We’re taking your tastebuds on a little trip this week. Fluffy ricotta gnocchi tossed through silky green pesto with an Italian soul, baked fish with sweet tomato and onion straight from the Greek table, and spiced yoghurt chicken piled high on coconut rice with lots of Middle Eastern energy.
A lighter take on the classic—pillowy ricotta gnocchi made for warm summer evenings. Tossed through a velvety cavolo nero pesto that’s rich in nutrients and simply delicious. Consider it your weeknight escape to Italy, you deserve it!
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 200g full-fat ricotta
- 1 egg yolk
- Pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
- 20g parmesan, finely grated
- 100g “00” flour, plus extra for dusting
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Handful cavolo nero leaves, fried, to serve (optional)
For the pesto:
- 150g cavolo nero, stalks removed, leaves torn
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 20g pine nuts, toasted, plus extra to serve
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 20g parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
- 165 ml (2/3 cup) reserved cooking water
Method
Start with the dough.
Combine ricotta, egg yolk, nutmeg and parmesan in a bowl. Gradually add flour, mixing gently until a soft dough forms. It should be slightly sticky but hold together. Season lightly.
Get rolling.
Dust your bench with flour. Roll one quarter of the dough into a 1.5cm-thick rope, then cut into 2cm pieces. Transfer to a floured tray and repeat with remaining dough.
Blanch the greens.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add cavolo nero and garlic and cook for 4–5 minutes until tender. Reserve 165 ml of the cooking water, then drain.
Make the pesto.
Transfer cavolo nero and garlic to a blender with pine nuts, olive oil, parmesan and reserved water. Season and blend until smooth. Keep warm in a small saucepan over low heat.
Cook the gnocchi.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook gnocchi in batches until they float to the surface, about 2–3 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon.
Finish & serve.
Toss gnocchi with enough cavolo nero sauce to coat. Serve topped with extra parmesan, pine nuts, a drizzle of olive oil and fried cavolo nero leaves if using.
Any extra sauce keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days and is just as good stirred through pasta, spooned over roast veg, or spread on toast with a poached egg.
Credits: Recipe adapted from gourmettraveller.com.au
Why stop at Italy? Take a European taste tour with this Greek classic, psari plaki. Sweet tomatoes, soft onions, and gently baked fish that melts in your mouth. Simple and tasty, bringing sun-drenched flavours to the table that you’ll love.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 160 ml (2/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion (about 200g), thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 500g ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 skinless blue-eye trevalla fillets (about 250g each)
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp baby capers, drained
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Greek oregano and lemon wedges, to serve
Method
Get the oven going.
Heat oven to 180°C fan-forced.
Build the sauce.
Heat 125 ml olive oil in a large frying pan that fits the fish. Add onion, garlic, tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for 5–6 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add 60 ml water and bring back to the boil.
Bake.
Season the fillets and place them on top of the tomato mixture. Drizzle with lemon juice. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes until the fish is just cooked through. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove foil, scatter with capers and oregano and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
Finish & serve.
Finish with lemon wedges and spoon plenty of sauce over each fillet.
This is even better with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Credits: Recipe adapted from gourmettraveller.com.au
This is one of those meals you’ll want to make on repeat—chicken marinated in garam masala and yoghurt is roasted to perfection and piled onto a Middle Eastern inspired pilaf that has it all: sweet, savoury, and spicy. Good luck leaving any leftovers for lunch!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 100g Greek-style yoghurt, plus extra to serve
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1kg chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
- Sea salt
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 12 cardamom pods, bruised
- 300g (1 1/2 cups) basmati rice, rinsed
- 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- 100 ml coconut milk
- Pinch saffron threads soaked in 20 ml warm water
- 40g (1/4 cup) currants
- 400g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Toasted shredded coconut, to serve
- Fresh red chilli, to serve
- Coriander sprigs, to serve
- Lime wedges, to serve
Method
Get the oven going.
Heat oven to 230°C and line a large tray with baking paper.
Marinate the chicken.
Mix yoghurt, garlic and garam masala in a bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Season.
Roast.
Arrange chicken on the tray and roast for 18–20 minutes until browned and cooked through.
Make the pilaf.
Heat ghee in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cardamom and sauté for 4–5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the rice, coating it in the fragrant ghee. Add stock, coconut milk and saffron with its soaking liquid. Bring to the boil, cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Cook for 14–15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add currants and chickpeas, cover and stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Finish & serve.
Spoon pilaf onto plates, top with chicken and finish with coconut, coriander, lime and extra yoghurt.
Marinate the chicken in the morning or the night before for deeper flavour. Leftover pilaf makes an excellent lunch bowl with greens and a soft-boiled egg.
Credits: Recipe adapted from gourmettraveller.com.au
