Ratatouille

Ingredients:

• Red onion                                          1/2
• Capsicum red                                     1/4
• Capsicum yellow or green                   1/4
• Eggplant                                             50g
• Oil                                                     20ml
• Garlic                                                 1 clove
• Roma tomato into concassé                100g
• Zucchini green                                    50g
• Tomato paste                                     20g
• Basil                                                   1 sprig
• Oregano                                             1 sprig
• Seasoning                                           to taste

Method:

1. Cut vegetables into large Macédoine.
2. Fry off eggplant at a high heat in oil in a pot and remove to the side when sealed.
3. Sweat off onions and garlic,add tomato paste,capsicums and oregano making sure to sweat out.
4. Add diced Roma tomato,zucchini and eggplant,add any water needed to deglaze.
5. Season and add basil Chiffonnade last.Serve hot.

Fettuccini & Ravioli

Ingredients:

• Eggs 2+1 for egg wash
• Flour Bakers                  300g
• Salt                                1 pinch
• Mushroom Button          100g
• Oil olive                         1 tblsp
• Olive's kalamata pitted   40g
• Sage                              2 sprigs
• Spinach baby                 100g
• Basil                              2 sprigs
• Butter                            30g
• Cheese parmesan          50g
• Cheese ricotta               100g

Method:

1. Sieve flour and salt together.
2. Make a well add 11/2-2 eggs ad olive oil.
3. Gradually combine and work into a smooth dough.
4. Rest dough for 15 min in the refrigerator then take out and roll out with a rolling pin.
5. Laminate the dough by rolling out at largest space on the pasta machine.Roll out and fold again and again for 5 times.The dough should end up pale,very smooth,silky and firm to show that the flour has well absorbed into  the egg.
6. Hang cut pasta sheets to dry or place flour/semolina between layers.
7. Pasta can be dried or refrigerated and cooked within hours in boiling salted water.The pasta will grow from 1/3 to 1/2 the size again once boiled to al dente.
8. Can be stored once cooked by refreshing immediately and coated with oil.

NB: additional ingredients can be used to make fillings for the ravioli.      

Gnocchi Napolitana

Gnocchi Italian
Ingredients:

• Egg yolk                              1/2
• Flour                                   80g
• Potato cooked and peeled   350g
• Seasoning                           To taste
• Flour                                  To dust
• Butter                                 40g
• Sage                                   10 leaves

Method:

1. Place on a pot of salted water to blanch the gnocchi.
2. Scrub potatoes and place in cold water in a separate pot.
3. Bring to boil and cook potatoes until teknder(easily crushed with little pressure from fingers,cracking apart)
4. Strain well,peel and then mash while still hot,using a potato ricer or pass through a sieve.Use a mouille for large volumes.
5. This will form a stiff mash that is not overworked so the starch doesn't become sticky.
6. Add egg yolks,seasoning,and flour (parmesan and nutmeg are optional) while mash is still hot.Knead gently till just combined.
7. DO NOT -overwork or knead dough as it will become tough.
8. DO NOT add extra flour as it will soften dough,and the finished product will be chewy.
9. DO NOT use overcooked potatoes as they will form a sloppy mash,and will make dough too soft to handle.
10. While dough is warm,cut off a section of around 1/2 cup in size and roll out on a floured bench with hands to form a 1 1/2cm thick rope/cylinder.
11. Cut the rope with a flexible steel scraper or chef's knife on an angle 2cm long and dust with flour.
12. Blanch in boiling salted water.Blanch till gnocchi rises and floats for thirty seconds.Remove and refresh in iced water or serve immediately.
13. Serve with butter and sage beurre noisette.
14. If storing then strain cold gnocchi carefully then cover in oil and store in fridge.

Napolitana Sauce

Ingredients:

• Basil chiffonade                                              1/5 bunch
• Bay leaves                                                      2
• Butter                                                             20g
• Carrots                                                           30g
• Garlic crushed                                                1 tblsp
• Onion                                                             50g
• Oregano                                                         1/6 bunch
• Sugar castor                                                    1 tsp
• Tomato peeled whole and liquid                      800g
• Wine red                                                         50ml

Method:

1. Finely dice onion and sweat off.
2. Add finely chopped carrot and garlic and sweat.
3. Add red wine and reduce.
4. Add roughly chopped tomatoes and season,bring to boil,skim.
5. Add oregano and 2/3 basil.
6. Cook slowly until a thick consistency is reached.
7. Add sugar as required.
8. This can be passed for a smoother consistency.
9. Reboil,check consistency and flavor,season to taste.
10. Finish with 1/2 basil.

Risotto With Asparagus

Ingredients:

• Brown onion fine diced                                      30g
• Olive oil                                                            30ml
• Garlic                                                                1/2 clove
• Arborio rice                                                       100g
• White wine                                                         30ml
• Water or light veg stock                                     500ml
• Asparagus(stems removed,flesh sliced)               1/4 bunch
• Cold butter                                                         10g
• Parmesan grated                                                 30g
• Chopped chervil & sprig for garnish                    1tsp

Method:

1. Sweat onions and garlic in olive oil then add the rice stirring constantly to prevent sticking and to warm the rice.Deglaze with white wine,over a very low heat.
2. Then add 1 small ladle of white wine at a time stirring in so that all the liquid is incorporated before adding more.Add only enough stock to cook the rice 1 ladle at a time.
3. When rice is half cooked,add the asparagus and season to taste.
4. Finish with cold butter and grated Parmesan when the rice is al dente.Garnish.

Cous Cous

Ingredients:

• Cous cous                100g
• Stock/water              100ml
• Butter                       10g
• Seasoning                 To taste

Method:

1. Heat stock or water to packet specifications for liquid to cous cous amount.
2. Add butter to stock and season if necessary.
3. Place cous cous in boiling stock that has just come off the heat.
4. Stir gently so that the cous cous absorbs any visible stock then leave and cover container airtight so the rest of the stock is absorbed.
5. After 10 minutes remove the airtight cover and fluff the cous cous with a fork.The grains should be separated and cooked through not crunchy.

Polenta

Ingredients:

• Polenta fine                        150g
• Milk                                  100ml
• Stock                                500ml
• Cream                               40ml
• Seasoning                          To taste
• Cheese                              2 tblsp

Method:

1. Heat stock and milk,bring to boil.
2. Gradually stir in polenta and mix until a smooth paste forms.
3. Turn heat down low and cook out for 20 min stirring regularly.
4. Add cream,cheese and check consistency and seasoning.

Pilaf Rice

Ingredients:

• Onion finely diced                              50g
• Olive oil                                             10ml
• Bay leaf                                             1
• Seasoning                                          To taste
• Long grain rice                                   1 cup
• Veg/chicken stock                             1 1/2 cup
• Cold butter                                        1 tblsp

Method:

1. Sweat onions in olive oil.Add rice,bay leaf and stir through to warm.
2. Add boiling hot stock and cover with a tight fitting lid.
3. Place in an oven @ 180°C for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and fork through butter with seasoning.