Ostro by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Since its release in 2017, Ostro by Julia Busuttil Nishimura has gained a legion of fervent fans, teaching us that every meal is worthy of a celebration.
Words: Hande Renshaw | Photography: Armelle Habib
Julia Busuttil Nishimura in the kitchen with her son Haruki. Photo: Armelle Habib
Green pie from Ostro by Julia Busuttil Nishimura. Photo: Armelle Habib
Julia Busuttil Nishimura has had a strong affinity with Italian culture and food since her time living in Italy when she was in her early 20s.
It was here that she fell in love with the country’s culture, the local produce and the Italians’ love for simple cooking.
‘My time spent living and working in Italy only strengthened my love for uncomplicated food,’ says Julia.
Ostro, her first cookbook, which was released in 2017, is a celebration of her love for Italian cooking, her Maltese heritage and her current life in Australia.
The book has recently been re-released, with a brand-new cover, and is full of our favourite recipes, teaching us once again that every meal is worthy of a celebration.
Throughout its pages, Julia has collected classic yet simple recipes. These are recipes that comfort: ricotta gnocchi, lamb meatballs with broad beans, spiced honey cake and tiramisù.
Below we share one of Julia’s recipes from Ostro: everyday banana bread with homemade butter.
‘My time spent living and working in Italy when I was in my early 20s only strengthened my love for uncomplicated food,’ says Julia Busuttil Nishimura. Photo: Armelle Habib
Cardamom buns from Ostro by Julia Busuttil Nishimura. Photo: Armelle Habib
“The food my mum would cook, and the stories she would tell me about the way her mother used to cook, still follow me around in the kitchen and influence the way I think about food.”
Balsamic rhubarb and strawberry pie from Ostro by Julia Busuttil Nishimura. Photo: Armelle Habib
Everyday banana loaf with homemade butter from Ostro by Julia Busuttil Nishimura. Photo: Armelle Habib
EVERYDAY BANANA LOAF WITH HOMEMADE BUTTER
I’m not saying that this loaf should be eaten every day – more that it is a simple loaf, one that can be made with the most basic ingredients and a few neglected bananas. In fact, the more ripe the bananas, the more natural sweetness they will bring to this loaf. It is perfect eaten warm, by the slice, with a thick slather of butter.
When I have excess crème fraîche in the fridge, I often turn it into butter for spreading on fresh crusty bread or, in this case, slices of banana loaf. My suggested quantity of crème fraîche for making the butter yields approximately 200 g of butter and 200 ml of buttermilk, which is a very manageable amount.
You can use pure cream instead of crème fraîche to make the butter or, of course, buy some butter instead. Sometimes, when I’m in the mood, I add chunks of dark chocolate to the batter or slice an extra (not so ripe) banana lengthways and press it into the top of the loaf before baking. Sometimes I do both.
Makes one 24cm loaf
INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
150 g raw sugar
100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
21⁄2 tablespoons full-cream milk (or you can use buttermilk from making the butter)
2 very ripe bananas (about 250 g in total)
150 g (1 cup) self-raising flour
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
21⁄2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa
100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), roughly chopped
50 g (1⁄2 cup) walnuts, roughly chopped
1 banana, cut in half lengthways
BUTTER
500 ml (2 cups) crème fraîche
pinch of sea salt
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 24 cm loaf tin with butter and line with baking paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale. Pour in the olive oil and milk and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas until smooth, then mix them into the batter. Sift in the flour and cinnamon. Stir gently, being careful not to overwork the mixture. If you wish to add the cocoa, chocolate and/or walnuts, add them to the mixture now. The cocoa will need to be sifted in, but just stir the chocolate and walnuts through.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and, if using, top with the halved banana. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
For the butter, whisk the crème fraîche in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until the solids separate, which will take around 7 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and press on the solids to release all of the liquid. That liquid is buttermilk, which you can keep to use for another purpose. Return the solids to the mixer and beat again for another 3–4 minutes to remove more buttermilk, and repeat the straining process. Fill a large bowl with very cold water and, working quickly, knead the butter in the water, squeezing out as much buttermilk as you can. Drain and repeat until the water is clear. Buttermilk left in the solids will make the butter sour, so it is important to remove as much as possible.
Mix in the salt – this flavours the butter, but it also helps it keep for a little longer. It is now ready to use, or you can wrap the butter tightly in baking paper and, as long as you have removed all of the buttermilk properly, it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
If there’s buttermilk still in the butter, it will sour quite quickly and will only last for about 1 week.
