Sardinian-born Massimo Scalas and his team at Salumi Australia make salumi that transports me to Italy. Produced in Byron Bay, from locally and ethically raised pork, using age-old techniques, it’s available online and from Harris Farm Markets.
Swiss Pastetli(Vol-au-Vent) Discover more delicious dishes on my small group Swiss food & wine tour! In Switzerland, pastete means pie and in Swiss adding an “i” to the end of a word forms a diminutive – so a small pie is a pastetli. Pastetli in Switzerland are what we know by the French name vol-au-vent, […]
Baked Scamorza with Salami I love cheeses that melt to a lovely soft texture without becoming oily, like Italian scamorza. Baked scamorza is a perfect quick dinner with salad and some sliced salumi. In Italy it’s often topped with prosciutto, but I prefer slices of Salumi Australia’s picante (chilli) or finocchietto (fennel) salami for something […]
Pork Sausage Ragu with Cicciones Like this recipe?You’ll love my online Italian cooking class featuring the food of Sardinia! This pork sausage ragu is called alla Campidanese in Italian as it’s typical of the Campidano plains in southern Sardinia. Campidano is where a lot of the island’s vegetables are grown, and this sauce is as […]
Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta Like this recipe? You’ll love my online British cooking class! Did you grow up disliking soggy, cabbage-smelling Brussels sprouts? I did. Then I discovered how delicious pan-fried Brussels sprouts. With a bit of charring and some cured pork fat if you like they are delicious! I like to use a […]
Bucatini all’Amatriciana Like ‘nduja?You’ll love my online Italian cooking class featuring the food of southern Italy! 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 guanciale (cured pork […]
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 […]
Bresaola, Watercress & Egg Salad I fell in love with bresaola when I was researching A Lombardian Cookbook in Italy with Alessandro Pavoni. A specialty of Lombardy, bresaola is salt-cured beef eye round that’s dried in the crisp Alpine air. Virtually identical to Swiss bündnerfleisch (viande des Grisons) from just across the border in the […]
Potato Salad Potato salad is my go-to dish for picnics, barbecues and any family gathering, it’s delicious with virtually everything, including veal schnitzel. For me, hard boiled eggs are a must; the yolks break up a little and add their creaminess to the dressing. Pancetta is optional, I like its saltiness, but you can make […]
Salade Lyonnaise Salade Lyonnaise is one of my favourite starters and also makes a great light meal. I became addicted to it on a trip to Lyon where I had an excellent version at the bouchon La Meunière. As with all simple recipes, there’s a trick or two that take it from good to great, […]
‘Nduja Strozzapreti Like ‘nduja?You’ll love my online Italian cooking class featuring the food of southern Italy! 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 […]
