Mirabella, a highly regarded book designer and former Mornington Peninsula cafe owner, aims to inspire excitement about cooking.
"To help you feel the food at the end of your fingertips — because cooking is good for you. The easiest comparison I can make is the feeling of joy and familiarity I get from drawing, painting or designing a book."
"Many of my favourite recipes come from Sunday pranzo; lunch at Cumbrae Farm was surrounded by Italian flavours with all roads leading to Sicily."
A home cook with no chef credentials, Mirabella says he writes recipes for the food he grew up eating and those prepared at his cafe.
His book, Pranzo, written for his grandchildren, had its origins in his home kitchen during the first Melbourne Covid lockdown. He began to cook quick, simple recipes and post them on Instagram accompanied by stories from his childhood.
"We ate peppered broken bread with stuffed semi-dried tomatoes, anchovies and chunks of pecorino for supper every Monday night while watching World of Championship Wrestling."
Dried pasta was the choice for everyday cooking while making fresh pasta was for grand occasions with sheets of lasagne hung on boomsticks or the backs of chairs.
Mirabella uses an "enormous number" of fresh herbs in his cooking. They are a constant companion on his kitchen bench and grow everywhere in his garden.
Pranzo is divided into chapters based on the four seasons with plenty of tips and stories sprinkled throughout.
THE BOOK
This is an edited extract from Pranzo by Guy Mirabella (Hardie Grant Books), RRP $70.
Apple and red grape pie
Jojo’s secret pastry recipe is a gorgeous, simple, hot water pastry for sweet or savoury pies and tarts. You can play around with different shapes to top your creation, such as hearts or stars.
Serves 8
1 egg lightly beaten together with 1 Tbsp of milk, for brushing the pastry
Pastry
300g (2 cups) self-raising flour
300g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
250g salted butter, cut into small cubes
185ml (¾ cup) boiling water
Filling
1.5kg peeled and quartered granny smith apples (or any other tart cooking apple)
115g (½ cup) caster sugar
50g (½ cup) soft brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
6 cloves
1 star anise
Good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
150g red grapes
125ml (½ cup) dry Vermouth
Method
For the pastry, combine the flours in a food processor and pulse to mix well. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Pour in the water and pulse until just combined. Turn the pastry out on to a lightly floured bench and cut it into two pieces, one slightly bigger than the other. Press the pastry into discs and wrap them in cling wrap. Rest for at least 30 minutes.
For the filling, combine the apples, sugars, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, nutmeg, lemon zest and juice in a heavy-based saucepan and cook, uncovered, over a medium heat for 20 minutes. Add the grapes and Vermouth and cook for another 5 minutes. Take off the heat and cool, discarding the cloves and star anise. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 26cm round pie dish, 5cm deep, with butter.
Roll out the larger piece of pastry to 35cm round and about 5mm thick. Don’t be alarmed if the pastry breaks off in parts, this is a rustic-style pastry and it’s all part of the charm. Place the pastry into the prepared pie dish, overlapping or pinching pieces together as needed. Fill the pastry with the cooled filling and top with the remaining pastry. Again, position the pastry as best you can, then pinch the edges to join. Brush the top with the egg and milk mixture. Cut four lines in the top then bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool before serving.
Linguine roast chicken
Nigella Lawson, earthquakes, volcanoes, autumn, fire and swimming have all inspired this dish as have, of course, my love for Sicily and the perfect Sunday lunch. This roast chook comes together wrapped up like a Herve Koubi ballet.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 × 1.5 kg free-range chicken
125ml (½ cup) mild olive oil
250ml (1 cup) dry white wine
500g linguine
80g (½ cup) pine nuts, toasted, plus extra to serve
60g (½ cup) currants or raisins
2 long green chillies, cut into thin discs, plus extra to serve
100g baby cherry tomatoes, plus extra to serve
30g (1 cup) basil leaves, whole or torn
1 lemon, cut into quarters, to serve
125g (½ cup) basil and spinach pesto to serve
Stuffing
150g salted butter, softened
Juice of 2 lemons, squeezed lemon halves reserved
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C and place a wire rack into a roasting tin.
For the stuffing, combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Wash the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towel. Trim away any excess fat. Starting near the chicken’s neck, gently insert your fingers under the skin and push your fingers through to separate it from the breast and thigh meat. The skin should remain attached but loosened. Rub the stuffing beneath the skin, inside the cavities and all over the outside. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the wire rack. Put the reserved squeezed lemon halves into the cavity and pour the oil into the cavity and over the chicken. Pour the wine over the top and roast for 50-60 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Remove the chicken and cool a little while keeping the pan juices warm.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add salt and cook the pasta until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, work quickly to shred the chicken and return the meat to the roasting tin.
Drain the pasta and toss it into the roasting tin with the chicken. Add the pine nuts, currants, chillies, tomatoes and basil and mix well, scraping any residue from the side and bottom of the pan.
Divide the pasta into individual bowls and top with the extra pine nuts, some extra tomatoes, chillies, lemon wedges and pesto.
Basil and spinach pesto
2 sliced garlic cloves
A pinch of salt
155g (1 cup) lightly toasted pine nuts
90g freshly grated pecorino
120g (4 cups) basil leaves
180g (4 cups) baby English spinach leaves
185ml (¾ cup) mild olive oil
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse in 5 second bursts until you have a coarse to smooth texture.
To store, spoon into a jar or airtight container and top with 1Tbsp of olive oil before sealing to prevent browning. Refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Makes 560ml (2¼ cups).
Tomato tart
I come from a family that makes sauce with tomatoes from the garden as soon as they are ripe. The freshness holds the scent of summer. Serve the tart warm with a salad of cos lettuce drizzled with the lemon juice, oil and vinegar and sprinkled with the baby capers and a light dusting of pecorino.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Sour cream pastry
200g chilled salted butter
250g (1⅔ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
80ml (⅓ cup) sour cream
Filling
3Tbsp mild olive oil
3Tbsp white wine vinegar
3 shallots, chopped
2 eggs
150ml pouring (single/light) cream
1 spring onion (scallion), finely chopped
45g pecorino, freshly grated
200g (1 cup) smooth ricotta
200g (1 cup) mascarpone
100g baby English spinach leaves, finely sliced
30g (1 cup) basil leaves
1Tbsp baby capers
500g cherry tomatoes, some halved but most left whole
125g (1 cup) pitted black olives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the pastry, pulse the butter and flour in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and pulse until the dough just comes together to form a ball. Press down on the dough to form a flat disc, then wrap it in cling wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove the pastry at least 20 minutes before using.
Grease the base and side of a 26cm fluted loose-based flan (tart) tin with butter and dust with flour. On a floured work surface, roll the pastry out to about 40cm in diameter and roughly 6mm thick. Line the prepared tin with the pastry, leaving it overhanging the edge. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. If you are making the tart in advance you can freeze it at this stage.
Preheat the oven to 180°C .
Cover the pastry with aluminium foil and fill it with baking beads or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil and beads, then bake for a further 5 minutes. Let the pie cool for 20 minutes, then trim the edge.
For the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan over a low heat, then add the vinegar and shallots. Fry until the shallots are translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Combine the eggs, cream, spring onion, pecorino, ricotta, mascarpone, spinach, basil, capers, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well.
Spread the shallots over the base, then add the cream mixture and top with the olives and half of the tomatoes. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is set and golden brown. Top with the remaining tomatoes. Allow the tart to cool a little before removing from the tin.
Let the tart cool for a further 10-15 minutes before serving with the simple cos salad. This tart is also great to take on a picnic.
Simple cos salad
2 small cos (romaine) lettuces, trimmed and halved lengthways
Juice of ½ lemon
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
White wine vinegar, to drizzle
1 Tbsp baby capers
Pecorino, freshly grated, to serve
Method
Drizzle the cos with lemon juice, oil and vinegar and serve sprinkled with the baby capers and a light dusting of pecorino.
