Is there anything lovelier than a casual Sunday lunch with friends? No fuss, no stress—just simple, delicious food shared in good company on a sunny day. That’s exactly how Madeleine, founder of Nonna’s, celebrated the launch of Capsule 01.
Everyone pitched in and contributed something. Someone on cheese, another friend riffed on an old Ottolenghi recipe, Maddy picked up some pastries from her favourite Italian bakery. Naturally, many tomato candles were lit, filling the air with notes of cumin, sandalwood, and tomato leaf.
Have a squiz below for more details from the leisurely arvo.
STARTERS
To kick things off, we nibbled on some cheese from Penny’s Cheese Shop. There was a Comté and a Yarrawa and both were enjoyed with some of those big, juicy Perelló olives in a can and some salted chippies.
MAINS
I made this fresh and delicious potato salad from Ella Mittas’s cookbook. Shout out to the roasted almonds for adding some yummy crunch. And my friend made a tatin inspired by a Yottam Ottoelnghi recipe, swapping out the potatoes for tomatoes and onions. Genius! And so tasty!
SIDES
A humble Greek salad inspired by a Bon Appétit recipe (sometimes it’s just easier to freestyle than read a recipe, right?!).
WINE
We paired the dishes with Ruth Lewandowski’s wine ‘Feints’—a delicious light red from Mendocino County and the last drop of vino I had before getting pregnant. It was the perfect send-off!
DESSERT
Dessert was supplied by my favourite local Italian bakery in the Gong, Pasticceria Massimo Papa. I simply HAD to get a couple of cannolis, a baked ricotta cake, sfogliatella (my absolute favourite) and some Italian bickies that we cut up and shared.
TUNES
We listened to this fun playlist with tunes as juicy and rich as the plumpest tomato. Now, I turn to Tomatolist whenever I need a pick-me-up.
