Ostro: The Pleasure That Comes from Slowing Down and Cooking with Simple Ingredients

<i>'My approach to food favours intuition over strict rules and is about using your hands, rushing a little less and savouring the details. It is food that slowly weaves its way into the fabric of your daily life - food for living and sharing.' </i>Julia Busuttil Nishimura has gained a strong and loyal following for her generous, uncomplicated, seasonal food. Her interpretations of dishes from Italy and the Mediterranean feel both timelessly familiar and altogether fresh and new. This is modern Australian eating with respect for the past.Julia guides us through the uniquely satisfying experience of making pasta or pizza dough from scratch, with recipes such as ricotta tortelloni with butter, sage and hazelnuts or taleggio and potato pizza. She also shares plenty of flavourful salads and simple meals for days when time is scarce, such as roasted cauliflower and wheat salad or tray-roasted chicken with grapes, olives and walnuts. Baking and desserts, too, needn't be overly complicated. As Julia shows us, some of the best recipes are those that have been passed down the generations and streamlined to perfection along the way, such as the perfect lemon olive oil cake. But we also need the odd show-stopper like a chocolate layer cake with espresso frosting on standby for special occasions!This is simple food that is comforting and generous in spirit. Slow down, take your time and enjoy it.

Julia Busuttil Nishimura is a Melbourne-based Italian teacher and food writer, and the creator of Ostro - an online space where she shares her recipes, images and stories. Julia is a regular contributor to Australian and international publications, such as The Design Files, Design*Sponge, Assemble Papers and Yen, teaches sell-out cake workshops and is regularly commissioned to create spectacular cakes. She lives in Melbourne with her husband Nori and son Haruki.