From wholesome ragù to light and zesty spins on seafood, Silvia Colloca’s authentic Italian recipes are a celebration of everyday cooking that’s best when simple and shared.
As a self-proclaimed food-lover, Silvia Colloca knows good Italian cuisine. As a woman of many talents, Silvia is known for her flavourful Italian recipes that harness the power of simple, high-quality ingredients. Below, Silvia shares the recipes and tips handed down through generations, giving them her own spin with an unfussy and intuitive cooking style that’s easily channelled at home. Whether cooking for an intimate affair or for a lavish feast, these authentic taste sensations will transport you to the shores of Italy with every mouthful.
Maccheroni al ferro with sausage ragù
Pair the simple pleasure of handmade pasta with this hearty sausage ragù, which calls for quality staples and a splash of red wine.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
500g of semola
2 egg yolks
200–250ml of warm water
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, bashed, skin on
4 pork and fennel sausages, squeezed out of their casing
100ml of red wine
1L of passata
Pinch of salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
Freshly grated pecorino, to serve
METHOD
1. Combine flour and egg yolks in a bowl, then add water slowly, and mix as you do to create a dough. Start with 150ml of water and continue until the dough is ready. It should feel firm but pliable enough to knead. Knead onto a board for 10–12 minutes or until smooth and silky. Rest, covered, for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Pinch off small bits of dough 2cm in size. Flatten it, then roll it around a knitting or crocheting needle and release. They should be 7–8cm long. Repeat with remaining dough. Allow to dry for 12–14 hours at room temperature. Once dry use straightaway, or freeze for another day.
3. To make the sauce, heat up the oil in a large pot, add the garlic and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the sausage meat and break it up with a fork to brown all over. Deglaze with the red wine, allowing the alcohol to evaporate, then add the passata. Season with salt, turn the heat to low and cook away for 2 hours or until reduced by one-third. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, cook the handmade pasta for 7–8 minutes or until cooked through, strain with a slotted spoon straight into the sauce ragú pot. Mix well. Serve hot with a dusting of freshly grated pecorino.
Ragù bolognese with tagliatelle
This delicious ragù calls for pancetta, plus quality beef and pork mince, and teams perfectly with fresh tagliatelle. It’s bound to be a hit with the whole family, or serve it up next time you’re entertaining for a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Serves: 4–6
INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
80g of thinly sliced and chopped pancetta
1 carrot, chopped
1 brown onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
500g of mixed beef and pork mince
200ml red wine
2 tbsp of tomato paste
1L David Jones beef (or chicken) stock
1–2 bay leaves
150ml of milk
500g tagliatelle
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated pecorino, to serve
METHOD
1. Heat up half of the olive oil in a heavy based pot, add pancetta and cook gently for 1-2 minutes. Then add carrot, onion and celery and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent.
2. Add the rest of the oil. Push the veggies to one side, drop in the beef and pork mince and brown over high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up any lumps as you go. Deglaze the pan with the wine and simmer away until the alcohol has evaporated (this should take about 2 minutes). Add the tomato paste and stock along with 500ml of water, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Add the bay leaves, season with salt and cover with a lid. Cook slowly for 4–6 hours, stirring occasionally. If it starts to dry out, add a little water.
3. Towards the end of the cooking time, add the milk and cook over medium heat for a further 20 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly, and season with white or black pepper.
4. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, drop in the tagliatelle and cook for 2–4 minutes or until al dente. Drain well, but be sure to reserve a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and add to the ragù. This trick will help bind the sauce and create a richer, creamier texture. Toss the pasta in the sauce to coat it well, top with freshly grated pecorino and serve hot.
Spaghetti vongole e ’nduja
If you considered clams outside your kitchen repertoire, it’s time to rethink. The delicious seafood staple doesn’t take much to perfect, and adds a distinct flair to a range of dishes, including pasta and risotto. This pared-back pasta recipe includes garlic, chilli and ’nduja, but largely lets the vongole (clams) shine.
For an extra culinary delight, this recipe can also be prepared using fresh pasta. We love Dan’s Pasta, available at your closest David Jones Food Hall.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
400g of spaghetti, spaghettoni or linguine
1–2 garlic cloves, bashed, skin on (or finely chopped if you like garlic a bit more pungent)
1 bird eye chilli, thinly sliced (or half, according to what heat intensity you can handle)
2 tbsp of ’nduja
5–6 stalks of parsley (leaves as well as the tender bits of the stalks)
150ml dry white wine
1kg vongole
Chopped parsley, to serve
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, optional, to serve, plus a little for the frying pan
METHOD
1. Fill a large pot of salted water and bring to the boil. Take your pasta, drop it in the pot and stir through. Let it bubble away until almost al dente, stirring occasionally.
2. While the pasta is boiling, put a large frying pan on the stove with a little extra virgin olive oil. Heat it up and drop in garlic, chilli, ’nduja and finely chopped parsley stalks and let sizzle for about 15 seconds, then add a good splash of white wine and the vongole, and let the alcohol evaporate. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly, keeping in mind that vongole will add their sapid kick to the dish.
3. Cover with a lid to allow the steam to open the shells. They will take about 2–3 minutes to open up and release their beautiful juices. Drop your three-quarters-cooked pasta in the vongole and wine juice, dragging along some of the pasta cooking water, enough so the spaghetti can finish cooking until al dente and the sauce is creamy in texture.
4. Turn off the heat and add your chopped up parsley leaves and extra olive oil, if you like. Serve immediately.
Zuppetta di pesce
This fish stew takes some prep, but once it’s underway, it’s well worth the extra effort, especially considering you’ll end up with leftover stew to pair with pasta. You can also soak up the extra juices with warm bread topped with fresh butter.
Serves: 4–6
INGREDIENTS
60ml extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley stalks, plus extra leaves to serve
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
Small piece of capsicum
500ml of water
Fish reduction (recipe below) or 750ml store bought fish stock
300g skinless ling or barramundi fillet, pin-boned, cut into 3cm pieces
12 green prawns, peeled (tails intact), de-veined
8 scallops, roe removed
8 mussels, de-bearded, scrubbed
8 clams, rinsed
Fish reduction
The prawn heads
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100ml of dry white wine
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
3–4 spring onions, roughly chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, chopped
Small piece of capsicum
Water, enough to submerge
METHOD
1. Make the fish reduction by frying off the prawn heads with extra virgin olive oil, deglazing with white wine, then adding carrot, celery, spring onion, garlic and capsicum, and covering with enough water to submerge (about 1L). Season with salt and cook for 1 hour, removing the foam that comes up to the surface. You will notice it will reduce to about 500–700 ml. This is ok! Pass through a sieve and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add garlic and parsley and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes, water and fish reduction (or store bought stock) and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20–30 minutes until reduced and slightly thickened. Add fish and prawns, and cook for 1 minute. Add remaining seafood, cover and cook, shaking the pot once or twice for a further 1-2 minutes, until the mussels and clams have opened and seafood is cooked through. Remove from heat. Ladle stew into bowl and serve with plenty of bread.
3. If there is any leftover stew, or even just the liquid, simply boil some short pasta in a pot with salted salter, drain, and toss through the left over stew. Serve with fresh chopped parsley and freshly grated lemon zest.
Whip up a feast using a range of high-quality fresh ingredients from the Food Hall located at our Elizabeth St Store and our Bondi Junction. From vegetables to meats, cheeses and more, shop fresh produce and more at your closest David Jones Food Hall.