Pasta Rustica (Rustic Pasta)

The Cook

Giuliana’s parents Francesco and Francesca Longo immigrated to Australia in 1959 in search of a better life for their family. Giuliana is the youngest daughter of five children who grew up in Elizabeth St in Hobart, Tasmania. Francesca imparted her knowledge of cooking to her daughters at an early age out of necessity.

The skills that Francesca acquired have been handed down verbally and practically from mother to daughter for generations and were hardly ever written down. As a result, her daughter Giuliana has extensive knowledge of the traditional southern Italian dishes from the region of Puglia which is famous for its cuisine. Giuliana has over 50 years of experience in the kitchen and with most of the knowledge base still in her head, she is delighted to now share it with you.

The Italian Tradition

Each region of Italy has a wealth of its own regional cuisine and specialities. Some areas are famous for their pork products like salami and prosciutto crudo. Other areas are famous for wine making and olive production. Once Italians from all over Italy made Australia their home they were no longer distinguished by their region.

And so began an enormous sharing of skills and culinary treats. Those Italians that left their homes to live in Argentina, the United States of America, Canada and Australia have become ambassadors of traditional Italian food preparation.

It is well-known that the authentic cuisine of a country is often found amongst the people who have left their homeland. They hold onto their original cooking skills more passionately while their country of origin modernises and often becomes too busy to produce their traditional dishes from scratch as their grandmothers had done.

Southern Italy is famous for “La Cucina Povera” (Peasant food) literally translated as “the poor kitchen”. There is a huge resurgence in this style of cooking in Italy today. It was the style of cooking from the peasant classes and was characterised by the ability to use whatever was available in the kitchen or on the farm to prepare meals. This method of cooking was about making amazing dishes using fresh and high quality ingredients that were in season. Making simple ingredients into culinary magic. This is what real Italian cooking is all about.

The Italian Cuisine

Italian dishes are famous for their simplicity of preparation and their taste combinations. It is knowing the subtle variations in flavours that can turn simple ingredients into culinary heaven. The food of this region is one of the best examples of the Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean Diet is known throughout the world as being the best diet for health and longevity.

La cucina italiana varies from region to region. While each area boasts the best dishes the areas where they actually grow the produce, like Puglia, do it soooo much better!!! 

The Kitchen

The kitchen is a light and airy country home style kitchen. There are no extravagant or fancy gadgets or commercial infrastructure, so you can be confident that you can reproduce the meals at home. Enjoy the view from the windows and spend a day rich in country traditions here at The Farmhouse Kitchen cooking school.