From silverbeet polpettine to rosemary lamb ragu and spiced meatballs, passata is one pantry staple we can’t live without. Take a trip to Italy this winter with these 20 beckoning recipes. This gallery is brought to you by Mutti.
“I love to make a big batch of these polpettine and freeze them to have later for a quick weeknight dinner. These also work really well wrapped in Swiss chard or cabbage leaves.” This is an edited extract from The Weeknight Cookbook by Justine Schofield with photography by Jeremy Simons (Plum, $34.99).
“This was my favourite dish I ate in the Chettinad region down south. The region is renowned for its unique cuisine, and this chicken dish is regarded as the ‘poster child’ for the collection of spices and flavour combinations used in this area” - Kirsten Jenkins.
You saw it here first folks, sweet potato 'ham' is the next big thing.
The ultimate vegetarian comfort dish.
A Sunday roast wrapped together with mac 'n' cheese. What could be better?
This recipe is loosely adapted from one I came across in a book on Jewish culture in Venice, and it has come to be a favourite, says Skye. This recipe is an edited extract from A Table in Venice by Skye McAlpine (Bloomsbury Publishing, RRP $45). Copyright © Skye McAlpine
Homemade pasta dough is key here.
Simple and spicy, you can't stop at one slice of this salami pizza. If you're making you're own dough, you'll need to start this recipe 1 day ahead.
An iconic Italian dish reimagined as a vegan masterpiece. Recipe by Shannon Martinez.
“If you’ve got stock and passata on hand, you’ve pretty much got the base of minestrone. This dish is often on our tables in winter, and really should be called use-it-all soup rather than minestrone." This is an edited extract from Use It All by Alex Elliott-Howery and Jaimee Edwards (Murdoch Books, $39.99). Photography by Cath Muscat. Styling by Vanessa Austin. Available September 29. Pre-order now via Booktopia Books.
I view cobbler toppings or dumplings with stews to be a great way of doubling the pillowy, wintry comfort of these dishes. Plus, they give you a radically different texture to play with and provide something to soak up all those meaty juices, says Matt. Recipe and image extracted from Yummy, Easy, Quick by Matt Preston, published by Plum, RRP $39.99, available now.
Cheese wrapped in pasta, covered in more cheese. Have we got your attention yet?
"Fennel's aniseed flavours just work so well with pork, making this a traditional pairing." – Joel Valvasori-Pereza
This easy Italian dinner is perfect cold weather comfort food.
Just when you thought parmigiana couldn't get any better, we turn it into a tasty pasta bake with spicy chorizo.
