BUO NAP PETITO!
While jumping on a plane isn’t an option right now, you can still enjoy the flavour of your dream destination. Take your tastebuds on tour with these hearty dishes from regional Italy.
CARNE CRUDA
Prep: 20 minutes + freezing. Serves 6.
200g beef fillet, trimmed of sinew
2 king brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 Swiss brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
⅔ cup (50g) parmesan shavings
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Grissini and lemon wedges, to serve
1 Roll beef tightly in plastic wrap to form a cylinder. Freeze until just firm, about 1 hour.
2 Thinly slice beef across the grain then remove plastic wrap; arrange on a platter. Scatter mushrooms and parmesan over. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil; season to taste. Serve with grissini and lemon wedges on the side.
ZUPPA DEI VALDESI
Prep: 10 minutes. Cooking: 55 minutes. Serves 6. 400g day-old white bread, thickly sliced 2 cloves garlic, halved
30g butter, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp grapeseed or other neutral oil 1 onion, thinly sliced
6 cups (1.5L) chicken stock
200ml dry white wine
1 tsp thyme leaves
3 cups (300g) coarsely grated Toma
Piemontese or other Italian melting cheese 100g parmesan, finely grated
1 Preheat oven to 200˚C (180˚C fan).
Rub bread with cut sides of garlic.
2 Heat butter and oil in a large casserole over medium heat, add onion and stir until softened, 6-10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3 Place stock, wine and thyme in a saucepan, bring to the boil and season to taste.
4 Meanwhile, layer bread, most of both cheeses and onion in casserole; scatter remaining cheeses on top. Pour over hot stock and bake, uncovered, pushing bread down into stock occasionally, until cheese melts and bread is golden, about 30 minutes. Serve.
BEEF AGNOLOTTI WITH HAZELNUT & SAGE BUTTER
Prep: 45 minutes. Cooking: 4 hours + cooling, chilling, resting. Serves 4-6.
100g butter, chopped
Handful fresh sage leaves
1/3 cup (40g) roasted hazelnuts,
coarsely chopped
Finely grated parmesan, to serve Braised beef 2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500g beef brisket, cut into 4cm pieces
200g can tomato polpa (crushed tomatoes)
240ml red wine
2 tsp red-wine vinegar
1 fresh bay leaf
Pasta dough
250g “00” flour
2 whole eggs plus 1 yolk extra 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil Semolina flour, for dusting
1 To braise beef, preheat oven to 150˚C (130˚C fan). Heat 1 tbsp oil in a casserole over low heat, add onion and garlic; stir frequently until very soft and sweet, about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a frypan over high heat, add beef and brown, turning occasionally, until well coloured, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to casserole with polpa, wine, vinegar and bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a simmer. Season then cover and braise in oven, turning meat a couple of times until it pulls apart easily (2-3 hours). Remove meat from sauce, shred with two forks, then finely chop. Spoon as much oil from sauce as possible, discard bay leaf, then simmer sauce over medium-high heat until reduced by a
third, about 10-15 minutes. Return meat to sauce; season. Cool, then refrigerate 2 hours.
2 Meanwhile, make pasta. Place flour and 1 tsp salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add eggs, yolk and oil, and process until dough comes together (add 1-2 tsp of water if needed). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to a smooth dough, dusting with extra flour if sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or until needed.
3 Bring dough to room temperature. Divide into 8 pieces; cover with a clean tea towel. Working with 1 piece at a time, flatten, then roll through a pasta machine on the widest setting. Fold in half, then roll again. Continue folding and rolling, reducing settings notch by notch and dusting with flour if necessary, until pasta is 1mm thick. Lay pasta on a lightly floured surface and cut in half lengthways. Dot 2 tsp beef mixture along long edge closest to you, about 4cm apart. Lightly brush other edge with water, then fold over filling, pressing to seal. Using both hands, pinch dough either side of filling, sealing the dough and creating ‘pillows’. Use a crinkle cutter to trim long edge of pasta sheet near the fold, then cut into individual pieces. Transfer to a tray dusted with semolina and repeat with remaining dough and filling.
4 Cook agnolotti in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to bowls.
5 Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming and nut brown, 2-4 minutes. Add sage and stir until crisp, then add hazelnuts. Spoon over pasta, then scatter with parmesan.
INSALATA DI VERDURE
Prep: 30 minutes. Cooking: 1 hour. Serves 4.
1 bunch baby carrots, trimmed 1 bunch baby beetroot, trimmed,
cut into wedges
1 bunch baby radishes, trimmed,
cut into halves or wedges
1 bunch baby turnips, trimmed,
cut into halves or wedges
¼ bunch chicory leaves, coarsely torn Bagna càuda dressing 300ml milk
12 cloves garlic
80g waxy potato, cut into 1.5cm dice 300ml extra-virgin olive oil 6 anchovy fillets
1 To make dressing, bring milk and garlic to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add potato and simmer until tender, 15-20 minutes. Strain (discard milk) and set aside. Heat oil in a non-stick frypan over low heat, add potato and garlic and cook until soft, 15-20 minutes. Strain through a metal sieve, reserving oil, then place in a food processor with anchovies; process until smooth. With motor running, gradually add reserved oil and process until mixture has the consistency of mayonnaise. Season to taste and set aside.
2 Blanch vegetables, except chicory leaves, separately until tender, 3-5 minutes. Refresh in iced water, drain well and combine in a large bowl with chicory and dressing. Toss to combine, then serve at room temperature.
BONET
Prep: 15 minutes. Cooking: 1½ hours + cooling, setting. Serves 8-10.
60g brown sugar
3 eggs
4 egg yolks
200ml double cream
400ml milk
60g dark chocolate (65%-68% cocoa),
finely chopped
2 tsp dutch-process cocoa
40ml dark rum
2 tbsp espresso-strength coffee
200g caster sugar
125g amaretti, crumbled, plus extra whole amaretti to serve
Crème fraîche, to serve
1 Preheat oven to 160˚C (140˚C fan). Place brown sugar, eggs and yolks in a heatproof bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside but whisk occasionally to dissolve sugar. Meanwhile, place cream and milk in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add chocolate and cocoa; whisk until smooth. Pour chocolate, rum and coffee over egg mixture and whisk to combine. Once froth has settled, skim it from surface.
2 Place caster sugar and 150ml water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat. Stir to dissolve sugar, then cook without stirring for 15 minutes or until caramel is a deep amber colour. Remove from heat and immediately pour hot caramel into a 24cm-diameter cake tin at least 6cm deep. Holding dish with a tea towel, quickly tilt and swirl to evenly coat sides with caramel. Cool at room temperature until set (10 minutes).
3 Place tin in a roasting pan lined with a tea towel. Pour custard over caramel, then pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake tin. Cover with foil, pricking a couple of holes around edge for steam to escape. Bake until custard is set but retains a slight wobble in the centre (60-80 minutes). Cool briefly, then refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
4 To serve, scatter crumbled amaretti over bonet, then invert onto a platter. Serve with crème fraîche and extra amaretti.
THE VAST ARRAY OF FLAVOURS IN ITALIAN CUISINE MAKES IT A FAVOURITE WITH FAMILIES AND CHEFS ALIKE.