Simply Italian
By Peter G • May 17th, 2007 • Category: Bite Club
I’m often asked about Biteclub by colleagues and other friends. Mostly people like to know the mechanics of it. Well yes, when you’re cooking for 13 people it can be hectic. There’s a menu to consider, emails to go out for last minute cancellations, seating arrangements etc…For me its about getting together with a group of friends, sharing a meal and a glass of wine and catching up on the latest. We all lead busy lives, so taking out time to catch up is great. This whole phenomenon known as Biteclub will soon be taking off in a different way. Yours truly, is working on a hard cover coffee table recipe book, based on our dinner parties and our favourite recipes. The photo you see here is one I plan on using in the new book. (Its supposed to be a little blurry. I had it set on a high shutter speed for the light. It’s a little artistic). Now let’s get to the important part. The food!
Mark, Maria and Sal were the latest in the group to hold their Biteclub. I especially love attending when it’s their turn. Being of Italian descent, they, especially Salvatore put on a fantastic feast. ( He’s from “godfather” territory, Sicily.) The one thing that always stands out with his cooking is the simplicity of his dishes. Simple yet tasty. I can never praise his cooking enough. He always puts in an effort to come up with something traditional yet mouth watering. Mark lends a hand in the kitchen and is an amazing host whilst Maria shops for all the food. Everyone is an important link in the chain.
We began the evening with some olives to whet the appetite. A selection of green marinated olives really gets the taste buds going. Our starter was an Italian classic soup called straciatella. Sal basically made some chicken stock and shredded the meat off the cooked carcass and added it to the stock. To this he added an egg and parmesan mixture and some broken spaghetti strands. The broth is delicate and the egg and parmesan give it a huge lift. It was not too heavy nor too light. Just right!!! (I need to get some new descriptions!!!)
The best way to describe the main course would be rustic. (I love the way that word is thrown around on every menu these days). It was a meat casserole dish with a little of everything in it. Meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, passata and herbs all thrown in a baking dish and covered and put in the oven for a good 3 hours. Everything becomes tender and it’s a real taste sensation. Time and a low heat in an outdoor brick oven (ok I made that part up) really are the secret behind this dish. With lots of bread to mop up the juices, no one said a word as this dish was devoured in minutes.
And finally for dessert we supped on Mascarpone cheese with berries and chocolate shavings. I hate to repeat myself but you guessed it. Simple. Soft velvety mascarpone topped with juicy berries. Another great ending. Home made Italian food in Sydney. Simply the best.
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Peter G is a passionate foodie of Greek descent living in Australia. You'll usually find him cooking up a storm in the kitchen and photographing all his exploits.
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