What I love about Stefano Manfredi’s Italian food is the perfection in simple flavours. I’ve grown my palate, my food knowledge and my love of Italian food following him through the incarnations of the award winning Sydney restaurants of his family.
Now he’s moved out of Sydney, an hour and a half’s drive up the Central Coast, to follow a sustainable dream at Bells at Killcare, where he grows much of the food he serves. That’s as fresh as it gets! And let me share with you after my visit this weekend, that I can vouch for the fact that with this same day farm to table simple treatment, his food is even truer to itself and more flavoursome too.
My thanks to my generous friend Stefano for sharing this recipe:
ROAST GOLDEN BEETROOT WITH LAMB’S LETTUCE AND WALNUT SALSA
20 baby beetroots, well washed and scrubbed, leave skin on
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100g lambs tongue lettuce, washed and dried
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Half cup walnut salsa (recipe below)Preheat oven to 190C. Slice the stems from beetroot and wash well. Place the beets in a roasting tray, drizzle with the olive oil and toss well so they’re coated. Season with salt and pepper, place in the preheated oven and roast for 20-25 minutes until tender. Allow them to cool to room temperature, then slice each in half. Set them on a serving tray. Arrange the lambs tongue lettuce around and drizzle the walnut salsa over before serving. Serves 4.
WALNUT SALSA
200g walnuts
80g large salted capers, soaked and rinsed well
1 cup finely chopped parley
3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of one or two lemons, to taste
150ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
In a food processor, finely pulse the walnuts and garlic. Finely chop the capers and mix with the walnuts and garlic, along with the parsley. Stir through the olive oil to achieve a thickish sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the lemon juice, some or all, to taste. Mix well.
Bells at Killcare
107 The Scenic Road
Killcare Beach NSW 2257
Australia
+61 2 4360 2411
and you can follow Stefano Manfredi on Twitter too
Could not grab feed.
September 14 2009 at 2:34 am
Love the walnut salsa! Thx for this cool post!
November 02 2009 at 5:46 pm
This looks and sounds sensational, on my list!
November 16 2009 at 11:53 am
This looks AMAZING. And will be on the menu at home soon! Especially that walnut salsa. YUM. My mum and dad have a place at Killcare and RAVE about Bells but sadly I STILL haven’t been there to eat! It’s a priority for my next visit. Whenever that may be.