Northern Greek feta cheese and egg pie


This coiled pastry is from Naoussa, a village in the Cyclades region of northeastern Greece. It's filled with a rich-but-light creamy feta cheese centre. 

Ingredients

Filo pastry
  • 4-4½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1½-1¾ cups water
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 115 g (¼ lb) butter or more, as needed, melted and clarified
Filling
  • 900 g (1 lb) Greek feta, crumbled
  • 4 large eggs

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Greek lamb pastitsio


Really you could use any tubular pasta shape for this recipe. If you can find ziti or mezzani they'll give you that beautiful cross-section of rings, but gluten-free options are usually a bit limited in terms of shapes so penne is just as good.

Ingredients

  • 3 tbspextra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1onion, finely diced
  • 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 500 glamb mince
  • 1 tspdried oregano
  • 1 tbspfinely chopped rosemary
  • 2 x 400 gtins crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsptomato paste
  • 1cinnamon stick
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 300 ggluten-free penne pasta
Bechamel
  • 100 gbutter
  • 100 ggluten-free plain flour
  • 800 mlmilk
  • 100 gkefalograviera, grated, plus extra to serve
  • 100 gParmigiana Reggiano, grated
  • 1egg, lightly beaten
  • Pinch of ground cinnamon

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Greek meatballs (keftedes)


These juicy little meatballs are commonly served as part of a meze platter in Greece. A simple tzatziki (yoghurt and cucumber dip) would be the perfect accompaniment. 

Ingredients

  • 1 large tomato
  • 700 g (1½ lbs) beef mince or combination of beef mince
  • 2 large red onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp ground dried Greek mint
  • salt and pepper
  • ¾-1 cup milk
  • ¼-½ cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour, for dredging
  • olive oil, for frying

Labels:

Italian mushroom ragout


To me, this scrumptious mushroom recipe symbolises the Manfredi family: down-to-earth, full of substance, elegant, vibrant and comforting.

Ingredients

  • 8garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4salad onions, trimmed and finely sliced
  • 1 tbspsea salt
  • 200 g(6½ oz) fresh button mushrooms
  • 100 g(3½ oz) fresh oyster mushrooms
  • 150 g(5 oz) fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
  • 100 g(3½ oz) fresh Swiss brown mushrooms
  • 125 g(4 oz) unsalted butter, roughly chopped
  • ½ cupextra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of cracked white pepper
  • ½ cupdry white wine
  • 100 g(3½ oz) fresh enoki mushrooms
  • 100 g(3½ oz) fresh black cloud ear fungus
  • ½ cuproughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

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Arancini with tomatoes and peas (arancini con pomodoro e piselli)


Traditionally, the sauce would be a meat ragù with peas, but a quicker and equally tasty way is to make a sauce with good-quality pork sausage and peas or to make a thick pea and tomato sauce for a vegetarian version.

Ingredients

  • 1egg (if necessary)
  • Rapeseed, peanut or sunflower oil for frying
Pea and tomato salsa
  • 1 tspolive oil
  • ½onion, finely chopped
  • 1clove of garlic
  • Pinch of chilli flakes
  • ½ cupof frozen baby peas
  • 15 ml, dry white wine
  • 100 gtinned tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ tbspparsley leaves, finely chopped
Risotto
  • 500-750 mlbeef stock (or stock of your choosing), plus extra if necessary
  • 2 tspolive oil
  • 2 tspunsalted butter
  • 1small brown onion, finely chopped
  • 200 gCarnaroli or Arborio rice
  • 125 mlDry white wine
  • Pinch of saffron
  • 40 gunsalted butter
  • 25 ggrated parmesan cheese
Crumb
  • 2eggs, lightly beaten with a dash of milk
  • Plain (all-purpose) flour
  • Fresh breadcrumbs

Labels:

Raviole bolognesi (sweet pastry raviole)


Raviole are not to be confused with savoury ravioli made from pasta, although the concept is similar. Raviole are made with a sweet shortcrust pastry, flavoured with lemon zest, and filled with a jam made of mustard fruits. They can also be made with plum jam, which is easier to find outside of Italy.

Ingredients

  • 250 g00 cake flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 90 gcaster (superfine) sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1 tspbaking powder
  • Zest of ½ lemon
  • Pinch of salt
  • 100 gbutter, at room temperature, cut into small dice
  • 1egg, lightly beaten
  • 190 gplum mostarda or your favourite plum jam
  • Milk, for brushing
  • Bitter almond liqueur (optional)
  • Aniseed liqueur (optional)

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Crescentine (pan-cooked flatbread)


When travelling in Italy last year, I asked my friend Laura who lives in Bologna what she thought was the most popular street food where she lived. “Tigelle, without a doubt,” she replied. “We eat them with a little prosciutto or cheese, and a glass of wine.”

Ingredients

  • 250 gplain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 3 g instant dried yeast
  • 85 ml tepid water
  • 50 ml tepid milk
  • 3 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 12thin slices prosciutto or lardo
  • 200 gbuffalo mozzarella or stracchino, sliced or 50 g shaved parmesan, to serve

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Nettle gnocchi with tomato sauce


This nettle gnocchi dish is served by chef Alessandro's Pavoni at the innovative Italian restaurant, Ormeggio, in Sydney.

Ingredients

  • 100 gnettles
  • Salt flakes
  • 420 grusset or other floury potatoes, scrubbed
  • Rock salt, as needed
  • 90 gcornflour, sifted, plus extra for dusting and if needed
  • pinch freshly grated nutmeg 
  • Fine salt
  • 1egg yolk
Tomato sauce
  • 50 mlextra virgin olive oil
  • 1clove garlic, chopped
  • 1golden shallot, chopped
  • 1small ox heart tomato or large vine- ripened tomato, diced
  • 16basil leaves 

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Prosciutto and rocket cauliflower pizza


A cauliflower crust takes the stress out of making pizza at home for those eating gluten free. This recipe makes one large pizza.

Ingredients

  • 130 g(1 cup) grated mozzarella
  • 3-4slices prosciutto
  • Handful rocket leaves
  • ½small green pear, thinly sliced
Crust
  • 1small cauliflower (about 500 g), cut into florets
  • 30 g(1/3 cup) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1egg
  • Pinch of sea salt flakes and freshly ground white pepper
Pizza sauce
  • 125 ml(½ cup) passata
  • ¼tsp dried oregano
  • 1small garlic clove, minced

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Lemon almond biscotti


Biscotti for the lemon lover in your life! This is a fun recipe where you get to drizzle icing all over everything, so have your inner child or your actual child at the ready.

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup(60 ml) unsweetened nondairy milk
  • ¼ cup(60 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • 1½ tbspground flax seeds
  • ¾ cup(150 g) sugar
  • ½ cup(125 ml) refined coconut oil, melted
  • 6 tspgrated lemon zest
  • 1 tsppure vanilla extract
  • ¼ tspalmond extract
  • 1⅔ cups(205 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1½ tbspcornstarch
  • 2 tspbaking powder
  • ½ tspsalt
  • 1 cup(95 g) sliced almonds
Lemon glaze
  • 2 cups(205 g) icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
  • ½ tsppure vanilla extract
  • 45 mlfresh lemon juice
  • 3 tsp(15 ml) refined coconut oil, melted

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