How to Make Big Poppa's Next-Level Pasta from Scratch

Overview

Remember when Big Poppa's head chef Liam O' Driscoll cooked us up a feast of epic proportions? We sure do. To celebrate the launch of the KitchenAid Mini in Australia, we created a Mini Dinners video series and asked two of our favourite chefs to throw a dinner party and cook up three courses of their favourite food.

Obviously, O'Driscoll stayed true to his Big Poppa's menu and cooked three courses of simple, rustic Italian food. He's given us his recipes so you can recreate the dishes at home.

The Big Poppa's food philosophy is all about using fresh, local produce and letting it speak for itself. You're not allowed to do anything fancy, because if the produce is great to begin with you won't need to. Make sure everything you cook with is of the highest quality. If you've sat down and dined at Big Poppa's upstairs restaurant you'll know this is a big deal. Treat these recipes with respect.

HAND CUT TAGLIATELLE WITH GLOBE ARTICHOKE, PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO, PANGRATTATO AND SALMORIGLIO

INGREDIENTS

PASTA

500g '00' flour or plain flour plus a little extra for rolling
3 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
20ml olive oil
pinch of salt

ARTICHOKES

8 artichokes
2 lemons
2 cloves garlic
sprig thyme

PANGRATTATO

2 cup of home made bread crumbs (made from day old white ciabatta or sourdough)
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/2 bunch of parsley chopped
2 lemons zested

SALMORIGLIO

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 sprigs rosemary chopped
1/2 bunch oregano chopped
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley chopped
1 teaspoon salt
zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
dash of freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

PASTA

1. Place all ingredients into the bowl of the KitchenAid Mini with the dough hook attachment and mix on speed setting 4 for around 4 minutes, or until dough starts to form a ball
2. Remove dough to a lightly floured bench and knead until dough comes together and has a uniform consistency (the dough should spring back a little if pressed with thumb)
3. Wrap tight in cling film and place in fridge for 30 min
4. Remove from fridge and rest dough for 20 min
5. Unwrap dough a cut into 4 pieces
6. On a lightly floured bench roll each piece out with rolling pin
7. Take 1 piece of rolled out dough and feed through the KitchenAid Mini pasta rolling attachment on setting 10, continue to feed dough through roller decreasing the setting 1 mark at a time, until you reach the 0 setting, Lightly dust finished pasta sheet at set aside
8. Repeat process till all sheets are rolled out. Stack sheets on top of each other and slice with a sharp knife into 2cm strips
9. Set cut pasta aside covered with tea towel until ready to cook

ARTICHOKES

1. Snap back tough outer leaves until you begin to expose the pale yellow ones. Trim top off and pare down the leaves which cover the base of the heart and trim stem down till the pale yellow is showing
2. Cut Artichokes in half lengthways and with a spoon scoop out the choke and place artichokes in water mixed with a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice to stop oxidisation
3. In a large pot of cold water place the lemons that have been cut in half, garlic, thyme and artichokes, simmer until the base of the artichokes can easily be pieced with knife
4. Strain and set aside, when cooled slice each half in two

PANGRATTATO

1. Bring 1/2 cup oil to medium heat in heavy based frypan, add bread crumbs and toast a light golden colour. At this stage add garlic, lemon zest and parsley, and continue to toast until golden brown
2. Remove pangrattato from pan using a slotted spoon on to a baking try lined with paper towel, and let drain of excess oil and cool

SALMORIGLIO

1. Place all ingredients in the KitchenAid Mini food processor attachment and blitz

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

1. Bring large pot of salted water to the boil and add pasta, cook for 2 min, add artichokes to water with pasta and cook for a further minute, strain and place in large mixing bowl with the salmoriglio, season with salt and pepper and mix
2. Divide between 4-6 bowls and grate parmigiano-reggiano over each portion
3. Top with pangrattato

FLAT IRON STEAK TAGLIATA WITH CONFIT GARLIC BUTTER, TREVISO AND POTATO AL FORNO

INGREDIENTS

1 kg flat iron steak, if unavailable flank or thick skirt can be substituted
1.5 kg waxy potatoes
2 heads of treviso or radicchio
3 sprigs rosemary
2 lemons
250g unsalted butter
1 head garlic
1 cup veg oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt
pepper
good quality Australian extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

BUTTER

1. Place peeled garlic cloves in small pot with vegetable oil and heat at a low temperature until garlic is soft and starting to caramelise. Strain garlic and let cool
2. In the KitchenAid Mini beat butter with paddle attachment and some salt until soft and pale in colour, add garlic and and parsley and mix until combined
3. Take a sheet of foil and place a sheet of baking paper over this, spoon butter onto paper and then roll into a log twisting both ends until tight and butter feels firm
4. Place butter log in fridge or freezer until firm
5. Remove from fridge, unwrap and cut into 2cm wheels

THE REST

1. With are sharp knife thinly slice the potatoes into rounds and place slices overlapping each other into an oiled, deep, heavy based ceramic or glass baking dish. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper and add water but do not cover potatoes with liquid
2. Bake in oven at 200 celsius for 30 min
3. Add rosemary leaves and continue to bake for a further 15min or until potatoes are cooked and golden brown
4. Slice treviso lengthways into quarters and place on baking tray, drizzle with oil and season wit salt and pepper, roast for 10-15 min
5. Season steak and bring a non-stick frypan up to smoking with a little oil, cook steak for approx 3-4 minutes on each side till a nice crust forms
6. Remove steak and rest for 3min before slicing across the grain and serving on plate or board with butter crumbled on top and lemons cheeks, and treviso on side

TORRONE SEMIFREDDO WITH DOLCE LATTE

INGREDIENTS

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup good quality honey
225g hard hazelnut or almond torrone, finely chopped (Torrone is an Italian nougat made with honey, egg whites, sugar and nuts)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk

METHOD

1. In a deep pot place the can of condensed milk, cover the can with water and bring to a steady simmer for 3-4 hours. (Be sure to keep an eye on water level and top up pot to avoid water level dropping below the top of the can. The cans may explode if not fully submerged). After 3-4 hours remove can with tongs and set aside
2. In a large bowl, whip the cream with the honey until firm. Fold in the chopped torrone. Transfer the mixture to a large, deep plastic container and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface. Freeze until firm.
3. Spoon semifreddo into bowls and open the can of condensed milk. Thanks to science it will have magically transformed into delicious caramel. Spoon caramel over semifreddo and enjoy

Images: Samantha Hawker and Bodhi Liggett.