they say that beauty is only skin deep; and that pretty is as pretty does...

I prefer to think that pretty is as pretty tastes!

the satisfaction of discovering the secrets within; a cachet of taste sensations, flavours undulating upon the tip of your tongue

plump, tender, rubenesque ravioli... saucy, spicy potstickers...bursting with flavours that ignite the senses; earthy truffles, exotic spices all doused in gorgeous sauces

mmm...

my new motto is that if you can fill it, it's gotta be good

so take a bite...who know's what pleasures await you!

on a recent night on the town in sydney, I stumbled into a trattoria around closing time. I was with the indefatigable brooke. we ordered a porcini, prosciutto and black truffle lasagna

between my moans of pleasure, brooke took great pains to tell me that, in australia, truffle oil has become the sun dried tomato of the new millennium

worse: it is the culinary equivalent of the cane toad: plaguing menus country wide. from the chicest establishment to the lowliest...there were even rumours that they were serving truffle oil on the meat pies at the footy!

in australia nowadays, it is 'de rigeur' to use the actual truffle to give a dish credibility

well, luckily, the epidemic hasn't reached such proportions over here and I can still get away with using truffle oil...which is exactly what I did to recreate the flavours of that late night lasagna in this ridiculously easy ravioli:

soak: 1/2 oz (15g) porcini mushrooms in 1 cup warm water. let sit for 1/2 hr. strain and reserve liquid. finely dice 2/3 of the mushrooms

dice: 2oz (55g) pancetta, heat in a skillet over a low flame. add diced mushrooms and cook until pancetta renders some fat, but is still soft

mix: 1 cup ricotta cheese (low fat is fine); 2 tblspns grated parmesan; pancetta and mushrooms. season with salt and pepper to taste. you may wish to add some nutmeg or paprika

spoon: 1 tblspn of the mix onto the top portion of a fresh (soft) lasagna sheet. I use sheets which are 7 inches x 4 inches...I make large ravioli as it is less fiddly and much quicker (I also tend to think that they look more luxurious on a platter; as if they are languishing...little bite sized ravioli tend to look more like a rugby scrum, tumbling all over each other) if you prefer bite size parcels, then adapt the amount of filling to suit. brush the sides around the filling with some beaten egg, fold the lower half of the pasta sheet over the filling and press along the sides to seal. place the ravioli on a plate lined with wax paper / baking parchment and refrigerate until ready to cook (this can be done a day ahead)

heat: porcini liquid in the skillet with the pancetta fat and bring to a simmer. allow it to reduce to half its volume

bring: a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. drop the ravioli into the water and cook to 'al dente'. this will be between 6-7 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the pasta

add: 1 cup of creme fraiche to the porcini liquid and bring to a gentle simmer. add the remaining porcini mushrooms and 1 teaspoon truffle oil. taste. try not to moan!

arrange: the ravioli on a platter, spoon the sauce on top

build a meal: these little fellas are pretty rich. you only need a couple. try serving as a 'warm salad' platter with the oyster mushrooms, pancetta 'roses' and spinach...add some warm ciabatta to soak up that sauce

in an endless effort to amuse myself, I discovered something delightful whilst cooking this dish

pancetta 'roses'

those sweet, wicked, little coils have a trick up their sleeve: place each slice flat in a skillet...you can only fit a few at once...turn up the heat and watch as they shrink into crispy, salty, smoky little roses

well, when you're done, add a little olive oil to the pancetta fat and toss the oyster mushrooms into the skillet. turn them gently so that the 'branches' stay intact

arrange the mushrooms and pancetta on a bed of spinach... add some fried sage leaves or fresh rosemary sprigs...serve with the ravioli

so you've mastered the cheat's art of ravioli making:

forget the notion of making your own pasta...go to the refrigerator in the supermarket and buy the sheets of fresh lasagna pasta...or, better yet, buy them online at freshpasta.com and have them delivered to your door

try this one, it's unforgiveably easy and sinfully delicious

fry: 1 lb (500g) fresh ground turkey or chicken with a little olive oil. when lightly browned, remove and set aside. add a splash more olive oil to the skillet and fry 1 leek, finely chopped; 1/2 a bulb of fennel /anise, finely chopped and a fistful of basil leaves, chopped. when the leeks and fennel have wilted, add the meat and season with salt and pepper. fry another minute or so, then set aside

toast: 2 tblspns pine nuts in the skillet for a couple of minutes over a medium heat. they should turn golden, not brown (and certainly not black!)... add them to the turkey mix

spoon: mix onto lasagna sheets as detailed in the recipe above. brush with egg, press firmly to seal and set aside on sheets of baking parchment. if you are making them ahead of time, cover with another sheet of paper, then wrap the whole dish with cling film

drop: into a pot of rapidly boiling salted water and cook for 6-7 minutes, turning them with a slotted spoon half way through

whilst they're cooking: heat 1 stick/ 125g butter with 1/3 cup olive oil over a medium / high heat. add 8-10 sage leaves, 1/ 2 cup peas and 1/2 cup sugar snap peas. sprinkle a little salt and pepper. cook until the butter has browned slightly

arrange: the ravioli on a platter, pour the butter sauce over

double the flavour: cook another ravioli and serve them both together. try this: steam 4 small golden beets and 4 small red beets. when cooked, peel and dice. add 1/2 cup crumbled fetta cheese and 1/2 cup diced, fried bacon. season with salt and pepper and make ravioli as detailed above

and while you're at it, shave some parmesan on top...

the big finish: how about some limoncello tiramisu? click on the picture to the right and it will take you to the website for the recipe

the aroma of fresh herbs like basil, rosemary and oregano only enhance the pleasure taken in eating these dishes, so garnish the serving platters or line the charger plates with fresh bunches of herbs...

arrange basil and tomato slices around the plate...drizzle a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar on them...add some mozarella slices if you like

think of it as serving your salad and pasta dish together, but apart...and you get all the aroma and colour of a bunch of flowers (for a fraction of the cost)

all that's left is the lighting of the tea lights and the uncorking of the wine!

hmm...while you're at it, I'll have a cheeky glass of sangiovese, thanks!

I've been doing some catering gigs to road test the recipes on the site

and this one always has the 'bring 'em to their knees' reaction that you hope for when you feed someone

the perfect potsticker is half fried, half steamed. I learnt this years ago at an izakaya in tokyo, the plump little gyoza were pan seared to perfection, then steamed in just enough sake to bring them to a sizzling, steamy finish

serve with sweet chili sauce. frock it all up with some banana flower petals, or coconuts...maybe a few stray orchids...

the fragrant herbs and spices drawing you in, daring you to take a bite

intrigued?

then click on the picture for the recipe

these are the cheekiest little envelopes to bite into, each one sealed and stamped to deliver maximum flavour

neat little stacks of grilled vegetables, a sliver of parmesan to sex things up ...folded into pasta parcels and served with the best pesto that you can get your hands on

this one is so fast and easy:

use a vegetable peeler: to slice thin strips of zucchini, butternut squash, rutabaga / swede and parmesan. slice the zucchini lengthways, slice the squash in rounds (from its 'neck') and the rutabaga across

heat: a little olive oil in a skillet. fry each of the vegetables for a minute or two to sear, then lay on paprer towel. season with sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and, if you like, a little nutmeg or chili flakes. you will also need some marinated grilled red peppers

start: with a strip of zucchini. place a slice of squash on top of half of it, then add a strip of grilled red pepper, then add a slice of parmesan to the stack, then a slice of rutabaga, then fold the other half of the zucchini slice onto the top

place: the stack onto a sheet of lasagna pasta, brush the sides with beaten egg, fold the pasta over and press to seal

to make 12 large ravioli, you will need 12 strips of each vegetable

cook: in rapidly boiling salted water for 6-7 minutes, drain, then toss into a skillet with some pesto which has been heated over a low flame. serve with oodles of fresh parmesan, sliced tomatoes and fresh basil leaves

I'm probably the last person on the planet to discover this amazing woman...

...serves me right for burying my head in the dim sum cart

whether you're having a sexy date, or a gorgeous night alone...or entertaining a roomful...this chanteuse is exquisitely appropriate

click on the pic to take you to the iTunes playlist

if you'd like to see the back issues, there is a link on the left hand side that will allow you to download them as PDF's

and, of course, there is thelovebite.com awaiting you

let the love flow...

mannix@thelovebite.com