Simple Italian by Silvia Colloca
In her latest cookbook Simple Italian, Silvia Colloca draws on her heritage to give us wonderfully simple Italian recipes.
Words: Hande Renshaw | Photography: Rob Palmer
In her new book Simple Italian, Silvia Colloca shares her tips for Italian basics such as risotto and gnocchi. Photo: Rob Palmer
Jam bombolini from Simple Italian by Silvia Colloca. Photo: Rob Palmer
Growing up in a traditional Italian family played a pivotal role in Silvia Colloca’s passion for cooking. Instead of discovering a love for cooking, it was simply part of her world from a young age.
“In an Italian family, you don’t discover cooking — cooking is just part of your everyday life,” says Silvia.
Silvia’s latest book Simple Italian celebrates her Italian culinary heritage and shines a light on how to master simple traditional dishes such as the perfect risotto and gnocchi with techniques and set by step instructions including Silvia’s ‘10 rules for perfect pasta’.
With entire chapters dedicated to perfecting rice and gnocchi, culinary disasters such sticky risotto or overcooked pasta will be a distant memory!
“You don’t need to have a single drop of Italian blood in your veins to approach home cooking like Italians do,” says Silvia.
A favourite Italian dish is one her nonna regularly made, “My nonna Pina used to make a polenta which she’d serve on a massive wooden board with slow cooked sausages and pork ribs – that dish would punctuate every important family moment when I was growing up,” she says.
Below we have one of our favourite recipes from Silvia’s new book: cherry and ricotta cake.
“Growing up in an Italian family, you don’t discover cooking, cooking is part of your everyday life from a young age.”
Silvia’s latest book Simple Italian shines a light on how to master simple traditional dishes such as perfectly cooked pasta. Photo: Rob Palmer
“Italian home cooking is intrinsically uncomplicated.”
CHERRY AND RICOTTA CAKE
Cherry season has always held a special place in my heart. When I was a child, their presence at market stalls heralded the end of the school year and the beginning of the Italian summer, two of the things I held most dear! Alas, very much like summer holidays, cherry season comes and goes way too quickly and my only solution is to make the most of these ruby jewels while they are around. I eat them fresh, turn them into jam, preserve them in grappa (it’s amazing!) and, of course, pit them and stir them into cake batters.
Serves 8 - 10
INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
110g brown sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
2 tablespoons olive oil
200g fresh ricotta
200g self-raising flour
300g pitted cherries
icing sugar for dusting
extra cherries and whipped cream to serve (optional)
METHOD
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease a 20 cm round cake tin and line with baking paper.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. Stir in the citrus zest, vanilla seeds and olive oil. Add the ricotta and gently beat in, then sift in the flour and stir gently until just combined. Fold in the cherries.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35–40 minutes or until golden and firm on top. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with a little icing sugar and serve with fresh cherries and whipped cream, if you like.
Simple Italian by Silvia Colloca, Published by Plum, RRP $39.99, Photography by Rob Palmer.