Recipes

Tiramisu

Ingredients

  • 400g savoiardi sponge finger biscuits
  • 500g mascarpone
  • 1 cup (250ml) freshly made strong coffee, expresso (do not use instant coffee!)
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 220g caster sugar
  • 2tsb Kahlua (can also use marsala)
  • grated dark chocolate to sprinkle

Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and white. Add mascarpone and beat until combined

Combine both the coffee and Kahlua into a shallow dish. Quickly dip the biscuits into the dish and set aside. The long the biscuits are dripped, the stronger they are.

Beat the egg whites until thick, gently fold into the mascarpone mixture.

In a 30cmx20cm dish, place a layer of soaked biscuits into the bottom of the dish. Pour over the mascarpone mixture to cover the layer of biscuits. Repeat until dish is full and all biscuits are used.

Top with the remaining mascarpone mixture and sprinkle grated dark chocolate. Refrigerate for 6 hours minimum (overnight is best)

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Ingredients

  • 5 lasagne sheets, cut into 14cm x 11cm
  • 1 cup (250ml) water
  • 3 cups (840g) of tomato puree
  • 1 1/2 cup grated parmesan
  • 1/2 cup grated mozzarella
  • 1kg fresh spinach, trimmed
  • 3 1/2 cups (840g) fresh ricotta
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp lemon rind
  • salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180°c

Place the spinach, ricotta, parmesan, garlic, lemon rind, salt and pepper into a large bowl and mix until combined

Pour the water and tomato puree into a different large mixing bowl and mix until combined

Spread half of the tomato mixture into the base of a greased 20cm x 30cm dish

Lay lasagne sheets onto a flat surface. On each sheet, place 1/4 of the spinach and ricotta filling in the centre and roll. Repeat until all lasagne sheets are used. Place in baking dish.

Pour the remaining tomato mixture along the top of the cannelloni and cover with parmesan and mozzarella.

Cook for 30 minutes or until golden.

Sugo bolognese

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
  • salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 1 celery stick, thinly sliced
  • 500g beef, minced
  • 150g tomato paste
  • 1 cup tomato passata
  • 250ml beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3/4 cup fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup red wine

To make sugo:

Heat oil in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic and chilli and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Add mince meet and continue to cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until brown. Add tomato paste, passata, beef stock, wine, salt, bay leaves and basil. Mix until well combined.

Bring to boil then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until thick.

Homemade Lasagna

Ingredients

  • 9 dried lasagna sheets
  • 1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Sugo Bolognese (see recipe)

Besciamella (Bechamel sauce)

  • 60g butter
  • 1/4 cup plain flower
  • 450ml milk

To make besciamella:

Melt butter in a heavy based saucepan over medium/ high heat and add flower. Stir until the mixture begins to form a thick paste. Continue to stir for 2 minutes then remove from heat. Begin to add milk, continuing to stir until mixture is smooth. Return to heat and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until mixture starts to boil.

Preheat oven to 180°c and grease a 30cm x 20cm lasanga dish.

Begin to spoon some sugo into the dish, allowing it to cover the base. Top with 3 pasta sheets. Spoon more sugo and besciamella to cover the pasta sheets. Repeat this process until having used all the pasta sheets.

Top final layer of pasta sheets with remaining sugo and besciamella, spread evenly and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake lasagne for 30-40 minutes or until the top layer is golden. Allow to stand before serving.

Crostoli

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3 cups of plain flour
  • 6 tsp of caster sugar
  • 3 tsp of grappa
  • 1 tsp of white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • Pinch of salt
  • Zest of one lemon
  • Icing sugar for dusting
  • Peanut oil for frying
  • Pasta Machine

Place all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir until a ball of dough in formed. Empty dough onto a large floured surface and begin to knead until smooth. If needed, add more flour or water in order to achieve the right consistency when kneading the dough. The dough should feel dense. Wrap dough in cling wrap and allow at least 30 minutes to rest.

Depending on the size of your pasta machine, cut sections off the ball of dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the small balls of dough into a rectangular shape to then pass through the pasta machine (ensure that the pasta machine is set on the widest and thinest setting).

Figure One

As shown in figure one, at least 14 rectangles can be made. Usually up to 30 small rectangles can be made, making them easier to pass through the machine.

Roll each ball through the machine, making them thinner every time. Continue to add flour if strips of dough being to become sticky.


Begin to cut large squares or rectangles from the long strips of dough. Make an incision in the centre of each square/ rectangle. Continue doing this to all the remaining dough.

To cook, heat up peanut oil in a large electric frypan (a deep saucepan could also be used). As crostoli are deep-fried, the oil needs to be at least 5-7cm high in the saucepan. Once the oil is hot, drop 5-6 crostoli in the frypan (this depends on the size of the pan). After 30 seconds, flip them over to cook the other side. Each side takes roughly 30 seconds each so make sure to keep an eye on them!

Once they are all cooked, dust icing sugar over the top!