For our latest Gourmet Traveller food hamper in collaboration with fine-food hamper specialist Snowgoose we’ve curated a selection of our favourite Italian products, from local extra-virgin olive oil to handmade biscotti, wild olives and spicy salami. It’ll be the perfect gift (or treat for yourself), delivered to your door for $195 (including delivery). And all just in time for Easter. Buona Pasqua!
**1 Pilu at Freshwater extra-virgin Italian olive oil, 500ml
** Jayne Bentivoglio at Rylstone Olive Press makes this oil for Sydney chef Giovanni Pilu. Made with Australian-grown olives, it’s soft and peppery, and just waiting to be drizzled over a salad or served with bread. “I used to believe the best oil was Italian but Australia is producing outstanding examples, and you can’t argue with freshness,” says Pilu.
2 Montalto olives
These olives grow wild at the Montalto winery in Victoria’s Red Hill. They’re hand harvested, cured and marinated with rosemary from the estate garden. Perfect for Easter aperitivi.
3 Salumi Australia cacciatorini, 290gm
Hints of red wine and spice feature in this rustic Salumi Australia cacciatorini, which is produced in the New South Wales Northern Rivers region from 100 per cent Australian pork. Slice it thinly and enjoy it with wine and cheese, or fry it up and toss it with pasta for a sweet-salty hit.
4 Mauri Taleggio DOP
Gourmet Traveller’s resident cheese expert Will Studd hand-picked this Taleggio. Soft and buttery and encased in a thin, delicate rind, it’s been ripened over six weeks in the caves of Lombardy’s Valsassina Valley. It’s ideal with a glass of Franciacorta, Lombardy’s famed sparkling white wine made from pinot noir and chardonnay.
5 Il Mulino Sardo fregola, 500gm
Our friends at Enoteca Sileno import this roasted fregola from Il Mulino Sardo in the Sardinian capital, Cagliari. Fregola is just crying out for you to turn it into a seafood stew or an autumn salad.
6 Garlic and tomatoes
You’ll need garlic and tomatoes for your fregola, or any Italian savoury recipes for that matter, which is why we’ve included Tasmania garlic and tomatoes from a third-generation grower in New South Wales.
7 Baker D Chirico biscotti
Baker D Chirico’s almond biscotti is just one of the bakery treats that fly out the door at this Melbourne favourite. Accompanied by an espresso, it’s guaranteed to impress even the fussiest nonna.
8 Pizzini 2014 King Valley brachetto
Our wine editor Max Allen nominated the Italian-style wines from the Pizzini family in Victoria’s King Valley for this hamper. He chose this moscatostyle sparkling brachetto for its vibrancy and clean finish. It’s the perfect finale fizz to a long, celebratory Easter lunch. Salute.
To order, go to gourmettraveller.com.au/snowgoose. While stocks last.
