Growing up in Wollongong with Italian uncles Rocco Annechini and Carlo Dressino, I spent a lot of time being surrounded by European food including Lasagne, Canneloni and Spaghetti Marinara from Pasta Fina in Wollongong. You can now buy Pasta Fina products in many delicatessens and supermarkets throughout the Illawarra but if you can do so I suggest you visit the source and visit the Pasta Fina store in Crown St, Wollongong.
Married to the job: Flaminio Fina - nobody does it his way.
When you enter the store you can see Flaminio and his team making the product fresh or you can purchase their dried, fridge or freezer packs for eating at home or at a special event. Take the time to explore the different varieties and talk to the experts about their favourites and what each pasta is best suited for.
One of my favourite products is their authentic Spaghetti Marinara which you just heat and eat. Delicious!
Tonitto Continental Cakes are a local family operated business of Port Kembla, Wollongong specialising in the production, presentation and sale of quality cakes, biscuits, pastries, pies, continental tortes, special occasion cakes and wedding cakes for over 30 years.
I commissioned Tonitto Continental Cakes to make my wedding cake back in 1996. I've never been fond of Traditional wedding cake made with fruit cake but I love royal icing so I asked them to make a Tiramisu cake with layers of sponge, marscapone, coffee liquer and decorated with royal icing and singapore orchids.
I saw a link on Northern Illawarra about the first days of SBS and a video showing people celebrating the multicultural nature of Australia. It makes me smile to see such community and sharing of cultures and coming together to celebrate living in such a lovely place that we are fortunate to call home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ6bEZM5dMk
l love that I come from a big family that has a rich multicultural basis. It widened my perspective, especially with regard to food and helped me to explore and become adventurous and try new things. My friends in primary school and high school came from all over the world and it was like they brought part of the world to my doorstep. I learned smatterings of Greek and Italian, later Cantonese and Tagalog (Phillipines. ) I was invited into their homes and experienced cuisines and cultural events that helped to shape who I am today. This was in the days before food shows like Italian Safari and Global Village. Before Masterchef and Jamie Oliver. I still feel blessed to be made welcome and included and tutored in world cuisine.
Attending the birthday parties of my friends and family was always an eye-opener. Tables lined with foods, most of which I had never seen or tried before. Delicioius Greek moussaka, lamb cooked on a spit, souvlaki and variations of baklava which is still a firm favourite today; a neighbour's birthday including home-made foods including Turkish pide (like pizza but folded in to make a () shape, felafel (made from chick peas) and meze (like an antipasto platter with dips, cheese, bread and accompaniments.
I am so fortunate to have been exposed to such a wide range of cuisines and watch people like my cousin's Grandmother, Mrs. Dressino who cooked everything with love, straight from the heart.
Then there was my Chinese Uncle who worked for a local restaurant and would cook traditional Chinese food with a flip of his wok and the flames rising beneath it. All the strange tastes and smells, ingredients that we have now become at home with but back then were new and exotic. I remember watching him cook Char Sui pork and prawn crackers thought it was magical. A tiny little disk became a huge plate-sized cracker. It was like watching a magician at work. Everything tasted so delicious, with flavours of star anise, hoi sin, dark soy and fish sauce before they became popular in mainstream grocery stores.
I remember trips up to Sydney where my aunt Jeanette would cook Polish food such as stuffed cabbage rolls, sauerkraut, stuffed capsicums and goulash for her husband and family. The smells of pickled cabbage and the taste of polish ogorki cucumbers and paprika still trigger fond memories today. I could go on and on.
I love the multicultural nature of the Illawarra and hope to continue my journey and share some of the time-honoured recipes before they are lost to our generation. If you have some recipes and photos that you would like to share please email me at illawarrafood@gmail.com
As Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once said,
"the discovery of a new dish does more for the
happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.
I just found out today that Mrs Dressino passed away recently and more than ever I want to dedicate my love of food to the special people that coloured my life with food, fun and laughter. You will be missed, Luigia. Memories of spending time with you will be forever close to my heart.
Please join me at Tutti in Piazza and celebrate Italia day in Wollongong Mall June 5th, 2010.
To celebrate Italian Week, the Illawarra’s premier shopping precinct will be transformed into an Italian Piazza on Saturday 5 June from 9am-4pm. The Crown St Mall will be hosting the 16th annual ‘Tutti in Piazza’ a showcase of Italian talent, and displays to entertain shoppers and celebrate the Italian culture.
There will be the opportunity for people to sample authentic food prepared by the local Italo-Australian Association originating from the various regions of Italy including pasta, Italian sausage, coffee beans and authentic Italian homemade gingerbread, nougat and crostoli.
Shoppers will be entertained by local students and artists as they meander through the array of Italian market stalls.
PEOPLE of TUTTI
Tea Cup Ride provided for the kids was a hit in 2009.
Today I joined the Italian community for 'Tutti in Piazza' Italian Day at Crown St Mall. The Mall was transformed into an Italian Piazza with delicious food and Italian entertainment including a parade, singing and dancing.
Available for sale was food prepared by the local Italo-Australian Associations originating from various regions of Italy including pasta, Italian sausage, coffee beans and Italian sweets including gingerbread, nougat and crostoli.
The weather was horrible, however the rain and cold weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of the people volunteering their time and efforts, nor the people eagerly lining up to sample their wares.
My first purchase was some penne with sauce $5. The flavour was mild but tasty. I could sense some lovely olive oil and a hint of garlic in the sauce and it was perfect start to my Tutti in Piazza (Everyone in the Piazza) experience.
PENNE
By the time I had purchased some penne, crostoli, viennese biscuits, Italian shortbread, nut praline and chocolate nougat I was drooling over the calzone and flatbread but I was all out of money. Next year I will make sure to visit those stands first!
VIENNESE BISCUITS and VITTORIA COFFEE
ITALIAN GINGERBREAD
HOT CALZONE with Mozarella & Ricotta & Ham
ITALIAN SHORTBREAD AND TORRONE (NOUGAT)
PEOPLE of TUTTI
Tea Cup Ride for the kids was a hit.
One Man BIG Band Enzo Giribaldi
0296109324 0405535364
aaida@bigpond.net.au
http://www.ozziecom.com/onemandband
Mondo Piadina
North Italian Specialties
Edensor Park NSW 2176
Tel/Fax: 02 96109324
Ph: 0297063603 Mob: 0402828883
Email: mondopiadina@optusnet.com.au
Italian Style Gingerbread and Nougat
Italian Style Gingerbread, Hard honey bread, Almond toffee, Peanut toffee, Sesame seed toffee, soft homemade nougat, imported crunchy italian nougat, home roasted chickpeas
Mobile: 0408412950
Email: f_vumbaca@hotmail.com
BJ's on the Mall
Vittoria coffee
Shop 1/98 Crown Street
Wollongong NSW 2500
Ph: 02 42280226
You just can't beat the prices of Collegians Wollongong. Every day of the week they have a special lunch meal ranging from three to six dollars ($3-$6). Menu includes Chicken Schnitzel with chips and salad ($3), Sausages and vegetables ($3), Rissoles and vegetables ($3), Roast Chicken with vegetables ($3), Fried Fish (with chips and salad)($3) and on Wednesday it is Steak, Chips and Salad for $5.50. Bargain!
As I waited in line to buy two steaks (medium rare, as usual) I spied a new menu item - Veal and Seafood Torino and decided to try it. One thing I learned was that if you order two meals they will hold the steak in the bay marie until the other meal is cooked. Not a good idea. Next time I will order them on separate dockets. By the time the Veal and Seafood Torino was cooked the steak had been sitting for too long and was cold when it reached the table. Philip was not a happy chap.
Collegians Wollongong's Veal and Seafood Torino ($21.90).
The sauce was similar to a marinara and was nice, if a little heavy for my tastes. The dish was garnished with Australian feta and green olives. To be honest I much prefer Danish feta, especially marinated. It has a much better taste and creamy texture than the Australian variety. The olives were too bitter for my liking. I have only recently acquired the taste for olives, as recently as Australia Day when I sampled some marinated olives at Five Island Brewery as part of an antipasto platter.
Collegians (Rugby Football Club)Wollongong 3A Charlotte St Wollongong, NSW 2500, Australia +61 2 4229 7711 http://www.collegians.com.au/
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I had never heard of squid-ink pasta before this meal. I really liked it! After doing some googling I found out the following:
Squid ink, which is also available from the Cuddlefish (related to the Squid family), is added to the water and dough as pasta is made, creating very black colored pasta. This ink provides a salty and somewhat sweet flavor as an ingredient and coloring to the pasta.
The scallops were very tasty. I loved the mixture of lemon and garlic. The flavours worked well with the lemon giving the dish a fresh, zingy taste which was balanced by the pasta. A lovely meal.
Veal Parmigiana $24.50
The vegetables were cooked to perfection - cooked yet crunchy - just the way I like them! The veal parmigiana was very tasty. I love the presentation of the mashed potato.
Antics Restaurant 76 Crown Street Wollongong , NSW 2500
A photo journal by Vanessa Pike-Russell. Focused on food in the Illawarra Region. The Illawarra is the area just south of Sydney and north of the South Coast of New South Wales. I believe in promoting local businesses and enjoy sharing my food journey with you.
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