Pasta is the perfect quick and easy comfort food. You can whip up a bowl in less time than it takes for the pizza delivery to arrive. Short or long, dried or fresh, saucy or not, stuffed, layered, baked – the possibilities are endless with this simple, delicious food.
Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells in Taleggio Sauce 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 this dish came about. Giant pasta shells, called conchiglioni, are simple to fill and […]
‘Nduja Strozzapreti 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 without the eggs (just chicory), but like it best with both. The name chicory is […]
Fettuccine Bolognese Join my Small Group Food & Wine Tours of 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 where fresh […]
Zucchini Carbonara 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 this recipe, they’re the ones with the baby zucchini attached. It’s important to use authentic […]
Spaghetti Carbonara Spaghetti carbonara is a simple Roman pasta with a sauce made creamy by combining egg yolks and hard cheese – it doesn’t contain cream, despite the profusion of recipes using it. The origin of the name is a bit more of a mystery, ‘carbone’ is Italian for coal, and it’s been suggested that […]
Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe Cacio e pepe, cheese and pepper – one of the simplest pasta sauces, this Roman classic can also be one of the trickiest to get just right. The idea is to emulsify the cheese with the starchy pasta cooking water to create a creamy sauce. A few things ensure success: quality […]
Mushroom Pappardelle 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’ markets and good greengrocers, use gorgeous orange pine mushrooms or meaty slippery jacks instead […]
Share page on: Ravioli with Balsamic Vinegar Join my Small Group Food & Wine Tour of Modena – Home of Balsamic Vinegar Ravioli with balsamic vinegar and brown butter is my go-to when I’m really busy but want something delicious (and slightly indulgent) for dinner. It doesn’t get much simpler than three ingredients, but that […]
Vegetarian Lasagne I love this vegetarian twist on a classic lasagne, full of spring greens. It’s a bit messy to make, but delicious to eat; the ricotta mixture is much thicker than the béchamel sauce used in a traditional lasagne, so don’t worry that it doesn’t form a perfectly smooth layer – it all evens […]
Truffled Macaroni Cheese For many food lovers, fresh black truffles are the highlight of winter. I developed this recipe using white Italian truffles from Alba (during their short mid-October to mid-December season), but it works just as well with black truffles. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled and is also a great side […]
