mMy favourite recipes come from Sunday Planzo (Lunch) on a family farm on the Victorian morning peninsula surrounded by Italian flavours. The foods I love to eat and make are layered with Sicilian heritage and history.
Spice chicken
(Photo above)
Sicilian cuisine includes ingredients such as couscous, orange, lemon, artichoke, rice, almonds, pistachios, cinnamon, saffron, soufflang, urushi, nutmeg, cloves, sesame and dried fruit, and has been infused with North African influences for centuries. This recipe is a celebration of those flavors.
Serve 6-12
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 chicken legs
1 cup (250ml) white wine
Six garlic cloves, skinned and crushed
Two walnut sized fresh inger,slice
1 tsp chili flake
4-5 Rosemary twig,Additional additions
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 piece of ground turmeric
3 Star Anise
Three Cloves
Two Cardamom Pods
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 Cinnamon Stick
3 tablespoons tomato paste (Concentrated puree)
2L (8 cups) chicken stock
4 ZucchiniIt is carved on the diamond
1 cup (200g) Sicilian olives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parsley twigsprovided (optional)
For couscous
2 cups (370g) Couscu
2 cups (500ml) boiling chicken or water
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley or mint (option)
½ cup (80g) pine nuts, Toasted with ¼ tsp cumin and ¼ tsp smoked paprika (option)
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large heavy base pan and stir-fry the chicken in batches on both sides (about 8-10 minutes) until golden brown and set aside.
Degass the pot with wine and rub all the nice bits from the bottom of the pot. Add garlic, ginger, chili flakes, rosemary, fennel seeds, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, star anise, cloves, cardamom, paprika, cinnamon and tomato paste. Give it a good stir – the liquid is a gorgeous, deep orange red.
Return the chicken to the pot, add stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and then simmer, simmer and cover for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another 20 minutes. Check the seasonings, add the zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the olives.
To make couscous, combine couscous with the boiling stock in a large bowl and mix vigorously. Cover the lid tightly or with clinging plastic wrap so that couscous can absorb all the liquid. After 5 minutes, slowly lift the couscous with a fork, gently rub the top layer, spin it 45 degrees, and fluff the second layer. Repeat until it reaches the bottom of the bowl. Mix the herbs and toasted seasoned pine nuts or leave them on plains if necessary.
Serve the chicken with extra rosemary twigs and place parsley (if used) in a bowl and serve with couscous on the sides.
Pea Radiatol
The radiatol pasta, dressed in extra virgin olive oil and butter, sprinkled with finely grated cheese and lots of pepper, is a favorite that always wants me more, but the peas radiatol comes quickly. There are so nasty peas and a terrible pea peas, along with a pinch of chili flakes for spice edges like badly chopped dill, lemon and pins, and everyone comes back for a few seconds. My grandson's favorite dish is pasta with peas or pesto (or a combination of the two). Preparation is very easy and quick.
Serve 4-6
½ cup (125ml) mild olive oil
2 shallotsChop finely
1 Celery StemChop finely
Dillsmall handfuls of finely chopped, plus small leaf leaves to serve
1 tsp chili flake (Optional), Add additional
salt
Black pepper
5 cups (775g) fresh or frozen peas
2L (8 cups) boiling water
500g radiatol or other short pasta
½ lemon juice
Grated Pecorino serves
Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy base pan and add shallots, celery, dill, chili (if used), salt and pepper. Fry for about 5-7 minutes until the shallots are translucent.
Add 620g of peas and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add boiling water and season with a pinch of salt. Cook partially covered, about 45 minutes. Occasionally mash the peas. By the end, the sauce should be thick puree.
Bring a large pot to a boil, add salt, cook the pasta to almost al dente, and add the remaining peas. Drain pasta and peas and return them to the pot. Add lemon juice, season with pepper and stir, then add the peas sauce and stir again.
If used, serve in individual bowls and serve with extra dill and chili flakes. Don't forget to have a large bowl of grated pecorino on the table.
Mel's hazelnuts and orange biscotti
Melanie Russo is a professional chef and family friend. She worked with me. For 22 years, I ate cafes, shop cafes & stores. Mel's Biscotti recipe is a classic Italian-style biscotti twist that has become extremely popular in our cafe. Her recipes are a treasure to taste with every bite.
make twenty four
3 eggs whiteat room temperature
2¼ cup (250g) Grand Hazelnuts
1 cup (100g) almond flour
1 cup (250g) caster sugar
2 tsp natural hazelnut extract
1. Grated orange skin
1 cup (150g) icing sugar for coating
½ cup (160g) of good quality marmalade, or ganache or Nutella
Preheat the oven to 180c and arrange the baking trays with baking paper.
Lightly whisk the egg whites in a large bowl with a fork until they are foamy, then add ground hazelnuts, almond flour, caster sugar, hazelnut extract and orange peel and mix well.
Sieve the icing sugar into another bowl and ready to coat the biscotti.
Roll 1 tablespoon of biscotti dough into a bowl and then cover the bowl with sugar. Place the balls on a baking tray and squash each ball with your thumb or push each ball down to create a well in the center of each biscotti, and then crack a few cracks. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the biscotti is lightly browned on top and golden underneath. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.
Place one teaspoon of marmalade for each biscotti. Or fill it with ganache or Nutella. These biscotties are stored in airtight containers for up to a week.
