Mum.

We love you.

There is no denying that the last 4 weeks have been challenging.

Next Sunday let’s take the opportunity to pop the prosecco, set the table and lay out a A Tavola x Flour Eggs Water Mothers day feast to show Mum how much you love her.

OFFERING DELIVERY across the Sydney Metro area on Saturday by our dedicated A tavola team.

Bondi, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and beyond…we cant wait to deliver that A Tavola taste direct to your door!

Beautifully packaged and cooked with love. We guarantee happiness and joy. Minimal assembly and cooking required and dad proof cooking instructions enclosed. $200. To feed 4-6. Delivery $20.

Contents of our Mother day Box

1 x bottle of Il Follo Prosecco
1 x 750ml bottle of Sangiovese
1/2 slab of A Tavola’s signature focaccia
1 x jar of mixed olives
1 x jar of chilli oil
1 x family sized A Tavola x Flour Eggs Water Lasagne
(Vegeterian or Traditional Lasagne Available)
1 x A Tavola Red Cabbage Salad
1 x Small Flour Eggs Water Tiramisu
Chocolate Truffles

Contactless Delivery Saturday 9th May
9-1pm or 1-5pm.

Pick up Tramsheds Saturday 9th or Sunday 10th.

Ingredients

Aperol
Prosecco
Soda Water

Method

1. Pour 60ml Aperol, 90ml Prosecco and 30ml of soda water into a large wine glass
2. Fill the glass to the top with ice
3. Garnish with a fresh orange slice

Ingredients

1 litre of watermelon juice

200gm sugar

150ml water

40ml tequila

1 lime (juice and zest)

Pinch of sea salt flakes

Method

1. Place sugar and water into saucepan. Put onto medium heat and whisk until sugar is completely dissolved. Chill in refrigerator.
2. Blend watermelon and pass through sieve.
3. In mixing bowl add watermelon juice and sugar syrup.
4. Add tequila, lime juice, zest, sea salt.
5. Freeze in flat tray
6. To serve,  scrape with a fork (will resemble ice shavings)

Ingredients

Half head of purple cabbage, outer leaves removed

Medium block of gorgonzola cheese

¾ cup of walnuts

⅓ cup of raisins

Half a bunch of parsley

Dressing 

600ml olive oil

300ml good balsamic

40gm dijon mustard

60gm honey

Salt

Method

1. Slice the cabbage as finely as possible – a mandolin will work, or a sharp knife. Then soak it in cold water to crisp it up.
2. Roast the walnuts lightly in the oven then chop in half roughly
3. Crumble up chunks of the gorgonzola dolce, pick parley leaves and take walnuts out of the oven, all ready to assemble.
4. For the dressing, use a measuring jug to add balsamic vinegar, honey and mustard, then blend using a stick blender. 
5. Continue to blend while adding the olive oil in a steady stream to emulsify the oil into the vinegar.
6. Once incorporated taste and season to suit. 
7. Finally, to assemble, add one handful of cabbage to 5 to 6 pieces Gorgonzola, a small handful of walnuts, parsley leaves, some salt flakes and dress with the dressing, toss and serve. Repeat depending on portion size/servings, using the whole half cabbage for a table salad.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the filling

300g fresh cow fetta

3 large carrots

½ bunch parsley

Salt and pepper

For the pasta

330g 00 caputo flour

3 whole free-range eggs

Salt

Extra virgin olive oil

For the sauce

150g butter

100g roasted and roughly chopped hazelnuts

100g freshly grated parmesan

1 bunch baby yellow, baby purple or dutch carrots

Method:

Filling

Wash and cut the carrots into small chunks and roast in a 200 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until tender and slightly caramelised. Remove from oven and discard any overly burnt bits, then place in a kitchen blender with picked parley until smooth – this should take a couple of minutes. Then add the cow fetta and continue to blend until incorporated. Season to taste and let cool.

Pasta

Make a small well on the bench with your flour, crack the eggs into the well and season with salt and a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Combine with a fork until you reach a crumble consistency. With your hands knead the dough until combined but not smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for an hour. 

After an hour, remove the plastic and with a rolling pin roll the pasta dough out lengthways to 1-2 cm thick. Next, roll through the widest setting on your pasta machine and fold it in 3 like a book. Roll out again with a rolling pin lengthways (with the book ends facing you) until 1-2 cm. Repeat twice. The dough should be smooth and strong by the end of this process.

Now roll the dough through the machine, lower the setting making the pasta longer until you reach the smallest setting. The pasta is now ready for filling.

Making your ravioli

Cut the dough in half (one half for the bottom of the ravioli, one for the top), place a spoonful of mix at the centre of the pasta repeating this process every 3 cm until achieving a steady line of dots. Spray with water (use a garden spray nozzle) and gently place the second half of pasta dough on top. Smooth down, making sure to gently press around the dots of mix to remove any air bubbles. Cut the ravioli with a cutter into your desired shape, square, round, oval etc.

For the sauce and assembly

Peel and cut the baby carrots into thin strips, set aside.

Boil your pasta in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes, and start to heat a small frying pan. Melt butter in the hot pan with a pinch of salt. When the butter starts to go nut brown in colour add carrots and let the butter foam up and turn off.

The pasta should now be done – strain and place on a plate (5-ish ravioli per person should suffice as a main course), sprinkle with parmesan and pour over some of the brown butter and carrots and finish with chopped roasted hazelnuts.

We made our journey from Abruzzo from Rome via car. Negotiating Italian drivers on the high-speed autostrada is always a bit of fun and the pit stops at the Italian road houses makes the journey all the more enjoyable! You can get some of the best coffee and snacks at these roadhouses, from sliced focaccia with mortadella to mozzarella and basil-topped pizzette.

Both Eugenio’s parents were born in a tiny town named Fontelecassa. Their meeting is a classic Italian love story – they were both raised on the same street just houses away from one another before they met and were married when they were young – true amore! Eugenio’s mother still has her two sisters living in the area, so all together we made the pilgrimage to spend time with our Abruzesse family.

Eugenio is very familiar with the area, spending his childhood holidays here, and it was by memory that he found his aunt and uncle’s house when we visited. We were welcomed by the two family dogs as we parked our van and we were all instantly overcome by emotion as we saw Eugenio’s cousins and his mum greet us with true Italian spirit. It was a feeling of coming home – even though hardly anyone in this region speaks English there was no need for any interpretation (for the non-Italians in the group such as me!) as the love and kindness could definitely be felt.

Their family stone house is something out of a picture book – it is so beautiful. Surrounded by bountiful vegetable patches, winding vineyards and ripe fruit trees it is rustic and real. Chickens roam freely and a bunny rabbit is endearingly protected by one of the dogs and ducks waddle across the green lawn as if Dr Do-little is coordinating the whole scene.

It is here in Abruzzo that we learn about true Italian hospitality and generosity that requires no return. It is enough to make you feel so content with very little. During our time here we were spoilt with lots of local wine, local delicious vegetables simply dressed and lots of local delicacies including homemade Ventricina (a local pork sausage), local regional truffles (found by the family dog!) and arrosticini – strips of lamb, skewered and cooked over coals on a custom-built vessel.

Palmoli is the next closest town upon the hilltop, a three minute drive or about a 30 minute walk. Here the winding roads and steep hills are adorned with beautiful houses dating back to the 18th century, completely made of stone with vaulted ceilings and cotto tiles. Much of the younger generation have had to move to the larger coastal towns for work leaving a lot of these stone houses empty, and there are less than 900 people living in this town. Forget the hordes of tourist (and even locals!) here – this is a tiny town in which you can wander around, in solitude and contemplation.

We stayed in a beautifully restored country house about a 20 minute walk at the bottom of the hill from Palmoli – we found our place on Homeaway, which is great if you’re looking for places fit for a family with a touch of Italian luxury! With a big kitchen, a sweeping verandah with views out to the mountains and a big pool it made for the perfect place to enjoy a few spritz and take in the beauty of this area.

If you are after a place to relax and unwind with unpretentious food and people then Abruzzo is for you. From here, you can also do day trips to the seaside towns of Vasto and San Salvo. This is where the Italian locals go on holidays – think great beaches and beach clubs (our pick is Da Mimi) without the tourist price tags!

Make sure you make the most of the region’s beautiful walks, explore the local castello Marchesale (which has been beautifully restored) and visit the baroque church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie (which houses the remains of St Valentine!). We visited a local agroturismo, called Montefreddo Palmoli, and were spoilt with a regional 12 course feast, which showcased the region’s best produce.

At each lunch and dinner we ate together at a long communal table – the A Tavola! The sense of occasion at every meal was heart-warming. We sourced some local seafood and had the entire family over to our house for dinner on our final night. What is clear is the high level of respect and care that Abruzesse have for family and food.

Abruzzo now holds a very special place in my heart. I am told that in winter it is even more magical. If you want to experience the true Italy I would recommend looking far from where the tourists travel and travel a path a little less travelled. Ciao Abruzzo. We can’t wait to visit again soon!

Every Italian family has their very own special ragu recipe – and this our chef and owner Eugenio Maiale’s recipe, passed onto him by his mother Maria. Cook it low and slow and with lots of love.

INGREDIENTS
150g butter
100ml of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 onions, finely chopped
4 carrots, finely chopped
4 sticks of celery, finely chopped
200g pancetta, finely chopped
750g pork mince
750g chicken mince
750g veal mince
1 bottle red wine
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
2 tbsp of chopped parsley
1 tbsp of chopped rosemary
1 can of tomatoes
1 litre chicken stock
1 litre milk
Handful of parsley, roughly chopped
500g fresh or dried pappardelle pasta

METHOD
Step 1: Heat the butter and oil in a deep pan, add the vegetables and fry until they have softened.
Step 2: Add the pancetta, nutmeg, cloves, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves and minced meats.
Step 3: Fry until all liquid has evaporated.
Step 4: Add wine and simmer until it evaporates.
Step 5: Add milk and simmer until it evaporates.
Step 6: Add tomatoes, stock and season with salt and pepper.
Step 7: Cover and cook gently stirring occasionally for 2 hours

TO SERVE
Step 1: Boil pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring often.
Step 2: Drain.
Step 3: Transfer to pot with sauce, add parsley; toss.
Step 4: Serve with parmesan.

Need serving inspiration? Try this chicory, almond, fennel and orange salad

INSALATA DI CICORIA, FINOCCHIO E ARANCIA

Ingredients
1 head chicory or endive
1 head baby fennel
1 orange
50 mls extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Method
Wash and drain chicory. Set aside in a large bowl.
Slice oranges approx 3mm thin and scatter over chicory.
Shave the fennel and scatter over the chicory and oranges.
Mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and dress the salad.

Thursday 14th of February 2019
3 course set menu
$100 per person

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