The ABC Gardening Expo, Sydney, August 2008

 Erbazzone Tortino (chard omelette or fritata)

Adapted  from Antonio Carluccio's Vegetables , Headline Book Publishing

This tortino is a classic dish of Emiglia-Romagna, and especially of the province of Reggio-Emiglia in the Po valley near Bologna. There is an equivalent dish called scarpazzone that is baked in a pastry crust. The recipe makes one large serving but of course can be scaled up or made into smaller "pancakes". It can be eaten warm or cold and is an excellent vegetarian antipasto.

200g  chard, stripped of stems and coarsely chopped

2 eggs

35g grated parmesan

35g dry breadcrumbs, home made preferably

butter and/or olive oil

salt, pepper, grated nutmeg

Wash and boil the chard in salted water for a few minutes or until tender, drain and squeeze out excess water and chop.

Beat the eggs in a bowl large enough to take all the ingredients, add salt, pepper, nutmeg, parmesan and breadcrumbs and mix well. Add the chard and again mix  well.

Heat a pan large enough to take all the mixture to a thickness of no more than 2-3cm, add a tablespoon or so of oil and a little butter if you wish and when the foam subsides, add the egg mixture and spread it evenly around the pan. Cook until golden, then cover the pan with a plate and invert the pan and plate together and slide the tortino back into the pan to cook the second side.

Eat with gusto!

The ABC Gardening Festival, Melbourne, Sept/Oct  2005

1. Insalata di campo (mixed wild leaf salad)

Adapted from the River Café Cookbook Green, Ebury Press.

A large bowl of mixed leaves which could include whatever is available, so long as it is young and tender, including lettuce, chicory, endive, rocket, cavolo nero, beet root, radish, dandelion, spinach, valeriana (lamb’s lettuce) and mint. Greens with a slightly bitter taste are typical.

100ml best extra virgin olive oil

Juice of a large lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 or more teaspoons of balsamic vinegar

Mix the oil with the lemon juice, season, and pour over the leaves. Toss to coat each leaf, then drizzle over the balsamic vinegar and serve immediately. (Serves 6)

2. Risotto con asparagi (risotto with asparagus)

Adapted from Carluccio’s Complete Italian Food, Quadrille Publishing

900g fresh asparagus

4 tablespoons olive oil

85g unsalted butter

1 small onion finely chopped

350g risotto rice

About 1 litre vegetable stock

55g parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper

Trim the asparagus and cut off about 4cm of the tip, and cut the remainder into 1cm lengths. Cook the stems in about 750ml water for 5 minutes, add the tips and cook for a few minutes more. Remove the asparagus and add the cooking water to the stock and make up to 1.75 litres. Slowly cook the onion in the butter and olive oil until soft, but not browned, add the rice and stir to coat with oil, and then the asparagus stems, reserving the tips. Add the boiling stock a ladleful at a time, stirring until it has been adsorbed before adding another. Continue until the rice is cooked (each grain is tender on the outside and firm, but not crunchy in the centre), and the risotto has a creamy, soft consistency. Stir in the asparagus tips, add the parmesan and season as necessary (parmesan is salty). Cover and rest for a few minutes before serving. (Serves 6)

3. Bruschetta con pepperone e olive and finocchi marinate

For the bruschetta, toast 6 or more slices of ciabatta or white sourdough bread, rub lightly with a peeled clove of garlic and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Pepperone e olive (peppers and olives)

Adapted from Carluccio’s Complete Italian Food, Quadrille Publishing.

125 ml olive oil

2 each red and yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into strips

2 tablespoons finely chopped black olives

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt

Fry the peppers in the oil in a sauce pan, stirring from time to time for about 20 minutes or until tender. Add the olives and garlic and fry for a few more minutes before adding the vinegar and cooking briefly until it has evaporated. Add the sugar and salt to taste. Serve warm on the bruschetta. (Serves 6).

Finocchi marinare (grilled marinated fennel)

Adapted from the River Café Cookbook Green, Ebury Press

6 small bulbs fennel with some attached young greenery if possible

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Juice of 2 lemons

125 ml extra virgin olive oil

1-2 dried red chillies, deseeded

Preheat the griller or griddle pan

Cut off the tough outer parts, and take a slice off the base of the fennel, and remove and finely chop the young greenery. Cut the bulbs across into 2-3mm slices and carefully place on the grill or griddle pan and cook on both sides for a total of about 10 minutes, or braise gently in olive oil for 15 minutes until tender.

Place on a plate, season with salt and pepper, and pour on the lemon juice and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle over the crumbled dried chilli and scatter with the fennel greenery. Serve warm on the bruschetta. (Serves 6).

4. Penne primavera (Penne with spring vegetables)

500g penne pasta

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

A liberal amount of freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 cup or so fresh young broad beans, about 1cm across

250g young asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced on the angle into 4-5cm pieces

1 cup or so podded fresh peas, or use frozen

0.5 cup cream

0.75 cup freshly grated parmesan

While the penne is cooking in a liberal amount of boiling water, warm the butter and oil in a large saucepan, add the garlic and cook gently for a few minutes. Meanwhile steam or boil the vegetables for 5 or so minutes until just tender, and add them to the butter and oil and season with salt and pepper. Drain the penne and add to the saucepan together with the cream and parmesan and stir to mix. (Serves 4-5)