SALUTE

Explore the warm Mediterranean waters and fresh flavours of Sardinia with these recipes from Brisbane's Pilloni by chef PIETRO SEGALINI.

- MICHAEL HARDEN

"I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS THE FOOD OF Sardinia is not more well-known is because of its reputation for simplicity," says Valentina Vigni, co-owner of Pilloni - a stylishly handsome, woodfire-powered Sardinian restaurant and bar in Brisbane's West End. "But while the cuisine embraces simplicity it's also very interesting because it has been shaped by many influences. Both because Sardinia is a Mediterranean island with access to great seafood and because it's been invaded many times and so the cuisine features influences from all over, especially from Spain." These influences are embraced in the recipes the team has created for our Italian issue. Great ingredients, cooking over coals, and influences from beyond Italy - the fregola with mussels, for example, has its roots in Spanish paella - are the building blocks of Sardinian cuisine and all present and accounted for here. These recipes include many of Sardinia's greatest hits, including culurgiones, a ravioli-like pasta that's found all over Sardinia with variations on the potato, mint and pecorino filling, and spaghetti topped with raw shrimp that speaks to the cuisine's obsession with great ingredients, minimally handled. "Sardinian cuisine is all about choosing the best ingredients possible and not trying to transform those too much," says Pilloni head chef Pietro Segalini. "It's about respect for the farmers, the fishermen, the butchers who grow and produce them. It's why this cuisine is so perfectly suited to Australia - the quality of the produce here is incredible and should be the focus of every dish. For these recipes you should go to your local markets and ask about what's good right now and then buy the best ingredients you can afford." pilloni.​com.au