Stuffed Conchiglioni

Many years ago, in the early 1990's, I worked as an adult literacy teacher in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne.. Airport West, to be exact. And as is often the case in my life, the focus of the class morphed from reading and writing, to food... or reading and writing through food. The class was made up of middle-aged Greek and Italian migrants who had been retrenched for the clothing, textile and footwear factories... something to do with Mr Keating's new world order. I had one student, Pasquale, younger than my other students and originally from Calabria whose pre-occupation with food paled my own.

Pasquale would bring to class fresh bread his wife had made that morning in their wood fired oven, salami made from pigs he had hand fed and slaughtered, omelettes made with yolks only and streaked with finely grated carrot and he ate everything with birds eye chillies. One day he brought in a plate of conchliglioni (giant pasta shells) stuffed with ricotta and spinach, and a seemingly simple tomato sauce that tasted amazing... and he explained to me how to make the dish...
Tip: I search high and low for these shells, and have been known to carry them in my hand luggage from distant locations. (If you cannot find them, you could use cannelloni, or some large spiral pasta.)

Ingredients
200 - 250 gms Conchiglioni shells
300 gm Ricotta
Parsley
Bunch Spinach
1 egg
Parmesan Cheese
Nutmeg (optional)
2-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
500gm fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes (or 2 tins)
1/2 bottle of tomato puree (salt and tomato only in ingredients)
Small piece of pork on the bone (raw)
Fresh basil
Salt & Pepper

Method Sauce

1. Saute chopped onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pot until soft.
2. Add fresh tomatoes and cook down.
3. Add tomato puree and pork bone and about a half litre of water.
4. Bring to simmer, and continue to cook for around one hour.
5. Strain sauce through a fine strainer, making sure you get as much of the pulp as possible.

Method Conchiglione

1. Clean and trip spinach and cook briefly in large pot.
2. Strain, and when cool chop finely.
3. Place in mixing bowl with Ricotta, chopped parsley, egg and grated parmesan, and mix through. (Optional: add sauteed onions and garlic for more flavour.)
4. 4. Taste, and add pepper, salt, grated nutmeg or more parmesan to your taste.
5. Put aside.
6. At the same time, bring a large pot filled with salted water to the boil.
7. Add the pasta, and cook for half the allocated time on the packet.
8. Strain, and return to a bowl with cool salted water.

Method: Assembly

1. Place around a desertspoon of filling in each shell and place in overproof baking tray, facing upward.
2. Continue with the rest of the shells and filling.
3. 
4. Pour over sauce, fresh basil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a good dribble of olive oil.
5. Cover with alfoil and bake in medium to hot over for 20 minutes, then remove alfoil and continue cooking for around 10 to 15 minutes until the top is brown.
   
6. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving with extra parmesan.

Enjoy!

Ragout

This is the first meal I learned to cook. I came home from school one day when I was 12 and my mother had left me a note on what to cook for dinner and how. (She would make regular trips to Townsville, that hub of north Queensland). I have never been sure why she chose me, rather than my three elder sisters (evidently my two younger sisters and brother were too young) .... but I like to think it's because she recognised my early prowess as a cook and my interest in food in general, but my mother has since passed away so one can only guess.. and of course my sisters don't always agree with my version of events in the ongoing battle about who is the best cook in the family.

Ingredients
1-2 onions, finely diced
2-3 cloves garlic
2-3 tbs virgin olive oil
500 gm beef or pork, diced into 1cm cubes
1/2 cup good red wine
1 tin tomatoes
1/2 cup milk
bay leaves
rosemary
salt & pepper to taste

Method
Heat 2 tbs olive oil in heavy cast iron enamel pot, or whatever you have. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft.
In a separate pan (frying pan), heal olive oil and add meat.
Brown meat, then add to onion mixture.
Pour red wine into frying pan and scrape out bits of brown clinging to surface, and add to onion mixture (which is still on a low heat.)
Add tomatoes and herbs.
Place lid on pot and cook for 2-3 hours.
After around two hours, add the milk and continue to cook. You may want to add water.
Add salt at end, to taste.

This sauce is much better if left for a day.

Serve with home made parpadelle or penne, and parmesan cheese from a block. (Under no circumstances use pre-grated packaged parmesan.)
.... and of course with a salad, after the meal in a clean plate.
.... and a glass of good pinot noir.

Enjoy!

Home Made Pasta

Why would you bother, one might ask? Well, there's a couple of reasons:
1. I love pasta. I could eat it every night if it weren't for the fact that it is made of one major ingredient: processed white flour, and despite the spray on nutrients and 'enrichments' , I am unconvinced that a diet of white processed flour will lead to anything but.. dare I say.... misery. Now, we eat spelt pasta and even kamut pasta, and they're OK. But they're not really pasta. So, one solution is home made pasta. Sure, it's still processed white flour, but with the added nutritional value of eggs... lovely, free range eggs.
2. Now, with school holidays coming on quickly, home made pasta is also a great form of entertainment for two, possibly three children. Do not try any more than three! Of course, they will need to be supervised to stop little fingers getting squashed in pasta machine rollers... but generally, a great activity leading to a great meal.
3. It's not that hard or time consuming, and tastes heaps better.

So, if I haven't convinced you, I'm going to give you a very simple recipe (below) with some tips included. If you happen to have a red or other coloured Kitchen Aid, this recipe is even easier.

Ingredients:
1 cup of flour for every person
1 egg for every person
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon per 2 people
salt
water

Utenstils:
Pasta machine (I prefer the Imperia brand)
Saucepans etc.

Method (without Kitchen Aid):
1. In a bowl or on a flat floured surface, mound flour and create a well in the centre.
2. Break in eggs and pour olive oil and 1 tablespoon of water.
3. Gather ingredients together to form a stiff dough. (You may need to add more water.)
4. Knead vigorously until the dough is smooth.
5. Cover with plastic film and place in refrigerator for at least a half hour.
(If you have a kitchen aid, place all ingredients together, and with dough hook, knead until smooth.)
6. Take dough out of refrigerator and knead for a few minutes.
7. Cut dough into pieces around the size of a large egg. Keep pieces you aren't using under plastic wrap to stop them drying out (particularly in Central Australia.)
8. Flatten the piece of dough with a rolling pin or with your hands. Flour well.
9. Roll through the widest setting on the past machine, then onto a middle setting. Dust with flour, fold in two and start again with the same piece of pastry. Continue to do this (kneading), until the pasta sheet is very smooth without any lumps or imperfections.

At this point you have a couple of options as follows:
Lasagne: you will need to cut the sheets up.
Cannelloni: roll up your filling like a crepe.
Papardelle: roll up the pasta sheet and cut through so you get ribbons of around 2.5cm wide.
Fettuccine: As above but cut thinner, or use a fettucine cutter on your pasta attachment.