pesto, oh!

i've loved pesto my whole life but used to be entirely unimpressed by homemade versions. no idea why, but now it just works :) for a genovese-style meal, cook a medium potato and a handful of green beans and serve with pesto on top of spaghetti. if you don't have the roasted garlic (wrap a head of garlic in foil and bake at 180C for 30 mins), gently pan fry 4 cloves of minced garlic in a teaspoon of oil on low-medium heat for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown. raw garlic should be avoided in this recipe. 

1 oven roasted whole head of garlic

0.5c raw cashews (or pine nuts, walnuts, or soaked almonds, or a combination)

0.5c olive oil

0.25c nutritional yeast flakes (from health food store)

1Tbs apple cider (or white) vinegar 

0.25tsp salt and ground pepper, plus more to taste

3-4 bunches of fresh basil (try your local Asian grocer- usually fresher and cheaper than supermarket basil, though may taste slightly different to Italian basil)

rinse the basil and remove large stems- small stems are fine. 

blend all ingredients except the basil in a food processor until well blended but not entirely smooth. add basil a handful at a time to the processor and blend before adding another handful. adjust seasoning to taste. 

sugo and gnocchi class

yesterday's tomato sugo and gnocchi class at spotswood community house was amazing! the coordinators and volunteers who made it possible were amazing, as were the hard working, very enthusiastic participants. looking forward to more soon!

workshop: learn how to make sugo and gnocchi!

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much excitement!


i will be teaching a sugo and gnocchi workshop at spotswood community house on saturday 5 march, 10am-1pm; organic ingredients, lunch included, and take-home goodies for all. places are strictly limited, so get in quick!


an initiative of the newport organic collective and spotswood community house: click here for more details

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sugo: the ultimate super-intense tomato sauce

every once in a while, you may be blessed with an enormous amount of something special, fresh and immediate. if that something is tomatoes, this recipe is for you. 


i must have channelled the nonna of all nonnas one night last week; la più venerato nonna made a case of super-cheap, ultra-perfect tomatoes appear to me on the ride home from work; and, critically, by some mystical osmosis, imparted to me the recipe for sugo: the ultimate super-intense tomato sauce.


you will need a big saucepan: at least 10-15L capacity, and and about 2kg of ripe tomatoes. some people say that you need to squish the juice out of the tomatoes before cooking them. forget this: nonna has better things for you to do (eg make gnocchi, but that's another story).


cut the tomatoes in half or quarters into the saucepan until the pan is FULL. don't worry about removing the heart/stem thing; nonna says you blend it all together anyway. put the lid on, and place pan over low heat for about 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes have released a bit of juice so they don't stick or burn.


remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium-high, and stir in: 
2 tbs each of salt and pepper (you can adjust the seasoning later, but it's important to add  this much now)
2 whole heads of garlic
6 tbs dried herb of choice (oregano, basil, whatever)


stir the tomatoes every 20 minutes to stop them from sticking. the sauce will be soupy and runny for a while: you need to cook it down to about a third of the pan's capacity.


after the first hour, add: 
3 tbs sugar
3 tbs vinegar
4 tbs olive oil


turn the heat down to medium-low. keep stirring regularly. if your sauce sticks or burns, pour it into another pan and keep cooking on lower heat.


once it has reduced to a third of the pan full, blend with a stab mixer or cool and whiz in a blender.


nonna says serve with everything! bellissimo!

hummus

o hummus, you are wonderful. so wonderful that you are all gone, and no photo will be taken of your unassuming deliciousness. here is a chickpea to tide me over:

blend 300g cooked chickpeas, 2tbs tahini, juice of 1 lemon, 4tbs olive oil, 1 clove crushed garlic, chilli powder, salt, cumin and paprika to taste. add water a tablespoon at a time, keep blending until smooth. 


serve with everything: falafel, crudités, on toast with chargrilled peppers, with BBQd meat, or eat plain with a spoon.