A SARDINIAN COOKBOOK

Born in Sardinia, Giovanni arrived in Australia in 1992 full of enthusiasm and passion for the unique flavours of his homeland. He believes Sardinian cooking should involve simple ingredients, prepared with minimum fuss, allowing the full flavour of the ingredients to speak for themselves.

Sardinia has two distinct cuisines: inland and coastal. Traditionally Sardinians have lived in the mountains as shepherds and farmers, and so, unusually for island dwellers, their cooking has been based on meat (pork, lamb and wild game, often spit-roasted over aromatic olive, oak or myrtle wood), along with sheep's cheese and fregola (the local couscous-like pasta). The cuisine of the fishermen who live along the island's 1500 kilometres of coast has only made its presence felt relatively recently. Like so many of the great food cultures, Sardinian cuisine is born of necessity. As a poor people, Sardinians were always happy to forage for ingredients in the mountains and forests: fennel, asparagus, chicory and nettles; chestnuts, berries and honey. Boar, rabbit and game birds are hunted in the traditional and time-honoured manner. And those living on the coast gather clams, mussels and tiny crabs from along the shoreline for soups and pasta sauces. The primary flavourings are the herbs that grow wild everywhere on the island: bay leaves, juniper berries, mint and sage, as well as the characteristic Sardinian myrtle, the leaves of which are used in stocks and marinades, and to scent roasted meat while it rests. Born in Sardinia, Giovanni arrived in Australia in 1992 full of enthusiasm and passion for the unique flavours of his homeland. Through his restaurants, he has introduced us to delicacies such as slow-roasted suckling pig and bottarga, the salted, pressed and air-dried roe sac of grey mullet, with its distinctive aroma and pervasive flavour. Since opening Pilu at Freshwater in 2004, he has expanded his Sardinian repertoire, cooking more of the food that's in his blood and close to his heart. He believes Sardinian cooking should involve simple ingredients prepared with minimum fuss, allowing the full flavour of the ingredients to speak for themselves. Giovanni Pilu is one of only two chefs in Australia focusing on Sardinian cuisine. His restaurant, Pilu at Freshwater, has maintained a two-hat rating in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide since it opened. Giovanni has also been acknowledged for his strong focus on Sardinian produce, including a recent award for his wine list, which also has a Sardinian emphasis. Roberta Muir writes for several Australian and international food, wine and travel publications, as well as managing one of Australia's leading cooking schools, Sydney Seafood School at Sydney Fish Market. A graduate of the University of Adelaide's Master of Arts degree in Gastronomy, she is the author of 500 Cheeses, and also assisted Janni Kyritsis with his cookbook Wild Weed Pie.