One of my favourite way of eating cooked ricci di mare, is with risotto. Please check out my Risotto ai Ricci di Mare recipe here!
xx
Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Recipe: Risotto ai Ricci di Mare (Sea Urchin Risotto)
In Italy, sea urchins are known as Ricci di Mare. They are mostly eaten during summer and simply straight from the shell, however they also commonly appear as an ingredient in pasta dishes.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Made in Italy - Trattoria @ Pyrmont
The essence of Italian
cooking is simplicity. Most Italian dishes are only made from very few
ingredients with the focus being placed on the quality of the ingredients
used (did I mention that cheese, wine and herbs being most common of the
ingredients? My taste buds tango at that thought!). Because of the simplicity
of the dishes, Italian is one of my most common DIY meals for the time-starved
at home.
On a lazy Sunday night after spending the afternoon savouring Messina gelato at The Star and sipping on Hendricks & Cucumber at a Pyrmont bar, me and good friend decided to fill up on a bit of carbs (...and to continue the festive splurge on food and wine!).
Our restaurant pick was the closely located Made in Italy - established in 2001 and quickly known for their great tasting pizza, pastas and salads. The first thing you notice walking in is the old-school scooter and the bright red Fiat near the entrance - it sure sets a scene but expectations of the food quality went on a steep decline (I got the feel of a themed and commercialised restaurant and those places don't usually do too well in the food department - but then I may have thought differently if they displayed a mini cooper?).
First we ordered the Stuffed Zucchini Flowers - yes the flower which grows from the stem of the zucchini fruit is edible, and when stuffed, battered and deep fried, makes a pretty scrumptious starter to a fine meal. Yes, fruit! Interestingly the zucchini is by botanical definition a fruit and not the vegetable it is commonly known as in the culinary world. Even more interestingly, zucchinis are actually the swollen ovaries of the female zucchini flower!
The zucchini flower was served on a bed of rocket leaves casually dressed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, lightly battered and fried until golden. The stuffing of ricotta cheese and anchovies was very tasty but did overpower the dish - Delicious!
Our next dish was the Caprese Salad with buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto and tomatoes, pitted olives and basil. The salad was tossed in a well balanced olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. The buffalo mozzarella were large pieces, very soft, stringy and porcelain white in colour. The prosciutto were tender, large thinly sliced pieces that were not too salty or dry - all characteristics of quality Italian prosciutto. The flavours worked so well together I could not get enough of this amazing salad and my taste buds are waltzing!
I love a good carpaccio so I would usually jump at every opportunity to order carpaccio if it is offered on the menu. There were two carpaccio options on the menu, fresh salmon or beef - we opted for Carpaccio di Carne. The beef was very thinly sliced, served with a good amount of olive oil, a wedge of lemon and topped with rocket leaves and shaved reggiano parmasan. I found this dish a little bland at first, and the rocket and parmesan overthrew the taste of the too-thinly sliced meat. However a generous squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a bit of cracked pepper fixed up half my concerns.
Our final dish was the Fettuccine Boscaiola. The fettuccine was cooked al dente, and coated in a creamy (but not too heavy) boscaiola sauce with chunky pieces of mushrooms and ham, and topped with parmasan.
Overall, a great experience. The staff is attentive and polite, the ambience is friendly and warm. A great place to come with the family, big and small. Carb-coma time!
xx
Oh! The pizza. Our little tummies could not fit another pizza after our already very fulfilling meal. However I did take an opportunity to arrange pizza delivery in the office for lunch. Ordering was a good old-fashioned call to their landline - quick and simple (no queuing and listening to ads on the phone, no overburdening of questions like the ones some pizza chains put us through, no complicated online forms, no fuss).
On a lazy Sunday night after spending the afternoon savouring Messina gelato at The Star and sipping on Hendricks & Cucumber at a Pyrmont bar, me and good friend decided to fill up on a bit of carbs (...and to continue the festive splurge on food and wine!).
Our restaurant pick was the closely located Made in Italy - established in 2001 and quickly known for their great tasting pizza, pastas and salads. The first thing you notice walking in is the old-school scooter and the bright red Fiat near the entrance - it sure sets a scene but expectations of the food quality went on a steep decline (I got the feel of a themed and commercialised restaurant and those places don't usually do too well in the food department - but then I may have thought differently if they displayed a mini cooper?).
First we ordered the Stuffed Zucchini Flowers - yes the flower which grows from the stem of the zucchini fruit is edible, and when stuffed, battered and deep fried, makes a pretty scrumptious starter to a fine meal. Yes, fruit! Interestingly the zucchini is by botanical definition a fruit and not the vegetable it is commonly known as in the culinary world. Even more interestingly, zucchinis are actually the swollen ovaries of the female zucchini flower!
The zucchini flower was served on a bed of rocket leaves casually dressed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, lightly battered and fried until golden. The stuffing of ricotta cheese and anchovies was very tasty but did overpower the dish - Delicious!
Our next dish was the Caprese Salad with buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto and tomatoes, pitted olives and basil. The salad was tossed in a well balanced olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. The buffalo mozzarella were large pieces, very soft, stringy and porcelain white in colour. The prosciutto were tender, large thinly sliced pieces that were not too salty or dry - all characteristics of quality Italian prosciutto. The flavours worked so well together I could not get enough of this amazing salad and my taste buds are waltzing!
I love a good carpaccio so I would usually jump at every opportunity to order carpaccio if it is offered on the menu. There were two carpaccio options on the menu, fresh salmon or beef - we opted for Carpaccio di Carne. The beef was very thinly sliced, served with a good amount of olive oil, a wedge of lemon and topped with rocket leaves and shaved reggiano parmasan. I found this dish a little bland at first, and the rocket and parmesan overthrew the taste of the too-thinly sliced meat. However a generous squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a bit of cracked pepper fixed up half my concerns.
Our final dish was the Fettuccine Boscaiola. The fettuccine was cooked al dente, and coated in a creamy (but not too heavy) boscaiola sauce with chunky pieces of mushrooms and ham, and topped with parmasan.
Overall, a great experience. The staff is attentive and polite, the ambience is friendly and warm. A great place to come with the family, big and small. Carb-coma time!
xx
Oh! The pizza. Our little tummies could not fit another pizza after our already very fulfilling meal. However I did take an opportunity to arrange pizza delivery in the office for lunch. Ordering was a good old-fashioned call to their landline - quick and simple (no queuing and listening to ads on the phone, no overburdening of questions like the ones some pizza chains put us through, no complicated online forms, no fuss).
We ordered the
Margherita, the Capricciosa, the Tropicale, the Made In Italy and the Suprema.
The verdict - the best delivered pizza in Sydney! The crust is thin and crispy,
the toppings generous and very fresh, and the delivery on time. It was so
popular with the team that there was some talk about replacing birthday cakes
with birthday pizzas! Nom nom nom!
(Note: If you don't fancy delivery, you could pop down to their little shop tucked away in York Lane for your pizza fix. Grab a few mates, a pizza or two and take a seat on their classy blue milk crates before Friday night drinks!)
(Note: If you don't fancy delivery, you could pop down to their little shop tucked away in York Lane for your pizza fix. Grab a few mates, a pizza or two and take a seat on their classy blue milk crates before Friday night drinks!)
G01/55 Miller Street
Pyrmont NSW 2009
(02) 9518 7555
Monday, 24 December 2012
The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room
Oysters - people either
love them or they loathe them. I love them! So when I discovered that a new
oyster bar has arrived in town, I knew I had to drop in quickly.
The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room is situated in the old Brooklyn Hotel on the corner of George Street and Grosvenor Street, Sydney. It was an old post-work favourite forced to close its doors in recent times due to the competitive boom of glitzy and glamorous bars, and the Sydney small bar revolution.
The venue has been vamped up but much of the heritage and industrial-looking features have been kept, if not enhanced. The place is furnished with old-school brick walls, white tiles, vintage edison light bulbs, lots of wood and green leafy shrubs. Even their staff is dressed to impressed with their black & white checkered bow ties and vintage country textile aprons. Classy, stylish and absolutely charming!
The menu is presented on a clipboard and the food is not anything less impressive than their fancy décor. Up on a wooden board hangs the daily pick of oysters. Today's specials were Clyde River NSW, Nambucca River NSW, Coffin Bay SA and Bruny Island TAS. We ordered one of each per person, plus a few tequila oyster shooters (how could I resist!).
Our sangrita, tomato, pomegranate, kaital and lemon Oyster Shooters arrived first. I have never tried oyster shooters with tequila before as I would usually opt for a bloody mary if available. I found the tequila burn a little too strong for the oysters and the rim not salted enough.
The Shucked Oysters then followed - chilled and very fresh with a vinaigrette dressing. I was impressed that even the oyster forks were pre-chilled which makes eating the oysters even more enjoyable. We started with the pacific Clyde River, which we found very fresh and briny. Next was the rock Nambucca River, which was very rich and creamy (this was my favourite of the lot). The pacific Coffin Bay is a lot more commonly seen around, and we found it clean, lightly salty and metallic. Finally the Bruny Island TAS, which we found most salty comparatively and had a firmer body.
Next came the Crab & Lettuce Tacos. These crispy baby cos lettuces were topped with shredded crab meat, salmon caviar and a chardonnay vinaigrette - something different and delicious!
Executive Chef Sean Connolly says "Everything tastes better on the bone or in the shell", and I could not agree more. The Grain Fed Sirloin On The Bone served with anchovy butter was the best piece of steak I have eaten out for a while! The meat was cooked perfectly over charcoal, was tender, juicy and had a smokey charred flavour.
The Grain Fed Pork Chop was also a winner. Again it was served on the bone and cooked over charcoal, the meat was very tender and juicy.
We ordered some Duck Fat Chips to accompany the grilled meat. Yes, duck fat. What better way to boost up the flavour (and calorie count) of chips! Yummo!
Finally we ordered the Snow Crab Linguine with parsley, mint, chilli and lemon. It was full of flavour and slightly, but not too creamy. It was the perfect finish to our tongue-tantalising meal!
The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room is situated in the old Brooklyn Hotel on the corner of George Street and Grosvenor Street, Sydney. It was an old post-work favourite forced to close its doors in recent times due to the competitive boom of glitzy and glamorous bars, and the Sydney small bar revolution.
The venue has been vamped up but much of the heritage and industrial-looking features have been kept, if not enhanced. The place is furnished with old-school brick walls, white tiles, vintage edison light bulbs, lots of wood and green leafy shrubs. Even their staff is dressed to impressed with their black & white checkered bow ties and vintage country textile aprons. Classy, stylish and absolutely charming!
The menu is presented on a clipboard and the food is not anything less impressive than their fancy décor. Up on a wooden board hangs the daily pick of oysters. Today's specials were Clyde River NSW, Nambucca River NSW, Coffin Bay SA and Bruny Island TAS. We ordered one of each per person, plus a few tequila oyster shooters (how could I resist!).
Our sangrita, tomato, pomegranate, kaital and lemon Oyster Shooters arrived first. I have never tried oyster shooters with tequila before as I would usually opt for a bloody mary if available. I found the tequila burn a little too strong for the oysters and the rim not salted enough.
The Shucked Oysters then followed - chilled and very fresh with a vinaigrette dressing. I was impressed that even the oyster forks were pre-chilled which makes eating the oysters even more enjoyable. We started with the pacific Clyde River, which we found very fresh and briny. Next was the rock Nambucca River, which was very rich and creamy (this was my favourite of the lot). The pacific Coffin Bay is a lot more commonly seen around, and we found it clean, lightly salty and metallic. Finally the Bruny Island TAS, which we found most salty comparatively and had a firmer body.
Next came the Crab & Lettuce Tacos. These crispy baby cos lettuces were topped with shredded crab meat, salmon caviar and a chardonnay vinaigrette - something different and delicious!
We were quite surprised
that scampi was offered on the menu and had to try it. If you have not tried
these before, they look like a toy-sized lobster (or a prawn with claws),
and are usually found served raw as sushi or sashimi, or served cooked with
pasta. The Split Scampi Sashimi Style we ordered was presented raw, chilled and
very fresh, dressed with chilli, olive oil and sea salt. Perhaps I am
accustomed to eating my scampi with soy sauce, I found the taste a little
lighter than how I would like it?
Executive Chef Sean Connolly says "Everything tastes better on the bone or in the shell", and I could not agree more. The Grain Fed Sirloin On The Bone served with anchovy butter was the best piece of steak I have eaten out for a while! The meat was cooked perfectly over charcoal, was tender, juicy and had a smokey charred flavour.
The Grain Fed Pork Chop was also a winner. Again it was served on the bone and cooked over charcoal, the meat was very tender and juicy.
We ordered some Duck Fat Chips to accompany the grilled meat. Yes, duck fat. What better way to boost up the flavour (and calorie count) of chips! Yummo!
Finally we ordered the Snow Crab Linguine with parsley, mint, chilli and lemon. It was full of flavour and slightly, but not too creamy. It was the perfect finish to our tongue-tantalising meal!
The
experience was very pleasant, the food amazing, and the ambience casual and
lighthearted. The Morrison Bar and Oyster room is a crustacean and
charcoal-grilled meat culinary wonderland that is perfect for after-work
festivities and catching up with large groups!
xx
225
George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9247 6744
Sunday, 23 December 2012
Recipe: Zucchini Bolognese
Want to eat healthy, but not at the expense of the food you love? Get innovative and try substituting clean ingredients into your cooking.
Check out my zucchini bolognese recipe where I have substituted pasta for shredded zucchini!
xx
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