Ble
terreno By Monique Piggott
This book is dedicated to my mother, Colleen, who moulded me into a ‘woman of culture’ and taught me to strive to be the best I can be.
Pasta CApellini
Pasta
capellini homemade pasta La pasta capellini is suitable for ovo-vegetarians
Ingredienti 00 Flour 3 Cups Large Eggs 2 Baby Spinach 1 Cup Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/3 Cup
Metodo Rinse baby spinach. Place baby spinach and Italian extra virgin olive oil in a blend and pulse until combined. Strain green liquid to remove solid leaves. Place flour on a flat surface. Make a well in the centre and add eggs and green liquid. Using a fork, slowly incorporate flour into the liquid mixture. When half the flour is mixed into the liquid, use hands to bring ingredients together. Knead dough for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Cover dough with cling-wrap and rest for 30 minutes. Sprinkle flour over flast surface and into pasta machine grooves. Unwrap dough and cut into quraters. Press out one quarter of dough to fit into pasta machine on thickest setting. Feed through machine and fold over twice to create a rectangle. Feed dough through thickest setting. Turn thickest setting one notch down. Feed dough through machine. Repeat on each notch setting. Ensure dough is dusted with flour on each notch setting. Place dough through the thinnest spagetti setting. Gently toss dough with hands to seperate each strip of pasta.
La
Pasta Verde
Pasta
verde
pasta
with capers and pecorino Vegetarian friendly recipe
Ingredienti
Metodo
Green Capellini pasta 300g
Fill a large pot with water and place over heat heat to bring to a boil.
Green capers 1/4 Cup
Place the basil, caper oil, garlic, pecorino and lemon juice into a bender. Pulse regualrly until ingredients have combined.
Caper oil 1/2 Cup
Place the blended mixture on a pan on medium-low heat and cook for 1 minute.
Lemon Juice 3 Tablespoons
Add capellini pasta and a pinch of salt to boiling water. (Homemade capellini pasta only takes 2 minutes to cook. Store brought pasta takes 8 minutes until al dente.)
Garlic cloves 2
Add the capers to the pan.
Basil leaves 15g
Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Toss a few times so the pasta is coated in sauce.
Shaved pecorino 1/4 Cup
Serve the pasta in a bowl with accompanied salad. Top with shaved pecorino.
Salt & Pepper To taste
Pasta
broad bean pappardelle with sicilian olives Vegetarian friendly recipe
Ingredienti
Metodo
Pappardelle pasta 400g
Fill a large pot with water and place over heat heat to bring to a boil.
Broad beans 1/2 Cup
Place the olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add finely diced garlic and broad beans. Simmer for 4 minutes.
Zucchini 1/2 Lemon Juice 3 Tablespoons Sicilian olives 1/4 Cup Olive oil 1/3 Cup White wine 1/4 Cup Garlic cloves 2 Shaved pecorino 1/4 Cup Salt & Pepper To taste
Add white wine, lemon juice, diced zucchini, diced sicilian olives and shaved pecorino to the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add pappardelle pasta and a pinch of salt to boiling water. (Homemade pappardelle pasta only takes 2 minutes to cook. Store brought pasta takes 12 minutes until al dente.) Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Toss a few times so the pasta is coated in sauce. Serve the pasta in a bowl. Season to taste and top with extra shaved pecorino.
Seafood The fruit of the sea
There is no place in Greece that isn’t far from the sea, so grab a glass of wine or ouzo and enjoy these Greek seafood dishes, all prepared with good quality ingredients.
tips
for squeaky
clean mussels
1. Always soak mussels in salty water before cleaning for at least 20 minutes. During submerision, mussels percolate water to expel any sand or particles in their shell. 2. Soak in salt water. Salt in water creates a saline environment which the mussels are used to and helps keep them breathing to release debris. 3. Discard any floating mussels in submerged water. These ones are dead and will save you time when checking after the cleaning process. 4. Scrub mussels under running water not in a bowl of water. Running water washes debris off the back of the shell and into the sink. Any mussels submerged in water while scrubbing will likely catch the debris into its shell. 5. Use a stiff bristle brush to remove any suborn barnicles.
The 'R’ Rule
Why aren’t we following the R Rule anymore when it comes to consuming shellfish? If you haven’t heard of the R Rule before, it’s an old tradition whereby you should only consume shellfish during the months containing the letter r and avoid consumption during summer. Yet when it comes to eating seafood or any harvested ingredient it’s best to eat seasonal and it comes with many benefits. When you are cooking and eating shellfish at its prime it tastes better and has more nutritious value then frozen or not in season shellfish. In seaon mussels are much cheaper due to a large abundance of produce harvested and is more environmentally friendly. I wonder if you knew how many benefits came with seasonal eating?
Produce Tip Look for mussels with a wet and shiny exterior on a bed of ice for maximum freshness. Good fishmongers will spray them frequently and turn them over to stay fresh.
Seafood
mussels with tomatoes and garlic Suitable for pescatarians
Ingredienti Mussels (scrubbed and debreaded) 1 kilo Olive oil 1/2 Cup White wine 1/2 Cup White onion 1 Garlic 5 cloves Sumac 1/2 teaspoon Flat Leaf Parsely Garnish Passata 1 standard bottle Sea Salt & Pepper For serving
Metodo Pour olive oil into a large pot over medium-low heat. Add finely diced onions and slowly cook for 3 minutes. Add diced garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the white wine and sumac into the pot and simmer for 2 minutes. Add passata into the pot and simmer for five minutes or until the passata is hot and all ingredients are combined. Add the mussels into the and simmer until all shells are open. Serve the mussels in a bowl and drizzle sauce over the top. Garnish the mussels with salt and pepper to taste and a handful of finely chopped parsley.
októpus
Why is októpus hung outside?
No matter which seafood taverna you visit in Greece, there will always be octopus on the menu. It’s a summer delicacy and is often served in pasta, stew, salads or by itself, soaked in olive oil and vinegar or traditionally grilled. If you’ve explored the Greek Islands, you would have noticed quite a lot of octopi hanging in the scorching sun outside the local taverna. They are hung on a clothes line in the hot sunlight to extract moisture given
they are made mostly of water. This method has been continued for centuries by fisherman who discovered that the sea creature tastes better when dried and barbecued. The octopus must also be tenderised. This is done when they are caught by the fisherman who will hit it against concrete to soften the texture of the octopus.
Seafood
milos-style Milos-style
octopus Suitable for pescatarians
Ingredienti Octopus tentacles 4 x 350g Garlic 2 Vinegar 4 Tablespoons
Metodo Place the octopus tentacles into a large bowl along with the whole gloves cloves, vinegar, white wine, bay leaves, sweet paprika, cumin powder and dry oregano. Mix well with hands. Set aside for one hour to marinate. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Place octopus mixture into a baking tray and cover with foil.
White wine 1/2 Cup Bay Leaves 2 Sweet Paprika Pinch Cumin Pinch Dry Oregano Pinch Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3/4 Cup Lemon wedges For serving
Bake for 30 minutes. Set a side to cool for 10 minutes. Place octopus tentacles onto a chopping board and slice to desired thickness. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.
Seafood
Lemon baked
Kolios Suitable for pescatarians
Ingredienti Atlantic Mackerel 3 Lemons 5 Flat Leaf Parsely 1 Bunch Garlic 4 cloves White Onion Half
Metodo Preheat oven to 180 degrees Squeeze the juice of three and a half lemons into a bowl, save the over half for decoration. Finely chop garlic cloves and add to lemon juice. Add sweet papkrika, ground cumin, extra virgin olive oil, ouzo, salt and pepper to taste. Thoroughly rinse Mackerel under cold running water. Dry, gently with a tea towel. Place into baking dish and top with lemon mixture. Thinly slice white onion and scatter over the Mackerel. Slice lemon half and place over the Mackerel. Bake for 45 minutes.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3/4 Cup Ouzo 1/4 Cup Sweet Paprika 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt & Pepper For serving
Remover from oven. Place Mackerel on serving dish. Finely chop flat leaf parsley and sprinkle over the Mackerel. Serve dish with a side of lemon wedges and sea salt.
My upbringing and childhood surroundings have pleasantly moulded my design philosophy. As an Australian child, I associated with a mixed group of Europeans who introduced me to their ways of life, embracing celebrations, cuisines, music, art and mannerisms. Broadening my perspective on cultures and style, I have become a refined and civilised individual. My design ethos is defined as cultured and polished. I take delight in sketching still life in my leisure time as well as cooking, styling and photographing Italian and Greek dishes. I’m a contemporary stylist and creative director who, with clarity, accounts colour and texture to create a visual communication. In simple terms, my style is simplistic yet elegant, taking inspiration from my experiences and the Mediterranean. Monique Piggott