Lanzafame - Family Italian: hearty recipes for everyday cooking

contents

Great food is my parents passion. They were both born in southern Italy this is where they met and married, too. Growing up they didnt have a lot of money but this meant that nothing was ever wasted: meat would be salted and hung to dry so it would last for a year, ripe fruit and vegetables would be pickled and eaten throughout the off-season, and bread was baked in a communal town oven every Saturday because it was too expensive to run a wood-fired oven at home.

They eventually immigrated to Australia and shortly after my brother Tony and I were born. We grew up surrounded by an enormous variety of Italian food, and eating it was always special the family would gather together every single night for dinner. This ritual instilled in me a real sense of the importance of family.

Mum never cooked the same meal twice. As a kid, there was something different to enjoy every day. My mums creativity introduced me to a whole array of beautiful Italian food. When we were sick, Mum would know what soup to make so wed feel better; if we did something special, Mum would prepare our favourite meal; every kind of occasion was made more colourful with food.

This book was incredibly important for me to write. Its a collection of my mums recipes; simple, gutsy and phenomenal meals that shes cooked for many, many years. Im a firm believer in recording yesterdays recipes, otherwise theyll be lost forever. Inside these pages Ive taken Mums traditional recipes and made them slightly more modern, although theyre still nourishing, seasonal, perfect for grazing and all about family.

Mum has always supported me in my endeavours, and this is my acknowledgement to her for being such a major influence in my life and career. As for Dad, at 83, hes still enjoying Mums cooking, and Ive never heard him complain once.

assaggini

snacks to start

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Assaggini is the Italian version of real fast food. Its food that is very dear to my heart and always takes me back to my childhood. They are straight-to-the-point dishes usually with only four or five ingredients. We always make these small dishes before any party or big event and place them on the table as tasty pre-dinner bites. Theyre an explosion of flavour before the meal begins. To this day, I still enjoy them at my house, my mums house or any Italian household. Its customary to make these in large quantities and keep them in the fridge as easy snacks, particularly when visitors pop around. Simply pull them out and theyre ready to go theres no need for a garnish. I find they make the ideal midnight snack when Ive finished working at the restaurant and just want a nibble of something.

List of Recipes

crochette di prosciutto

prosciutto croquettes

serves 6

50 g (1 oz) peeled desiree potato (about 1 small potato)

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for deep-frying

2 garlic cloves, sliced

70 g (2 oz) prosciutto, finely chopped

40 g (1 oz) butter

50 g (1 oz/1/3 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

2 egg yolks

Place the potato in a saucepan of cold, lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until tender. Drain, then mash until smooth and set aside.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add the garlic and stir for 2 minutes or until golden. Add the prosciutto and cook for 12 minutes or until heated through but not browned. Add the mashed potato, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and combine well. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Place the butter, 90 ml (3 fl oz) cold water and a pinch of salt in a small heavy-based saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and begins to come away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and beat in the egg yolks. Add the prosciutto mixture and combine well. Allow to cool slightly.

Shape tablespoons of mixture into croquettes and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Heat the extra oil in a large deep saucepan or deep-fryer to 160C (315F) or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 30 seconds. Deep-fry the croquettes, in batches, until golden all over. Remove using tongs, drain on absorbent paper and serve warm.

olive marinate con agrumi

citrus-marinated olives

fills one 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cup) capacity jar

1 lemon

1 blood orange

1 orange

60 ml (2 fl oz/ cup) olive oil, plus extra for topping

30 g (1 oz) green peppercorns in brine, drained

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

6 sage leaves

1 bay leaf

400 g (14 oz) Sicilian green olives

Using a small sharp knife or vegetable peeler, remove one-quarter of the peel from the lemon and blood orange and all of the peel from the orange, then remove any bitter white pith from the peel. Set aside.

Segment the lemon and both oranges, making sure there are no seeds or pith. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the peppercorns and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until the garlic just softens. Add the herbs and cook for another 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Add the citrus peel, combine well and stand until cool.

Transfer the oil mixure to a bowl, add the olives and citrus segments and combine well. Spoon the mixture into a 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cup) capacity sterilised jar with a lid and top up with enough extra oil to cover the olives. Seal and refrigerate for at least 2 days and up to 4 weeks. Bring to room temperature before eating.