Strozzapreti with pumpkin and bacon Featured in SBS Feast Magazine Serves 4 • Prep 1 hr • Cooking 20 mins Literally ‘priest choker’, strozzapreti pasta has many stories behind its name. Some believe its popularity among churchmen meant it was devoured to the point of choking, while others say it was a form of payment to the church who owned most of the farmland at the time. Or it could just describe the twisting or ‘choking’ action used to shape the pasta. INGREDIENTS 300g butternut pumpkin, thinly sliced, pulp reserved, skin discarded 1 onion, finely chopped 100g bacon, chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 rosemary sprig, leaves picked 2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, to serve Strozzapreti 200g (1⅓ cups) ‘00’ pasta flour*, sifted 50g (½ cup) fine dried breadcrumbs 2 egg whites 1. To make strozzapreti, mound flour and breadcrumbs on a clean work surface and make a well in centre. Combine egg whites with 60ml water, then pour into well. Using a fork, draw in flour, working from the centre outwards, then using your hands work in remaining flour. Knead dough for 6 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Enclose in plastic wrap and rest for 20 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, place pumpkin trimmings and onion in a saucepan over medium heat and season with salt. Add enough water to just cover, then cook for 20 minutes or until very soft. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside. 3. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough until 5mm thick and about 12cm wide – nearly the width of your pasta machine. Set your pasta machine at its widest setting, then feed through dough, narrowing the settings one notch [...]

Garganelli with Rabbit Ragu Featured in SBS Feast Magazine Serves 4 • Prep 35 mins, plus overnight marinating • Cooking 3 hrs 25 mins Garganelli is a type of ridged, tubular pasta that’s traditionally made by rolling squares of dough around a wooden stick, known as a bastoncino, along a grooved board or pettine (see Bite-Size Pieces). While you can substitute penne rigate, garganelli is more delicate with a visible seam. Matteo usually serves this pasta with wild hare ragù, but we’ve substituted rabbit, which is more readily available. 400g rabbit, deboned* 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 1 small carrot, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 bay leaf 1 sprig each sage and rosemary, leaves picked, finely chopped ½ tbs tomato paste 100ml dry white wine 2 cloves 2 juniper berries finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to serve Marinade 500ml (2 cups) dry red wine 1 onion, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 2 garlic cloves 1 sprig each rosemary and sage 1 bay leaf 2 black peppercorns 2 juniper berries 2 cloves Garganelli 300g (2 cups) plain flour 3 eggs 1. To make marinade, combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive bowl. Add rabbit, tossing to coat, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to marinate. 2. Drain rabbit, discarding marinade, and cut into 3cm pieces. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic and herbs, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until vegetables start to soften. Add rabbit and cook, turning, for 2 minutes or until browned all over. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add wine and simmer for 3 minutes or until evaporated. Add enough [...]

Tagliolini al Nero di Seppia con Vongole e Fiori di Zucca Squid Ink Tagliolini with Pippies & Zucchini Flowers Great fish markets are like lolly shops for Matteo, and we always buy more than we planned! The day he made this pasta dish he bought enough produce to make: - Scampi, prepared similar to sashimi, butterflied and served with lemon zest, EVOO & Sale di Cervia - Anchovies, crumbed & fried - Squid Ink Tagliolini with Pippies - Poached sting ray wing salad with steamed potato, cherry tomatoes, celery & parsley - Calamari with fresh figs & rocket - Sea Bass risotto with wild herbs Needless to say it was a big day spent in the kitchen and a wonderful afternoon of eating! Ingredients for 4 serves: 400g Squid Ink Tagliolini 1Kg Pippies Garlic 2 cloves Fresh Thyme or Marjoram 2 sprigs 8 Zucchini Flowers (clean and cut in thin strips) Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt Black Pepper Parsley, finely chopped Preparation: First step is “blanching” the pippies. In a large saucepan pour water (just to cover the bottom); add garlic, herbs, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the pippies. Turn the burner on and cover with the lid; as soon as the pippies start opening, remove them from the pot into a tray to cool down. If your saucepan/pot is not big enough for a whole kg of pippies, you can do this in smaller batches (using the same liquid). As soon as you can handle them, start removing the pippies from the shell. Pour the cooking liquid through a sieve to remove any sand from the pippies and reserve on the side. Bring 5 litres of water to the boil (with 40 to 45g of salt in it); in another [...]

Rosa di Parma, Rare Roasted Beef Fillet Stuffed with Prosciutto Featured in Delicious Magazine Serves 4-6 INGREDIENTS You will need kitchen string for this recipe. 1kg beef fillet or beef tenderloin, butterflied (ask your butcher to do this) 100g thinly sliced prosciutto 50g parmesan, thinly sliced 20g unsalted butter 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 1 each rosemary and sage sprig 3 garlic cloves 1 cup (250ml) red wine 1/2 cup (125ml) Marsala 1 bunch rainbow chard blanched Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the beef on a chopping board. Cover with plastic wrap and lightly beat with a rolling pin to flatten slightly. Season, then place slices of prosciutto and parmesan down the centre of the beef, leaving a 1cm border. Roll up beef tightly and tie with kitchen string. Heat butter and oil in a frypan over medium heat. Season beef, then cook, turning for 3-4 minutes until browned. Transfer to a roasting pan and tuck herbs and garlic around the meat. Roast for  25 minutes for medium-rare. Remove beef from roasting tray and rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, return the roasting pan to medium-high heat. Add the wine and Marsala and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spoon, for 3 minutes or until reduced by half. Season, then strain jus, discarding solids. Thickly slice the beef and divide among plates. Drizzle with warm jus and serve with blanched rainbow chard.

Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb with Eggplant and Zucchini Caponata Featured in Country Style Christmas Issue 2017 Serves 4 INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 brown onion, peeled, roughly chopped 1 celery stick, roughly chopped 1 carrot, peeled, roughly chopped 3 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed 3 bay leaves 2 sprigs rosemary 2 sprigs thyme 2 sprigs sage ¾ cup white wine 1 tablespoon tomato paste 8 cups beef stock 1.2kg lamb shoulder, trimmed 2 tablespoons olive oil Eggplant & zucchini caponata, to serve CAPONATA INGREDIENTS 1 celery stick 1 medium eggplant, trimmed, thickly sliced 1 zucchini, trimmed, quartered lengthways 1 red capsicum, deseeded, quartered 1 small red onion, peeled, quartered ¼ cup olive oil 125g cherry tomatoes 1 sprig thyme extra virgin olive oil, to serve Add wine and cook for 4 minutes or until evaporated. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add stock and bring to boil. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 150°C. Place lamb in a large, deep baking dish. Rub with olive oil and season well with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Pour vegetables and stock mixture around lamb in baking dish. Cover lamb with baking paper, then cover baking dish with a tight-fitting lid or foil. Roast for 4–5 hours or until meat is tender and falling off bone. To make the caponata,  heat extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and sage, and stir to combine. Season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  

Sabadoni - Chestnut Pastries with Vino Cotto Featured in SBS Feast Magazine Serves 6 • Prep 45 mins, plus 15 mins soaking INGREDIENTS 500g (3⅓ cups) plain flour, sifted 2 eggs 25g unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 tsp baking powder 150ml milk Vanilla ice-cream, to serve Chestnut filling 500g chestnuts* 200g unsweetened chestnut purée* 80g (½ cup) icing sugar, sifted, plus extra, to serve 1¼ tbs vino cotto*, plus extra, to serve 1 tbs Marsala 1 lemon, zested 1 egg, lightly beaten 1. Mound flour on a clean work surface and make a well in centre. Break eggs into well, then add butter, baking powder and milk. Using a fork, draw in flour, working from the centre outwards, then using your hands, work in remaining ingredients. Knead dough for 6 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Enclose in plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, to make chestnut filling, soak chestnuts in warm water for 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, make a small horizontal slit in each chestnut and peel off skin, then place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook for 20 minutes or until very soft. Drain, then cool. Place in a bowl with chestnut purée, icing sugar, vino cotto, Marsala and lemon zest, mashing until smooth. 3. Preheat oven to 180C. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface until 2mm thick, then cut into 10cm squares. Place 1 tbs filling in centre of each square, then brush edges with beaten egg. Fold squares over to form triangles, enclosing filling, and crimp edges to seal. Place pastries on an oven tray and bake for 20 minutes or until golden. 4. Dust chestnut pastries with extra icing sugar, drizzle with extra vino [...]

Panettone with Crema al Mascarpone Featured in Country Style Christmas Issue 2017 Serves 4 INGREDIENTS 4 egg yolks ½ cup caster sugar 450g mascarpone 2 eggwhites 4 slices panettone, lightly toasted cocoa powder, to garnish Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar for 5 minutes or until light and creamy. Add mascarpone and beat for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Transfer to a clean bowl. Wash electric beater and bowl. Using an electric mixer fitted with a clean whisk attachment, whisk eggwhite in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Fold eggwhite into mascarpone mixture, a little at a time, until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled. Spoon crema al mascarpone among serving plates. Top with panettone slices and dust with cocoa to serve.  

Bonet - baked chocolate custard amaretti & rosemary syrup Featured in Delicious Magazine Serves 4 INGREDIENTS   1 cup (250ml) milk 2 eggs 1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar 20g cocoa powder 1 tsp rum 3 drops natural almond extract Crumbled amaretti biscuits, to serve Rosemary syrup 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar 4 rosemary sprigs Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease four 1/2 cup (125ml) dariole moulds. Place milk in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to just below boiling point. Whisk eggs, sugar, cocoa, rum and almond extract in a heatproof bowl until combined. Pour in hot milk, whisking constantly until combined. Divide mixture evenly among moulds, then place in a roasting pan and fill pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of moulds. Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Remove moulds from water and cool completely. Meanwhile, for the syrup, combine the sugar and 1/4 cup (60ml) water in a small pan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, add rosemary, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until thickened and infused. Remove from heat and discard rosemary. Dip the base of each mould briefly in hot water, then, using a palette knife, carefully remove pudding from mould. Invert onto plates and serve with amaretti and syrup.