Pine Mushroom Pasta

Is it really winter in Melbourne if you don’t eat pine mushrooms as often as possible? A perfect winter bowl for a rainy Melbourne day.

Sauté one clove finely diced garlic, a few sprigs of thyme and a small eschalot, also finely diced, in a generous knob of butter for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat, or until translucent. Throw in sliced pine mushrooms with a good slug of olive oil and sauté briefly until the mushrooms are soft and juicy. Season to taste.

Throw in pasta, and toss together with a little pasta water and another small knob of butter, until glossy and combined. Garnish with reggiano, lemon zest, black pepper, parsley and chilli oil (optional).

Pork Shoulder Ragu

A comfort classic that fills the house with the toothsome aroma of slow cooked meaty goodness. Simple, satisfying and one of my favourite ways to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Ingredients

Olive oil

Sea salt

Pepper

1 pork shoulder, skin removed and roughly cut into chunks around 5-7cm 

1 brown onion, peeled and finely diced

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

2 stalks celery, peeled and finely diced

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

3-4 ribbons of lemon peel

3-4 sprigs thyme 

1 tin crushed tomatoes (or you can slow roast a punnet of cherry tomatoes if they’re going south in the fridge to use them up)

2-3 glasses of red wine (you can do this recipe with chicken stock and white wine instead of tomato, and make it a white ragu).

Method

In a large, heavy based pot on a medium to high heat, brown the chunks of pork in olive oil, until golden and sealed on all sides. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, transferring the sealed pieces to a bowl. 

Once the meat is browned, reduce the pan to a medium heat and add another generous slug of olive oil. Sauté the onion, garlic, celery and carrot until the onion is translucent, then throw in the lemon skin and thyme. 

Return the pork to the pot, then add the tomatoes and wine. Stir to combine, then turn the heat back up to high until it begins to simmer. Season generously with salt and pepper, stir to combine, then reduce to a low heat, place the lid on, propped up with a spoon to allow a small amount of evaporation. Simmer on the stove for 4-6 hours, or if your pot is oven proof, transfer to an oven on 120c for the same amount of time, the top loosely covered with foil. 

The pork is ready when you can use a spoon to crush the chunks of pork. Gently smoosh all the pork and incorporate it into the sauce, season to taste. If there is still a lot of liquid left, simmer it on the stove, uncovered, until it is reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon.

To serve: cook the pasta to al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. In a frying pan, spoon as much ragu as you plan to serve, along with a good splash of the pasta water. Bring to a simmer and when the mixture begins to bubble and thicken, throw in the pasta. Toss vigorously, to work the starches, creating a glossy sauce. Taste once again to season, then transfer the pasta to the hot plate. Garnish with microplanes parmigiano reggiano, lemon zest and black pepper.

The Cupboard Is Bare Pasta

I moved house this week. In the midst of the packing and unpacking chaos, there was a point where the kitchen was bare, save for a few dry store ingredients, and as my fridge hadn't arrived from Sydney, it became an exercise in cooking from shelf stable ingredients only. Hard? Not really, so long as you have a few handy staples with you. So this recipe also doubles as a list of shelf stable foods you should never live without. 

This recipe is kinda-cabonara in style (minus the pork component) and is proof that you can cook something delicious with just a small handful of ingredients, whether you're on a shoestring budget...or the cupboard is just bare!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Good quality dried pasta (I love Martelli)

2 egg yolks (that's right, eggs don't require refrigeration!)

1 tablespoon olive oil

A good few pinches sea salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon store bought fried shallots (from the Asian grocery aisle in any supermarket)

Method:

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Once cooked, drain MOST of the water (you will need about 1/4 cup of that starchy water to bind the pasta sauce together). Pour the olive oil into the pasta and reserved water and toss to combine. Whisk the egg yolks and pour them into the pot, tossing again to combine everything. Add in a few good pinches of sea salt and a few grinds of pepper and toss everything again. Taste, for seasoning and once happy, divide between two plates or bowls. Garnish with fried shallots and a little more pepper and you're done! 

Pasta-free Lasagne with XO

My Italian mother-in-law would probably have a heart attack for calling something 'lasagne' that contains no pasta, but seeing as my husband made this particular recipe with me, we'll let it slide. We decided to replace the pasta sheets with layers of eggplant and zucchini on account of coming home from the Australian Financial Review Top 100 Restaurant Awards in Sydney after an epic 4 days of eating everything in sight (we went to Sokyo, Billy Kwong, Icebergs, The Dolphin, Hubert, Hubert again, Fratelli Paradiso, Automata, Ester and Din Tai Fung, just so you get the picture) and wanted to eat healthier without feeling like we were missing out on life.  Everything else about this dish is legit though, including the very handy Italian mama kitchen tip of using leftover charcuterie bits and pieces to add depth of flavour to sauces and stews (we used njduia). Add to that the not-very-Italian-mama tip of adding a little XO into sauces that aren't necessarily of Asian influence, and you have one rich, complex sauce that works well on pretty much anything. 

Ingredients

Red sauce

1 leek, washed and finely sliced

3 brown onions, peeled and finely sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

50g njduia (or any leftover pieces of salami, pancetta or bacon fat, finely chopped)

1/2 bottle of red wine

2 tins crushed tomatoes

1 strong tablespoon of XO paste

Salt &  pepper.

The rest

1 large eggplant, mandolined lengthways into 5mm sheets

2 large zucchinis, mandolined lengthways into 5mm sheets

200g fresh ricotta

1 handful parsley leaves, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, sliced

Sea salt flakes

Freshly cracked black pepper

Olive oil

Method

Preheat an oven to 180c. For the red sauce, heat a large saucepan on a low to medium heat, then add a good slug of olive oil. Add the leeks, onion and garlic and cook until softened but the vegetables haven't taken on any colour. Take this opportunity to season the base. Add in the njduia (or chosen salumi) to the pan, burying it amongst the vegetables. It'll begin to break down and render the fat out. Once this happens, mix everything vigorously to combine. After another 2-3 minutes, add the wine. Cook over medium high heat until reduced by two thirds and the mixture is glossy and thick. Add the tinned tomatoes and stir to combine. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until reduced by about half and starts to take on a thick spoon-coating texture. Season with salt, pepper and XO to taste (this gives the sauce an umami punch and an extra dimension of flavour), then remove from heat and carefully transfer to a heatproof blender. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender on it's highest setting. Blitz the mixture on high into a smooth puree, then set aside to cool slightly. 

Meanwhile, prepare the ricotta filling by combining the ricotta with the chopped parsley in a bowl, mixing well. If the mixture is too thick, add a little olive oil to the mix. Season well with salt and pepper, then set aside. 

Line a baking dish with baking paper. Spread a few spoonfuls of the red sauce into the dish, then top with a layer of eggplant. Top with an even layer of ricotta, then more red sauce, then a layer of zucchini. Continue to alternate layers of eggplant, red sauce, ricotta, and zucchini, finishing with ricotta on top. Lay the fennel slices on top and cover with a layer of baking paper. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the baking paper, turn the oven up to 200c and continue to cook for a further 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly. 

Remove the lasagne from the oven and allow to cool and set before slicing, otherwise the whole thing will collapse. Serve the lasagne topped with Parmesan or pecorino, microplaned over the top, and a few basil leaves.