I wanted to contribute to this cook book to bring our attention back to one of the most shocking humanitarian disaster that seems to be growing higher and higher in numbers every year. Amongst our global pandemic of Covid 19 and our current the climate crisis which has captured the headlines for so long, we do not want people to forget the  42 million people around the world either on the edge of starvation and or faced with crisis levels of food insecurity.

It is so shocking that with the enormous food wastage problem across the world, that this unbelievable number of people are still facing starvation or food scarcity.

Creating a recipe for $14 dollars was not as easy as it use to be with the current rising food prices, I was absolutely shocked to see how little $14 actually buys you in today’s supermarkets , and that was choosing the cheaper brand ingredients and making a very simple Italian dish.

I chose Nonna’s Baked Pasta with Pork & Pea Ragu & Cheesy Béchamel , it’s a classic recipe I use to have with my Italian family, its cheap, delicious and feeds a crowd.  The reason why I chose this dish and these ingredients as they are flexible in the way you can use the ingredients in different recipes if you were to purchase the ingredients in a weekly shop the recipe makes a large baking dish thus giving at least two nights of food for a family of 4-6 which when you break it down makes a very economical, filling and tasty dinner and left overs for lunch.

Download your free copy of the cook book “Hunger Bites” here and help support the end of child hunger.

An easy entertaining idea has always been a quick Italian inspired antipasto platter. This recipe brings your platter to life turning it into a fresh salad leaves with crunchy rosemary baked croutons. With a fantastic salad like this you can do wonders, swap the lettuce with cold pasta, cooked rice, quinoa or cous cous add a squeeze of lemon or drizzle of balsamic for another easy salad idea.

Another great idea for a take anywhere dish is cut the top off a crusty cob loaf and hollow out the centre alternately layering it with a mixture of antipasto ingredients, lettuce or spinach and slices of tomato, shaved parmesan and leaving it to sit in the fridge pressed down for at least 20 minutes, place the lid on and slice to serve.  For a delicious tart, lay down a sheet of puff pastry, scatter over the combined antipasto mix and then fold up the edges baking the pastry in a hot over of 200c for 25 minutes until puffed and golden, slice to serve.

For a party favourite, make a basic bread dough,  rolling it out  and scattering it with a mixed assortment of antipasto ingredients, roll it up like a roulade and slice it in the round baking it on the oven for a take on the pinwheel

When plating up ingredients for an antipasto platter here are a couple of tips –

·         consider having the items in small decorative dishes so that the oils and flavours don’t all mix together

·         roll a thin slice of prosciutto around a bocconcini ball and fasten it with a tooth pick; drizzle these with olive oil a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt

·         wrap pieces of marinated eggplant around a piece of sundried tomato and a slice of parmesan cheese and a leaf of fresh basil

·         open up olives remove the seeds and stuff them with whipped fetta, closing them back up and wrapping them with a basil leaf and fasten with a toothpick

·         chop together deseeded olives, sundried tomatoes and marinated capsicum with a handful of parsley leaves and serve this onto toasted French stick as a bruschetta topping.

An easy entertaining idea has always been a quick Italian inspired antipasto platter. This recipe brings your platter to life turning it into a fresh salad leaves with crunchy rosemary baked croutons. With a fantastic salad like this you can do wonders, swap the lettuce with cold pasta, cooked rice, quinoa or cous cous add a squeeze of lemon or drizzle of balsamic for another easy salad idea.

Another great idea for a take anywhere dish is cut the top off a crusty cob loaf and hollow out the centre alternately layering it with a mixture of antipasto ingredients, lettuce or spinach and slices of tomato, shaved parmesan and leaving it to sit in the fridge pressed down for at least 20 minutes, place the lid on and slice to serve.  For a delicious tart, lay down a sheet of puff pastry, scatter over the combined antipasto mix and then fold up the edges baking the pastry in a hot over of 200c for 25 minutes until puffed and golden, slice to serve.

For a party favourite, make a basic bread dough,  rolling it out  and scattering it with a mixed assortment of antipasto ingredients, roll it up like a roulade and slice it in the round baking it on the oven for a take on the pinwheel

When plating up ingredients for an antipasto platter here are a couple of tips –

·         consider having the items in small decorative dishes so that the oils and flavours don’t all mix together

·         roll a thin slice of prosciutto around a bocconcini ball and fasten it with a tooth pick; drizzle these with olive oil a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt

·         wrap pieces of marinated eggplant around a piece of sundried tomato and a slice of parmesan cheese and a leaf of fresh basil

·         open up olives remove the seeds and stuff them with whipped fetta, closing them back up and wrapping them with a basil leaf and fasten with a toothpick

·         chop together deseeded olives, sundried tomatoes and marinated capsicum with a handful of parsley leaves and serve this onto toasted French stick as a bruschetta topping.