad from the Isle of Capri in the Bay of Naples. Indian water buffalo were introduced to the swampy plains near Naples as draft animals around the 6th or 7th century, and today this area is famous for one of Italy’s most delicious cheeses, […]

Recipe – Mostaccioli Calabrese

Mostaccioli Calabrese Sometimes called mustazzoli or mustazzuole, depending on the dialect, mostaccioli are super hard biscuits that are popular at Christmas and often shaped like fish (an ancient symbol of Christianity). They come in many other shapes, some quite elaborate, including baskets, horses and hearts as well as a simple S. These simple Calabrian honey […]

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