Spaghetti Pollanaise – a recipe inspired by Michael Pollan

Recently, we saw Michael Pollan talk at the Opera House. He was awesome.

The things he spoke of were not new to me. Ideas about eating locally grown produce; not eating too many refined “white” foods; avoiding foods so artificial that our grandmothers wouldn’t recognise them as food… But there was one line which stuck with me above all others:

Lamb shanks braised with pomegranate, balsamic, tomato and bay

I got some lovely lamb shanks at the Addison Road Markets today and was feeling indecisive about how to flavour them. Preserved lemon? Red wine and bay leaves? Lemongrass and star anise?

Eggplant and goats cheese involtini

These delicious little parcels make a perfect canape, or they can be baked with a peperonata sauce for a hearty vegetarian main. The recipe has also been featured in Oxfam’s new cookbook Stop Hunger Start Cooking. If you make it, post a picture on Twitter, tag it with #stophungerstartcooking, and you could win some delicious Oxfam prizes!

Ragù di salsiccia

For me, this is the perfect Sunday night dinner. I first tried it years ago when experimenting with different ways to use sausages in more interesting ways, and is loosely based on a River Cafe recipe for a quick sausage sauce. It has since become a firm favourite, and the perfect dish when all you have in the fridge is a few sausages. (Hey, it’s been a busy week!)

Da Vinci’s, Summer Hill

On Thursday nights, my mum and I have dinner together. We try to keep it local and inexpensive – the Entertainment Book vouchers come in handy! We recently realised that despite being so close to Summer Hill, we’d never been there for dinner. So we rocked on over to give Da Vinci’s a try.

Pasta alla boscaiola and an Ischia bianco

As seen on Masterchef Food Hub

Pasta all boscaiola, or ‘woodman’s pasta’, is a classic Italian dish which is in essence a combination of mushrooms, pancetta and cream. Some recipes include tomato, but I prefer mine without – which I assume is the earlier, original version anyway. It can be absolutely heavenly when properly and freshly made and feels oh, so very indulgent!

Comforting chicken noodle “soup”

Inspired by my mum and guaranteed to feel you feel loved, this is not quite a soup, not quite pasta, and not quite a stew, but a very soothing and delicious fusion of the three. A fantastic way to use up an old roast/bbq chicken.

Anchovy and herb roasted vegetables

I LOVE anchovies! I recently discovered the joy of adding them to roast vegetables and haven’t looked back.

Moussagne

Sometimes when I go grocery shopping I get very confused. I have too many ideas for things I’d like to cook, and after a long day of teaching I often lack the mental capacity to decide on just one. Tonight I managed to get all the ingredients to make either moussaka or lasagne… But how to decide which one?

Osvaldo Polletti, Leichhardt

Another weekend, another dinner voucher to use! This time at Osvaldo Polletti, a ‘home-style’ Italian restaurant on Norton Street. My first impressions were good – the decor is beautifully simple and comforting, and the staff are clearly pros. I love their chairs too.