PAPPARDELLE PESTO PASTA

What do you love to cook at home?

Self-saucing puddings! We have a pudding steamer at home and it’s our favourite thing to use in the kitchen. We make all kinds of crazy puddings.

What is your favourite dish?

My favourite dish is any that’s been prepared for me by someone else because I know how much goes into it.

What do you love most about the Sunshine Coast?

I love ocean and surfing. And I also love the small-town feel, we know most of our customers on a first-name basis.

Any advice for young chefs?

It’s important to listen, no matter how humble the venue you work in. There’s always something you can learn that’s going to help you throughout your career.

What is your favourite ingredient?

One of my favourite ingredients is Certified Grana Padano Aged Parmesan Cheese from Emiliana in Italy. It has a natural sharpness and flavour from the ageing process that you cannot replicate. It goes with all of pasta and risotto dishes in the restaurant.

Ingredients:

• A bunch of basil

• 2 handfuls of rocket

• A handful of pistachio

• Salt and pepper

• Squeeze of one lemon

• 1/2 cup Grana Padano cheese

• 1/4-1/2 cup of vegetable oil

Your favourite pasta, pappardelle in chefs’ case

To make the Pesto

• Using whatever kind of blender available to you, blitz everything together and enjoy, this will also keep in the fridge for up to week!

Perfect Pasta

• Cook your favourite pasta to al dente keep a little pasta water on the side

• Heat up a thick based saucepan with a generous dollop of pesto in it

• Add the pasta and a spoon of water and toss

• Garnish with some extra cheese and nuts and fresh basil