Pipi party.

A classic Italian dish meets bush tomato, samphire and sea parsley in this recipe from Nornie Bero.

THIS RECIPE USES a classic base to bring different lands together – from the tiny islands of my home to the big island of Australia, all inspired by the seaside tastes of Italy.

As a little girl growing up on a tropical island, I loved sinking my feet into the sand at the edge of the water and feeling the pipis move under my feet. We used to collect them by the bucket-load as kids and bring them back to cook up at home.

With no extra salt needed, this recipe gets its saltiness from the sea parsley and samphire – naturally infused with sea salt, bringing the flavour of the ocean to the dish. I’ve also brought the land to the sea by adding native Australian bush tomatoes in the linguine.

I have so much love for the bush tomato – to me it’s our indigenous stock cube, carrying an abundance of multi-layered flavour. How cool is that? A natural stock cube with no added preservatives! Adding the creamy and natural oils of the macadamias rounds this dish off. Nornie Bero is the Melbourne-based founder and CEO of Mabu Mabu, which includes Big Esso, Tuck Shop and Mabu Mabu catering. Bero’s debut book Mabu Mabu (Hardie Grant Books) is out now.

CHILLI SAMPHIRE VONGOLE AND BUSH TOMATO LINGUINE SERVES 4

400g dried linguine

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 eschalot, thinly sliced

1 tbs ground dried bush tomatoes 100g samphire

1kg vongole (pipis or clams), purged 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, or more to taste 1/4 cup chopped sea parsley leaves

(substitute flat-leaf parsley)

2 long green shallots, sliced

1 tbs crushed macadamias

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil. Add linguine, stir and cook for 9-12 minutes until al dente.

Meanwhile, place oil in a large saucepan with a lid over medium heat. Add garlic, eschalot, bush tomato and samphire. Cook for 2-3 minutes until eschalot has a bit of colour. Increase heat to high, add the vongole and chilli flakes and toss a couple of times to combine. Cover with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes until vongole open (discard any that remain closed).

Toss in sea parsley, shallot and macadamia and stir to combine.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/3 cup (80ml) cooking water. Toss pasta and reserved pasta water through the pipi mixture to coat. Divide among bowls to serve.

SPECIALTY INGREDIENTS

There are native Australian ingredients required in this recipe – for dried herbs and spices, try mabumabu.com.au and herbies.com.au; for fresh herbs and greens, try specialty fruit and veg shops.