A Letter From Amanda

Italy is a country that, like Australia, seems to have it all. Friendly people, a great climate and stunning produce used to make key Italian ingredients, such as olive oil, that are renowned for excellence all around the world.

Anyone who travels to Italy always returns beaming with complete and utter joy at what they have seen, experienced and devoured. I’m yet to travel to Italy, but it’s very high on my bucket list. Although my feet haven’t walked on Italian soil yet, I feel extremely lucky to live in Australia alongside many Italians who have passed on some secret cooking tips and tricks and also introduced my tastebuds to samples of their Nonna’s cooking.

For many of us, as young children, our first so-called connection with Italian cuisine would have been a plate of spaghetti Aussie-style – usually piled high with meatballs or a bolognese sauce and smothered in grated tasty cheese. Any true Italian would baulk at this, proclaiming that this is not traditional Italian fare.

And yet this is our Australian version of an Italian classic.

In this issue, we have tried to extend the Aussie version of this cuisine by focusing on traditional Italian home cooking. We’ve included a collection of top-tasting recipes for you to add to your Italian cooking repertoire.

Pasta is one of those things that is thoroughly enjoyable to eat and super-simple to cook – plus, it looks stunning when you make it from scratch and hang it out to dry! For the more adventurous home cooks, have a go at making fresh pasta, page 16. And if you’re time-poor but still want an authentic Italian experience, find out how to turn dried spaghetti into Italian masterpieces, p48. Following closely behind pasta, pizza is loved by Aussies. Nothing beats homemade pizza dough and exciting new pizza toppings, page 38. Passata is the sauce that ties all this together. So when tomatoes are at their peak, grab a few kilos so you can make and bottle your own, page 32.

And you must try our lasagne cover recipe, page 14. My son, Orlando, loves it and I know your family will, too. Finally, like most stories, we finish on a sweet note. Our Italian “dolci” will make a memorable meal even better, page

54. I’m off to buy a piggy bank now and start saving for my trip to Italy. Ciao!