There’s few simpler pleasures than outdoor dining on a warm afternoon or evening. “Al fresco” dining – or more closely phrased, dining “in the cool air” – is a term now so familiar in dining culture it’s as much a prized Italian export as pizza, passata, and prosecco.
Carl Fodera knows this well. Born and raised in Melbourne to first- and second-generation Sicilian parents, Fodera finished high-school, gained a degree in Italian and promptly moved to Italy.
“I lived in Rome for 10 years and made it my hub for investigating Italy’s culinary delights,” he says. It wasn’t just Italian food and drink that rewarded Fodera’s curiosity, but locals enjoyment of consuming it publicly – particularly at impromptu picnics in and around city landmarks. “My favourite [spot] was Villa Celimontana, behind the Colosseum, bordering on Celio and San Giovanni,” he says. “It was awesome in the summertime because it had great open-air jazz concerts.”
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Fodera returned to Melbourne and now runs Il Melograno in Northcote in Melbourne’s north. A Sicilian-inspired breakfast and brunch café specialising in gelato, Fodera’s continuing fondness for al fresco dining is evident in the café’s outdoor-dining area and petite courtyard. His experience in Italy has also made him somewhat of an expert on what to serve – as well as what to drink with it.
We asked Fodera for some of his tips and ideal recipes for hosting an authentic Italian-inspired picnic.
Keep things chill
A large cooler bag is an essential part of Fodera’s picnic kit. A series of cold dishes to beat the heat is Fodera’s suggestion, along with a traditional Italian prosecco such as Porta Dante. It pairs well with a selection of favourites such as Palermitan-style eggplant involtini; Buffalo ricotta bruschetta with balsamic grapes, with unsweetened ricotta – the tartness of which complements Porta Dante’s aromas of apple, juicy pear and apricot; and a decadent modern take on a classic Italian dessert, strawberry tiramisu, which Fodera makes using a technique learnt from his grandma.
“An upwards arm movement of folding the egg whites into the mascarpone is critical,” he says. “I learnt this when I was a kid making grandma’s infamously soft sponge cakes.” He makes the serves picnic-friendly by serving single portions in small mason jars.
Lose the porcelain
“Making everything bite-size or finger food means you don’t need plates, so with a few platters, some glasses and napkins, you’re done,” says Fodera. “Usually I transport everything in a few sealed containers and I recently found some large slate-stone sheet platters, which look great and are easy to transport.”
Complete with a treat
Fodera suggests completing your picnic using watermelon – with a twist. Scoop the flesh out of a watermelon, then use the skin as a punch bowl. Throw in some fresh mint, pour in some Porta Dante Prosecco and top it up with Pimms to make a watermelon punch – a fine finish to an afternoon in the sun.
Here’s how to make Fodera’s ideal Italian picnic dishes at home.
Recipe: involtini di melanzane alla palermitana – Palermitan-style eggplant involtini
Makes approx 20 serves
Ingredients:
25g pine nuts
25g raisins
1kg eggplants (long Japanese variety is best), sliced lengthwise around 5mm thick
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, lightly crushed under a knife
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 shallots, diced into small pieces
Generous bunch of continental parsley, finely chopped
200g breadcrumbs
1L passata
200g grated parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Method:
Soak pine nuts and raisins in warm water and set aside. Slice eggplants then shallow fry in olive oil until soft. They can also be grilled on a skillet until soft and malleable.
In a frying pan add the olive oil, crushed garlic, and chilli flakes. Warm without letting the chilli burn, then add shallots and parsley. Add breadcrumbs, stir through and let mixture toast for around 2 minutes.
Add passata and three quarters of the grated parmesan. It should be the consistency of minced meat. If too dry, add more passata; if too wet let it dry out. Strain pine nuts and raisins and add to mixture in pan.
Allow mixture to cool, then roll into thumb-sized pieces and wrap a slice of eggplant around each one. Put in a baking dish lined with olive oil and passata then tightly pack involtini into the dish. Cover with the remaining passata and parmesan cheese and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes.
Once cooled, skewer each with a bamboo fork, toothpick or half-skewer and place on a platter.
Recipe: bruschette con ricotta di bufala e uva caramellata – buffalo ricotta bruschetta with balsamic grapes
Makes approx. 10 serves
Ingredients:
10 bite-size pieces of sourdough (or any crusty bread)
3 tbsp of brown sugar
3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
3 bunches of black grapes, halved
A pinch of cinnamon
100g of buffalo ricotta (cow’s milk ricotta is a fine substitute)
Cracked pepper
Method:
Grill pieces of bread, then leave to cool on drying rack so they dry out completely. If preparing the day before, leave in a paper bag overnight so they don’t go soggy.
Put pot over low heat then caramelise brown sugar and brown vinegar for a minute. Add grapes and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, then add cinnamon and continue to reduce for 10 minutes or until compote thickens.
Cover bread with a generous serve of ricotta. You may need to whip the ricotta slightly to get a smoother consistency, but the more rustic the better. Add a dollop of compote to each piece of bread, and garnish with black pepper.
Recipe: tiramisu alle fragole – strawberry tiramisu
Makes 10 serves
Serve with chilled Porta Dante Prosecco
Ingredients:
Cream
4 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
2 tbsp marsala
100g sugar
400g mascarpone
200g savoiardi biscuits
Strawberry syrup
400g strawberries, roughly chopped
50ml water
70g sugar
Method:
Cream
Place egg yolks, marsala, sugar and mascarpone in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to fold together – just enough to dissolve and fuse all the ingredients (don’t use an electric mixer; it will become too runny).
In a mixer, beat egg whites until you have firm peaks. You should be able to tilt the bowl and it doesn’t move. A little trick of Fodera’s is to add a tiny pinch of salt.
Place half the egg whites on top of the mascarpone and yolk mixture and, using a gentle upwards motion, fold the whites in. Be careful not to crush the whites. Add remainder of the whites and repeat until you have a smooth cream.
Syrup
Combine the strawberries, water and sugar in a non-stick pan and reduce on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
Using a stick blender, turn it into a relatively thick liquid. Put this in a pyrex dish and place it in the freezer. It needs to be ice cold or your savoiardi will soak up too much and go soggy.
To finish
Soak one savoiardi biscuit in the now-chilled strawberry syrup and line the bottom of a jar with it. Snap the biscuit in half first so it takes in more liquid; this way you can ensure they are soft right through.
Add a layer of cream. Repeat in layers until the jar is nearly full. Garnish with finely diced strawberries and a mint leaf.