How to create an Italian feast for the weekend

Nostrana cookbook author Bri DiMattina in her garden. Photo / Lottie Hedley

Bri DiMattina’s Nostrana cookbook was inspired by her Italian heritage and the edible pantry in her own back garden. Organised seasonally, and with growing guides for each ingredient, Nostrana shares recipes using fresh vegetables and fruits you can easily grow and harvest yourself. But the dishes work beautifully no matter where you source your produce - and these three would make a simple but lovely vege-laden lunch spread.

Corn and polenta fritters. Photo / Lottie Hedley

Polenta & corn fritters

Serves 4

This recipe has been a family favourite for years. Even though I use corn in the recipe, it is easy to sub in any other vegetables and often use this as a vehicle to use up less-favoured ones in our household. The Trojan Horse for veges, if you like. Once fried, the “crust” tastes a lot like popcorn, and then it’s just full of goodness. I always make too many, but they are great in the lunchbox the next day.

360ml water

½ cup polenta

½ tsp salt

½ cup corn kernels (or your choice of small veges)

¼ cup finely chopped spring onions, plus extra, to serve

1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, crushed

⅓ cup plain flour

¼ tsp baking powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

Vegetable oil, to deep fry

Mayonnaise, tomato, spring onion and coriander, to serve

Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the polenta and salt, and cook, stirring constantly, until thick.

Take off the heat and stir in the corn, spring onion, parsley and garlic. Leave to cool.

Sift the flour and baking powder over the vege mix, and add the egg. Season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

Half fill a large saucepan with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Working a few at a time, scoop tablespoons of the mixture and gently drop into the hot oil. Cook for a few minutes, turning as needed, to a rich, golden brown colour. Drain on paper towels.

Drizzle with mayonnaise and top with chopped tomato, spring onion and coriander to serve, if you like.

Note: For extra pop, serve with your favourite tomato relish, or with yoghurt or sour cream as a dip.

Grilled capsicum and tomato tart. Photo / Lottie Hedley

Grilled capsicum & tomato tart

Serves 4

This tart is almost better cold the next day than it is straight from the oven. Feel free to use puff pastry instead of shortcrust, but still leave a border around the edge so that you get a lovely crust.

1 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

2 anchovy fillets

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

500g shortcrust pastry

150g gruyere, grated

4 Tbsp chopped herbs (such as thyme, sage and oregano), plus extra, to serve

2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced

3 large capsicums, cut into pieces and lightly chargrilled

Preheat the oven to 190C fan-forced. Lightly grease a large baking tray.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the anchovies, shallots and garlic for a couple of minutes, until softened. Set aside to cool.

Roll out the pastry to a 30cm × 20cm rectangle and place on the prepared tray. Spread the cooled anchovy mixture over, leaving a 2cm border around the edge.

Sprinkle with gruyere and herbs, then layer the tomato and capsicum on top, slightly overlapping. Fold the edges of the pastry over to make a crust. Drizzle the topping with olive oil.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, until pastry is golden. Cool slightly and serve topped with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and cracked pepper.

Spiced apple cake. Photo / Lottie Hedley

Spiced apple cake

Serves 12

This recipe hails from my mother’s cafe, Eliza’s Pantry. It’s super simple and uses four apples with their skin on. The apples don’t have to be at their best, it’s a little like a banana bread recipe for apples. They can be rescued because no one is inclined to eat them, and turned into something delicious – but the best part is that it is all just mixed up in a food processor then baked.

4 apples, quartered, cored, but not peeled

2 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp ground allspice

250g butter, at room temperature, chopped

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Icecream and caramel sauce, to serve

Cinnamon crumble

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup rolled oats

1 tsp ground cinnamon

25g butter

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Grease a 23cm springform tin and line with baking paper.

To make the crumble, combine the ingredients in a food processor and process until crumbly. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

For the cake, place the apples into the food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and process for 1 minute. Pour into the prepared tin and sprinkle with the topping.

Bake for 1-1.5 hours, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with icecream, caramel sauce, or both.

Nostrana: Flavours from my Italian kitchen garden. By Bri DiMattina. Photography by Lottie Hedley. Published by HarperCollins NZ. RRP $55